SPORT PSYCHOLOGY FOR 10 & UNDER TENNIS

Doug Eng EdD PhD CSCS
PTR Master Professional
USTA National Sport Science Committee

2. 2  TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS • Concepts
   • Relationships
   • Development
   • Sportsmanship
   • Fun & Rewards
   • Drills & Games: ROGY • Summary
   
3. 3  CONCEPTS IN SPORT PSYCHOLOGY • Shaping Behavior:
   – Parents – Models – Tennis Pros – Peers/Teams
   • Psychological Development
   • Attentional Focus
   • Goals, Milestones
   • Performance Enhancement Techniques
   
4. 4  PARENTING & MODELING • U8: parents >>> peers
   • O14: peers >>>> parents
   • Models: whatever see most
   • Care in what you do
   • Meetings – 5 minutes with parents • Assessment – growth, skills
   
5. 5  YOUR ROLE • Mentor
   • Role Model • Advisor
   

4. 4  PARENTING & MODELING • U8: parents >>> peers
   • O14: peers >>>> parents
   • Models: whatever see most
   • Care in what you do
   • Meetings – 5 minutes with parents • Assessment – growth, skills
   
5. 5  YOUR ROLE • Mentor
   • Role Model
   • Advisor
   • Fitness Expert • Psychologist
   • Friend
   • Protector
   • Energizer
   
6. 6  COMMUNICATION
   • Skills: listening, empathy, clarity, anticipation
   • Verbal: meaning, tone, volume, attention, consistency • Non-Verbal: (paralanguage)
   • How do you communicate COMMAND?
   • How do you communicate FUN?
   
7. 7  PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT • Self-Concept:
   – Boundaries
   – Emotional Intensity: Pain/Joy • Self-Confidence:
   – Shyness, Assuredness
   – Risk & Security
   • Teaching Outwardly Positive Behavior
   
8. 8  CHILD PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT • Normative Development
   – What’s capacity is expected of a certain age • Dynamic Development
   – Growth & changes • Motor Development
   – Fine-motor, gross-motor
   – Differentiation & integration • Developmental Milestones
   

8 CHILD PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT • Normative Development

– What’s capacity is expected of a certain age • Dynamic Development
– Growth & changes

• Motor Development – Fine-motor, gross-motor – Differentiation & integration
• Developmental Milestones
9 CHILD PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT • ABCs
• Locomotormovement
– Body movement from place to place
• Nonlocomotor movement – Balance and coordination
• Manipulative movement – hands and feet
10 DEVELOPMENT THINKING LIKE A CHILD:
• ???
• It hurts!
• ....is cheating! • Fun!
11 PERCEPTION OF SPORT PYSCHOLOGY • COMPETITIVE PLAYERS
– Getting in the Zone – Mental Toughness – Focus & Goals
• 10 & UNDER – ????What is this???? – Not getting frustrated – Staying with the task – Sportsmanship – Confidence

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12 POSITIVE BEHAVIOR & SPORTSMANSHIP • Train Behavior, Influence Thinking

– ????What is this???? – Not getting frustrated – Staying with the task – Sportsmanship – Confidence

12. 12  POSITIVE BEHAVIOR & SPORTSMANSHIP • Train Behavior, Influence Thinking
    • Perception of Winning/Losing • Perception of Fairness
    – Consistency
    – I can’t do that – I can’t hit/win
    
13. 13  LOSING, CHEATING & DIFFICULT MOMENTS • Are your students ready to compete?
    – Sportsmanship
    – Value of winning & losing to players • Cheating
    – What is cheating to a child? – Teaching selfless perception – Teaching values
    • Difficult Behaviors
    – What do you understand about the situation? – What are your on-court rules
    
14. 14  FUN
    • What Defines FUN?
    – play
    – enjoyable
    – with friends
    – immersive
    – creative
    – sense of accomplishment – towards a goal or aim
    • Shape Positive Behavior • Shape Positive Thinking
    
15. 15  INGREDIENTS (FOR MENTAL TRAINING) • Fun
    • Creativity
    • Inspire Training
    

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– with friends
– immersive
– creative
– sense of accomplishment – towards a goal or aim
• Shape Positive Behavior • Shape Positive Thinking

15. 15  INGREDIENTS (FOR MENTAL TRAINING) • Fun
    • Creativity
    • Inspire Training
    • Drill for Confidence
    • Milestones, Rewards
    • Play with Purpose
    • Don’t talk “psychology” • Ask & Anticipate Issues:
    – Personal – Gender/grades – Cheating, winning/losing – Parents
    
16. 16  FUN & CHALLENGE DIFFICULTY
    frustration challenge
    boredom
    SKILL
    
17. 17  FUN & CHALLENGE
    • Why are video games so successful?
    – Levels of play, difficulty, milestones
    • Games within Games (Scoring, Levels, Goals):
    – concrete, building blocks
    
18. 18  REWARDS
    • Intrinsic or Extrinsic
    • Competitive or Cooperative
    • Personal or Group
    • Frequency – Levels/Grades/Progressions • Improvement (Goals, Records, Milestones)
    

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– Levels of play, difficulty, milestones
• Games within Games (Scoring, Levels, Goals):
– concrete, building blocks

