The process of evaluating talent in sports is challenging and inexact. Recognizing an athlete's potential depends on your ability to identify and understand the full complement of skills demanded in a given sport. Tennis, for example, requires a combination of physical, technical and mental attributes to play at the highest level.
Physical Talent
The website Master Tennis Coach identifies speed, stamina, reaction time and hand-eye coordination as physical gifts found in talented tennis players. Speed and reaction time -- central to the ability to cover the court effectively -- are areas that can be improved in any player, but possessing natural skill is necessary to reach elite levels of competition. Hand-eye coordination is also indispensable in a game built around repeatedly striking a ball with a racket.
Technical Talent
The finer points of stroke mechanics come more easily to some than others. The technical gift of talented players allows them to hit all the shots -- serves, returns, forehands, backhands, lobs and volleys -- with proficiency. Technical talent also allows players to vary those shots with different kinds of spin, angles and trajectories, according to Master Tennis Coach. Players who demonstrate proficiency with one or two strokes only are likely not possessors of comprehensive technical gifts.
Mental Talent
Although far more difficult to identify, a gifted competitor in tennis needs to possess the mental skills central to successful on-court performance. Concentration, emotional control, thought control, a never-say-die mindset and self-confidence all figure prominently in truly talented tennis players, as described on Master Tennis Coach. It might seem as though such skills are largely the product of a determination to think a certain way. However, certain individuals possess a natural ability to focus, withstand setback and trust their abilities.
Patient Appraisal
The website ITF Tennis points out that talent doesn't always present itself immediately in those players fortunate enough to have a gift for the game. Talent frequently presents itself as the result of working with proper coaches over a period of time. As a result, the appraisal of any player is best served by taking your time, learning about their ability to advance and improve, and witnessing their attitude about themselves and the game.
Member Comments