Shoot for the moon

​I am a coach and trainer for tennis players mostly under the age of 11. I spend a significant amount of time doing it, and in the process have designed exercises and drills that will not only challenge them but to have them to improve their personal level of competence. (Koka & Hein, 2003). I positively correlate these challenges in a way that results in the kids being more motivated to excel and enjoy practicing, playing, and competing.

​This concept can be explained better if I give some additional details. If a kid enjoys a specific skill, and activities are structured to incorporate it into an activity, the more likely they are to enjoy the activity. For example, if a child learns the basic groundstroking techniques – forehand and backhand shots – any activity that would involve the use of these techniques would be enjoyed more by the child regardless of what other additional skills are being taught.
 
I think about the modern video games that are so popular in modern culture. The player is allowed to respawn and replay in order to advance to the next level. This respawning can be repeated thousands of times, and the child will continue to respawn as long as they find the basic skill enjoyable and rewarding. The opportunity to apply the learned skill continues despite failure. The potential for experiencing a higher level of engagement and experience as a result of the failures makes the process enjoyable. (Fredeick-Rocasino & Schuster-Smith, 2003). 

​At the same time there are also negative correlations that occur with the children on the tennis court. The more a child feels threatened or bullied, whether it is intentional or unintentional, the more their level of self-expression and self-esteem drops. (Koka & Hein, 2003) The result is the child tends to withdraw from the learning process because it has ceased being enjoyable. Mistakes and failures and the reality of perceived judgments become burdens rather than avenues to learning. To limit the effect of this negative correlation, it is mandatory that as a coach I address any type of bullying or harassment between children immediately, and let it be known that such behavior will not be tolerated.

The ultimate goal for me is to get the children to develop their skills to the maximum point possible by getting their motivation from within rather than from external sources. External motivators, such as “I am doing it because my mom told me to” or “my best friend is in the class” need to be replaced by internal motivators, such as the opportunity to learn new strategies and tactics and by doing so, feel good about themselves and their accomplishments. ​

My strategy to get the children to focus on the main goal of mastering the game of tennis is executed in two phases. The first is to make the drills as challenging as possible. The second phase involves customizing the drills to each child, moving from advanced to par, taking into account the unique skills of each child. A key principle of mine is to set the bar high, then develop a plan to make success possible. Setting the bar low does not encourage true success but stymies it.
 
Taking this principle a step further, the bar must be elusive; never to be reached. It is to always have an upward movement away from the child’s grasp. The child needs to engage the challenge and learn from it, and the increasing challenge will result in more learning. (Fredeick-Rocasino & Schuster-Smith, 2003). In contrast, the lower correlation of less learning and lower engagement will be achieved if the challenges are easier.
 
References:
 
Fredeick-Rocasino, C.M. & Schuster-Smith, H. (2003). Competition and motivation in physical activity. A comparison of two groups. Journal of Sports Behavior, 26 (3).
 
Koka, A. & Hein, V. (2003). Perceptions of teacher’s feedback and learning environment of intrinsic motivation in physical education. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 4(4), 333 – 346. doi 10.1046/s1469-0292(02)00012-2.