This post is for you high school and college tennis players out there.
My first question for you is,
How much of a team player are you?
I was at a high school yesterday watching their team practice.
And the attitude of a lot of these players was bad, they were just going through the motions, playing around and wasting time on court.
The coach wasn't there either, that happens a lot here in Japan, the coaches are also teachers at the schools, so they don't come to practice all the times, and that can be a major problem for many of these teams.
When you play on a team, your first objective is develop a team first attitude.
You should be the most positive and supportive player on the team that you can be.
Think team first and me second all the time.
Having played on a good high school tennis team in Missouri, in my fist year in high school, I can tell you this,
The more I developed a team first attitude, the better I played in practice and the better our team played in matches.
Because a positive attitude is contagious and it will spread through your team like wild fire!!
A team first attitude is powerful and it will help everyone get into the flow in practice and work for the same goals, while supporting one another in the process.
The problem that most teams are facing is,
"Players that are selfish and tennis parents who are hurting the team, because all they care more about their child's playing time and sometimes, what seed they are playing at."
This all falls back on the coach and his character.
He/she has to lead the team by having strict team rules and enforcing those rules.
Our coach made us sign contracts along with our parents and more coaches should do this too.
"And the coach should make sure everyone stays true to those rules or they shouldn't be allowed to stay on the team."
1 great player with a bad attitude, can be like a cancer on a team.
Have you notice that?
Which is what you are seeing on so many of these teams, that are struggling every season.
Become a team player, by shifting your mindset, from it being all about you, to making it all about the team and the team's goals for that season.
Start with your own attitude.
Keep this in mind, you can have a positive effect on their attitude, by developing and maintaining a super positive attitude one yourself.
This should be your main goal on your team at the start of the season.
Seek to become the player with the best attitude on your team and that will have a powerful effect on your team-mates and their daily attitude in practice and in their matches.
Bottom line here is:
Your goal every season is to become the MVP for your team!!