My New Position

From Bob Larson's Tennis News (www.TennisNews.com)

Kriese Joins Washington, DC Junior Tennis Champions Center

The Junior Tennis Champions Center announced that legendary Clemson Tigers Head Coach Chuck Kriese has joined its staff as the Senior Director of Competition. Kriese coached the Clemson men’s tennis team from 1975-2008 finishing his career with an ACC record 616 wins, 11 ACC championships, and four National Coach of the Year awards.

Kriese brings significant expertise to the JTCC coaching staff. He is the author of numerous coaching and training books including Coaching Tennis, Total Tennis Training, and Winning Tennis. He joins Vesa Ponkka, Senior Director of Tennis, and his former Clemson player Frank Salazar, Senior Director of High Performance, on JTCC’s senior management team. Kriese will work with junior players in JTCC’s Champions Program, with emphasis on competitive development, matchplay strategy, and tournament preparation.

In addition to his role at JTCC, Kriese will remain the Technical Director for the Southeast Asia Tennis Federation, where he oversees player development in nine Asian countries. These players will train at the Junior Tennis Champions Center when they are in the United States and Kriese will continue to coach Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, winner of four junior Grand Slam tournaments.

The JTCC offers training to children between the ages of four and 18 on a part- and full-time basis. Located in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, students can choose from weekly group clinics to intense, full-time training programs including on-site academic instruction.

The Black Door

He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. -- James Allen

In some of my writings and speeches I have made reference to "The Black Door." I was first told the story by Bill Brown, one of my former assistants at Clemson. For all of those who haven't heard the story, or how it applies to sports (and life), here it is:

A Persian General has the enemy spy placed against the wall as the firing squad take aim and readies themselves to shoot upon the given order.

He slowly walks up to the spy and says, "I'm going to give you a choice about your fate. You can take the firing squad that is ready to carry out your sentence, or you can take what waits for you behind that Black Door."

The spy asks, "What is behind the Black Door?"

The General replies, "I can't tell you. It is your choice."

The spy starts to imagine the possibilities of a long and painful death. Perhaps there are tigers on the other side of the door that will tear him to shreds. Perhaps it will be snakes or another frightening death. After some contemplation, he confirms to the general that he is ready to take the quick and simple method of execution or the firing squad. And the execution is carried out swiftly.

Afterward, a young corporal who had witnessed the whole thing walks up to the General and asks, "What is behind the black door?"

The General replies, "It's Freedom. But no one has ever chosen it. It seems that most people choose a death that they are familiar and more comfortable with than to risk the unknown."

I used to have a sign in my locker room that read, "Most want comfort more than they desire excellence." Another sign read, "To get all, you must give all everyday in your training, and be willing to risk all every time that you compete." Players must be always aware that giving all in practice is much easier than risking all when they compete.

As this diagram shows, when you go through the Black Door, though you may fail in the process, but you'll never have to go though the initial passage again.

Gradually, as you see Black Doors for what they are, new confrontations become less intimidating.

Five Steps of Preparation

Your success in tennis is limited only by your desire to achieve excellence.

-- Peter Mandeau

Bob Knight, coach of the three NCAA Basketball Championships at Indiana University, said it best in a television interview, "More important than an athlete needing the will to win, he or she needs the will to prepare to win." Without preparation and planning in the physical and mental areas, an athlete has little or no hope for success in his sport.

Step One: Have a burning desire.
Simple desire is very different from burning desire. It is the intangible difference between the two that draws the distinction between good and great. A burning desire cannot be manufactured. It must com from within, and you must obtain it on your own. The athlete who has a burning desire will endure your training and the hardships and setbacks that take place along the way.

Step Two: Set Specific Goals
Working toward achieving maximum success depends on not just setting goals, but rather on setting the right goals. Set goals that allow you to strive for the maximum use of your gifts while still allowing you to reach a moderate amount of the objectives set. Goals should only be reached about 50% of the time.

Goals should constantly be reset and redirected. It is best to set three goals for an objective (the thought of which keeps the flame of desire bright), an intermediate goal that is a year or so away (to keep on course toward the main goal), and short-term goals that constantly provides smaller successes and failures (to keep enthusiasm and learning stimulated for the ultimate objective).

There is a high correlation between athletic success, intellectual success and social success. Goals should, therefore, be set in other areas including academics, family, social, and spiritual areas. Success in each of these areas supports and aids the development of the others.

