WEBVTT
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Welcome back or welcome to the Serving the Future show.
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We are at Youth Tennis San Diego's headquarters, the Barnes Tennis Center, and we are in the Inspire 360 Digital Digital Lab.
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I am your co-host Ryan Redondo, and I am with Steve Adamson, our director of tennis and founder of the Steve Adamson Tennis Academy.
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Today, the theme that we're going to talk about today is development and mindset.
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Right, Steve?
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Absolutely.
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First of all, uh episode two.
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Look how far we've come.
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Yeah, I definitely want to talk about mindset, just how important it is to build athletes and you know what that mindset means to everyone and how it's built.
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And I think the best way is just to talk a little bit about yourself.
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And and I feel like mindset really is is a kind of a summing of up the experiences that one has.
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So can you talk to us a little bit about how your mindset was shaped by your tennis experiences growing up?
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What are some of the events, experiences that really helped change your mindset or shape it?
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Yeah, I think mindset for me, and it really correlates to my whole pathway, you know, in the development phase.
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And that's something that we're going to talk about as well.
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But um, there's a great book called Mindset.
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Carol Deweck from Stanford wrote it, and she focuses on two themes: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.
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And when I look back at my story and my journey, I definitely had different mindsets in those two terms.
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Um, depending on my environment, depending on who coached me, depending on where I was at, my goals.
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Um, I probably had a fixed and growth mindset at the same time at certain points.
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And I think you probably need that too.
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Yeah.
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So when I think of my pathway, I mean, I started playing tennis when I was in diapers, right?
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I was born into it.
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My father was the San Diego, uh the head coach at San Diego State, and I just I lived and died tennis.
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And so from an early age, that was just everything to me.
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Um uh to the point I played my first tournament when I was six years old.
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I lost 0-0 right here in San Diego.
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I don't know how many points I got.
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So you can imagine kind of like the the fabric of how I was starting in like competition at six.
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That's crazy.
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I lost oh and oh, but I was 12.
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Six years old.
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Yeah.
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So I was probably playing a 12-year-old.
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Yeah.
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Um, and you know, and so there was this love of the game early on.
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And I can remember hitting on the wall at San Diego State or when we moved to Cornado at the Lim Meridian Resort, and I just envisioned myself being Michael Chang or a Specker.
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And I would copy their strokes and I would just go out and play.
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So there's this early on growth mindset kind of development that I was taking on for myself, right?
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Yep.
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And it was really when I started to compete at 10, 11, 12, when I started playing all the SoCal tournaments and all the USTA tournaments where results started to come into play.
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That's when things changed, you know, and I remember that.
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It was a lot less of just the love of the game to, oh, I've got to win this tournament to get to this next tournament.
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And so for the purpose of this show today and this podcast, I think that's what we're gonna talk about.
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And and and I'd love to use my example because I think that's it's it's just transparent on on what not to do and what to do, yeah.
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Uh, because I am definitely not uh winning Wimbledon or had anything near there, but I did have you know moments and milestones of success.
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Right.
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Yeah.
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I I mean I think it it's it's different for everyone, and that's the key is is just basically growing and making sure that that this mindset that you're you're you ex take all these opportunities and don't view them as so much as like obstacles, but more just as a challenge, you know, to just be able to go there and and power through.
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I mean, my whole thing when when I was a kid, I I left Canada at 17 years old to come and play the futures in there, or there was a satellite then in SoCal.
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Didn't know anybody, flew on a plane to Bakersfield, played at the Rio Bravo Resort.
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There you go.
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So I didn't know anybody.
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I met a few players.
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Um, the second week was South Elmonte.
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They uh I don't know if you remember that tennis center there, but I was playing like second round qualies, still 17 years old.
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I was playing this guy, and in the middle of the match, he's like, if you beat me, I'm gonna kill you, gonna kill you in the parking lot.
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Just I'm gonna be waiting out there.
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Oh my god.
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And the guy was not good, right?
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The guy was not a good tennis player.
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I don't know how he won his first round, but I was scared, you know what I mean?
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And it's like I still had this like dream, like that was my dream to go out there and play pro tennis.
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And I went through a lot to to try to achieve that, and it's like it just allows you to try to power through, but you can go either way there, you know what I mean?
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Like that it can be just too much because I was kind of all by myself there, and then the next week I played the Anaheim week three, and I had a really good week.
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And um, the people that I was traveling with, they had um, you know, they'd lost and left.
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So it was just me by myself.
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I'm staying in a hotel, yeah.
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And then that night there's in the dumpster, there's a dead body, so like didn't get any sleep.
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Here comes like all the police and everything, and I gotta play the next day, and I'm it's I'm a little shaken, obviously, right?
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And so I don't know where I'm gonna go after the event.
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I'm playing my fourth round match.
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I call my cousin in San Diego to come up and you know, get me basically.
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And I'm playing, and I'm like, do I want to win this match?
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Not that I necessarily could have won the match, it's just the fact that it's you know, I don't know where I'm gonna be.
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You know what I mean?
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If I win, then my cousin's gonna leave and I'm gonna be stuck there.
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Yeah.
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And so it's just these things where I feel like those things really helped shape me.
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It's like dealing with that adversity.
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And for sure, I did not have that prior.
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Yeah, but it certainly helped me going forward.
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I was certainly not the player afterwards.
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So you got to you came to Southern California to play these futures or the satellites.
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Yeah.
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At 17, coming from Canada, yeah, probably not all of the resources and competitive environment of Southern California.
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Right.
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So you must have had some kind of mindset or something was instilled in you to get to that point to be able to do that, because that's a a feat in its own, right?
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To be able to do that.
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So tell me from 12 when you lost 0-0 to a six-year-old, probably to 17 of traveling here.
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What was your mindset like?
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It was just that I had this desire that I wanted to go play professional tennis and I wanted to play college in California and in Southern California, and that was it.
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And it's just a weird thing.
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Like I talk about it all the time, that that was just some of the guy from Canada just playing hockey and basketball and everything to not a huge, obviously, tennis country, yeah, but I wanted to be here.
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And then, and and that really just shaped it.
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I I had this desire.
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I mean, this how I was a guy that didn't want to go to like sleepovers at other people's houses, and I get on a plane at 17 by myself with no one to pick me up.
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I just wanted to do it, and I think it comes back to that desire, like that you that will to like you want to achieve something, or that's your goal.
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And I just think that you can't top that.
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Like, that's what is so important.
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It kind of drove me, and I end up playing college tennis as we know.
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But I mean, I'm sure there's moments like that for you that it's just like obviously for everything for you, very driven individual.
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So I'm sure you've got lots to talk about, and that as far as mindset goes and how tennis shaped that specifically.
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Yeah, and I'm super curious, and I I think we can probably have more episodes about different mindsets because we're gonna talk a little bit too about development.
