Perspectives: Imagine seeing tennis through the eyes of Agassi, Ivanisevic, your coach or your student.

An article dealing with one of the most important skills in tennis and in life.

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the 1998 U.S.P.T.A. World Coaches Conference at the beautiful La Quinta Club and Resort in California in Palm Springs. Well let me tell you friends, if you want to learn, to grow, to become inspired, to be the best coach, tennis parent or player then I highly suggest you attend next year's 1999 conference in Florida!

We can all learn each and everyday of our lives as long as we are open to new experiences and to learning. If we are on a "quest for excellence," self improvement has no boundaries. Learning can take place anywhere and at any time. When I have a tennis revelation (a new idea) I have a habit of recording it either on a mini tape recorder, a piece of paper, or even on the palm of my hand.

While traveling to the U.S.P.T.A. World Conference one of these tennis revelations hit me! There I was sitting on the plane watching a movie called, "City of Angels." Well, if you really knew me well, you would know that I love to watch movies and that I am a world renown authority on "repeating lines and catch phrases from movies." The movie was about guardian angels and human beings. In one scene, the angel (Nicholas Cage) explains that he does not have the ability (like a human being) to taste or to feel, and that he longs for the chance to be able to quench these desires just once. The scene continues with a doctor (Meg Ryan) eating a ordinary piece of fruit, a pear. The angel asks the doctor what it is like to eat a pear. Ryan, not knowing that Cage is a angel, appears stunned and confused with the question. With each bite she goes into detailed explanations using descriptive words, facial expressions and body language expressions. It reminded me that we as coaches, parents, and players need to have the skill of perspectives. We need to have the ability to see through the eyes of people we come into contact with each day. This skill enables us to see different perspectives and comprehend situations better.

Here are a few examples of how perspectives can affect you:

Players - If a player can understand the emotional state of his or her opponent then an advantage is gained. With so much in a player's mind during a match, it is difficult to be able to see the small intricacies that players reveal during times of stress. As you know from last month's column, I recently talked with Brad Gilbert, coach of Andre Agassi and one of the most gifted minds in coaching today. One of the topics we discussed was tactics and strategies. Though the topic is so diverse, one of the areas dealt with tactical anticipation. Brad shared with me that "scouting an opponent for Andre...could make a difference in a match he was playing." He went on to say that this type of information could mean the difference between a win or a loss. Emotions, situations and patterns of play are crucial for the player to understand and to capitalize on. A clear example was when I was sitting watching highly ranked Nicolas Kiefer play an opponent (Santropadre). It was the third and deciding set of the match and it seemed to me that Nicolas would go to his opponent's backhand with a high slow looping shot during big points. Santropadre would appear to be hesitant to drive or come over the ball with topspin, choosing rather to hit a slice. Time and time again on huge points Nicolas would hit that kind of ball to the backhand. Then on match point he hit a high looping ball, once again to the backhand. When Kiefer saw that Santropadre was about to slice, he quickly snuck into mid-court (for only the second time in the match) and hit an intercepting volley for the winning shot.

I suggest when scouting a potential opponent to look for patterned tendencies. Meaning, if a player is at 30-40 down while serving where does he or she usually serve? During a break point down is this player hesitant to hit pace to pace? Can the player hit a first serve in this specific area consistently? If not, then under pressure where will he or she serve? It is questions like this that will help you possibly perform just that much better.

Before my conversation with Brad Gilbert, I was sitting with Jim Courier's Coach Brad Stine watching his player Sargis Sargsian play Goran Ivanisevic. There, I noticed at one end of the court, Brad Gilbert was sitting there quietly watching the match. I looked at the draw and it turned out that Andre would be playing the winner of the match. I mentioned to Brad Gilbert that I noticed him the day before and he smiled. Gilbert said, "that's what we do man, ya gotta do your homework."

The bottom line is that we need as players to be able to pick up on the emotions of our opponents and their tendencies in order to capitalize on opportunities. So next time you have the opportunity to scout a potential opponent, keep track of his or her tendencies during the big points. Who knows? It could make a powerful difference.

Photo of Bob Brett and Reggie

Coaches - Coaches need to be able to perceive and understand how and what a player is going through. It will allow the player to maximize learning and development. A coach who is not able to see the perspectives of their students may at times perform poorly and the student will suffer. Coaches who coach in a dictatorship type of style may at times overstep morality boundaries and cause the player to feel helpless and unsupported. World renown professional tennis coach Bob Brett (coach of Nicholas Kiefer and former coach of Goran Ivanisevic, Boris Becker and others) is one of the professional coaches on tour whom I believe communicates with great mastery and effectiveness. During one of our many conversations, I told him that I noticed during several of his practices he used both German and English. It was a skill that I thought was invaluable. Bob commented with a slow unwinding smile, "I guess by using English at certain times of a practice I can get my point across more clearly -- you know my German isn't very good but I can get along. I use English with Nicolas when there is something that needs to be said with seriousness, or something that is very important. German words can make him feel more at ease, for those times when we need to relax..."

