While in India on break, I’ve been introduced to and have had conversations with parents whose children are playing tennis with aspirations to reach higher levels. I invariably hear them saying how their children are playing the game “seriously”or becoming “serious” about the game. The word serious is used to describe the higher levels of commitment and focus that is being applied, which is good to see. However, in achieving higher levels of skill development and performance, my preference is for there to be fun, enjoyment, and playfulness rather than seriousness. In my experience, seriousness requires much effort which tends to drain energy and increase tension and pressure. Whilst playfulness and joy have a flow which creates energy and reduces tension and pressure. The reduction of tension and pressure enables players to play freely or have the quality of “fearlessness” in their tennis, which is a desirable outcome for a player’s development and ability to perform at higher levels. Therefore, in the pursuit of higher goals, skills, and levels of performance, intentionally facilitating and designing fun, joy, and playfulness into the training seems much more optimal versus introducing or creating seriousness. In summary, in trying to reach higher levels, let’s try not to get serious about the game, but rather, stay playful with it.
Harsh Mankad