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How does mindset transform the way you develop, right?
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And that's external and internal.
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And so for me, going back to to where I you know my mindset was developed.
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Um, same thing.
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I had this passion to be number one.
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That was a very external goal.
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I had that fed to me from my dad.
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You're gonna be number one player in the world.
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Yeah, but then there was backed up by results.
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At 11 years old, I was traveling across the country by myself to play a national, or invited by Team USA to do something.
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So you just start to feel um that, hey, there's something there, right?
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And so the this this growth mindset that I can do anything or I can I can reach these goals or that milestone starts to develop and at an early age.
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And so by 13, I was I went to uh Tarb, France to play Les Petits A with Travis Rettenmeyer, got my ass kicked in singles.
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That's the big deal tournament.
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That's there's no messing around at the bottom.
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But we won, but we won doubles, right?
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And so it's like, hmm, maybe you're you're the you know you're doing well.
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Go to Orange Bowl under 14, I get to the semis.
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So now it's like agents are looking at me.
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So back to the mindset.
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I'm I have this growth mindset that I'm gonna continue to get better.
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I can I can win, I can develop.
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Um behind that was that that passion and that desire.
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Beyond that, and that's what I want to know about.
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Like, and and that's what I want to talk about with development, because if we're developing kids to get to college or to go right to the pro tour, there's something beyond just, oh, yeah, he has a growth mindset or a fixed mindset, right?
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There's the external factors of coach, parents, but then there's just that internal factor.
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And that's what I ended up, what I can really say is I had is like I really wanted to suffer.
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Yeah.
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I really like I can go out in Paraguay, right, and go three sets, cramp, go to the hospital, and I'll do that over again to get a result.
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Right.
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And so that's that's where I I came from and and my experiences of being able to travel.
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Now that hindered me to an extent as well, because my development stopped at some point.
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And it wasn't until I went and met John Nelson, really, that he opened my eyes up to a whole nother level of growth mindset and where I was detached from results, but that passion and that desire to get better internally, it was almost a spiritual sense of just self-realization or self-uh, I don't know what you want to call it, where I just wanted that so bad for myself rather than just the result or for somebody else.
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Um and yeah, that's that's my personal take.
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I I think that just hits it on the head.
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It's that internal passion.
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Uh, when you were telling me about the uh story in Paraguay, it brings another one up for me.
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I think it just sums it up perfectly.
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Um, another uh San Diego State uh alumni, a great San Diego player, Eric Falk.
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He was in Mexico struggling for his first ATP point, and the weather was it was insane.
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It was almost unbearable to just be on the court.
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Yeah, like the warm-up was a struggle.
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And uh he goes out there, pulls it out seven, six in the third.
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I mean, there it wasn't tennis at this point, it was just sheer desire.
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Yeah, he comes off the court, full body cramp, everything, just one of the most miserable experiences I think you could have, straight to the hospital in Mexico is at Cancun.
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Oh wow.
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And uh the funny story about it is I was playing doubles afterwards, and my doubles partner goes, I don't want to go on the court.
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There's no way, there's no way that's happening to me.
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Yeah, I'm like, we're playing doubles.
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There's only like half the court, right?
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He goes, There's just no way that that's happening to me.
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I'm not putting my body through that.
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Yeah, right.
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And it's just a like a different mindset.
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He was gonna go through a wall, it didn't matter what was gonna happen to him, and it's just that, and it's hard to that that passion and that desire, that it always kind of shines through.
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And so, like even so, are you born with that?
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Can that be that's a great question?
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I think that somebody in the comments should let us know.
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I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts about that.
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Are you born?
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But can it be shaped though, right?
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Yeah, can can you know, I think that you had said it kind of a mixed or a fixed mindset at the beginning and then turning into a growth mindset.
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Yeah, I mean, I think I developed a lot mainly in college as a tennis player under John Nelson and and being able to, he taught me really about that discipline.
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I felt like athletically I was good, but it just didn't have the discipline and the mindset to like point after point after point.
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Yeah.
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And I think that's you know, you're developing, but I always wanted to put in the work, right?
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Yeah, most of the time.
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No, you you brought up discipline.
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Right.
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And I love that term.
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And it wasn't until I started coaching um up at the University of the Pacific where a new word term came to my philosophy, and that was um it's not self-confidence, but self-efficacy, right?
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So you have discipline, being able to do something over and over again, no matter if you feel good or not, right?
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Yeah.
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You're going to go out and you're gonna set up and you're gonna hit a hundred balls down the line.
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You feel bad or like that, your doubles partner.
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Yeah, not gonna do it.
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Yeah, right.
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That's the fixed mindset, not gonna do it.
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Or the other side of that fixed mindset, I'm gonna do it no matter what.
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Yeah, right.
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100 balls down the line or side to side until I throw up.
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Yeah.
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Self-efficacy is is the opposite of self-confidence, where and and this is I I'm not a scientist or whatever.
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This is just how I understand it.
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Well, today you're the scientist.
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Yeah, I have a mic.
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Um, self-confidence is I'm, you know, you're the ego's there, you're feeling great, you're you're zoning, whatever you want to call it.
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Self-efficacy is you can step up to the line and you know I can get this first serve in, no matter what.
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Yeah.
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Bad weather, fear, dad's gonna kill me, coaches yelling at me.
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Uh if I lose this point, the team loses.
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We would put it, whatever scenario scenario, but you know you can step up and hit a first serve in.
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Yeah.
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Right?
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Or you know I'm gonna poach and I can make that volley.
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That discipline, self-efficacy, that is that that to me is the the sauce to actually developing a player, no matter what age.
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But if you can do that at a young age, to your point, can it be shaped?
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Somewhat.
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I mean, we know these kids, or just Nadal is the perfect example, right?
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If you I got I've been watching his documentary, he wanted it, but he also had his uncle, yes, who was forcing pressure, yet Nadal said he never would tell his parents how forceful he was because he didn't want him to stop.
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Yeah, because he knew that was there.
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Does that work for every kid though?
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That's the question.
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You know, like for for Rafa, hey, he was like he was a competitor, he had that fire inside him.
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Yeah, if if Uncle Tony's with another kid, I don't know how that works.
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Yeah.
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If it works out the same way as it's if it's as successful, we can see like tennis has gone so global, yeah, right, because they they, other people are using tennis as a means out or somewhere, right?
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You did the same thing.
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I want to get to Southern California, play collegiate tennis, and that's why college tennis is so strong, right?
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You have all of these players that are like, I need to get to the United States for this opportunity.
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They're from God knows where, right?
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I had I had one of the best, the most talented players I ever coached from Zimbabwe, right?
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And and uh it just doesn't matter where they're from, they're using tennis as the vehicle.
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So I think when you have uh individuals that come from not many resources, there's a greater sense of being able to get through.
