Compete Like a Champion
The best athletes are always looking to gain an edge on the competition. In Compete Like a Champion, Dr. Larry Lauer and Coach Johnny Parkes from USTA Player Development will explore all aspects of high performance tennis and what it takes to become a successful athlete. Our hosts will provide useful tips for tennis players, coaches, and parents.
Visit www.playerdevelopment.usta.com for more resources.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 103
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
5 Factors for Effective Coaching at Major Competitions
How do you prepare players for major competitions? The team discusses Professional Tennis Coach David Sammel's 5 Factors for Coaching at Grand Slams (Leaders in Sport newsletter). These competitions …
Skill Drill - Competition in Perspective
In this skill drill episode we talk about how to maintain perspective while competing, and how to practice it. We discuss the long-term perspective, delaying gratification, and psychological skills a…
Keeping Competition in Perspective
In this episode we interview Clinical Psychologist and former professional tennis player Dr. Shawn Foltz-Emmons about competition in perspective. The conversation moved from what a healthy perspectiv…
Skill Drill - Overcoming Excuses On-Court
Time to tackle excuse-making on court. Coach Johnny and Dr. Larry share games you can play in practice to challenge a player's perceptions of what is happening and why. We also get into the importanc…
Excuse Me - Why We Make Excuses
Are excuses always bad or could they play a protective role? How do we know when to call out excuses? This episode will have you think about excuses in a way that hopefully creates more transparent a…
Skill Drill - Reward the Process Games
Skill Drill time again! In this episode we discuss how work on players hitting out on ball and making good decisions under pressure using games.
Twitter: Dr. Larry @LarryLauer Coach Johnny @johnny…
The Art of the Debrief
Inspired by Navy Seal Pete Naschak's talk on the Art of the Debrief, Johnny and Larry discuss their thoughts on how to debrief after matches. The common pitfalls of debriefs were discussed, as was ho…
Skill Drill: Bounce Back Game
It's skills and drills time again! Our focus is on how to practice bouncing back from a break. It's a simple game but a challenging one that encourages players to be resilient.
Twitter: Dr. Larry @…
Coaching Players to Bounce Back and the "Andy Murray Effect"
The team covers 7 ways coaches can help players develop their capacity to bounce back or be resilient. We also talk about what it does for players when they see other players comeback from match poin…
Skill Drill - Focusing on the Serve & Return
In our first skill drill of '23 we discuss how to take the concept of focus and, specifically, channels of internal-external, narrow-broad from the TAIS model and practice them. The keys are to know …
How do Players Pay Attention (TAIS)
This podcast is for any player who struggles to focus and attention to the appropriate cues. We cover the TAIS model and how to teach it to players. Examples are provided for each of the 4 channels o…
A Healthy Tennis Pipeline: Australian Open 2023 Review
In the first episode of 2023 Dr. Larry and Coach Johnny return to discuss the Australian Open. We examine what has the Americans doing so well and how they can keep the momentum going!
Twitter: Dr.…
Skill Drill - Leading a Pre-Season Team Meeting
Our next drill is how to lead an effective pre-season meeting. While it may seem straightforward, if led with planning and foresight, the pre-season meeting can be a difference-maker in a player's mo…
Creating an Effective Pre-Season
In the this latest episode we discuss the pre-season and how to maximize its effectiveness. The purpose of a pre-season for pros, and what it might look like for juniors is also discussed. We detail …
Skill Drill - Fun Athletic Warm-ups
How do we make warm-ups fun and, yet, appropriate? The CLC team details how to develop warm-ups that engage the players. Coach Johnny provides several creative ways to do warm-up activites and we dis…
Structuring Warm-ups to Develop the Athlete
Coach Johnny leads the way as we discuss the physical, mental and emotional benefits of warm-ups specifically designed to develop the athelte. In this episode we discuss how to use the warm-up to pre…
Skill Drill - Awareness Game: Identifying Patterns of Play
In this skill drill episode we describe how to enhance awarness of patterns of play through a progression of three on-court games. In addition, we cover the prepare, execute, and reflection cycle and…
Developing Awareness and Problem-Solving
Problem-solving is seen as a core component of competing in tennis (and in other sports, as well). To be a great problem-solver one must have awareness of what is happening in the moment. In this epi…
Skill Drill - Stressful Simulation
Hey Coach, Are You Listening?
How much are we talking versus listening in tennis? CLC dives into why we need to listen to the athletes more and why sometimes we don't listen. We also talk about ways to improve your listening. Dr.…