Spring 2013

In This Issue...* President’s Message - 1,2* National Indoors - 3* Rezilient Direct - 4* 2013 World Conference - 5* Feisal Hassan - 6* Tim Burke in Cape Town - 7,8* Death of Tim Heckler - 9* Fake It Till You Make It - 9* Self Confidence - 10,11

A Message From Our President

USPTA Northern DivisionPresident John Schollmeier

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Hello Northern Division members!The “spring” has brought on many

exciting pieces of news for theUSPTA. John Embree and thenational staff have been workingextremely hard over the past 3-4months and have accomplishedmany exciting new benefits for ourmembership. The April ExecutiveCommittee meetings in Houston,Texas, were the beginning of what isto come for our Association. Here isa quick overview of the direction weare heading in order to improve our mission to elevate thestandards of tennis teaching professionals and coaches. Hereis an excerpt from John Embree’s January editorial:

As I have travelled around and spoken with a broad crosssection of our membership, people have asked what my visionis for the organization, what my goals are (both short- andlong-term), and what I hope to accomplish. While my plans arestill evolving, there are clearly a few key tenets that will befundamental to a long-term (five-year) strategic plan that willbe developed in concert with the Board. At the root ofeverything, our financial strength is paramount. We do havesome immediate challenges that lie ahead, thereby makingour first and foremost priority getting our financial house inorder.

A vital element to doing just that is to come to a satisfactoryagreement with HEAD Penn as our “official” racquet and ballsupplier going forward. HEAD has been our biggest and mostimportant endorsee for the last 12 years and Penn has beenintertwined with our Association for nearly 40 years. Thepartnership that we have with both brands can never be takenfor granted, and neither can the role our members play inmaking all of our endorsee relationships successful. It is crucialto the association that we reach an acceptable conclusion inour upcoming negotiations. Only then will we be able to continueto offer the services and programs that you have come to expect.

Other pillars in the long-term strategic plan are:

1. Elevating the standards of our teachingprofessionals

2. Growing our membership3. Becoming more closely aligned with our

partner organizations.

Everything that we do from now on has to positively impactone of these four core components. I will gladly share the detailsof the plan as they are formulated but I could not be morebullish about what lies ahead!

This is an incredibly exciting time for the Association. Myhope is that many of you will pass along to your colleagues myenthusiasm for where we will begoing in the future. I ask that eachof you reach out to your fellowprofessionals and let them knowthat we need each and every one ofyou to be engaged, to get involvedwith your local and divisionorganizations, to recruit youngerprofessionals to join, to mentorthose who seek leadership and direction, to help supportrelationships with our endorsees, etc. It is a new day for theUSPTA and everyone should feel energized about what we willbe doing to change our image and how we operate.

As you can see, John and the national staff, as well as theExecutive Committee, are extremely excited to be a part ofwhat’s to come for the USPTA. The following is a summary ofthe USPTA’s plan that has been broken down into five Pillars.

Five Pillars of the USPTA

Pillar 1 - Financial Strength* Lower Costs* Raise Revenues

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Pillar 2 – Increase membership* Reach out to lapsed members* Reach out to former applicants* Partnership with USTA Tennis on Campus* Continue our dialog with PTR to find “common

ground”* Tap into various High School Coaches Associations

across the country to encourage certification* Initial efforts with ITA to recruit college coaches at

ITA Convention in December will continue in future years

* Reach out to diverse populations to be more inclusive

* Overhaul website to make it easier to navigate and simplify the messaging

* Tap into the global marketplace, not just China.* Expand into other countries (Canada)* Establish three additional PTM programs around the

country* Provide benefits that will motivate teaching pros to

join or re-up

Pillar 3 – Improve the certification and education of ourmembers

* Reshape the 2013 World Conference* Revamp classifications/testing procedures

Pillar 4 – Align with allied organizations to become astrong industry partner

* Work more closely with USTA* CMAA partnership* Restructure sports marketing programs

Pillar 5 – Recalibrate our Association to be more diverseand inclusive

* Connect with local Disabled and Veteran groups to fill current vacant role in membership services

* Reach out to African American populations via editorial and advertising in Black Tennis, others

* Promote the work being done by our Adaptive Committee (Nancy Cox)

If anyone has any questions regarding the five pillars and thedirection the USPTA is heading, please feel free to contactme. I look forward to seeing these new initiatives help betterour Association. Moving forward and growing as an Association,as well as professionals, will help tremendously in what wehave dedicated our lives to daily. As always, if anyone has anythoughts or ideas to help better USPTA Northern please let meknow!