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Now, affluent kids, can they get shaped that way?
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That's the question, right?
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But I think uh there's education that we as coaches, we as uh uh developers can help educate parents and kids to like at least get to that next level of understanding what it takes because you have to teach a kid to suffer.
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Yes, right.
00:16:49.759 --> 00:17:03.360
You have to teach a college player, you're gonna have to if you want to get to Wimbledon, you're gonna have to go into bad areas where there's a dead body in the defensive and be able to have resiliency to go out and play the next match.
00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:03.840
Yeah.
00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:05.519
No, it's it's true.
00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:11.279
I mean, the it it you just have to be able to go there and be uncomfortable, right?
00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:15.119
And that's the thing is like you're uncomfortable, you have to be okay with it.
00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.119
Tennis is that sport, yeah, right.
00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:26.559
I mean, you've got like you're playing in heated your conditions, the bad line calls, all this adversity, and you can't give up, right?
00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:29.359
As soon as you give up, it's over, right?
00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.359
That's the big John Nelson's thing.
00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:33.359
Just break his will, break his will.
00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:36.720
Yeah, there's everybody has a breaking point, just wait for that breaking point.
00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:38.880
Rice Krispies, snap crackle pop.
00:17:39.759 --> 00:17:42.240
That's his yeah, so and that's the thing.
00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:51.680
And so you're just again, you're just trying to train that is how long you can go and and how, but it comes back to how bad do you want it, right?
00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:52.720
That's the thing.
00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:59.519
Like the coach Nelson always would tell us that story where hey, like it is how bad you want it.
00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:16.400
You go out there and you work all this time for to earn this, you know, or a radio, or I guess now it'd be like a phone, you know, you pay all the money, you work all those hours, somebody comes to try to take it from you, there's gonna be a lot of resistance because it just meant a lot to you.
00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:25.759
But if somebody just gave you a phone and you didn't really care, yeah, they're just gonna take it and there's there's just that you don't have what is definitely vested into that.
00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:29.119
So I think that just comes into the play.
00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:41.200
And I I think there's so much to talk about is is how these kids, whether affluent or not, they somehow there's that desire in there and how willing how far you're willing to go.
00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:42.160
Yeah, yeah.
00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:46.480
Um, something that comes to mind when when you were saying this is environment as well.
00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:53.440
So we're talking about uh mindset, you know, what's what's the natural personality of the individual, right?
00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:56.160
Yeah, and can you shape that, can you change that?
00:18:56.319 --> 00:19:00.400
That's that's a sports performance uh uh job, right?
00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.119
And a coach's job, um, parents' job.
00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:12.960
So you have the mindset, you have the discipline, which all equates to what kind of environment is suitable for that personality, right?
00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.799
Because you can have very soft individuals still succeed.
00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:17.519
Right?
00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:31.359
I have we all have kids that you're like, wow, there's a lot of talent there, but how do we get this individual who's uh intrinsically soft to be a monster on the court?
00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:32.160
Yeah, right.
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:33.440
It's true.
00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:46.079
I I remember um being at the coach's conference in New York, and uh Ivan Lendell came in and we were allowed to ask him one question, and I said, Hey, are you wanting to work with a junior work ethic or talent?
00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:48.720
And he's like, Don't even ask me that question.
00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:53.119
He's I don't want talent, I don't care about talent, only care about work ethic.
00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:56.559
Yeah, I just want them to just want to uh because I can work with that.
00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:58.400
Yeah, but talent's tough.
00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:09.599
So I again I think it comes back to just how much work you wanting to put in and can you take that person with talent and then like you were saying, make them a worker.
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:12.400
And so it's hard to do it the other way around, right?
00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:18.079
It's hard to make somebody that's a real worker and doesn't have the talent, it's hard to develop that.
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:29.119
But again, then comes that mindset, confidence starts to happen, you know, and you just you feel like you belong there, and then you know, crazy things happen.
00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:42.160
And again, I think it just comes in from that day in, that consistency of putting in the work day in and day out, yeah, and comes back to your point of what environment works for you?
00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:46.160
What environment are you gonna thrive in and succeed?
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:47.680
And that's it.
00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:57.599
Is it a a place where you're one-on-one, or is it somewhere where you've got a whole bunch of people pushing you where a coach is on you all the time, or do you not need a coach on you?
00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:03.039
Yeah, and I think that's just the the beauty of of coaching in general, right?
00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:07.599
The really good coaches can reach a multitude of kids, right?
00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:13.839
Different personalities can't be the same generic ABC strategy to reach them.
00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:18.960
You some need nurturing, some need more firmness, yeah, right.
00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:23.680
And the goal is to get them to the to the end the same way, right?
00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:28.160
But you know, it it it really is it's an art, I think.
00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:29.279
Yeah, yeah.
00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:38.319
Gosh, it's it's interesting too, because in in today's day, you know, we played many years ago where you can just be at the club all day, right?
00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:42.559
And we it was a lot more under our control of how hard we went.
00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:42.960
Yes.
00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:45.119
Where we weren't uh force feeding it.
00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:51.680
We were you know, we didn't I mean I had a I had a a father that pushed me pretty hard, but a lot of the hours I practiced was on my own.
00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:52.240
Right.
00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:59.279
And back in the 70s and 80s, parents just sent the kids away to go and practice and play, and the coaches had a huge influence.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:42.799
still have a huge influence but things seem to be so much more programmed yes and and that's the I think that's the art now is how do you how do you help program but beyond just results how are you helping program healthy kids healthy people in college even after college how healthy are individuals so that they can continue to succeed in life you know and um I don't know I mean there's so many different ways we can get there but yeah it's it's to your point it's basically that these kids they need to be enjoying the process of it so I feel like now it has become a little bit more like you said programmed.
00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:46.799
I felt like when I played I was just like enjoying it.
00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:50.240
Yeah and I was getting better but I didn't really know that.
00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:58.079
Yeah I was just working like the running down balls and competing against people like I just love to compete.
00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:05.279
And now I think it's it's become a little bit more of like you need to do this from this time and this from this time.
00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:25.759
And we miss a little bit about just like going out and playing and if you're doing certain drills and with the right people and you're engaged you you're gonna have a blast but yet you're you're really improving yeah detached right you're detached from having to do X, Y, and Z and you're just gonna go out and be extremely disciplined.
00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:55.599
You're gonna suffer because of that passion, that love for it and detachment I just yeah I feel like I did my best when I was super detached from the result but obsessed with the feeling the experience how disciplined there was this edge that I wanted to cross over and we can get players let's not call them just kids because we have we look out at the wildcard tournament we had out here and you can just sense when somebody is fearful.
00:23:55.680 --> 00:24:09.519
Yeah you can just sense by watching their body language and how I think our jobs are how can we create that detachment where people are out there taking the risk to be their their best you know I I think you just that was perfect.
