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The less resistance you create the more efficient and effective your action.
Tension and stress are rigid and hard; they are obstacles to achievement. |
The Foundation
The focus is to lay a foundation that will enable us to challenge for a National
Championship. Our foundation is built upon trust, commitment, and a deep bond forged through shared experiences, goals, and struggles.
Our goals have little to do with winning matches; they never will.
Winning matches is the result of the aforementioned foundation, competitiveness,
and luck. Our goals are:
1) To continue to build upon and strengthen this foundation
2) Learn to enjoy the integrity of the struggle
3) To understand what we are doing within and beyond its context.
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Take your task seriously, not yourself |
Accountability
Central to this foundation is accountability. The individual is ultimately
responsible for performance and outcomes. It is in the individual’s best
interest to understand their goals (short term and long term) and progress with
them in mind. Excuses must not be tolerated or accepted from within. The
individual must hold themselves to the highest standard. The ability to first
look within has its roots in all facets of the foundation, and takes time,
focus, and patience. This is at all times a learning experience for everyone
associated.
If a player is looking for an excuse, they are easy to find: school, equipment,
teammates, coach, etc. To turn a potential excuse into a weapon is the challenge
and the goal. In match situations, a player will often face the decision to
fight or give in, and not accepting excuses is practice for match toughness.
Everything is competitive, and everything is an opportunity to improve. The
brain must be treated like a muscle and exercised and used efficiently and
effectively. Excuses allow the brain to “check out,” and serve as justification
for failure. Failure should not be reasoned as something beyond our control and
thus unworthy from which to learn. Failure is something to embrace and
understand. Failures on the tennis court are correctable and carry few
consequences; they are the practice ground for real life.
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See the ball, hit the ball |
Trust
Trust is the cornerstone of a healthy foundation. Tennis is an individual sport
within a team setting, and many high school coaches are ill-qualified to
understand that relationship and/or the sport. The student-athlete enters this
situation not fully understanding how an individual sport effectively functions
within a team environment, and as a result may have difficulty understanding
their role, and the commitment required for success. To be accepted at such
academically rigorous and prestigious institutions as Pomona and Pitzer take
focus, goal-setting, organization, competitiveness, and intelligence; those same
tools are required for success on the tennis court. The student-athlete may have
these essential qualities upon arrival, but is not necessarily prepared to use
them in an athletic environment. The student-athlete must learn to trust others.
It takes a leap of faith to trust, but the lessons of the leap are more valuable
than is the pain from the fall. We seek to create an environment that embraces
those that embrace the team; an environment that allows those to become their
best without fear of failure, as failure is an essential part of development. It
is through this that true growth is possible.
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Knowledge creates understanding and understanding breeds patience. Through
struggle and adversity, bonds are created. Through shared experience, bonds are
created. These are the goals of team. |
Commitment
There are many different kinds of commitment; commitment to team, to teammates,
to self. There are many different levels of commitment; minute by minute
(focus), practice/ match (including preparation and mental engagement), weekly,
seasonal, and career.
“Program” is the term used to define the team, encompassing its history, image,
and foundation. Commitment to that means understanding what it is to be a part
of the larger picture. Knowledge of the past, present and sense of the future
with regards to the Whole are encompassed by this theme.
To commit to teammates is to share in the goal and the struggle, side by side;
to lift up and to allow to be lifted; being critical and being able to take
criticism; leading by example.
In order to understand what it means to commit to ones-self, one must first
understand or become open to the idea that to be a part of the Team, benefits
the self in ways immeasurable. To achieve true commitment to self within the
framework of the Team is to give ones-self over to the benefits of the Team, and
to understand that those benefits while sometimes indirect are more valuable
than those attained individually.
When it is asked that a player commit to the above, the time commitment must
also be understood. In a broad sense, players must understand that they are
committing to four years of the Program as well as understanding their legacy
within the Program. Within that time, it is understood that players will have
doubts, questions, and concerns. Players will inevitably question their
commitment; that is healthy. Because of the large expectation built into this
commitment, time off is encouraged and incorporated into the program. Athletics
are but a small part of the college (and in a larger sense, life) experience.
Student-athletes are not expected to eat, sleep, and breathe tennis. They are
however expected to be prepared to live up to their commitment 100% of the time.
To understand this, they must know how to budget their time effectively.
They are expected to do what it takes to prepare mind and body to be 100%
prepared for match or practice. This includes but is not limited to sleeping,
eating, and preventing injury. They are expected to be at practice everyday, and
when there, be completely engaged for the allotted time period. They are
expected to be prepared for matches, and to schedule around practice and matches
whenever possible. They are expected to share in the goals of the team, and
maintain individual goals within the framework of the team.
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Strong like water. Liquid movement creates strength, the ability to adapt to
situations, overcome obstacles, and achieve goals. |
Progress
Progress can be deceptive, as it can sometimes be overshadowed by regress. Be
prepared for, “one step forward, two steps back,” or “two steps forward, one
step back.” Success and failure are never far from each other and both yield
opportunities for growth. Take a critical eye at progress, and use it as
motivation. Failure is never difficult to find, but it should not be overlooked.
Learn what you can from failure, and at the same time keep your eye out for
success.
Synopsis
In summation, the purpose for The Foundation is to instill a sense of purpose,
trust, and commitment that will serve for future success. There will be bumps
along the way, but they are obstacles that serve a greater goal. As players,
expect fluctuations in commitment, focus, and stroke proficiency. This can be
balanced and complemented by the safe environment that the team offers.
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