Tennis Training Excuses Do You Make Any Of These?

I want to start off with a saying I like to use......I use this not only with players that I work with but most importantly with myself. As an educator, I need to be a living example of what I teach! Drum roll, please ….. Here it is……

“FIND A SOLUTION OR YOU WILL FIND AN EXCUSE”

So what does that mean?

Well simply put if you don’t have the mindset to look for solutions to challenges you face you will easily find an excuse. I tend to find players are either excuse finders or solutions finders. They will straight away try to find a solution or look for the easiest way out and more often than not it means finding an excuse.

So what is a Tennis Training Excuse?

You may have heard some of these, maybe even used some yourself…..

• “The wind is so bad, I can’t play.” Yep, it gets windy on the court.
• “I feel so tired. I can’t move.” Arh ha your opponent is probably tired also.
• “Why are you here, just be quiet”. Blaming others to deflect your performance (my least favorite) especially when it is aimed at the player's team members (parent, coach, etc)
• “My strings are so tight” It is funny how they always feel bad when you’re not playing well right?
• “I don’t have time” To warm up, train or do the extras. Is that really true?
• “This player is such a cheat” Yes people cheat, letting that beat you is up to you.
• “It is so hot” Ok, I get that. The better prepared you are the better you deal with it.

This list can go on and there is a good chance that if you stopped for a few minutes and asked yourself when you typically look for an excuse over a solution, I am sure you will find a few. We are human and none of us are perfect…..

I feel the “excuse mindset” holds so many players back from reaching their potential. It is a habit and like any habit, if it is fed and nurtured it gets stronger and harder to break. Suddenly it becomes a part of who we are, at that stage you are in real trouble.

This is when you look for easy options, people to blame, and more often than not you place people around you who support your habit, they feed it. This is the worst. Parents, coaches, tennis fitness trainers, or friends supporting excuses actually push players away from their hopes and dreams and help nobody.

If you are reading this and it resonates then you need to make changes. The best way to deal with players' bad habits is with honesty, not by supporting and feeding the bad habit.

I feel so strongly about Tennis Training Excuses I even recently created a short webinar on the topic. This is one of the presentations I put together for my group of online tennis clients. 

In my opinion, this is a complex issue, and with that comes the process of getting it right. More of a process than I can get you through in a short blog. When we spend time with our online clients these are some of the issues we highlight and get them through. If you want to become one of the players that get education and support from our team click here and let us know how we can help you.

What I want to do today to help you out is give you a brief overview of what needs to happen to create a solution mindset.

1. Without being aware of the mindset you have, you won’t be willing to try and change it. So next time you’re on the court or being challenged stop and ask yourself if you are trying to find a solution to the situation or if you are looking for an excuse to give in. Where is your mindset at? Does it need some correction?
2.  Look at yourself. Are you controlling what you can control to the best of your ability? Are your actions moving towards your goals or away from them?
3.   Always ask yourself “what is the best outcome in this situation and how do I best get it.”
4.  Become a resilient warrior. If you are not prepared to be challenged and enjoy it your progress will be slow and minimal. When you look forward to challenging situations you will always look for a solution to get you the best outcome. When you dread a challenge you will want to get it over and done with as easy as possible which often does not provide you with the best outcome.  
5.   Accountability. Yep, it sucks when someone keeps tapping you on the shoulder reminding you that you are making excuses. Giving them permission to do it though will create better awareness and less of a chance of you doing it. It is a great way to create deeper awareness and break the habit. So make it happen.

One area we find a lot of players make excuses in is Tennis Strength and Conditioning. The feedback we often get is;

•  I don’t know what to do.
•  I don’t have time to train.
•  I am worried I will injure myself.
•  I have no one to help me.

We have heard these excuses for decades (yeah we have been around that long)

So to combat the tennis training excuses we developed ways to help players of any age, gender, and level of tennis. How?

Our online tennis strength and conditioning programs are something for everyone.

Designed to;

•  Teach you what to do and how to do it.
•  Provide you with short effective workouts.
•  Prevent injuries, not cause them.
•  Guide you through the training process and give you the support you need.

I guarantee you will get results if you follow my tennis training plans and workouts. It is a promise, but you have to get the work done and not make – Excuses…..

I hope today's blog has lit a fire in you to be more self-aware and moved you closer to a solution mindset.

I promise you it will change not only your tennis but your life.

Let's go!!!