How Should a Very Talented Tennis Junior Play The Game?
I have 12.5 years old son who plays tennis. His coaches and other people claim that he is very talented and has a very very good and natural technique.
However when he is playing he is more attempting to make “nice” points then just to put the ball in the court, he is very daring and very creative in his game.
This results in less success in games than he is expected (ratio of unforced errors is not to his favor… he is usually losing to himself), this results in loss in his self confidence.
How would you recommend to deal with that?
Yes, very talented kids have problems with that (attempting nice shots) because they are capable of hitting them occasionally and this makes them different from other “average” players. And it’s this differentiation that kids in puberty look for.
I am helping you understand your son first before we move on to what can be done.
For one, I would let him experiment and try those shots especially in practice matches. This can give him the edge when he plays more serious tennis - think about Federer - how many shots he has at his disposal.
Second, explain to him that these shots are not practiced in the same amount as the more “normal” ones and he therefore cannot have a high percentage of hitting them well. There is also not enough time to practice everything in tennis lessons.
But in the long term he will have hit enough of them to become more successful.
Right now, when he plays a match, he needs to know EXACTLY which shots are allowed and which shots will NOT be played in the match.
That decision must come from him and his coach and not like an order of what he can and cannot do. Otherwise he will just rebel sooner or later. You must respect his opinion.
I also suggest you get yourself a book about Roger Federer (Quest for Perfection
It takes much LONGER for a talent to master SHOT SELECTION than the average player. The talented player just has so many options and it’s more difficult for him to make the right choice.
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