00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:18.559
I think detaching yourself from the result that's easy to say right very difficult to do.
00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:36.559
And when you can do that good things can happen because I feel like so many kids are just all everybody is so worked up about the result whether it be from their parents and even if they say their parents don't put pressure on them it's still it's all about the result.
00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:52.400
There's just so much fear everybody's playing in fear and you know you're afraid you know so I had a sorry interrupt but I was teaching a young kid and he went into his first yellow ball tournament he did really well he either won it or got to the finals.
00:24:52.480 --> 00:25:10.079
Yeah and I asked him how did it go and he immediately brought up his new UTR and that triggered me to the point where uh oh now I'm it's a whole different set of challenges to just coach the kid yeah because his he was already result oriented on something he shouldn't be trying to control.
00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:10.559
Yes.
00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:17.359
And that's the thing is the teaching these kids is is to only worry about what you can control.
00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:29.599
And again like that it's easier said than done as if you go and look even for me looking back for my matches it's just something that I could have done a lot better.
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:37.039
Yeah right well I think it takes it takes a great going back to the environment who is in the player and the kid's corner.
00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:56.000
Yeah that's the the biggest thing because if you can have very educated or understanding and aware parents that can support that environment that will allow the coach to be able to help shape and develop some of those those qualities that maybe are not inherent to that kid.
00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:56.400
Yes.
00:25:56.640 --> 00:26:04.960
Learning how to suffer learning how to you know I was I think I told you earlier about I was on a Zoom call I haven't spoken to this individual in 20 years.
00:26:05.119 --> 00:26:19.839
I used to coach him and now he's a successful individual in in New York City making lots of money and I immediately went back to he was in the pouring rain and I fed him side to side a full basket and he just wanted that experience.
00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:45.680
That says something wanted that I wanted that for him because I loved he was going to that edge he's still a very successful individual and so I think the what I I can't wait to just continue to delve into topics and bring in guests on that will help us expose like just how to cross that line how to get to your edge be comfortable at your edge love being there so that edge can expand.
00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:59.119
Yes and I think another part is just that dealing with the adversity I feel like we even more now we run away from the adversity.
00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:26.559
Nobody wants to face it head on I feel like before there was just it was a little bit more of a norm to to face that adversity and now what kind of adversity what do you mean I mean just like little things like if you're um you go there and you have a bad loss right and what's gonna happen all the kids around are going to be like oh my gosh you lost to that person you thought and the kids have a difficult time dealing with that.
00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:35.279
It's not like it was ever easy yeah right but it's just you have to deal with that I don't think running away from it or the you know it's gonna happen.
00:27:35.440 --> 00:28:08.240
It's gonna happen in life it's just all types of of obstacles or people that once you start you know reaching some success people will bring you down in the pros it's obviously the social media and the and the you know you're getting these death threats and you're terrible and you know we love Ryan Segerman he posts those on all the you know you lose a match and that you have to deal with that and I know like for the pros now it's a huge part their mental health dealing with just all the comments they get on social media.
00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:10.559
Yeah um but it's tough.
00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:19.759
I mean you have to be able to just kind of compartmentalize those things and like it's not easy but adversity is huge.
00:28:19.839 --> 00:29:22.880
I think dealing being able to to deal with that and be able to still have the your eyes kind of on the future and on the finish line that really helps people because if you can if you're if some person calling you some bad names or you know questioning your ability is going to put you down a notch and you know and it really upset then it's gonna be a lot harder for you to get out of there and yeah and come back and play the next day or the next week or yeah it's I think it's it's an interesting thing where I think getting comfortable with being in these situations, you know, like five all in the third or you've just you were you up five one now it's five all yeah you know are you okay with I'm gonna be my breathing's the heart rate's at like 180 you know they are am I gonna be going crazy because I've squandered past I can't control that right yeah I can only control what's happening right now and how I deal with it.
00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:33.839
So I'm excited to go and and see from our guests and how they deal with some of these things and yeah I think it it's gonna be uh some good shows.
00:29:34.079 --> 00:30:05.519
Yeah serving the future there you go no pun intended um well that was awesome um yeah I think the call to action that I'd like to end this episode with is for coaches for providers to start thinking about the environments that they're setting up how healthy can you make them and healthy meaning how bring being able to bring somebody to their edge right and and being able to instill that belief that they can come back the next day.
00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:57.920
Yeah right with adversity it's gonna be really hard today if you have a coach that can be really hard on you and either treat you really well or love you right you've got somebody good and if your parents can also be a part of that um I think the call to action is coaches look at your environment what are you creating parents educate yourself find the right people and the right people for your kids and that you're putting them in the right um places and I think it's for us too you and I and our team to continue to evolve to ensure that we're constantly creating those environments and serving the future that's what we do serve the future yeah it's it's again I think these uh these guests will be able to give us some more knowledge about that and and an insight onto what they have dealt with all over these years.
00:30:58.000 --> 00:30:59.440
So yeah gonna be good.
00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:07.119
All right well stay tuned for the next episode coming out soon and Steve thank you that was that was really fun pleasure
00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:14.480
Welcome back or welcome to the Serving the Future show.
00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:24.079
We are at Youth Tennis San Diego's headquarters, the Barnes Tennis Center, and we are in the Inspire 360 Digital Digital Lab.
00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:34.719
I am your co-host Ryan Redondo, and I am with Steve Adamson, our director of tennis and founder of the Steve Adamson Tennis Academy.
00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:39.359
Today, the theme that we're going to talk about today is development and mindset.
00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:40.399
Right, Steve?
00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:41.439
Absolutely.
00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:43.679
First of all, uh episode two.
00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:45.359
Look how far we've come.
00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:57.600
Yeah, I definitely want to talk about mindset, just how important it is to build athletes and you know what that mindset means to everyone and how it's built.
00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:02.000
And I think the best way is just to talk a little bit about yourself.
00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:08.719
And and I feel like mindset really is is a kind of a summing of up the experiences that one has.
00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:16.480
So can you talk to us a little bit about how your mindset was shaped by your tennis experiences growing up?
00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:21.519
What are some of the events, experiences that really helped change your mindset or shape it?
00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:28.719
Yeah, I think mindset for me, and it really correlates to my whole pathway, you know, in the development phase.
00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:30.959
And that's something that we're going to talk about as well.
00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:33.439
But um, there's a great book called Mindset.
00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:41.200
Carol Deweck from Stanford wrote it, and she focuses on two themes: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.
00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:47.519
And when I look back at my story and my journey, I definitely had different mindsets in those two terms.
00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:55.280
Um, depending on my environment, depending on who coached me, depending on where I was at, my goals.
00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.439
Um, I probably had a fixed and growth mindset at the same time at certain points.
