This past weekend, I attended a coaching conference in Minnesota, gaining valuable insights from presentations on coaching, nutrition, and player development.
A recurring theme in mental training is the idea that players must be coached to “play under pressure”. I challenge this model of thinking, as well as the widely accepted “big point theory”, which suggests that certain points in the match should be treated as more important than others. At Tenicity, we take a different approach. I believe peak performance isn’t about learning to perform under pressure, but rather about learning to minimize pressure and enabling one’s full potential to come through.
Sean Brawley captures this concept well in his article Winning The Inner Game, featured on Tenicity’s mental training page: https://tenicity.com/mental-training/. He presents the formula:
Performance = Potential minus Interference
With this in mind, any coaching method that increases the interference (such as creating pressure around certain points), will actually lower performance. Therefore, the path to peak performance becomes one where the interference is lowered and concentration is heightened in the present moment and on the aspects that drive higher levels of play.
Additionally, I believe that playing each point with equal weight and with one’s best effort is the most optimal mental approach. When players assign extra importance to certain points, they create unnecessary pressure and interference. Instead, the best way to compete is to bring focus and intensity to each point (one at a time) without labeling any as “big” or “small”. This mindset enables players to perform consistently at their best level.
At Tenicity, we integrate these principles into our coaching methods, helping players at all competitive levels to reach their full potential. Our goal is to equip players with the mindset and tools to play their best tennis with little interference from pressure and other external distractions.
Harsh Mankad
Founder and Program Leader, Tenicity
I saw on your website prior in the year that you were adding shorewood to your youth program but now I don’t see it as an option?
Are you still planning to add shorewood? I would like to sign up three youths.
Thank you
Rick Atherton
Hi Rick, thanks for the question. I’ve sent you a reply via email. We are not planning any group lessons in Shorewood this year. Our closest location would be Edina. Thanks, Harsh