Have a great spring!

John SchollmeierUSPTA Northern Division President

A Message From Our President Con’t.

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Tony Larson of Blaine, Minn., defended his men’s open titlefor the fourth year in a row at the $3,850 USPTA IndoorChampionships held April 19-21, at Life Time Fitness - Lakeville,by defeating Avery Ticer of Minneapolis, 6-1, 6-4. He laterwent on to win the mixed open doubles title by teaming up withMarina McCollom of West Des Moines, Iowa. McCollom wasalso crowned women’s open champion by going undefeated inround-robin play.

The tournament also included events in the followingcategories: men’s 35 singles, men’s 45 singles and doubles,men’s open doubles and women’s open doubles. Below is acomplete list of results from final-round matches:

Men’s Open Singles: Tony Larson, Blaine, Minn., def. AveryTicer, Minneapolis, 6-1, 6-4.

Men’s 35 Singles: Juan Garcia, San Diego, def. Doug Matuska,St. Paul, Minn., 6-2, 6-4.

Men’s 45 Singles Round Robin: Bryan Biever, St. Paul,Minn., def. Glenn Britzius, Maple Grove, Minn., 7-6, 2-0 (Ret)Biever def. Bill Stark, Lakeville, Minn., 6-1, 6-1.

Men’s Open Doubles: John Schollmeier, St. Paul, Minn.,and Kevin Whipple, Minneapolis, def. Juan Garcia, San Diego,and Tony Larson, Blaine, Minn., 6-3, 7-6.

Men’s 45 Doubles: Mike Vidmar, St. Paul, Minn., and BryanBiever, St. Paul, Minn., def. Cory O’Brien, Prior Lake, Minn.,and Bruce Gullikson, Burnsville, Minn., 6-2, 6-3.

Women’s Open Singles Round Robin: Marina McCollom,West Des Moines, Iowa, def. Callee Conda, Minneapolis, 6-0,6-0. Conda def. Susanna Styve, Mendota Heights, Minn., 6-2,6-2. McCollom def. Styve, 6-1, 6-0.

Women’s Open Doubles: Callee Conda, Minneapolis, andDilcia Pederson, Bloomington, Minn., def. Christin Thurston,Minneapolis, and Jenna Kuhlman, Farmington, Minn., 0-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Mixed Open Doubles: Marina McCollom, West Des Moines,Iowa, and Tony Larson, Blaine, Minn., def. Taylor Hanson,Minneapolis, and Callee Conda, Minneapolis, 6-0, 6-1.

Tony Larson Wins 4th National Indoor

Tony Larson won his fourth consecutive USPTA Indoor Singleschampionship. He also won the mixed doubles title.

San Diego’s Juan Garcia won the Men’s 35 Singles title.

Bryan Biever won the Men’s 45s Singlescrown.

Dicia Pederson and Callee Conda won theOpen Women’s Doubles title.

Mike Vidmar and Bryan Biever took homethe Men’s 45s Doubles trophy.

USPTA Partners With Rezilient Direct

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The United StatesProfessional TennisAssociation announcedthe start of a partnershipwith Rezilient DirectCorporation, givingU S P T A - c e r t i f i e dmembers the opportunity to purchase additional healthcoverage. Rezilient Direct, which is based in Austin, Texas, isone the first companies to offer supplemental health benefitsdirectly online to the consumer.

Rezilient Direct’s extensive interactive platform allowscustomers to enroll and purchase supplemental healthinsurance within minutes and get covered in as little as 24hours. They also have a Call and Live Chat center to assistcustomers throughout the process.