00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:01.040
And I think you probably need that too.
00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:01.519
Yeah.
00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:09.599
So when I think of my pathway, I mean, I started playing tennis when I was in diapers, right?
00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:10.960
I was born into it.
00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:17.120
My father was the San Diego, uh the head coach at San Diego State, and I just I lived and died tennis.
00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:20.800
And so from an early age, that was just everything to me.
00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:24.560
Um uh to the point I played my first tournament when I was six years old.
00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:26.800
I lost 0-0 right here in San Diego.
00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:28.319
I don't know how many points I got.
00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:34.159
So you can imagine kind of like the the fabric of how I was starting in like competition at six.
00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:34.879
That's crazy.
00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:37.120
I lost oh and oh, but I was 12.
00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:38.479
Six years old.
00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:38.800
Yeah.
00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:40.479
So I was probably playing a 12-year-old.
00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:40.800
Yeah.
00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:45.199
Um, and you know, and so there was this love of the game early on.
00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:56.719
And I can remember hitting on the wall at San Diego State or when we moved to Cornado at the Lim Meridian Resort, and I just envisioned myself being Michael Chang or a Specker.
00:02:56.879 --> 00:02:58.800
And I would copy their strokes and I would just go out and play.
00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:05.919
So there's this early on growth mindset kind of development that I was taking on for myself, right?
00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:06.400
Yep.
00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:17.919
And it was really when I started to compete at 10, 11, 12, when I started playing all the SoCal tournaments and all the USTA tournaments where results started to come into play.
00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:21.120
That's when things changed, you know, and I remember that.
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:27.520
It was a lot less of just the love of the game to, oh, I've got to win this tournament to get to this next tournament.
00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:32.960
And so for the purpose of this show today and this podcast, I think that's what we're gonna talk about.
00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:41.680
And and and I'd love to use my example because I think that's it's it's just transparent on on what not to do and what to do, yeah.
00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:49.280
Uh, because I am definitely not uh winning Wimbledon or had anything near there, but I did have you know moments and milestones of success.
00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:49.759
Right.
00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:50.159
Yeah.
00:03:50.400 --> 00:04:11.599
I I mean I think it it's it's different for everyone, and that's the key is is just basically growing and making sure that that this mindset that you're you're you ex take all these opportunities and don't view them as so much as like obstacles, but more just as a challenge, you know, to just be able to go there and and power through.
00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:24.560
I mean, my whole thing when when I was a kid, I I left Canada at 17 years old to come and play the futures in there, or there was a satellite then in SoCal.
00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:30.639
Didn't know anybody, flew on a plane to Bakersfield, played at the Rio Bravo Resort.
00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:31.759
There you go.
00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:33.040
So I didn't know anybody.
00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:34.800
I met a few players.
00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:38.240
Um, the second week was South Elmonte.
00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:45.920
They uh I don't know if you remember that tennis center there, but I was playing like second round qualies, still 17 years old.
00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:52.079
I was playing this guy, and in the middle of the match, he's like, if you beat me, I'm gonna kill you, gonna kill you in the parking lot.
00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:53.600
Just I'm gonna be waiting out there.
00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:54.079
Oh my god.
00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:55.920
And the guy was not good, right?
00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:57.519
The guy was not a good tennis player.
00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:02.160
I don't know how he won his first round, but I was scared, you know what I mean?
00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:09.279
And it's like I still had this like dream, like that was my dream to go out there and play pro tennis.
00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:18.160
And I went through a lot to to try to achieve that, and it's like it just allows you to try to power through, but you can go either way there, you know what I mean?
00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:28.639
Like that it can be just too much because I was kind of all by myself there, and then the next week I played the Anaheim week three, and I had a really good week.
00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:34.560
And um, the people that I was traveling with, they had um, you know, they'd lost and left.
00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:36.399
So it was just me by myself.
00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:37.920
I'm staying in a hotel, yeah.
00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:43.920
And then that night there's in the dumpster, there's a dead body, so like didn't get any sleep.
00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:52.160
Here comes like all the police and everything, and I gotta play the next day, and I'm it's I'm a little shaken, obviously, right?
00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:54.959
And so I don't know where I'm gonna go after the event.
00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:56.639
I'm playing my fourth round match.
00:05:56.800 --> 00:06:01.360
I call my cousin in San Diego to come up and you know, get me basically.
00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:05.600
And I'm playing, and I'm like, do I want to win this match?
00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:12.800
Not that I necessarily could have won the match, it's just the fact that it's you know, I don't know where I'm gonna be.
00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:13.680
You know what I mean?
00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:17.839
If I win, then my cousin's gonna leave and I'm gonna be stuck there.
00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:18.240
Yeah.
00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:23.759
And so it's just these things where I feel like those things really helped shape me.
00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:25.759
It's like dealing with that adversity.
00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:28.800
And for sure, I did not have that prior.
00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:32.000
Yeah, but it certainly helped me going forward.
00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:34.399
I was certainly not the player afterwards.
00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:39.040
So you got to you came to Southern California to play these futures or the satellites.
00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:39.519
Yeah.
00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:47.120
At 17, coming from Canada, yeah, probably not all of the resources and competitive environment of Southern California.
00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:47.360
Right.
00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:55.439
So you must have had some kind of mindset or something was instilled in you to get to that point to be able to do that, because that's a a feat in its own, right?
00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:56.240
To be able to do that.
00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:04.319
So tell me from 12 when you lost 0-0 to a six-year-old, probably to 17 of traveling here.
00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:05.680
What was your mindset like?
00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:16.399
It was just that I had this desire that I wanted to go play professional tennis and I wanted to play college in California and in Southern California, and that was it.
00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:18.000
And it's just a weird thing.
00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:30.639
Like I talk about it all the time, that that was just some of the guy from Canada just playing hockey and basketball and everything to not a huge, obviously, tennis country, yeah, but I wanted to be here.
00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:34.240
And then, and and that really just shaped it.
00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:35.680
I I had this desire.
00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:46.079
I mean, this how I was a guy that didn't want to go to like sleepovers at other people's houses, and I get on a plane at 17 by myself with no one to pick me up.
00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:55.920
I just wanted to do it, and I think it comes back to that desire, like that you that will to like you want to achieve something, or that's your goal.
00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:58.959
And I just think that you can't top that.
00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:00.879
Like, that's what is so important.
00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:05.199
It kind of drove me, and I end up playing college tennis as we know.
00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:13.920
But I mean, I'm sure there's moments like that for you that it's just like obviously for everything for you, very driven individual.
00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:21.199
So I'm sure you've got lots to talk about, and that as far as mindset goes and how tennis shaped that specifically.
00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:30.160
Yeah, and I'm super curious, and I I think we can probably have more episodes about different mindsets because we're gonna talk a little bit too about development.