18. 18  REWARDS
    • Intrinsic or Extrinsic
    • Competitive or Cooperative
    • Personal or Group
    • Frequency – Levels/Grades/Progressions • Improvement (Goals, Records, Milestones) • Acknowledgement
    
19. 19  REWARDS Ideas:
    – stencil ink
    – dollar prize
    – autographed ball
    – clothing (special hat, shirt, for the day) – photo
    – wall of fame
    – verbal acknowledgement
    
20. 20  PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES
    • Positive Behavior/Thinking
    • Milestones, Short-term Goals • Patience & Cooperation
    • Reinforcing Positive Behavior
    
21. 21  PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES
    • Games within Games:
    – Counting = goals/milestones
    – Time = patience, focus over time, emotional intelligence – Colors = tracking, external attentional focus
    – Space = changing external attentional focus
    • Mental Attentional Drills/Games
    • Physical Body Awareness Drills/Games
    

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21 PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES

• Games within Games:
– Counting = goals/milestones
– Time = patience, focus over time, emotional intelligence

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– Colors = tracking, external attentional focus
– Space = changing external attentional focus • Mental Attentional Drills/Games
• Physical Body Awareness Drills/Games
22 NO BALL
• Create Stroke & Footwork Sequences
• Add Eyes Closed Sequences • Teaches:
– Patience, Listening
– Breathing/Relaxation
– Visualization: imagination, kinesthetic awareness – Effortless, clean strokes
– Automaticity
– Excellence
23 RED BALL
• Built-In Positive Behaviors
– High fives, handshakes, hugs, huddle, no racquet abuse, project energy
• Timed & Counting Activities – Simple focus, patience, center – Simple goal-setting
– Simple breathing
– Give 2-5 minutes, teaches perseverance, focus, count – Set a realistic number or allow a personal number

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24 RED BALL ON-COURT:

–Simple focus, patience, center

– Simple goal-setting – Simple breathing

– Give 2-5 minutes, teaches perseverance, focus, count – Set a realistic number or allow a personal number

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24 RED BALL ON-COURT:
• Team Rallies (Davis Cup, Grand Slam Rallies) – rally with each person on team, timed, add score
• Forever Rallies (Nadal Rallies) – count aloud for breathing, focus
• Ball Call
– Group game, number several balls, toss each one up, first
one to call
• Djokovic Dodge
– Toss several balls, spatial awareness, continuous movement • Tennis Zoo
– breathing animal sounds (cow, dog, lion, monkey, duck)
25 ORANGE BALL
• Simple Visualization
– ability to focus longer, change focus
• Relaxation/Breathing
– greater internal/body awareness
– Differentiation, integration is more complex (ABCs)
• Court Awareness
– greater external/court tactics
• Short-Term Goals
– learning more abstract concepts

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26 ORANGE BALL

– greater internal/body awareness
– Differentiation, integration is more complex (ABCs) • Court Awareness
– greater external/court tactics • Short-Term Goals
– learning more abstract concepts

26. 26  ORANGE BALL
    • Hall of Fame Game
    – watch a video of a pro, try to imitate, basic ritual
    • Bounce-Hit
    – say “bounce-hit” in rally, breathing, focus, timing
    • Court Awareness Drills
    – Rally to Open Court or Weakness, teaching shot tolerance – Corner Game, move forward after a good shot
    • Short-Term Goals
    – Last time? All-time? Next time?
    
27. 27  GREEN/YELLOW BALL
    ON COURT:
    • Visualization
    – Tennis Picture Puzzle (next slide) • Relaxation/Breathing
    – Time out!
    – Relaxation response on the court (10 seconds): exhale,
    racquet in other hand, shrug, loosen up • Teaching Control
    – Up and Down the River & 5-UP- Random control – opponents (weather)
    – Pass the racquet (learning to play with any equipment) – What can I control?
    

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– Relaxation response on the court (10 seconds): exhale, racquet in other hand, shrug, loosen up
• Teaching Control
– Up and Down the River & 5-UP- Random control –
opponents (weather)
– Pass the racquet (learning to play with any equipment) – What can I control?

28. 28  GREEN/YELLOW BALL
    
29. 29  GREEN/YELLOW BALL
    OFF COURT: • Journal
    – Record excellence, things you did well (weekly) – Record tasks, habits, tennis activities
    – Record daily things
    • Intermediate Goals
    – Simple, need for breakdown of subclasses (beyond R-O-G-
    Y)
    – Learn from older children, grades=levels
    
30. 30  SUMMARY
    • What is sport psychology for young children?
    • What’s your role? message?
    • Be aware of your communication skills
    • Reinforce positive behavior, confidence, sportsmanship • Emphasis on FUN can lead to the zone 

• Basic Performance Enhancement Techniques
– Red (u8) Simple on-court activities
– Orange (8-10) more complex, abstract on-court and off-court

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activities

SUMMARY

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• What is sport psychology for young children?

• What’s your role? message?
• Be aware of your communication skills
• Reinforce positive behavior, confidence, sportsmanship

2/27/12

• Emphasis on FUN can lead to the zone
• Basic Performance Enhancement Tchniques
– Red (u8) Simple on-court activities
– Orange (8-10) more complex, abstract on-court and off-court
activities

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