August 8, 2009 
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David W. Smith, Senior Editor, TennisOne As a teaching professional, and tennis coach for over three decades, I’ve been fortunate to learn a great deal about how different teaching and coaching philosophies pan out for players, students, and instructors alike. Goal Setting For a coach, instructor, and especially a player, the issue of developing goals is one of the most important elements to becoming successful. However, there is a lot of diversity in what exactly goals should encompass for different levels of players
For example, we often see coaches and instructors approach this concept of establishing goals with kid gloves, thinking that if they set goals too high, the student will be discouraged or won’t pursue the goal with sincere belief or intensity. Other instructors and coaches set lofty goals, believing that if the student shoots for the stars, they will land somewhere beyond mediocrity. The question of too little or too much (or anything in-between) should be looked at carefully, in order to understand how the choice can have extenuating circumstances for a student and his or her eventual level of play. Minimal Goals Coaches of inexperienced or unskilled players often establish minimal goals to help players “believe” the goals are achievable and make them “feel” successful. Unfortunately, no matter how noble this intention, a minimalistic approach can be detrimental to a player. If, for example, a coach sets a goal of winning 50% of the matches played, it might seem modest and reasonable for a team or individual just starting out or one who may be competing in a more experienced or more competitive region. However, looking at this type of goal from a different prospective, you can see where it can easily fail a student or team. Quite frankly, the obverse of winning 50% of the matches played is losing 50% of the matches. So this goal can easily be interpreted to mean that it is okay to lose half of the time. Even if this "glass half full" scenario seems reasonable on some level, there lies a bigger problem: Which matches do we "allow" ourselves lose? Once we allow ourselves to pre-prepare for losses we create the mental condition in any given match to accept the loss as part of our goal. This approach inhibits players from, not only making a comeback (if behind in a match), but it sets up a mind-set from the start that this match is “one of those” we can expect to lose. These thoughts or perceptions may very well be subliminal, yet they are always there, if we set this predetermined goal. Experience In my experience, I’ve never seen where a lofty goal was detrimental to a student or the team. Realistically, setting high goals may not always be achievable, it provides a student or team with the perception of possibility, rather than the permission to fail. In countless examples, I have seen inexperienced coaches who prescribe to the idea of lowered expectations fail not only in helping students reach potential, but literally languish for years with players and/or teams who never learn to compete at higher levels. There is an unspoken sentiment established by coaches who set low standards for their students: “You are not good enough to compete at higher levels.” Unfortunately, for many coaches, setting low standards can be a conscious or unconscious way to protect the ego. Obviously, low standards are much easier to achieve than high standards. High standards may not be met within a given season, but the real benefit from this attitude is the long-term gain. The drive, the ambition, and the subsequent level of practice or intensity provides for far more progression over time. Conclusion I have never seen a team or player reach high levels of success or accomplishment through the practice of setting mediocre goals. While a coach may lose a small number of individuals who simply resist the idea of higher goals (because such players sense they will have to “work hard” to even consider such goals), in reality, those players will usually drop out anyway over time, or, they will drag the team down if allowed to project their perception of mediocrity within the ranks. Understand, however, that coaches who indeed set lofty goals must be as responsible as their students. They must develop coaching patterns, methodologies, and practice routines that help students master the game so that they can reach those higher goals. Many coaches may establish high goals, but then sit back and let the kids take responsibility for their success or failure. Here is where coaches who study the game, both from a technical standpoint and from the concept of team strategies, motivation, conditioning, and player-development, are usually the most successful. As the Poet Robert Browning said, “Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?” As always, we would love to hear from you! Questions, comments, personal experiences all create helpful dialogue for everyone! Please click here to send us your email.
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