From lead to loss

[kumar157]

I want to get better perspective from parents and experienced coaches or players on a issue we are facing in the last one year.

I am seeing a clear trend when my 15 year old son plays in bullfrogs and level 1's. He starts strong and will be up like 4-1 and eventually looses the set like 7-5. In the second set he looses real bad like 6-1. His coach is saying that he is not believing in himself.

Please let us know how we can get over this issue.

Thanks in advance.

[db10s]

I'm the opposite... I'll go down quick and squeak out the first, and then win the 2nd 6-1... It usually has to do with my intensity level. Maybe he could work on stamina? I'm 14, and play tournaments frequently. You can't think of yourself as an underdog. You need to go into a match knowing that you can win it.

[10istalent]

My daughter used to have a problem where she would destroy in the first set and tank in the second, and win in the third when the pressure was on. What she did for a while to correct this pattern was between the first and second (win or lose) she went to the bathroom and re-entered the court and convinced herself that a new match was about to begin. She did this for a few tournaments and it solved the problem. Maybe this could help you refocus, as it helped her.

[mikeler]

Look up the happy camper versus the wounded bear discussion by Brad Gilbert. It is more about the start of the 2nd set but you could apply the same principles to when you are a break up.

[kumar157]

Thanks db10s. We will try working more on his fitness.

[kumar157]

Thanks 10istalent. We will try that in the next tournament.

Thanks mikeler. We will check that one out.

[monomer]

I have found this to be an excellent book. It has a long chapter dedicated to managing momentum swings in matches.

Coaching Tennis - Chuck Kriese

There are many, many details regarding how to approach each point and game based on the score.

One of his points is similar to Brad Gilbert's "happy camper / wounded bear" that mikeler mentioned. Your body tends to perform better when you are behind than when you are ahead. A specific recommendation that Kriese mentions is to play an aggressive point when you are one point behind (15-30, ad out, etc.).

He also recommends playing a "breakdown point" when you are one point ahead. Basically a safe drawn out point to force the other player to have to go for a risky shot. Many players will try to go for the kill when they are ahead and end up losing the momentum with sloppy play. He emphasizes that you cannot be tentative on a breakdown point - "big shots and safe targets" is the goal.

This one piece of advice alone has been very helpful to my daughter in USTA play. Having a strategy that focuses on each point has helped her stay in the moment and not feel as if she has no control over what is happening.

[Chemist]

Originally Posted by kumar157

I want to get better perspective from parents and experienced coaches or players on a issue we are facing in the last one year.

I am seeing a clear trend when my 15 year old son plays in bullfrogs and level 1's. He starts strong and will be up like 4-1 and eventually looses the set like 7-5. In the second set he looses real bad like 6-1. His coach is saying that he is not believing in himself.

Please let us know how we can get over this issue.

Thanks in advance.

You may want to check his opponent's TRN ranking. If he lost to a boy who is higher ranked, then he actually did quite well in his 1st set. Also you want to track his match and you would know how he lost his match - his opponent overpowered him or he committed too many unforced errors. Share the stats with your son and his coach and suggest to them what your son needs to improve. Tennis Trakkar Pro is a very good app.

Also ask him if he feels tired after 1st set. If yes, you will need to ask him to include endurance training as well. I assume that he drinks sports drinks, get himself hydrated before the match; maybe eating a banana during the match would help... Pre-match meal may make difference. My son sticks with Subway.

[sundaypunch]

Originally Posted by kumar157

I am seeing a clear trend when my 15 year old son plays in bullfrogs and level 1's. He starts strong and will be up like 4-1 and eventually looses the set like 7-5. In the second set he looses real bad like 6-1. His coach is saying that he is not believing in himself.

Originally Posted by Chemist

You may want to check his opponent's TRN ranking. If he lost to a boy who is higher ranked, then he actually did quite well in his 1st set.

I know that a win over a higher ranked player is more helpful than one over a lower ranked player on TRN. Does anyone know how losses work in their calculations? For example, does the following matter?

-A three set loss vs. a straight-set loss?

-A 6-4, 7-6 loss vs. a 6-2, 6-1 loss?

[Chemist]

Originally Posted by sundaypunch

I know that a win over a higher ranked player is more helpful than one over a lower ranked player on TRN. Does anyone know how losses work in their calculations? For example, does the following matter?

-A three set loss vs. a straight-set loss?

-A 6-4, 7-6 loss vs. a 6-2, 6-1 loss?

Losing to a lower ranked player would likely lower your ranking, unless you also beat a higher ranked player in the same tournament. If you are a 4 star junior and you lose to a blue chip senior in 3 tight sets, very likely your ranking would get a small boost. TRN uses a master ranking list for all players. They actually have people looking at the computer generated list every week and make some adjustment - I think this is when a good loss gets noticed.