Coaches, if your goal is to be the best you can possibly be, then it is your responsibility to be able to learn the art of communication. I recommend learning and becoming educated in the concepts of technical anticipation (knowing what a player will hit because of mechanical signals prior to contact) and tactical anticipation (knowing under pressure what will a player hit when put in a specific situation).

Tennis Parents - Perceiving how a player is developing and understanding the short, mid and long term goals provided in consultation with the player's coach are critical for there to be harmony. By focusing too much on the win/loss column, a parent may indirectly place unwanted pressures on their child. The player may begin to feel that "winning" is the most important objective, rather than playing properly to win a match. There is a difference, and a player who becomes obsessed with winning may master a game-style at a young age which is quite successful -- but as that player grows and moves into higher playing categories this style may become completely useless. Tennis parents therefore need to develop the skill of perspective, of being able to see the purpose behind coaching tactics and developmental changes.

As long as the coach is clear in communication then the likelihood of parent/coach problems will be minimal. But there are always exceptions to each rule. No matter how hard a coach tries to educate the parents of his or her juniors, no matter what the coach tries to do or say to be clear, the tennis parent may not want to truly "listen" (It can go both ways -- coaches may not want to be open to suggestion from tennis parents either).

Take the example that I gave a few months ago about the boy whose mom decided to take her son out of my elite program because of a poor performance (this is the boy who reached #2 in his country). Well, I have a little update for you, the boy is now regrettably injured. The time a coach starts teaching a newly acquired student is one of the most dangerous times for that player. It is a learning time for both player and coach. Changing coaches is something that needs to be fully researched and should not be a decision made out of emotional distress based on poor circumstances. Please make an effort to listen to your child and remember what your role is in his or her development.

One of the top players in my academy recently played this same former student of mine and beat him in a tournament. Well, I heard something that tugged at my heart and made me feel a bit empty. Two weeks after that match, the boys (former training partners) saw each other at another tennis event. Being friends, they sat down and talked. My present student asked the former, "it must have felt weird a few weeks ago when you heard Reggie cheering for me?" The former student of mine replied, "no not really, I just kept on trying to pretend that he was cheering for me and that he (Reggie) was still my coach."

Perspective is a skill we must all learn to develop, and we only need to open our mind (parachute) for it to work. The key is to try to not be so quick in making judgments about others before looking through their eyes. The way in which you communicate with people may depend on this skill. Take the time to make an effort to perceive situations from all perspectives. We all sometimes forget to see the big picture and get caught up in the process. I remember when John McEnroe said something like, "tennis is a funny game, and that players need the ability to think it is absolutely the most important thing in the world." Then he went on to say, "if there is one thing that I regret in my career, it was that I never really stopped to just enjoy all that was around me." Wise words John. When on the court, give it your 150%, but just remember that when it comes time to step off that tennis court we must still remember to enjoy life...

Hoping to hear from you,

Reggie

A special hello to a very special person and student of mine named Laura. I coached Laura since she was 9 and a half years old and have seen her grow up from a young little girl to a lovely young lady. Laura recently earned a prestigious full tennis scholarship to Georgia Tech. The institution is ranked as one of the top academic schools in the United States. U.S. News & World Report ranked Georgia Tech in the top 15 of all 147 public universities and in the top 50 of all 228 national research universities--both public and private. Laura, I am so proud of you and of your great achievement! You can do anything, you can be anything, you want to be. I know in my heart that you have the ability to achieve anything you put your mind to. Take your time, try not to rush, use your common sense and all will turn out fine. Thank-you for believing in my abilities as a coach. You will always have a special place in my mind and in my heart!

Lastly, greetings to: Premy from Holland, Becky, Mike & Joe from California, Paul from Germany, Alex from Mexico, Luis from Spain, Tim from Boston, Johan from South Africa, Dave & Matt from Florida, and Alex from Toronto. Thanks for those readers who decided last month to say hello! If you have any comments on my articles please feel free to drop me a line. Thank you for those tennis publications that have requested tennis articles from me, it makes me feel good to know that my words may be making a small difference!

This column is copyright 1998 by Reggie Vasquez Jr., all rights reserved.

Reggie Vasquez Jr. is one of Canada's leading tennis coaches for juniors. He is actively involved with Tennis Canada's grassroots player development. A frequent and enthusiastic speaker at tennis conferences, he is certified by the U.S.P.T.A., Tennis Canada and the U.S.P.T.R.. For almost 7 years he was a head coach for the Canadian Davis cup Captain's Academy at the Canada's National Tennis Center. He has been a Tennis Canada - National Youth Tennis Center Leader for over 8 years and is presently a head coach of an Elite Tennis Academy. He has experience working with juniors from the absolute beginner to the international caliber tennis player. Reggie is also a published author on junior tennis. His personal web site has additional information on his book, the Kids' Book of Tennis. The Kids' Book of Tennis can be ordered directly at a discount using this link to the Amazon.com online bookstore.

Questions and comments about these columns can be directed to Reggie by electronic mail at reggie@tennisserver.com.