Step Three: Make Your Work Constructive and Positive
Many people work hard for the wrong reason: they are result-oriented and think only of the reward. I call this "outside-in" work. This work is not productive because it is not inspired or creative. It results in frustration, and the successes that are sometimes achieved may not be fulfilling.

On the other hand, working for the love of one's work, or pursuing a calling as an expression of one's self (what I call "inside-out" work), will inspire countless successes. "Great athletes compete to express, not impress."

Step Four: Take Care of Details
Pay attention to simple concerns such as eating and sleeping properly, having a sufficient supply of quality equipment at courtside, taking the time to have a good warm-up, and starting the match mentally prepared.

Step Five: Acknowledge Fear and Its Benefits
Fear can be looked as a prelude to the positive emotion of courage. Disregarding fear allows it to grow, and leads to the negative emotions of doubt, anxiety and frustration, all of which can prevent you from having your best performance.

The Proper Balance of Respect for Your Opponent

The best attitude to take to a match would be: "I know I can win, but I know my opponent can win if I'm not at my best." This attitude puts the athlete in a state of absolute readiness for a tough battle. Many athletes prefer to reject this attitude, however, because they feel that giving the opponent respect and recognizing the difficulty of the task at hand places them in a vulnerable position.

The smart and experienced competitor is always aware that emotional balance is critical for best play. The foolish player fails to respect his opponents. The inexperienced player respects some opponents too much. It is best to obtain a proper balance.

This table illustrates the likely reactions in performance to the different pre-match states of mind.


This figure shows the flow and direction that a match will most likely take from the three different attitudes toward an opponent that can be taken before a match.


The best intensity to have to win a two-set match would be similar to the intensity a runner would have in running a two-mile race. He should start out quickly but settle soon into a comfortable stride. He should be solid for the biggest part of the race with few ups and downs and keep enough left over to finish the race.

Respecting an opponent too much is like trying to run too well in this race. It is like a runner who goes out too fast and sprints off to an early lead but collapses quickly when things get close. Tennis players who assume this role often start off by playing all their best shots early in the match. A good opponent is not threatened by great shots early in the match, and often a player who starts this way will not have anything left when the points get critical.

Too little respect for an opponent would be much like a runner starting off the two-mile race in a job and falsely reassuring himself that he can always catch up and that he does not have to run this best until later. This lack of readiness usually compounds problems - a situation of too little too late.

Confidence - belief in self and respect for opponent.
Cockiness - belief in self minus respect for opponent.

Five Important Lessons of Tennis and Life

1. Develop a strong work ethic.
“I’d give anything to be able to play golf like you,” the fan said to the professional golfer as he watched him hit balls on the practice tee. To which the golfer replied, “No you wouldn’t, or you would have spent over 10,000 hours practicing just like I have.”

Not everyone is meant to spend thousands of hours hitting tennis balls against the backboard. Regardless of your level of talent, a strong work ethic paired with tremendous love for the sport is the most vital ingredient to success.

2. Find a dream and go after it.
Dreams start with a vision and then take shape in the form of goals and objectives. These goals should be pursued with a structured and disciplined action. Instead of being too cynical about his or her dreams, the athlete should realize that there are few physical differences between most athletes. The primary difference is the unlimited power and focus that comes from having a dream.

3. Learn that Setbacks and Successes are Both Helpful.
“Breakdowns usually happen before breakthroughs,” the saying goes. Setbacks serve to teach us perseverance and humility. Adversity helps us to grow, but one should always believe that something better is coming around the corner.

4. Make perseverance a habit
Athletes must be willing to hang in there and keep trying long enough to see the fruits of their labor. When on a losing streak it is very hard to not to give up, but through perseverance the competitor gains courage.

5. Seize the opportunity.

The ability to take charge of a moment is something all athletes must eventually learn. The moment to take control of a match presents itself very quickly in competition, and the habit of doing so must be automatic for such opportunities may never come back again.

Transition Shot: The First Volley

The first volley is considered a transition shot because of its similarity to the approach shot. There are three rules to remember for the first volley:

Rule#1: After the server delivers the serve, his movement should allow him to get in as far as the service line. This will give him a good opportunity to make an effective first volley. Otherwise, a first volley can be popped up and will make it very easy for the return to pass the server unless the ball can be put away with a winner.