00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:34.720
How does mindset transform the way you develop, right?
00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:36.399
And that's external and internal.
00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:41.840
And so for me, going back to to where I you know my mindset was developed.
00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:43.120
Um, same thing.
00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:45.200
I had this passion to be number one.
00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:46.960
That was a very external goal.
00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:49.120
I had that fed to me from my dad.
00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:50.879
You're gonna be number one player in the world.
00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:53.200
Yeah, but then there was backed up by results.
00:08:53.360 --> 00:09:00.320
At 11 years old, I was traveling across the country by myself to play a national, or invited by Team USA to do something.
00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:04.559
So you just start to feel um that, hey, there's something there, right?
00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:15.919
And so the this this growth mindset that I can do anything or I can I can reach these goals or that milestone starts to develop and at an early age.
00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:25.279
And so by 13, I was I went to uh Tarb, France to play Les Petits A with Travis Rettenmeyer, got my ass kicked in singles.
00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:26.799
That's the big deal tournament.
00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:28.639
That's there's no messing around at the bottom.
00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:30.960
But we won, but we won doubles, right?
00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:34.639
And so it's like, hmm, maybe you're you're the you know you're doing well.
00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:37.519
Go to Orange Bowl under 14, I get to the semis.
00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:40.480
So now it's like agents are looking at me.
00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:42.240
So back to the mindset.
00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:47.360
I'm I have this growth mindset that I'm gonna continue to get better.
00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:50.799
I can I can win, I can develop.
00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:56.159
Um behind that was that that passion and that desire.
00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:59.519
Beyond that, and that's what I want to know about.
00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:11.679
Like, and and that's what I want to talk about with development, because if we're developing kids to get to college or to go right to the pro tour, there's something beyond just, oh, yeah, he has a growth mindset or a fixed mindset, right?
00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:16.240
There's the external factors of coach, parents, but then there's just that internal factor.
00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:20.879
And that's what I ended up, what I can really say is I had is like I really wanted to suffer.
00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:21.279
Yeah.
00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:31.840
I really like I can go out in Paraguay, right, and go three sets, cramp, go to the hospital, and I'll do that over again to get a result.
00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:32.399
Right.
00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:37.600
And so that's that's where I I came from and and my experiences of being able to travel.
00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:42.879
Now that hindered me to an extent as well, because my development stopped at some point.
00:10:43.039 --> 00:11:08.639
And it wasn't until I went and met John Nelson, really, that he opened my eyes up to a whole nother level of growth mindset and where I was detached from results, but that passion and that desire to get better internally, it was almost a spiritual sense of just self-realization or self-uh, I don't know what you want to call it, where I just wanted that so bad for myself rather than just the result or for somebody else.
00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:12.320
Um and yeah, that's that's my personal take.
00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:14.639
I I think that just hits it on the head.
00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:16.799
It's that internal passion.
00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:22.799
Uh, when you were telling me about the uh story in Paraguay, it brings another one up for me.
00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:25.200
I think it just sums it up perfectly.
00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:31.679
Um, another uh San Diego State uh alumni, a great San Diego player, Eric Falk.
00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:37.919
He was in Mexico struggling for his first ATP point, and the weather was it was insane.
00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:41.360
It was almost unbearable to just be on the court.
00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:44.000
Yeah, like the warm-up was a struggle.
00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:48.879
And uh he goes out there, pulls it out seven, six in the third.
00:11:49.039 --> 00:11:53.919
I mean, there it wasn't tennis at this point, it was just sheer desire.
00:11:54.080 --> 00:12:05.039
Yeah, he comes off the court, full body cramp, everything, just one of the most miserable experiences I think you could have, straight to the hospital in Mexico is at Cancun.
00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:05.600
Oh wow.
00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:12.159
And uh the funny story about it is I was playing doubles afterwards, and my doubles partner goes, I don't want to go on the court.
00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:14.399
There's no way, there's no way that's happening to me.
00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:15.919
Yeah, I'm like, we're playing doubles.
00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:17.759
There's only like half the court, right?
00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:20.480
He goes, There's just no way that that's happening to me.
00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:22.000
I'm not putting my body through that.
00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:22.559
Yeah, right.
00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:24.639
And it's just a like a different mindset.
00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:36.320
He was gonna go through a wall, it didn't matter what was gonna happen to him, and it's just that, and it's hard to that that passion and that desire, that it always kind of shines through.
00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.639
And so, like even so, are you born with that?
00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:40.480
Can that be that's a great question?
00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:43.600
I think that somebody in the comments should let us know.
00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:46.159
I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts about that.
00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:47.039
Are you born?
00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:48.799
But can it be shaped though, right?
00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:58.639
Yeah, can can you know, I think that you had said it kind of a mixed or a fixed mindset at the beginning and then turning into a growth mindset.
00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:09.600
Yeah, I mean, I think I developed a lot mainly in college as a tennis player under John Nelson and and being able to, he taught me really about that discipline.
00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:17.759
I felt like athletically I was good, but it just didn't have the discipline and the mindset to like point after point after point.
00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:18.080
Yeah.
00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:23.279
And I think that's you know, you're developing, but I always wanted to put in the work, right?
00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:25.039
Yeah, most of the time.
00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:28.000
No, you you brought up discipline.
00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:28.320
Right.
00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:29.840
And I love that term.
00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:44.159
And it wasn't until I started coaching um up at the University of the Pacific where a new word term came to my philosophy, and that was um it's not self-confidence, but self-efficacy, right?
00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:50.559
So you have discipline, being able to do something over and over again, no matter if you feel good or not, right?
00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:50.879
Yeah.
00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:55.279
You're going to go out and you're gonna set up and you're gonna hit a hundred balls down the line.
00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:57.600
You feel bad or like that, your doubles partner.
00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:58.559
Yeah, not gonna do it.
00:13:58.639 --> 00:13:59.120
Yeah, right.
00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:01.120
That's the fixed mindset, not gonna do it.
00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:04.559
Or the other side of that fixed mindset, I'm gonna do it no matter what.
00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:05.200
Yeah, right.
00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:08.399
100 balls down the line or side to side until I throw up.
00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:08.799
Yeah.
00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:16.320
Self-efficacy is is the opposite of self-confidence, where and and this is I I'm not a scientist or whatever.
00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:17.440
This is just how I understand it.
00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:18.799
Well, today you're the scientist.
00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:20.159
Yeah, I have a mic.
00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:27.200
Um, self-confidence is I'm, you know, you're the ego's there, you're feeling great, you're you're zoning, whatever you want to call it.
00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:33.519
Self-efficacy is you can step up to the line and you know I can get this first serve in, no matter what.
00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:33.759
Yeah.
00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:39.840
Bad weather, fear, dad's gonna kill me, coaches yelling at me.
