나는 온라인 상에서 당신의 포핸드를 교정해 줄 수는 없다. 하지만 당신이 그것을 잘할 수 있는 '단순한 원리'를 가르쳐 줄 수는 있다.
(당신은 현재 이 원리에 따라 연습을 하지 않을 수 있지만, 프로는 전부 이 원리에 따라 연습을 하고 있다. 그래서 그들이 잘하는 것이다. 다른 이유는 없다.)
어떤 일을 잘하게 되는 과정은 거의 비슷하다.
일주일에 며칠이라도 꾸준하게 하는 것이다.
그것도 6개월에서 1년정도 하면,, 실력은 늘 수 밖에 없다.
(보통의 사람들은 일주일 하고 잘 안되네라고 실망하고 포기하는 경향이 있다.)
보통의 사람이 무엇을 배우든지 이런 과정을 거친다.
처음 할 때는 그래 1년동안 열심히 해서 정복해 보자~는 마음으로 시작을 한다.
그들은 일주일 아니면 한달동안은 정말 열심히 한다.
그런데 그 때쯤 마음이 동(動)해진다. 아니 왜 이리 실력이 늘질 않지. 아 힘들어. 그리고 연습을 그만 둔다.
이런 과정을 극복하는 사람은 별로 없다.
그것이 테니스를 잘 치는 사람이 소수에 불과한 이유이다.
다른 것에서도 마찬가지이지만,
테니스에서 잘하는 비결은 하나이다.
'일관되게 꾸준히 연습하는 것'
물론 하나의 스킬에 대해 6개월~1년을 잡으면 될 것이다.
연습을 할 때 중요한 것은,,
한번에 많이 연습을 하는 것이 아니라,
그것을 조금씩이라도 1년동안 할 수 있느냐에 촛점을 맞추어야 한다.
이것을 할 수 있다면, 실력이 늘지 않는 것이 이상하지 않을까?
(거꾸로 생각하면, 일주일 or 한달 연습해서 늘었다면 그것도 이상하지 않을까?)
초보자들의 단점은 너무 복잡하게 생각하는 경향이 있다.
원리는 단순하다. '일관성에 촛점을 맞춰 연습을 하라'
하수와 고수의 차이는 이것을 했느냐 하지 않았느냐의 차이일 뿐이다.
(일관성은 재능보다 훨씬 중요하다. 어찌보면 최고의 재능은 일관성이다. 왜냐하면 그것만이 결과를 보여주기때문에)
As I tell many players and pros, “if you follow my system you have to improve!” Usually they think that sounds a little boastful. I always preface that comment with, “I really did not create the principles that make up my system. All I did was organize, categorize, and systematize principles that already exist!”
For instance, if you did 20 push-ups three times a week for three months, by the end of those three months would you be
stronger? Of course you would! If you designed a system that categorized a consistent process for a person to follow for
three months, could you confidently say, “If you stick with my system you have to become stronger.” Of course you could! I
have worked hard and put long hours in to organize a system based on EXISTING SUCCESS PRINCIPLES that have to work! Every
pro who has ever played the game had to use these principles. No pro that I know of has ever picked up a racket and one
week, one month or one year later became a pro. They had to put in the time and the repetition! NO talent is above this
principle. No matter how much natural talent or proclivity a person may posses for a particular sport, profession or
artistic endeavor no success can be achieved without repetition.
With this in mind, if you would like to improve your game faster in 2003, you too MUST put in the time! Put in the time on
what? Well, I cannot teach you specific strokes over an email but I can challenge you to TAKE CONSISTENT ACTION!
THE PLAN
In addition to your normal play, pick one of your weak shots and work on it week after week. Hit a minimum of 100 balls a
week on a ball machine or have a friend feed you some balls. If you have time to hit other strokes, by all means practice
repetition there too. Keep in mind though, 100 balls a week is a bare minimum. If you aspire to be a pro you must hit many,
many, many, many, many more balls. THEN after you have hit all those balls...your practice begins!
Let’s say you’re a club player with a weak backhand. Reflecting to a past email lesson, a club player who plays doubles
twice a week normally hits around 1,500 backhands a year. Most players run around their backhand and hit forehands so many
times it may only be 800 or so backhands a year! If you were to add 100 extra backhands a week, that would be approximately
400 backhands a month and 5000 a year. You would be hitting five times more backhands in 2003! Do you think your backhand
would improve a little faster?
Now, putting this plan in place and staying with it the whole year is where players run in to big time problems.
STAYING WITH IT!
Let me show you a typical pattern that most people fall into when beginning something new. They say, “yes, I’m going for
it this year, I’m going to put in the time and make it happen.” They then proceed to go out and hit hundreds and hundreds of
balls weekly. They’re excited, they’re motivated and they are making it happen! I believe ‘gung ho’ is the phrase.
After about one month of over doing the practice they begin to tire and question what they are doing. Eventually, instead
of just backing off to a tolerable level of practice they just give up! The concept is called ‘all or nothing.’ If they
cannot do it all they will do nothing. Most people start off ‘gung ho’ and then quit. Here is a better way to handle this
wonderful enthusiasm.
Reflecting to a past email lesson...CONSISTENCY ESTABLISHES MOMENTUM. Using the weak backhand illustration, do not begin
your weekly practice by thinking in terms of developing a backhand. Instead think in terms of FIRST establishing some
consistency. I don’t care if you do 50 backhands a week at first. What ever amount you chose, do not exceed 100-200 a week
for the first month. CONSISTENCY FIRST! After the first month, begin adding a little or stay at the 100-200 mark until you
are ready to increase. Once you have established a PATTERN OF WEEKLY PRACTICE then kick in some ‘gung ho!’ If you would like
to stay at the 100-200 level...that’s fine! Just make sure by the year end you are still doing the 100-200 backhands a week.
At the health club where I work out there is a girl named Phyllis who works on the tread mill. She does her one hour
walk/run routine 3-4 times a week faithfully week after week. I have seen guys come in there ‘gung ho’ running like the wind
along side her. Six months later she is still there plugging along with the same routine and the ‘gung ho’ guys are no where
to be found! She could literally run circles around them. She is in a league all by herself. She has established tremendous
momentum from the consistency. I marvel at her ability to stay with it.
Learn to establish momentum in anything you do by FIRST establishing consistency, then build on that consistency. When
beginning a new project or tennis practice do not try to accomplish everything perfectly or quickly. Focus first on
consistent action, no matter how much you are doing. You can develop a backhand or any shot you desire by following this
simple formula in 2003.
Do the simple right, then do the simple better, then simply be the best at doing the simple! The pros do the simple so
well...you think it’s complicated!