Rezilient Direct offers four supplemental products in theUnited States. Their core business is voluntary products suchas Cancer, Accident and Heart & Stroke insurance underwrittenby American General Life Companies, and Hospitalizationinsurance underwritten by Heartland National Life InsuranceCompany. This year they are adding Short-Term Disability,Term Life, Dental and Vision to their portfolio. In addition,

Rezilient Directhas an agreement to offer Critical Illness policiesthrough Rezilient Direct Canada, a subsidiary of Rezilient DirectCorporation.

Greg Feste, CEO of Rezilient Direct, stated, “We could notbe more excited about our new partnership with the USPTA.I’m deeply impressed with the leadership of John Embreeand the entire organization’s concern for the well-being of alltheir members. We look forward to a long and beneficialrelationship as we meet the needs of their members throughoutthe United States.”

“At a time when our members are looking for tangible andquantifiable benefits for their USPTA membership, RezilientDirect has come forward with a terrific program to help thoseprofessionals who seek a way to help bridge the gap betweenthe medical insurance that they do have and a potential calamitythat is not fully covered,” said Embree.

“With health care being the No. 1 concern amongst ourmembers, here is a program that should make a positivedifference.”

World Conference Sept. 23-27 in Orlando

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The United StatesProfessional TennisAssociation’s WorldConference will be heldSept. 23-27 at the HyattRegency Grand Cypressin Orlando, Fla.

The conference, which is the premier educational event forthe tennis industry, gets a new look this year. It will still featurenumerous general sessions, seminars and specialty courses,but each day will feature a theme focusing on a corecompetency including 10 and Under Tennis, Club Operations/Business, Player Development and Teaching/Sport Science.

This year will also include an exciting new and improvedawards luncheon featuring Pat Williams as the keynotespeaker, sponsored by Rezilient Direct. Williams is the co-

founder and senior VP of the Orlando Magic and one of thenation’s top motivational speakers. The conference will continueto offer all things tennis including the nation’s largest tennis-only buying show, International Tennis Championships,networking opportunities, awards, industry meetings, partiesand more. It is the country’s premier tennis gathering featuringthe who’s who in the tennis industry including tennisprofessionals, industry leaders and representatives,manufacturers, wholesalers and media.

USPTA members, their friends and family, nonmember tennis-teaching professionals, tennis enthusiasts, industry leadersand media are all invited to attend the conference. Sign upearly for special pricing and discounts.

More details about the conference, including registrationinformation, are available at www.usptaworldconference.comor by calling USPTA at 800-877-8248.

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by Bruce Gullikson

Interview With Feisal Hassan

Feisal Hassan, a PTR 5A Pro and USPTAMaster Professional, is the GeneralManager and Tennis Director at theMidlothian Tennis Club in Midlothian, Va.After his visit to the Northern Convention inJanuary, I sat down with Hassan to talkabout a variety of topics.

BG: You are extremely active in notonly USPTA, but PTR, Cardio Tennis and more. Howvaluable do you feel it is for our members to have avariety of different specialties as opposed to focusing onone area?

FH: What is the meaning of insanity? Doing the same thingover and over again and expecting different results.Variety is the spice of life. So many times I get pros that getburned out from being on-court because they do the samething day in and day out. By doing a variety of things, one isconstantly “green and growing instead of ripe and rotting.”Honestly, I never get bored since I have numerous areas that Iam involved in.BG: What advice would you give to someone who wantsto do speaking and seminars on a national level? Howdid you get started?

FH: I got involved the following way and suggest the sameway I went about things. First, I suggest getting involved atyour local division level. Speak to your convention coordinatorand mention that you would like to present. Before doing this,find a topic area you are passionate about and are well-versedin the subject matter. I did a good job at my first local divisionconvention and was recommended for a World Conference.Fortunately, after that, I was blessed and things worked out.

BG: I know you are passionate about education. Whatareas do you feel pros coming into the profession shouldfocus on, and what areas do you think long-timemembers need to be improving in?

FH: If pros want to make a career in tennis, I suggest bothon-court and off-court professional development. On-court:Being versed in teaching private, group lessons and CardioTennis. The on-court areas of expertise should be in the mental,technical, tactical and physical components of the gameOff-court: Being versed in tennis programing, facility & financialmanagement.

BG: How do you find balance with directing a club,being on multiple boards and speaking engagements?

