Peter C. Scales (PhD)

USPTA Certified Tennis Pro, PhD, Author

Blog Author

Peter C. Scales, Ph.D., is internationally-known as one of the world’s foremost authorities on positive youth development (www.drpeterscales.com), having conducted studies on youth well-being in more than 30 countries. Coach Pete is also a U.S. Professional Tennis Association-certified tennis teaching pro who serves as the head JV tennis coach for boys and girls at Parkway South High School in Manchester, Missouri, and is a PCA-certified Double Goal Coach.

In this article, Coach Pete explains why helping players love the game more than how they perform is an essential and often over-looked part of competing well, learning continuously, and behaving honorably. Coach Pete’s coaching philosophy is based on the team motto he created: Compete—Learn—Honor, with honor the foundation for all learning and competitive development: Give 100% at all times, be an open, curious, humble learner, and behave in a way that brings credit to you, your teammates, your school, your family, and the game. Do that, and you are winners, no matter what your win-loss record is. This article was adapted from Coach Pete’s new book, Mental and Emotional Training for Tennis: Compete-Learn-Honor (2019), published by Coaches Choice and available at amazon.com and coacheschoice.com.

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