July 2012 - Cattail Creek Country Club

at Tales
A Word from the Pro
Joe Mattingly
Head Tennis Professional
Congratulations to all of the Cattail
League Champions, and good luck
representing the Club in playoffs and
districts in July.
The summer session has started off
extremely busy and summer camps
have been well received, with the junior
league having over 150 players.
The Junior Gamut Ladder has the
most players participating since we
began the competition five years ago.
Please remember to use the court
reservation system through the Cattail
website. The courts are extremely
busy this time of the year and making
an online reservation ensures you receive
the court time of your choice.
Below are a few upcoming events and
leagues to keep your eyes open for:
Weekend Adult Mixed Doubles
(mid- August-mid- October)
Fall Combo League Men & Women
Levels offered 5.5, 6.5, 7.5 & 8.5
(mid-August)
Cattail Tennis Classic Men & Women
September 20-23 - register July 10
Singles, doubles, mixed, and parent/
child. Levels offered are 2.5-4.5
Tip of the Month
Tennis Misinformation
Tim Halter
Head Teaching Professional
I have identified three significant
sources of misinformation. All three
are often based on a player's need to
bolster his fragile self-confidence by
getting a quick fix or a feel-good solution
without having to accept his negatives,
mistakes and failures. This is
Tennis
why many players have trouble forgetting
and moving on from their mistakes
in match play.
PSEUDO-TECHNIQUE This is a problem
I have gone over many times. I
constantly hear players tormenting
themselves because they did not do
this or that technique in match play.
I'm not talking about an occasional,
objective tip to help you along. What
I'm talking about is the overdone, allconsuming,
subjective thought process
which concludes that techniques
will save the day. I never hear players
say, "I need more repetition training
to eliminate these problems!" In
match play, what you have is what
you must work with! Accept that fact,
and your burden shifts to the inner
strength of mental attitude.
PSEUDO-SUCCESS Another subtle
origin of misinformation is your peers.
In tennis there is a generally accepted
theory: If players win they have done
something right, and if players lose
they have done something wrong. If
he then starts giving advice and claiming
he knows the best way to do
something, everyone thinks, "He's
winning, so that must be right!" I can
assure you that the advice given is
wrong 70% of the time. I am not saying
to never listen to advice. Just do
not automatically think it is right.
PSEUDO-FAILURE This misinformation
I have seen often at junior
tournaments, but it also happens on
any level. The junior comes off the
court after losing and a host of people
tell the parent what went wrong.
Meanwhile, the coach has a forty-five
minute talk with the junior to explain
what went wrong. Who has the problem
with losing, the junior or the
July 2012
coach and parents? If the whole losing
event was not made into an ordeal,
in time the child would forget it
and move on to the next tournament.
Instead, the message sent to the child
is that losing is bad and here are four
hundred and eighty-five things you
have done wrong. Do these right and
you’ll win. Give them a word of encouragement
and move forward, onto
more training and a new tournament.
In closing, I realize that most players
believe the concept that to improve
they must correct their failures and
mistakes. That is why the misinformation
I have just covered is appealing
to so many people. In true Tennis
Warrior fashion, all the false concepts
are cast aside as you forge ahead in
the reality of mental toughness.
USTA News
Julie Seanez
USTA Coordinator
The USTA Adult season is coming to a
close and we have had some close,
exciting matches. Vicki Jennings and
Lisa Lengel captain the 2.5 team,
which has clinched first place. The
3.0 League was a nail biter with Jen
Sheehan’s team taking over first place
from Erin Flavin’s team during their
final match against each other. Missy
LePage captained the winning 3.5
team. All Cattail league winners advance
to the Howard County playoffs.
Combo season is fast approaching.
This fall we will offer men’s and women’s
5.5, 6.5, 7.5, and 8.5 levels.
Please contact Julie by July 10 at
Julie.seanez@cattailcreekcc.com if
you plan on captaining a team or if
you need assistance finding a team to
play on. The season begins August 10
and continues through mid-October.
www.cattailcreekcc.com 12