Solve It.

Of all the qualities necessary to be a champion, the ability to be a problem solver is probably at the top of the list. There are so many situations in competition that require this skill, it is difficult to accomplish your potential without addressing and developing your problem solving talents.

Being a problem solver comes into play before a match even begins, as a player must formulate a game plan for the upcoming opponent. Among the problems you may face in this task, are addressing your strengths and weaknesses, and your opponent's strengths and weaknesses, in order to come up with the most effective plan. Maybe you don't know your opponent? Your ability to assess their game even in the warm up becomes critical. One of the most effective solutions is maybe you need to discover and concentrate on what your opponent DOESN'T like, and make sure you are giving them plenty of that!

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Other typical problems that need solving happen at various points of the match. Perhaps you are losing early, and you can't figure out why? Determining what the problem IS becomes the real job.

I think juniors, ( and all players) really struggle with this one. Often, determining the problem is a lot more difficult than determining the solution. Usually, it's something relatively simple, (not to be confused with "easy") but the ability to rationally examine and adjust during competition is a difficult and vital skill. Not a lot of problem solving happens when you are ahead, but should be considered as well. Particularly, if you are not able to exercise your game plan as you should.

Maybe on a change over you will ask yourself a couple of questions. Is the match going as I expected? Are my game plan and my tactics as effective as they should be? Why not?

I remember helping a player try and solve some problems. His assessment was something very technical, regarding recent changes in his forehand and how they affected his hand position at the moment of contact. He was convinced that he hadn't yet mastered these changes, and this was the root of his shortcomings. At a closer look, it was apparent that his first serve percentage was under 40%, and that was by far the biggest problem and cause for his losing the match. So he looked for something really complex, when in fact the problem was something very simple and basic. And the solution? Make more first serves! Either by adjusting his margins or his pace and spin, he could raise that percentage and improve his results.

The point of that is: In many cases, finding what the critical problem is will make finding the solution quite clear. Start with the most basic, and work up from there. At the junior competitive level, it usually boils down to a few things:

visual connection ( watching the ball at contact)

timing - reading the opponent's flight time and creating strokes that fit

proper targeting with proper margins

first serve percentage

too many unforced errors( again, margins?)

rushing

too much negative self talk and negative emotional response

in the case of all these examples, the solution is pretty obvious.

Slow down, breathe and believe, keep your head down and still, give more margin over the net or inside the lines, etc.

The legendary Billie Jean King often uses the statement, "Champions adjust". What does that mean? Simply put, identify the problem, and find the simplest and most effective solution. If you are up and cruising, don't change a winning game. If things aren't going according to plan, slow down and methodically determine what the main problem is, and how to solve it. Be a problem solver out there, and your game will become your opponent's problem.