00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:42.559
Uh if I lose this point, the team loses.
00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:47.279
We would put it, whatever scenario scenario, but you know you can step up and hit a first serve in.
00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:47.600
Yeah.
00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:47.919
Right?
00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:50.799
Or you know I'm gonna poach and I can make that volley.
00:14:51.440 --> 00:15:01.120
That discipline, self-efficacy, that is that that to me is the the sauce to actually developing a player, no matter what age.
00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:04.720
But if you can do that at a young age, to your point, can it be shaped?
00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:05.519
Somewhat.
00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:09.360
I mean, we know these kids, or just Nadal is the perfect example, right?
00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:22.320
If you I got I've been watching his documentary, he wanted it, but he also had his uncle, yes, who was forcing pressure, yet Nadal said he never would tell his parents how forceful he was because he didn't want him to stop.
00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:24.080
Yeah, because he knew that was there.
00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:26.960
Does that work for every kid though?
00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:28.000
That's the question.
00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:35.360
You know, like for for Rafa, hey, he was like he was a competitor, he had that fire inside him.
00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:39.919
Yeah, if if Uncle Tony's with another kid, I don't know how that works.
00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:40.080
Yeah.
00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:52.879
If it works out the same way as it's if it's as successful, we can see like tennis has gone so global, yeah, right, because they they, other people are using tennis as a means out or somewhere, right?
00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:53.759
You did the same thing.
00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:58.879
I want to get to Southern California, play collegiate tennis, and that's why college tennis is so strong, right?
00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:03.600
You have all of these players that are like, I need to get to the United States for this opportunity.
00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:06.960
They're from God knows where, right?
00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:10.960
I had I had one of the best, the most talented players I ever coached from Zimbabwe, right?
00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:17.519
And and uh it just doesn't matter where they're from, they're using tennis as the vehicle.
00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:26.080
So I think when you have uh individuals that come from not many resources, there's a greater sense of being able to get through.
00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:29.919
Now, affluent kids, can they get shaped that way?
00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:30.960
That's the question, right?
00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:48.960
But I think uh there's education that we as coaches, we as uh uh developers can help educate parents and kids to like at least get to that next level of understanding what it takes because you have to teach a kid to suffer.
00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:49.679
Yes, right.
00:16:49.759 --> 00:17:03.360
You have to teach a college player, you're gonna have to if you want to get to Wimbledon, you're gonna have to go into bad areas where there's a dead body in the defensive and be able to have resiliency to go out and play the next match.
00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:03.840
Yeah.
00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:05.519
No, it's it's true.
00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:11.279
I mean, the it it you just have to be able to go there and be uncomfortable, right?
00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:15.119
And that's the thing is like you're uncomfortable, you have to be okay with it.
00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.119
Tennis is that sport, yeah, right.
00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:26.559
I mean, you've got like you're playing in heated your conditions, the bad line calls, all this adversity, and you can't give up, right?
00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:29.359
As soon as you give up, it's over, right?
00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.359
That's the big John Nelson's thing.
00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:33.359
Just break his will, break his will.
00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:36.720
Yeah, there's everybody has a breaking point, just wait for that breaking point.
00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:38.880
Rice Krispies, snap crackle pop.
00:17:39.759 --> 00:17:42.240
That's his yeah, so and that's the thing.
00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:51.680
And so you're just again, you're just trying to train that is how long you can go and and how, but it comes back to how bad do you want it, right?
00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:52.720
That's the thing.
00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:59.519
Like the coach Nelson always would tell us that story where hey, like it is how bad you want it.
00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:16.400
You go out there and you work all this time for to earn this, you know, or a radio, or I guess now it'd be like a phone, you know, you pay all the money, you work all those hours, somebody comes to try to take it from you, there's gonna be a lot of resistance because it just meant a lot to you.
00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:25.759
But if somebody just gave you a phone and you didn't really care, yeah, they're just gonna take it and there's there's just that you don't have what is definitely vested into that.
00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:29.119
So I think that just comes into the play.
00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:41.200
And I I think there's so much to talk about is is how these kids, whether affluent or not, they somehow there's that desire in there and how willing how far you're willing to go.
00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:42.160
Yeah, yeah.
00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:46.480
Um, something that comes to mind when when you were saying this is environment as well.
00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:53.440
So we're talking about uh mindset, you know, what's what's the natural personality of the individual, right?
00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:56.160
Yeah, and can you shape that, can you change that?
00:18:56.319 --> 00:19:00.400
That's that's a sports performance uh uh job, right?
00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.119
And a coach's job, um, parents' job.
00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:12.960
So you have the mindset, you have the discipline, which all equates to what kind of environment is suitable for that personality, right?
00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.799
Because you can have very soft individuals still succeed.
00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:17.519
Right?
00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:31.359
I have we all have kids that you're like, wow, there's a lot of talent there, but how do we get this individual who's uh intrinsically soft to be a monster on the court?
00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:32.160
Yeah, right.
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:33.440
It's true.
00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:46.079
I I remember um being at the coach's conference in New York, and uh Ivan Lendell came in and we were allowed to ask him one question, and I said, Hey, are you wanting to work with a junior work ethic or talent?
00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:48.720
And he's like, Don't even ask me that question.
00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:53.119
He's I don't want talent, I don't care about talent, only care about work ethic.
00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:56.559
Yeah, I just want them to just want to uh because I can work with that.
00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:58.400
Yeah, but talent's tough.
00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:09.599
So I again I think it comes back to just how much work you wanting to put in and can you take that person with talent and then like you were saying, make them a worker.
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:12.400
And so it's hard to do it the other way around, right?
00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:18.079
It's hard to make somebody that's a real worker and doesn't have the talent, it's hard to develop that.
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:29.119
But again, then comes that mindset, confidence starts to happen, you know, and you just you feel like you belong there, and then you know, crazy things happen.
00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:42.160
And again, I think it just comes in from that day in, that consistency of putting in the work day in and day out, yeah, and comes back to your point of what environment works for you?
00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:46.160
What environment are you gonna thrive in and succeed?
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:47.680
And that's it.
00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:57.599
Is it a a place where you're one-on-one, or is it somewhere where you've got a whole bunch of people pushing you where a coach is on you all the time, or do you not need a coach on you?
00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:03.039
Yeah, and I think that's just the the beauty of of coaching in general, right?
00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:07.599
The really good coaches can reach a multitude of kids, right?
00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:13.839
Different personalities can't be the same generic ABC strategy to reach them.
00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:18.960
You some need nurturing, some need more firmness, yeah, right.
00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:23.680
And the goal is to get them to the to the end the same way, right?
00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:28.160
But you know, it it it really is it's an art, I think.
00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:29.279
Yeah, yeah.
00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:38.319
Gosh, it's it's interesting too, because in in today's day, you know, we played many years ago where you can just be at the club all day, right?
