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Title

Mental Tests for competitive players from junior to pro

Abstract

In this presentation two approaches will be proposed in order to evaluate the mental qualities of a tennis player. The first one consists in an on court evaluation and is appropriate for 6 to 12 years old competitive kids. The second one consists in a self-evaluation grid and can be used from 13 years old and of course with pro players. The first approach allows the coach to anticipate the emotional reactions of the players in a match situation and to prepare them to deal with the stress of competition. The second approach allows the coach to identify precisely the mental strengths of the players and also what to improve in the mental aspect of the game.

Keywords

Test, mental, competitive, junior, pro

Summary

For a tennis coach, the assessment of competencies is a key point in the players’ development.
In this perspective, it’s important to be able to propose to the players different tests in the technical, tactical, physical and mental aspects of the game. This presentation will be centered on mental qualities evaluation.

A very simple way to evaluate mental qualities with young players from 6 to 12 years old is to recreate on court match situations. Three on court mental tests will be presented :
- RED TEST for 6/8 years old
- ORANGE TEST for 8/10 years old
- GREEN TEST for 10/12 years old
These tests are compatible with the Play and Stay ITF concept and consist in recreating match situations like Serve, Return and Rally under the pressure of the Score. That way, it’s possible to evaluate mental qualities such as emotional control, confidence and concentration.

For advanced junior players and pro, the evaluation must be much more precise. In this perspective, the EMC2 test can be used with profit. It consists in 4 mental self-evaluation tests:
- Emotional control
- Motivation
- Confidence
- Concentration
Each test proposes a series of match situations and the player has to select the answers corresponding the most to his usual behaviour. At the end of each test, a global table allows the player to visualize his profile. These four tests are very useful in order to personalize the mental training with the players and select the techniques to use specifically with each player.

Needs

Projector

Dinner

I am planning to attend the speakers' dinner

Conditions

I agree with ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference 2009 conditions

CV

Name

Antoni

Surname

Girod

Curriculum vitae

After a great amount of experience in coaching juniors ( with the level 2 French Coaching qualification ), Antoni specialised in psychology and communication. For 5 years, he was a Professor of Applied Psychology in the Faculty of Sports Science at the University of Montpellier ( France ). He is now  a current member of the French Institute of NLP ( Neuro Linguistic Programming ) and works as a consultant for major worldwide companies such as Walt Disney or Dell. He is also in charge of the mental training of elite athletes in many different sports ( golf, free diving, America’s Cup and of course tennis ). For more than 3 years, he was the mental trainer of french player Cyril SAULNIER ( n° 48 ATP ). Since 1996, Antoni has been involved in the education of coaches for the french tennis federation and for many other countries in the world. He is currently working with Tennis Ireland on a specific mental training program for top juniors and also for Davis Cup and Fed Cup Teams. Since 2001, he is a regular speaker and trainer for Tennis Europe, CAT and ITF. 

He is the author of :
In french :
Tennis la préparation mentale - 1997 - Editions BD Book
Méthode Tennis Mental Kit – 2007 – Editions BD Book
Racky découvre les secrets du mental – 2009 – Editions BD Book
In english :
Winning at tennis – Learn from the Champions - 2005 - Editions BD Book
Tennis Mental Kit Method – 2007 – Editions BD Book
In spanish :
Tenis : Entrenamiento de la fuerza mental - 2007 - Ediciones Tutor

History

Member for

2 years 39 weeks