Rule#2: Unless the return is a floater, the first volley should either be hit back to where it came from or to the middle of the court, and the finishing volley should be placed into the open court. If a crosscourt volley is not put away, the whole court is left open for an easy passing shot by the opponent. In general, for any ball that can be put away, the player should go to the open court. If the ball cannot be put away, the court should be left closed. As a reminder to my team, when we do the classic serve-and-volley drills, I instead call them “serve-and-volley-volley drills.” This reinforces the notion that it should take two shots to volley.

Rule#3: The net should be closed off after the first volley. If the first volley is effective, then the server should be in control of the point. As the ball is in flight, the server should take three or four steps in to the net to close out the point. Not closing off the net is a mistake that gives the opponent an angle to hit a passing shot or a chance to get back into the point.

Grow Slowly

The Child Prodigy Syndrome

Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny. --Anonymous

During the past twenty years we have been bombarded with child prodigies in tennis. We see younger and younger stars who are promoted as the standard instead of the exception. Many boys and girls are now turning professional in their mid-teens, and many teachers support the belief that tennis is a game for the teen years. In truth, to reach tennis maturity as a teenager is rare. The tragedy is that this belief causes many youngsters to hang up their racquets – along with their dreams – long before the natural union of the body, mind, and emotions take place. Many tennis academies and teachers prosper by promising to make children “immediate champions.” Unfortunately, many buy into this sales pitch.

The media and manufactures love the younger champions because of the public interest aroused by their extraordinary success. Young stars are good for sales and excitement, by they are not the standard, and they should not be the model to follow when planning a career.

Female athletes do not mature mentally, physically, and emotionally until the early twenties. For males, it is a few years later. The optimal years are probably between the ages of twenty-four and thirty. Therefore, young players should slow down and enjoy learning all of the aspects of the game and solidify their base fundamentals.


Diamonds vs. Rhinestones

I believe that much of the disrespect young people show toward authority in our society stems from the fact they really do not see or understand the work ethic that is the prerequisite for real success. It is now possible to achieve some things so quickly that, on the surface, appear to be just as good as those things that take time and effort. We are often confused by what is truly a great work, a great system, and a great person.

A quickly manufactured rhinestone shines just as brightly as a diamond that was formed though time and tremendous pressure. We have the best fake art, fake music, fake anything that looks good and is easy to obtain.

The true champions, like diamonds, stand the test because they have been formed slowly and carefully and have withstood all of the pressures that have faced them.


Train the Root System First

I learned a wise approach to player development at the Tennis Training Center while lecturing in Japan.

On the wall of the Japanese Youth Training Center, I saw a picture of a flower, including its stem and root system. I asked the director for the center about it and he said, “The first priority for the athlete is to train his root system; this part, which is underground and not seen, is the base for the plant and for the athlete. It represents his attitude, his heart, his work habits, his integrity, and all of the qualities that do not receive immediate attention from others, but are critical for success that endures the test of time.

“The stem, which represents the physical condition and athleticism of the athlete, is the second priority. We see athletic ability as we see the stem of the flower, even if it does not attract as much attention as the bloom, it is the critical link between the roots and the flower.

“The flower, the third priority, represents the players’ strokes. We are initially attracted by the appearance of the strokes, but they can only succeed over a period of time with a strong root system and a well-working stem.”

I tell my players that confidence is equal to self-concept and self-respect. You see your opponent as you compete, but you feel yourself. Therefore, a player’s self-concept, which is only developed by the root systems, is always the first priority in a long-term training program.

Think of the quick-growing corn stalk that is impressive for one season and then dies. Its roots are very shallow and easily ripped to the ground. The Dutch tulip bulb is completely opposite. Its blossoms are pruned early and often, each time sending nourishment back to the root system, until that bulb is large enough and strong enough to produce year after year. The strong oak tree – with as many roots underground as it has limbs above ground – is another example, taking years to develop.

Society often teaches youngsters that the bottom line and end results are what matters, and that if they can get something more quickly, then all the better.

In training, players and coaches should remember that although growth may be underground and out of direct sight, the root system requires the greatest emphasis and care to produce beautiful blossoms and success season after season.

A good teacher does not promise quick successes, but rather understands the great importance of long-term growth and character development early in a youngster’s career.