Do what you don't like

As a teacher, I've noticed that there are two types of players. Practice first players and Game first players.

1. Practice First Players - These are players that are really about learning the strokes. They love to practice. They also entertain looking like a pro when they play. They usually join leagues to have something to show for their hard work. But most of the time they don't really care about matches or games. They only care about having professional looking strokes. The matches are full of pressure and momentum. They want to be a tennis player with no stress. So they often have a problem because they don't know what level they are. They say they are a certain level but if you play a match with them they get beaten quickly because they aren't used to stress.

2. Game First Players - These players are the opposite. They love to play matches. They are really competitive and have very little patience for practice. So they rush into the matches. They learn the stokes as fast as possible, sometimes incorrectly, and then try to get into matches immediately. They feel like their worth as a player will increase the more match ready they are. So they can deal with the stress but they have no training. When they get beaten too much they will FINALLY break down and learn something new. But they will barely learn it and jump back into matches right away.

Professionals are like this too. They basically get a coach that will help them develop into a well rounded player.

As a recreational player or maybe a college/pro hopeful you have to acknowledge what type of player you or your child is. Knowing that you will be one of these naturally will help you get the most out of your lessons.

For instance. If you have good strokes and basic technique, then you should get a coach that can teach you how to play tennis matches. Many players will use an hour of time doing drills with their coach then wonder why they can't play in matches so well. And it works the opposite way. A bad technique will leave you vulnerable no matter how many matches you play. You can't just miraculously figure out how to hit pristine strokes without any teaching, research or practice.

It's very important to realize that being a complete tennis player means everything...even the stuff you don't want to do. It's life.