According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders affect 1 out of every 4 kids ages 13 to 18. 

Forty million adults are affected by anxiety disorders each year.

It doesn’t have to be this way. 

There’s a mentality behind “growing up” that kids will just learn from their mistakes and move on. But what if the pain behind those mistakes is so great that it changes them, not for the better, but for the worse? And no plan is in place to help them cope with the pain? Society operates under the assumption that so long as children are doing well in school, they’ll be fine. But if a child has enough experiences they struggle to learn and move on from, the pain will build up until they break.

Kids must be taught how to cope and learn from their mistakes just like they’re taught any other subject in school. Life will only get harder as they grow up. If they’re not prepared then depression, anxiety and other disorders can consume their lives. 

So how can kids develop the skills required to handle life?

A licensed psychologist will likely provide the most valuable development plan and guidance. Unfortunately, people seek their guidance when they’ve already lost control.

Most K-12 schools don’t have a personal development program dedicated to teaching life skills.

So what’s the next best thing?

Tennis.

A good coach will teach the mental skills required to play the sport and how to apply them to life. As you’re about to read, the individuality of tennis presents numerous scenarios that are similar to those outside the court.

**I encourage you to follow along the numbers in both columns.**

How Tennis And Life Are Similar

Life

1. For us to learn what to do we’ll have to listen to our parents, teachers, bosses and be able to take criticism.

2. We have to accomplish things on our own. Parents, friends, and teachers can help guide us but we have to take tests, go to interviews and meet new friends on our own.

3. Life is constantly trying to throw problems (traffic, not enough sleep, mean comments from peers) our way. We have to control our emotions so we can handle problems efficiently to make it through the day.

4. There are many little annoyances throughout the day that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. These things can still cause an emotional response. Enough emotional responses and we can feel overwhelmed, stressed, and like our day is being ruined. It’s important to focus on what really matters.

5. Humans are flawed and constantly making mistakes. We have to learn to forgive ourselves. Dwelling on the past can crush our persons spirit. 

6. The quicker we learn from our mistakes, the less frequent we’ll make them. If we continue to make the same mistakes we’ll be punished accordingly. When we’re young it will be getting grounded, missing time with friends, no allowances, or detention. As we get older it will be in the form of losing friends, getting fired from jobs, unable to pay rent or even jail.

7. Life is full of surprises. We have to be ready to adjust to circumstances. We can get fired from our job without notice and we have to be ready to react accordingly.

8. To grow as an individual, we have to put ourselves in new and unknown situations. We’ll have to overcome our fear of failure and looking foolish to grow.

9. We will never be perfect so there’s always something to improve.

10. Life only gets harder. As we get older more difficult tasks will be thrown our way. We’ll have to worker harder if we wish to succeed in our careers and relationships.

Tennis

1. For a player to learn the sport, they’ll have to listen to a coach and be able to take criticism.

2. A player is on their own during a match. They have a coach during practice but there’s no coaching allowed during matches. The player has to make every decision by themselves. 

3. Opponents are constantly trying to throw problems at the player. It’s up to the player to control their emotions so they can analyze the problems correctly. They have to attempt to solve enough problems to win the game. 

4. A player can lose more points than they win, and still win the match. So long as they win the right points at the right time, they’ll have a good chance for success. If a player has too many emotional responses, they’ll feel stressed and like they could lose the match. It’s important to not get emotionally worked up over every point.

5. Tennis players make many mistakes throughout a match. They have to learn to forgive themselves in order to move on to the next point. If they can’t move on, negative energy will spill over into the next point. 

6. A player needs to learn from their mistakes and correct them immediately.  Tennis matches can last a long time but if a player starts off with a losing strategy and doesn’t adjust, it will be over quickly.

7. Random things happen in matches. Opponents don’t always play the high percentage shots. A player must be ready to react quickly and execute. 

8. Implementing new skills and techniques under pressure is hard. A player will have to overcome their fear of failure and looking foolish to implement new things.

9. A player will never be perfect so there’s always something to improve.

10. As a player moves up in levels, the competition only gets tougher. They’ll have to work harder and more efficiently to continue moving up.

There are plenty of adults leading successful careers while the stresses of life crush them behind closed doors. Problem solving is essential to life — and preparation can begin on the court.

If you’re a parent reading this, and you have the means, I strongly encourage you to take a look at using tennis as an additional form of education for your child.

If you’re a coach reading this, I understand that working with kids can sometimes feel like babysitting when they’re not paying attention. I urge you to find the patience to use every clinic and lesson as an opportunity to help kids grow as people, not just hit big serves and forehands.

If you’re a young tennis player reading this, listen to your coach. PLEASE!! :) You’ll thank them in 10-20 years.