Tag Archive for 'Rod Laver'

Are you competitive

Published on April 13, 2021 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: agonismo, Competitività, Rod Laver.

A misunderstanding of which many athletes are victims is in justifying their performance in this way: “I lost but I played well”.

Some time ago, talking with a sailing athlete, I heard him say: “I got off to a good start, the others got off to a better start, but I can’t say I got off to a bad start”.

Agreed but this is a wrong attitude, in this case the question is not so much in the interpretation – to start well or badly – the goal must be to start in front, to compete from the beginning with your opponents for this purpose. To me, any other goal is wrong.

As Martin Seligman reminds us, when we say others were better than us, we are giving a global assessment. If that were true, we might as well quit the race, because they are better.

We need to train the competitiveness of our athletes, following what Rod Laver says: “Never let anyone think that it’s easy to score points with you.”

Let’s continue this in-depth …

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Tennis requires to think

Published on February 10, 2015 in Allenatori, Generale, Mental coaching, Stress and Tennis. 0 Comments Tags: braccino, Rod Laver.

Tennis can be regarded as a duel, in which the ultimate goal is to kill the opponent. Every player is committed to constantly put the opponent in trouble and who does it better and for more time wins the match. For these reasons, the tennis is a situation where self-control and constant pressure over the opponent are two mental skills necessary to win. It’s not a coincidence that Rod Laver said that it should be never allow the other to be at ease in playing against us. In other words, we have to understand quickly what are the opponent’s weaknesses and then take him/her to play the way for him/her more difficult and less satisfying.

To achieve this goal it’s necessary to have a high emotional control, because if you are too aggressive, you are likely to act without thought, and if instead you become too fearful, because you cannot impose tyour play, probably you will play with the famous little arm , which it’s synonymous of insecurity. In both situations you are likely to favor the opponent’s game, giving him/her the opportunity to increase/regain the confidence.

The tennis player must learn during the breaks of the match; between the points and when changing field. The player must coach this mental ability, to think, not only during the game but also in training, with exercises purpose-built to better manage these phases.

How many tennis players train themselves in this way?

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Killer instinct

Published on May 10, 2013 in Stress and Tennis. 0 Comments Tags: killer instinct, Rod Laver, Tennis, Vincere.

Killer instinct. It’s an attribute that all champion tennis players have – whether born with it or whether it is learned behavior. While mild-mannered, polite and humble, Rod Laver, arguably the greatest tennis player of all-time, had it and used it to become the only player two win the Grand Slam of tennis twice. In his newly updated and re-released memoir THE EDUCATION OF A TENNIS PLAYER ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.NewChapterMedia.com) Laver discusses killer instinct in this book excerpt below.

By Rod Laver

When I was a kid, and beginning to play well, a little better than the ordinary, I first experienced the enjoyment of playing to a crowd. It was a good feeling to have my strokes admired, and I was in no hurry to get off the court. As a result I let too many opponents off the hook. I found out that you have to play with the intention of making it a short day, of doing the job quickly and thoroughly.

I don’t mean rush it. Anything but that. But when you have the opportunity you strike then, and you realize that no lead is as big as it looks. If your opponent is serving at 1-4, you feel pretty good: three games ahead. But that’s only one service break, and you want to keep the pressure on, or you’re going to be in trouble. It’s no time to experiment with new shots or to show off for the “sheilas” in the crowd.

I’ve heard it said that you’re either born with the killer instinct or you’re not. I don’t agree with that. I feel I had to develop that killer outlook which, to me, means making the shot called for to win the point and resisting certain temptations. You don’t try to blast a ball 200 mph crosscourt into a corner when you have an easy sitter and your opponent is way out of position. If a soft, unimpressive-looking dink is called for, you hit it and make the point.

The good chances don’t come that frequently, and the killer knocks them off surely when presented with them. The killer doesn’t let up or ease off when he gets a good lead. This can be learned. Make sure of the easy shots—concentrate extra hard on those. Everybody has problems with difficult shots, but the killer gets his edge because he is meticulous with the setups.

Don’t compose eulogies to yourself when you get ahead. Concentrate on staying there. When Charlie Hollis, my coach, decided that I wasn’t homicidal enough, he sent me out with the intent of winning every match 6-0, 6-0. That seems grim for the usual player, but Charlie’s theme was good and clear: run scared and don’t let anybody up.

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