Expectations

You’ve been playing for one year, what should you expect?  You’ve been playing ten years, what should you expect?

Maybe the same.  How can this be?  Maybe the one-year player plays every day and takes lessons, once a week.  Maybe the ten-year player plays once a month and has never taken a lesson.  Your expectations have to be tied to more specific details of your tennis development.

So, we have time and what you’ve done with that time.  Keep in mind that all development is the by-product of a process.  The process is the important thing to keep your awareness on.  Put together a good plan based on realistic goals and then track your progress.  This eliminates expectation.  Expectation is a result.  As long as you are using a good process to achieve your goal, then where you are along the continuum toward that goal is your progress.  Periodic re-evaluation of the process is needed to ensure that it keeps you on track to your goal.  Other than that, it is just time.

Everyone’s time is different.  It depends on your starting point.  Are you an athlete from another sport taking up tennis?  The more hand-eye coordination you have, the quicker you’re start.  Also, what level of instruction are you getting?  Do you take periodic lessons?  Are they part of a progressive system to develop each stroke and ultimately a total game?  How about your practice schedule and practice routine?  Do you spend time reinforcing your lessons by using a ball machine and a backboard?  Or do you rely on your hitting partner to supply enough good placements for you to develop your strokes.

Each of these elements has to be considered in your development plan.   Plus the order in which you place these in your schedule has an impact.  Lesson, ball machine / backboard, then on-court play is a good progressive reinforcement plan.  And finally, allowing yourself the time to achieve your goals.  The goal doesn’t change, but the timeline may have to change.  Let it happen without expectation.

Focus on enjoying the process and you will achieve your goals.