How the Beginner’s Mindset Benefits Your Game—In Tennis and in Life
What is the beginner’s mindset?
A beginner’s mindset is the attitude of approaching something with a fresh perspective as if you were seeing it for the first time, just like a child does. We all have the capacity to reframe our thinking to facenew challenges with an open mind, adapt to new circumstances, and master new things that at first feel foreign - such as tennis.
How do you embrace the beginner’s mindset?
Make lots of mistakes, and learn from them. When first learning tennis, you’ll whiff, shank, trip over your feet, do all the wrong things 10x more than the right things. Watch a sophomore class at Court 16, and you’ll see it in action. A kid will try to hit one ball, then another, and then another, until finally they hit one clean over the net. Without even thinking, they’re learning from all the misses - implementing what works and discarding what doesn’t until it all clicks together.
As adults, we’re more aware of this trial-and-error process and so desperately want to avoid it - but, this very grind is key to learning and unlocking our full potential.
Become comfortable with the unpredictable.
Repetition is key in tennis (and in anything you’re learning), and the same repetition will get you far, but only so far. It’s important to start varying things to level up. You may be able to hit the perfect forehand when it’s fed right to your strike zone. But what happens when you’re up against heavy topspin that pops over you? Or a drop shot that forces you to sprint up? Whether your goal is to rally ten balls or win your next tournament, practicing variability makes your body and mind more flexible and ready to react to anything that comes at you.
Embrace peer review.
Watching the pros play is fun but won’t necessarily improve your game. Watching your peers? That’s another story. While in a group class, take time to analyze what your fellow students are doing well and what they’re struggling with. Watching their journey can help you on your own, and vice versa. Plus, learning new skills can be so much more fun when you’re doing it with others. You’re in this together, embrace it.
Practice intellectual humility.
You’ve heard it before - the more we learn, the more we realize we know very little. Rather than be stuck with preconceived notions, this recognition of our limits can open our minds to new ways of thinking, problem solving, and decision making. By embracing the fact that nothing is certain and you may not know everything you can start learning anything and everything.
Be kind to yourself and have fun.
Don’t take our word for it, it’s science! When you’re having fun, you’re more in the moment, engaged, and focused. You’re not afraid to laugh at yourself and ask all the “dumb” questions. This is especially the case on a tennis court. It’s easy as beginners to become intimidated by the court, the ball, and the coach. By throwing out any ideas of what you “should” be, you can embrace the challenge with a big smile. Try making it a point to normalize failure in your classes - laugh off the whiffs and the shanks because, yes, they are funny but also because they’re helping you learn.
What are the benefits of a beginner’s mindset?
At this point, you may be asking - why put myself through any of this? Just as it is important to work out our bodies, so too is it important to work out our minds. When we work out consistently, our bodies begin working more efficiently, become stronger, and stay younger. Our brains are similar - the more we challenge ourselves in different adventures, experiences, and skills, the more we’re training our brains to be more efficient, and the more exciting, rather than daunting, new adventures become.
So go ahead, pick up another ball and try again. The journey’s worth it.