00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:42.559
And we it was a lot more under our control of how hard we went.
00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:42.960
Yes.
00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:45.119
Where we weren't uh force feeding it.
00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:51.680
We were you know, we didn't I mean I had a I had a a father that pushed me pretty hard, but a lot of the hours I practiced was on my own.
00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:52.240
Right.
00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:59.279
And back in the 70s and 80s, parents just sent the kids away to go and practice and play, and the coaches had a huge influence.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:42.799
still have a huge influence but things seem to be so much more programmed yes and and that's the I think that's the art now is how do you how do you help program but beyond just results how are you helping program healthy kids healthy people in college even after college how healthy are individuals so that they can continue to succeed in life you know and um I don't know I mean there's so many different ways we can get there but yeah it's it's to your point it's basically that these kids they need to be enjoying the process of it so I feel like now it has become a little bit more like you said programmed.
00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:46.799
I felt like when I played I was just like enjoying it.
00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:50.240
Yeah and I was getting better but I didn't really know that.
00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:58.079
Yeah I was just working like the running down balls and competing against people like I just love to compete.
00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:05.279
And now I think it's it's become a little bit more of like you need to do this from this time and this from this time.
00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:25.759
And we miss a little bit about just like going out and playing and if you're doing certain drills and with the right people and you're engaged you you're gonna have a blast but yet you're you're really improving yeah detached right you're detached from having to do X, Y, and Z and you're just gonna go out and be extremely disciplined.
00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:55.599
You're gonna suffer because of that passion, that love for it and detachment I just yeah I feel like I did my best when I was super detached from the result but obsessed with the feeling the experience how disciplined there was this edge that I wanted to cross over and we can get players let's not call them just kids because we have we look out at the wildcard tournament we had out here and you can just sense when somebody is fearful.
00:23:55.680 --> 00:24:09.519
Yeah you can just sense by watching their body language and how I think our jobs are how can we create that detachment where people are out there taking the risk to be their their best you know I I think you just that was perfect.
00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:18.559
I think detaching yourself from the result that's easy to say right very difficult to do.
00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:36.559
And when you can do that good things can happen because I feel like so many kids are just all everybody is so worked up about the result whether it be from their parents and even if they say their parents don't put pressure on them it's still it's all about the result.
00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:52.400
There's just so much fear everybody's playing in fear and you know you're afraid you know so I had a sorry interrupt but I was teaching a young kid and he went into his first yellow ball tournament he did really well he either won it or got to the finals.
00:24:52.480 --> 00:25:10.079
Yeah and I asked him how did it go and he immediately brought up his new UTR and that triggered me to the point where uh oh now I'm it's a whole different set of challenges to just coach the kid yeah because his he was already result oriented on something he shouldn't be trying to control.
00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:10.559
Yes.
00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:17.359
And that's the thing is the teaching these kids is is to only worry about what you can control.
00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:29.599
And again like that it's easier said than done as if you go and look even for me looking back for my matches it's just something that I could have done a lot better.
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:37.039
Yeah right well I think it takes it takes a great going back to the environment who is in the player and the kid's corner.
00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:56.000
Yeah that's the the biggest thing because if you can have very educated or understanding and aware parents that can support that environment that will allow the coach to be able to help shape and develop some of those those qualities that maybe are not inherent to that kid.
00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:56.400
Yes.
00:25:56.640 --> 00:26:04.960
Learning how to suffer learning how to you know I was I think I told you earlier about I was on a Zoom call I haven't spoken to this individual in 20 years.
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I used to coach him and now he's a successful individual in in New York City making lots of money and I immediately went back to he was in the pouring rain and I fed him side to side a full basket and he just wanted that experience.
00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:45.680
That says something wanted that I wanted that for him because I loved he was going to that edge he's still a very successful individual and so I think the what I I can't wait to just continue to delve into topics and bring in guests on that will help us expose like just how to cross that line how to get to your edge be comfortable at your edge love being there so that edge can expand.
00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:59.119
Yes and I think another part is just that dealing with the adversity I feel like we even more now we run away from the adversity.
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Nobody wants to face it head on I feel like before there was just it was a little bit more of a norm to to face that adversity and now what kind of adversity what do you mean I mean just like little things like if you're um you go there and you have a bad loss right and what's gonna happen all the kids around are going to be like oh my gosh you lost to that person you thought and the kids have a difficult time dealing with that.
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It's not like it was ever easy yeah right but it's just you have to deal with that I don't think running away from it or the you know it's gonna happen.
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It's gonna happen in life it's just all types of of obstacles or people that once you start you know reaching some success people will bring you down in the pros it's obviously the social media and the and the you know you're getting these death threats and you're terrible and you know we love Ryan Segerman he posts those on all the you know you lose a match and that you have to deal with that and I know like for the pros now it's a huge part their mental health dealing with just all the comments they get on social media.
00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:10.559
Yeah um but it's tough.
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I mean you have to be able to just kind of compartmentalize those things and like it's not easy but adversity is huge.
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I think dealing being able to to deal with that and be able to still have the your eyes kind of on the future and on the finish line that really helps people because if you can if you're if some person calling you some bad names or you know questioning your ability is going to put you down a notch and you know and it really upset then it's gonna be a lot harder for you to get out of there and yeah and come back and play the next day or the next week or yeah it's I think it's it's an interesting thing where I think getting comfortable with being in these situations, you know, like five all in the third or you've just you were you up five one now it's five all yeah you know are you okay with I'm gonna be my breathing's the heart rate's at like 180 you know they are am I gonna be going crazy because I've squandered past I can't control that right yeah I can only control what's happening right now and how I deal with it.
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So I'm excited to go and and see from our guests and how they deal with some of these things and yeah I think it it's gonna be uh some good shows.
00:29:34.079 --> 00:30:05.519
Yeah serving the future there you go no pun intended um well that was awesome um yeah I think the call to action that I'd like to end this episode with is for coaches for providers to start thinking about the environments that they're setting up how healthy can you make them and healthy meaning how bring being able to bring somebody to their edge right and and being able to instill that belief that they can come back the next day.
00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:57.920
Yeah right with adversity it's gonna be really hard today if you have a coach that can be really hard on you and either treat you really well or love you right you've got somebody good and if your parents can also be a part of that um I think the call to action is coaches look at your environment what are you creating parents educate yourself find the right people and the right people for your kids and that you're putting them in the right um places and I think it's for us too you and I and our team to continue to evolve to ensure that we're constantly creating those environments and serving the future that's what we do serve the future yeah it's it's again I think these uh these guests will be able to give us some more knowledge about that and and an insight onto what they have dealt with all over these years.
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So yeah gonna be good.
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All right well stay tuned for the next episode coming out soon and Steve thank you that was that was really fun pleasure
