• The individual goals of the player, as laid out by the coach and player

You will play a key role here in encouraging the player to be focussed on the performance goals of the player both in training and matches away from the training base. Remind the player to fill in their log book on their training reflections, match reports etc.

• The individual goals of the strength and conditioning coach

You can play a key part here again in re-inforcing the physical goals from their training programme. When the player has to train away from the centre, be there with encouragement and demonstration of commitment. Specifically you will be pivotal in ensuring that should your child be injured, they complete their injury rehabilitation /prevention exercises.

• The mental skills goals

Key skills such as imagery, relaxation techniques, goal focussing need practice. Most of this practice takes place away from the training ground. Encourage your child to stick to allocated practice time of these skills.

When do you support?

It is obvious to say 'at all times'. However there will be times when more support or rather 'educated support' is paramount. These are:

• During and after periods of poor play

Particularly following a loss. Players confidence can fluctuate dramatically during their tennis careers (and your child could have a career which spans more than 15 -20 years!), you are in it for the long ride! Research has shown that results influence levels of confidence positively and negatively. If your child has lost, this is when you need to ensure their confidence does not take a knock. Before you even think about launching into a negative tirade of what they did badly ask them and reinforce to them everything they did well first.

• Following any match

When your child is discussing what happened during a match they must say 5 positive things about their performance before anything is said on what they need to improve. MAKE THIS A RULE

Consistent reinforcement

It is advised that you react similarly to winning and losing in the same manner. Amazing, over the top positive reactions following winning only indicate that the opposite negative reactions should occur following a poor loss. Stay focussed on the effort levels and performance of the player rather than the result.

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