FH: I find balance by managing my time. I have a wonderfuland understanding family, a great team of staff at the club andsolid committee members I work with daily. I strongly believein delegating and getting everyone involved.

Feisal Hassan

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Tim Burke Brings Tennis To South Africa

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By Tim Burke

Tim Burke is a USPTA Professional and a teaching professionalat Life Time Fitness – Fridley.

The impetus to take this adventure to Cape Town, SouthAfrica, was led by our daughters both making this trip. Annastudied in Cape Town for a semester while at Bethel Universitymajoring in International Business & Reconciliation – anexcellent place to do both considering their history of apartheid.Maggie made the trip as a graduation gift, but also signed upto do several volunteer jobs outside of Cape Town.

For photos from the trip, visit http://assets.usta.com/assets/650/15/Tims_Burkes_revised__SA_trip_-_story___Photos.pdf.

We spent the first two weeks traveling by car from CapeTown up the Eastern coast. The route we would take was givento us with lots of planning, advice and an excellent agent out ofCape Town. Our daughters and host family in Cape Town madeit easier to choose key places to hike, visit game farms,beaches, etc. We traveled up the coast to Port Elizabeth for aweek staying at Guest Houses – the best way to go. Then weflew to Johannesburg, on to Knisna then by truck to SerondellaGame Reserve just south of the big park, Kruger National Game

Reserve. Serondella is a privately-owned game reserve andhas room for only eight guests at a time at the site we stayed.There are two other sites as well, but on the whole, we’re reallyin the bush.

Each game reserve is fenced but the reserve covers 30 - 40square miles – enormous plots of land. Side note – some wouldask “what do they feed them”? Answer – “smaller ones.” It’snot a Zoo.

Each morning (5:30 a.m.) and afternoon (4:30 p.m.), we’dspend four hours in our Land Rover driving through the park insearch of game animals. With three guides and a radio, findingthe big ones was easy. Three other Land Rovers were also inthe reserve, and we would coordinate each other’s locationand sightings so we’d arrive at different times.

Our next two weeks were spent in Cape Town finalizing ourlessons/clinics with my contact person Zaida Buekes, who isa volunteer instructor for the Western Tennis Association, andcoordinates all the sites in and around Cape Town and theTownships. Townships are populated by the very poor,disadvantaged, and in many cases, immigrants from many otherAfrican countries. Most Townships were established duringyears of apartheid where Blacks and Coloreds were forced tomove into these areas in the 60s and 70s by the pastgovernment policies.

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Tim Burke Brings Tennis To South Africa

When apartheid ended and NelsonMandela (freed in 1994) was releasedfrom prison at Rubin Island after 27 years,the hopes of all South Africans based ona reconciliation process were to about tobegin. Sadly, this process takes time andpossibly generations to heal some seriouswounds. Having grown up through the 60sin the U.S., and having witnessed theriots, demonstrations, sit-ins, etc., SouthAfrica is on the same path, but old rulesdie hard.

A theme we heard many times fromnative South Africans was “you own SouthAfrica with us.” To explain, the worldplaced all sorts of restrictions on SouthAfrica during the apartheid and bannedall sports teams to participate in worldcompetitions. The trade restrictions wereplaced in hopes of convincing South Africato end apartheid, free all the politicalprisoners, work toward citizenship andbegin free elections. While I was in thePeace Corps and coaching tennis inNigeria, South Africa was not allowed toparticipate in the 2nd All-African Gamesin 1972-73 in Lagos, Nigeria.

So many Townships have only spotelectricity, often with several lines off onepole going to a tin-covered shack. And there is no running water.The residents carry water in any container available either froma water truck or central well.

Our host family, Randal and Benita Southgate, of CapeTown made our initial contact to the Western TennisAssociation. Zaida set up dates, times and instructors at eachsite. December is their summer and students are on schoolbreak – they don’t come North for a vacation. The summer inSouth Africa is similar to San Diego – no AC or heat in anyprivate houses. I was also advised to bring equipment to givestudents at the clinics. Naturally, I raided Dave Mathews’basement and packed it full – I could have used a dumpsterthough. Big THANKS to my doubles partner of 40+ years.

