The Non-Competitive Approach To Tennis And Life
The story of how I learned more about the non-competitive approach in tennis started in the summer of 2003, when Brent Zeller, a tennis coach from Marin County and author of www.effortlesstennis.com invited me to come over to USA and learn more about his method of teaching tennis.
I spent one month with Brent watching him teach tennis to juniors and adults in private and group lessons.
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Brent also introduced me to other coaches in San Francisco area where I was able to learn even more about tennis teaching methods in the USA.
Brent’s approach to tennis is quite unique in America (which by nature is very competitive!) – he doesn’t introduce competition until the player really masters the game.
This helps the player avoid tension and thus learn the strokes in a very relaxed environment. And as you can imagine the technique of such strokes is more fluid and effortless.
(Note – I also encourage this approach in my latest article about tennis technique of recreational players.)
When I talked to Brent about this approach he showed me a draft – a blueprint – of his teaching method, his findings, his experience of competition (he was a professional tennis player for many years) and his thoughts on learning through cooperation.
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Now, 4 years later, I am now very proud and happy to let you know that Brent Zeller has published the Evolutionary Education ebook.
The ebook shows you how a non-competitive approach and Effortless Learning can enable us to develop excellence in any field we choose.
I invite you to read the short introduction on the Evolutionary Education website and what Brent Zeller has to say about the non-competitive approach to tennis and life.
Highly recommended!
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January 12th, 2008 at 11:47 am
[...] I saw a couple of club players doing their best with ambidextrous tennis but later I met a well known writer Dan Millman through my friend Brent Zeller. [...]
February 23rd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Beyond the Non-Competitive tennis approach lies the
realm of TRANS-COMPETITIVE TENNIS. This is not idle
semantics. I suggest you check our Jim Holman at
righttennis.com. i know you will have a meaningful, and
stimulating exchange.
February 24th, 2008 at 2:12 am
Thanks for the suggestion, Moe!
I’ll check Jim’s website asap…
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:14 am
Very interesting. I have been noticing lately that I play much better when I don’t worry and just relax and let go. Even when I run on a treadmill I used to try and push myself harder. Now I let go and I can keep going and will run just as fast and not spend as much energy.
I wonder if that is really the mark of a champion. If you compare the champions to others they clearly had the drive. But even for them, they played their best when they were relaxed. In fact, I really wonder if that is what sets Federer apart. He seems to be able to relax even under very difficult situations. In the 2009 US Open final I most got the sense that he gave up. But In reality he continue to play within himself. There was really nothing he could do to stop Del Potro on that day. There was never any panic. He stayed relax even in defeat.