I love teaching tennis. I enjoy explaining
the mechanics of the strokes and the many strategies players could employ.
And I found something else even more
interesting. I observed that everyone I taught responded differently to the
challenge of learning tennis. Some players were very serious and determined,
while others took a relaxed, lenient attitude. Some of my students were very
hard on themselves, while others had more compassion for their own
shortcomings. From this experience, I realized you can learn more about someone
by teaching them tennis for an hour than you might learn over many years in
day-to-day social situations. You learn if someone has a sense of humor about
themselves. Whether they are athletic or physically challenged. Whether they
are goal-oriented or process-oriented. Whether they are inherently happy or
sad, fun or serious. You notice that many students take a more intellectual,
analytical approach to learning, while others adopt a more intuitive,
learn-by-feeling attitude. I have also observed that some students are
stubborn, while others give up easily. Some demonstrate intense energy, while
others are downright lazy. Teaching tennis to the students reveals a lot about
their character. Are they good sports or cry-babies? Are they honest or
dishonest with themselves? Do they blame external factors for their
shortcomings, or take responsibility and work on them? I’ve witnessed players
slam their racquets on the court and scream obscenities, while others conduct
themselves with grace and dignity.
There is something about tennis that is so
personal. Unlike most other games, except perhaps golf, tennis can really get
under your skin. Missing a shot or losing a match can feel like a personal
affront to your very being, and hitting a great shot or winning a big match can
feel overwhelmingly important. I’ve seen grown men weep after losing a close
match. You don’t see that happen when people lose at checkers or even poker,
for that matter. Armed with these insights, and a new-found interest in
psychology, I am viewing each lesson as a kind of personality test. This has made
teaching for me so much more interesting, and it also improved my instructions.
By quickly sizing up my student, I tailor my lessons to suit the individual.
For example, if someone is lazy, I would deliberately feed lots of drop shots,
and get them running from side to side. If they were taking themselves too
seriously, I would tell lots of jokes and make fun of myself. Often, this
personalized teaching had hilarious consequences.
For
someone who loves tennis so much, teaching at the mud court is like dying and
going to heaven. Endless sunny days on the court and hundreds of forehands and
backhands. I learned a lot about tennis, tennis teaching but the surprising end result is - I
learned a lot more about human nature. I am skilled at taking stock of player,
and I feel empowered by my new insights. I am feeling more grown up and ready
to take on the world.
The Gomesee Way 🏆🏆🏆
Alex Gomes
Contact - 9824060060
Email - alexgomesee@gmail.com
0 Comments