Zaida cautioned me to save the rackets and other large items,and instead handout sweat bands, hats, string, etc. to theplayers. Giving out rackets was not advised as she said they’dbe stolen or sold. My education – after each clinic at manysites - all the equipment, including the nets, are taken homeby the instructor so they can be used again the next day.You’ll notice in some of the photos there is barbed wire on topof the fences. They’ve spent years raising the funds to resurfacecourts and want them preserved. They know the realities of thepoor.

When asked about subjects they wanted me to cover in myclinics the answer was immediate and one I’m familiar with –

rules, the integrity and traditions of the game, avenues/roads/open doors from tennis. I simply stated, “I’m here because oftennis, you have the same door to open if you work hard.” Thelast thing they wanted to hear was a speech longer than thatfrom an “old guy.” UGH!

My approach has always been hit lots of balls, teach on thefly, run fast and try to create a team of fun and energy. Thegames and contests we ran were simple, but they knew mostof them – the instructors were all trained in 10 & under programs.I felt stupid not having asked, but it says so much about Zaida’sdedication to give the best. They’re connected and have accessto a computer. It’s just not in their pockets – yet.

It’s not to say kids don’t know stuff. When asked Who’sWho in Tennis, they know. Asked, “Who’s No. 1 in men’s tennisin South Africa ... they know it is Kevin Anderson, and whileat the University of Illinois he was the NCAA singles champion.South Africa has a long history in both tennis and golf. Ourrecently departed CEO of USPTA, Tim Heckler, and DennisVan der Meer, founder of USPTR, were from South Africa.

When we look at our career as tennis professionals we cantake for granted the innumerable positives. Teaching thepositives should be easy for us. To witness these kids andtheir joy while on the court – I had a big grin on my face. Tennis(and my wife) got me to South Africa. No one asked me why;they just said, “WOW!”

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Fake It Till You Make It! Does That Really Work?by David Benzel

M i n i m a lexposure to sportp s y c h o l o g yr e v e a l ssomething weintuitively know:Our minds canchange ourbodies. Lots ofresearch verifiesthe reality that achange in anathlete’s thinking– from negative topositive or theother way around— can cause aphysical change in performance levels. But here’s an interestingquestion: Do our bodies change our minds? Does it work theother way around?

According to Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy, theanswer is “yes,” and we may want to let our children knowwhat her research has revealed. It seems that our body languagenot only communicates to others, but also communicates toourselves. Feelings of power, confidence, assertiveness, andoptimism are associated with higher levels of the hormonetestosterone, while feelings of powerlessness, doubt, risk-aversion, and pessimism are associated with higher levels ofthe stress reactor hormone cortisol.

We’ve always known that strong leaders in any field havehigher testosterone and lower cortisol in stressful situationsthan most people. What we didn’t know is that assumingcertain body postures for as little as two minutes can actuallyincrease testosterone and decrease cortisol in the body. Body

poses that expand our size produce greater feelings ofconfidence and optimism. Body poses that reduce our sizesignal weakness and pessimism to the brain. Posing likeSuperman or Superwoman is mentally beneficial because ofthe shift in hormones that is generated. Those who interviewedthe subjects in Cuddy’s study reported that a two minute powerpose prior to the interview produced an authentic “presence” ofenthusiasm, passion, and a comfort level not found in thesubjects that were not asked to assume a power pose beforethe interview.

The phrase “fake it until you make it” contains more truththan just wishful thinking. The practical application is that anyof us, including our children, can increase the chances ofperforming confidently and ultimately becoming more of whatwe were meant to be by managing our body language. Cuddy’sresearch confirmsthat all we need isour body and twominutes of time.The good news isthat byconsistently usingour bodies AND ourminds we can domore than fake it;we can become it.

Dr. Rob Gilbert, asport psychologistfrom Montclair,New Jersey made it most clear when he said, “Act the wayyou want to become, until you become the way you act.” It’seasier to act your way into a feeling than to feel your way intoan action! Show your child how to use two minutes in the privacyof their room to take advantage of the body-mind connection.

USPTA Mourns Death of Tim Heckler

Tim Heckler

Tim Heckler, former chief executive officerof the United States Professional TennisAssociation, passed away Feb. 4 in Houstonafter suffering a heart attack. He was 71 yearsold.

