Can Proactive Tennis Help Us Turn The Corner?

Tennis Rockers

We spend all of our time teaching and learning "reactive tennis" (how will I hit this ball) and no time learning "proactive tennis" (what will I do to set myself (and/or my doubles partner) up to hit effective shots or to force the opponent to hit return shots to me that lead to a setup or a winner.

All that time spent practicing "reactive tennis" may be unknowingly leading us into the "fixed mindset" trap of responses:

• This isn't how we play tennis!
• Why do we need to learn this?
• Can't we just play?
• Aren't my strokes good enough to win?

Cutting the "neural pathways" in working on proactive tennis (strategy) is difficult, especially for new players and so it's tempting to ditch it in favor of the "fun" of just hitting.

But the "reactive tennis" mindset can become an invisible barrier to improving our game. A barrier that can lead to emotional plateaus or trenches which cause us to become deflated, lose confidence in our game and skills, and for some to walk away from the game for awhile or forever.

We think doubles could be the key.

Doubles forces players to focus on tennis from an emotional and mental place of being proactive rather than reactive. It could also build that illusive team environment that people complain tennis is always lacking.

Thanks for joining us on our journey!
www.tennisrockers.com