TENNIS ACADEMY ZUERICH
1. LONG-RUN DEVELOPMENT
If a player wants to make it to the top of the tennis world, he has to go through a long process of developing his techniques, tactics, fitness and mental abilities. There are no short cuts in the way to success, even though many of our students have experienced the great feeling that our coaches can give them with a few words and hours of practice sometimes. Of course, sometimes just a few adjustments can make a big difference in a player’s game. But in general, we have to tell our players and their parents, that there is no coach in the world, who can do magic and produce a star with the snap of two fingers. Or push just one button and all of a sudden, the forehand is a killer-shot. And if any coach tells you that he can do this, he is probably better in talking than in coaching and you should look for somebody else...To develop a great athlete takes time! If it would be possible to do it in a few months, everybody would do it, right?!?
And many times, the results come slowly first and the big success starts coming only after years of hard work. But if the players do what we advise, we can guarantee you consistent improvement and success which our training system has proven for more than 20 years. ​ But many times, especially when a player starts working with TAZH at a later stage of his career, some changes have to made to put him on the track to success. And changes can sometimes mean that we have to accept a step backwards first to make a big difference in the end. When we start working with a player we first ask and determine where the player wants to go with his career. What his big-time goals are. Then we can develop short term goals and a path and plans how to get to the short-term goals and finally to the big-time goal. We believe that you have to look at the big picture first and then start working on the details. You need to know where you want to be in the long run, before you can start walking towards your goal and find the best and fastest way to get where you want to be. Especially developing a professional level of fitness is a long process which needs a scientific approach. But it is the same with developing techniques and tactics. It takes about 12 years to be a technically complete player. The process of developing the right attitude for success might even take longer and is something we can work on our whole life. But in order to get what we want, we have to be very sure about what we want, then develop a long-term plan and short-term goals and steps of how to get there. This is how we believe to be successful in the end.
BIG TIME GOAL + SHORT TERM GOALS + LONG TERM PLAN + SHORT-TERM PLAN + NEVER GIVING UP = SUCCESS IN THE LONG RUN!
2. STRONG COACH = STRONG PLAYER
Only if a player knows exactly what he needs to do and is 100% convinced that his plan will succeed, he can play strong and with confidence and win. That‘s why it is so important to have a strong coach who has a clear idea about what he wants to see from his players and knows exactly what he is talking about. Only if a player knows exactly what his strengths, tactics and game plan is, he can execute the plan. It is the same thing with his every day training. A player needs to know exactly what he needs to work on. He needs to know what his weaknesses and his strengths are, to be able to improve his game and finally believe in his game and play without doubt. And only a player without doubt, is a strong player. And that‘s what we are trying to develop in the end. Strong and independent players with a clear vision of their goals, plans and abilities. Only if a coach tells a player exactly and in a convincing way what he needs to do to be successful, the players can believe 100%, that what they are doing is the right thing and will succeed in the end. We believe that a coach will get the most out of a player, if he is very clear about his training demands and strict in his way to demand 100% effort from his players. Both, the coach and the player should give 100% in every training session!
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THAT‘S WHY WE BELIEVE THAT A STRONG COACH WILL DEVELOP STRONG PLAYERS !
3. INDIVIDUAL COACHING
We believe that every player is different and has his own way of playing and winning. That‘s why we believe that every player, especially on the top level, where details matter more than in the beginning of a players career, it is important to have individual coaching and training sessions. At an early stage of the development of a top player, when he learns the basics of tennis and we set a foundation of a fitness level, individual training is not necessary. But as soon as the players have learned more and more, details become more important. And that‘s when individual coaching can make the difference between winning and losing. It probably shows the most in physical conditioning, a factor that becomes more and more important in today‘s pro tennis. At a top level little things become more important. And with different tournament schedules and results, every player will be on a different level of energy at a certain time and therefore needs different training intensities. Something that is very difficult to handle for a coach if 4 players train in one group together and all players have different fitness levels. This carries on in all other parts of the training, like tactics, techniques and most importantly, the mental aspects of the game.
AT AN INDIVIDUAL SPORT YOU NEED INDIVIDUAL TRAINING !
4. RIGHT ATTITUDE
If a player does not have the right attitude, even the biggest talent will not be enough to get to the top of pro tennis. And even more sadly, he will never be able to say the he reached his full potential. And that is our goal when we start working with a player. Make him reach his full potential and make the most out of his God given talent. Of course, a player who wants to be a professional (even if does not have a clue yet, what is necessary to get there and how good he needs to be to get there...), has to have a certain attitude towards winning already. But we believe that it is possible to change our way of thinking, our values and our character qualities to a certain degree. The younger a player is, the more he can be influenced in a positive way towards his work ethic, will power, determination and other attitudes that are important for being successful at what we do.
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THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A PLAYER NEEDS TO DEVELOP, IS THE RIGHT ATTITUDE !
5. NEVER GIVE UP!
There are many players who have a lot of talent, possibilities and even many good character qualities to be successful in pro-tennis. But if one thing is missing they might still never make it. A player has to be persistent at following his goals and plans. There will be never a career without any down-slopes and times when things are not easy for a young player. And this is exactly where a player and his team has to be the strongest and be persistent. When things go wrong it is very easy to give up and since it is so easy, that‘s what many players and parents do. They don‘t see that everyone is going through these times in a career. And this is where it will be determined if a player makes it to the top or not. The ones who give up a little later will succeed. And mainly, because so many others quit and stop competing on a high level with them. The ability to keep fighting, even when you DON‘T see the light at the end of the tunnel, is what separates the champions from the losers. And we will teach you a winning attitude!
LOSERS QUIT - WINNERS NEVER EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!