“We are shocked and saddened by this loss,”said Tom Daglis, USPTA President. “He willbe sorely missed in the industry as the singlelargest contributor to the USPTA in its entirehistory. Our deepest condolences go out to hiswife, Renee, his children, and the rest of hisfamily. They are all in our thoughts and prayersduring this difficult time.”

Heckler retired from his position as chiefexecutive officer of the USPTA in December2012, after 30 years in the position. WhenHeckler was tapped as USPTA CEO in 1982,the organization had approximately 2,400members and an annual budget of $700,000.He grew the association to the world’s oldestand largest organization of its kind, servingmore than 15,000 members in 66 countries,and operating on an annual budget of $6.5million.

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The Effect Of Self-ConfidenceBy Antoni Girod

The effect self-confidencehas on a tennis player’s gameis quite simply amazing. A lackof self-confidence cantransform the No. 1 tennisplayer in the world into anordinary tennis player, while asubtle increase can help atennis player going downhillachieve things that no onewould have thought possible. This has to do with alchemy:confidence seems to be a real catalyst that turns lead intogold or suddenly turns things around in an incredible way.

What is confidence?Put simply, it is a particular internal state that enables us to

make maximum use of one’s potential, or even go beyond thatpotential. Three main mechanisms participate in the buildingof self-confidence:

First, there is the process of accumulation.This is a chain reaction that requires feelings of success to

function. It is this series of successes, first during practicesessions and then in matches that enables the tennis playerto develop his self-confidence. The tennis player knows he cancount on his shots and on his physical condition. He knows hecan win points, matches and tournaments. Confidence byaccumulation requires continued success to work. It demandsresults that are tangible to develop.

A few years ago, Andre Agassi was in search of his lostconfidence. He recharged his batteries by winning matches inlower rung tournaments. A place in the final of the Las Vegastournament in early November, immediately followed by a victoryin Burbank, California, got things going again for him. His resultsin the early part of the following year were indicative of hisincrease in confidence: a place in the 4th round of the AustralianOpen, a victory in Scottsdale, a second victory in San Jose(this time over Pete Sampras), a quarter-final showing in IndianWells and a place in the final of the Lipton Championships atKey Biscayne.

Accumulation of Successes ConfidenceSecond, there is the process of revelation. This can occur

after a significant success in which the emotional intensityreaches such a level that it gives the tennis player a very strong

feeling of confidence. From that point in time, the tennis playerwill start to approach each match in a very positive way.In Patrick Rafter’s case, his Davis Cup match against Piolinein February 1997 was a real eye-opener. Down two sets tolove, he recovered to win the match and thus give his countrya decisive point. He was then ranked number 63 in the world.His 1997 results? A semi-final at the French Open, a victory atthe US Open and a career high ranking of number two (that hewent on to improve to number one in 1999).

Success +++ ConfidenceOn the other hand, a revelation can also occur after a negative

experience of high intensity that triggers a feeling of pride, aslong as the tennis player has the minimum potential to succeed.In 1998, Nicolas Escudé, ranked 406th in the world at thestart of 1997, said that the successes of players like Kuerten,Rios and Costa, whom he used to beat when he was 16, hadmade him suddenly realize what his true potential was. Afterthe 1998 Australian Open, his coach Tarik Benhabiles,described the event that triggered this realization by Escudé:‘He had every chance of succeeding. He only needed that littleextra something to realize what he was capable of doing. Thathappened about a year ago while he was playing a satellitetournament in Montrouge. He had just lost to Olivier Malcor(then ranked -30). He was shattered, he had hit rock bottom.After the match, we spent four and a half hours working reallyhard on the court. In his head, the defeat was history’.

A comparison of the Nicolas Escudé who was playing andlosing the Montrouge satellite tournament in February 1997and the Nicolas Escudé who reached the semifinal at the 1998Australian Open, had seen barely a year go by. Technicallyspeaking, it is unlikely his game underwent any major changesin such a short period of time. How can we then explain thisturnaround? The difference lies elsewhere: it lies inside thetennis player. The French tennis player started to build hisconfidence. The comparison of his poor results at the beginningof 1997 (up to his defeat in Montrouge) with the brilliant resultsof the tennis players he used to beat when he was 16 acted asa stimulus to his confidence. All of a sudden, he decided tobelieve in himself!

