Team Dynamics in Tennis
We’re into the Australian Open semi-finals and here at The Teambuilding Company we cannot get enough of the excitement!
Of course teamwork is essential in tennis doubles but is there any team dynamics in the singles game?
What seems to be quite an individual sport, there are many team dynamics in the background to help tennis players achieve success! Nick Bollettieri (2017) explained that even though the end result might be credited to a single individual, the teamwork behind the player is the key to success.
“Tennis is an individual sport, and in competitions and on the court you are essentially playing one on one with a rival in single. However all the preparation, the travel etc. is normally done in a team, the team who stands by you in both the best and worst of times – or at least that’s how I have experienced it.” (Emilio Sanchez Vicario, ‘#08 Respect your teammates. They have the same objectives as you”. 2016)
Bob Hansen (7 x NCAA Champion Tennis Coach) posted a podcast on “Why Team Dynamics are Crucial to Success in Individual Sports”… Have a listen to the podcast following the link below: https://changingthegameproject.com/47-bob-hansen-7x-ncaa-champion-tennis-coach-team-dynamics-crucial-success-individual-sports/
Looking at the Australian Open tournament, all the players have a strong team around them including coaches, sport science, team mates etc. It’s extremely important to have this team dynamic within a tournament, the players rely on the team around them for feedback, motivation and support.
Andy Murray shares in a 2017 interview for “Standard Life” that the team around Andy has been carefully constructed to ensure that he is able to call on all the different expertise when he needs it. Andy goes on to explain that at this level of global tennis that the team has to have total commitment and that he always has the same three people travelling with him, his coach Jamie Delgado, a physio and one of his strength and conditioning team.
Tennis Fitness (2016) explains the three factors that are required within a team relationship in order to achieve desired tennis results are:
- Communication
They use two simple rules “Keep it open and keep it often”
- Respect
Be willing to accept certain things about each other, aim for success and not perfection. Listen to one another and appreciate what you have.
- Belief
Know your job and your team member’s job, set expectations and trust in each other to do them.
Moving away from tennis, we can relate these three factors to everyday workplace teams and here at The Teambuilding Company we provide a range of activities that can help improve these factors in order to achieve desired results. For more information, give our Sales Team a call on 01590 676599.