Initial Success + Defeat ConfidenceThird, there is the process of the fundamental positive faith.This can be described as an unconditional and intrinsic self-confidence. This type of self-confidence does not require anyexternal motivators to show itself. The tennis player has blindfaith in himself, whatever his results may be. His confidence

Antoni Girod

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The Effects Of Self-Confidenceappears to be indestructible and permanent. He has absolutefaith in his potential. The tennis player uses this fundamentalpositive faith to succeed. It dictates day after day his decisions,his training methods and his behavior on the tennis court.

Venus Williams is undoubtedly the tennis player that bestepitomizes this fundamental positive faith. She is firmlyconvinced that she will be the number one tennis player in theworld. She said it when she first appeared on the WTA tour andhas kept saying it ever since. But most importantly, she keepssaying it to herself. She fundamentally believes in herself, hertalent and her potential. With her recent victories back-to-backat Wimbledon and at the US Open, it is clear that such faith isbearing considerable fruit. In her case, confidence does notcome from success.

In fact, it is to the contrary and it is this feature thatdistinguishes her confidence from that which has been previouslypresented.

Faith +++ Confidence SuccessHere are five efficient ways to build, develop and maintain self-confidence:

1. Use self-persuasion at all times (especially when indoubt). For instance, decide on a positive belief on your serveor return of serve. And then repeat it to yourself time and timeagain, like a leitmotif, things like: “My serve is my real strength,”or “My return of serve is my real strength.” This positive assertionwill have a positive influence on your training methods and onthe way you approach your shots during match play.

2. Follow a thorough physical, technical and tacticaltraining program. A well-trained tennis player will developtremendous confidence. He knows that he can count on himselfand have faith in himself during tennis match play.

3. Memorize experiences of success.The tennis playershould memorize each shot that he performs well during

practice. Thismay well be thefirst link in thec o n f i d e n c echain. Eachpoint that atennis playerwins in a match,each victory,especially ind i f f i c u l tc o n d i t i o n s ,should also be

memorized. To do so, the tennis player can use the followingfour methods:

a. Use positive self-talk after each significant success(e.g. “come on!”). You can also say the word aloud.

b. Use rituals after each significant success (e.g.,clench your fist).

c. Take a “mental picture” of the success you havejust experienced.

d. Develop post-match routines: in a notebook writedown all of the significant successes that you have experiencedin the match in order to implant them in your memory. Whenevera tennis player is in doubt, these words, rituals, mental images,or a quick look at the notebook will help him to rapidly reactivatehis feeling of confidence.

4. Recognize negative signs and reactions.The following are signs are indicative of a tennis player in doubt:

• Negative self-talk (“I stink”).• Negative body language: head, eyes, racket and

shoulders down, rapid breathing, physically lethargic, etc.• Continuous mental images of missed shots, lost

matches, etc.As soon as a negative sign appears, it is important to realize

that you are experiencing doubts to help put things intoperspective. You then have to chase away all the negativethoughts by switching back to positive statements or beliefs.To do so, you need to activate the positive aspects of yourperformances that you have memorized (refer to 3.). Followinga defeat or a match that you have won by playing badly, it issimilarly important to get into the habit of writing down on aflyer, objectively and as soon as possible, the things that didnot work. Then, you must try to learn from your mistakes toavoid repeating them. Write down in your notebook the newpositive attitude that you need to develop in the future and getrid of the flyer. This is an excellent way to learn from yourmistakes in a positive way while simultaneously extinguishingany self-doubts. Finish this routine by once again reading yourlist of past successes to further re-affirm your positive thoughts.

5. Pretending. If I had confidence in myself, how would Ifeel? What would my attitude be like? How would I walk? Thetrick is to reproduce the stance (head up, eyes looking straightahead, shoulders back and broad), the gestures (confidentsteps, sure movements), the respiratory rhythm and amplitude,as well as the muscular tone that epitomize self-confidence.You need to identify yourself with the character that you wantto be: a tennis player who believes in himself. It is alwayssurprising to see how quickly and efficiently this techniqueworks in match play!

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