One of the most trending phenomenas in our societies that wide spread over the past decades is globalization.
This phenomena can be seen in the clothes we wear, in food we eat, in the way we behave, love and relate to other people.
A lot of the local barriers have been broken down and by consequence we feel part of something bigger, relating to cultures that are far away from the one we grew in or feeling connected to countries that we never visited.
At Evolve we are very much aware that over the next decades this inclusive phenomena will spread even more and in other to reach their full potential our players must wide their range, being open minded and owning a global mindset.
Our program is not limited to the development of good athletes with strong fitness and technical capabilities but also has a strong focus on what’s happening out of the court, and to do that we propose a wide range of activities and workshops where kids get the chance to connect to each other, sharing experiences without the use of technology, giving them a new perspective on classic values applied to a modern environment.
One of the pillars of our educational system is connecting to nature, something that has been almost forgotten over the past years because of the rise of technology and social media
OUR PROGRAM IS BASED ON THREE STEPS
Usually children are a mirror of the environment they grew in.
The way they behave is often an image of their background, the underwater piece of the glacier.
So, kids usually come with a strong set of bias that makes difficult the transition to a new environment, new people, possibly a new culture and by consequence a new set of values.
The ability to adjust to a changing enviroment is crucial for everyone of us, both in and out of the court, and we also believe this skill must grow from the inside out via:
- Self-Confidence
- Empathy
- Self-Respect
- Motivation
- Discipline
Once the youngsters really embrace these values, once they respect themselves, they will also be capable of understanding other people, handle high-stressful situation like tight matches and accept wins and losses the very same way, conscious that their careers don’t lie on one single point but, they are built on a long term commitment that implies an evolution both in and out of the court.
The environment and the stimuli we are exposed during the early stages of our lives have a huge impact on our personality, behaviours, tastes and paths we take later on in life.
As we are a social kind the way we connect to each other and create bonds is incredibly important in our own development.
The first environment we live in is the family, that tries to set the values we need to follow in order to grow well. Later on, once we leave the nest, we start connecting to our peers who are usually different, and this is when we develop the first sense of cummunity.
The ability of holding good and healthy relationships with other people is extremely underrated in today’s society and we work hard to teach our players how to build this bond with other people and cultures.
What does all of this have to do with tennis? Tennis is based on trust.
Players need to build a halthy team, made by people of trust if they wanna be successful, accepting sometimes the hard truths.
Tennis is a solo sport but, in order to be good, players need a good team. A team of professionals they trust and build a good relationship with. Too many times we have seen athletes changing team instead of trying harder.
No matter the team, opponent, surface or conditions, we teach them to fight with what have at their disposal, because the ability to adapt defines elite players and champions.
Creating a trust-based environment for children will nourish and boost their growth, building resilience and healthy communities.
The third and last step is about the fixed and the growth mindset. As much as we love to watch young talents expressing themselves on a tennis court, at Evolve we value more effort and solid projects over bare talent.
The best asset required in order to reach to the top is consistency, not only technically but mostly as a mindset. We set daily challenges for our players because in order to build a career and a good ranking players must be able to win matches every week and this kind of consistency requires the appropriate mindset. This is how we work with different mindsets:
- Assessment: Observe reactions during a trial period.
- Motivation: Identify those who find joy in overcoming difficult tasks versus those who prefer easy tasks.
- Encouragement: Promote hard work as inherently fun when it becomes challenging.
Believes in unchangeable traits.
Believes in developing and changing qualities.
It’s about proving intelligence or talent.
It’s about personal development and learning.
Seen as a personal deficiency, indicating lack of intelligence or talent.
Seen as a lack of growth or unfulfilled potential.
Viewed negatively, implying lack of inherent ability.
Viewed positively, as a way to develop intelligence.
Leads to frustration and loss of interest since success needs to be easy to affirm their intelligence.
Welcomed as opportunities to learn and grow, pushing harder in order to face difficulties.
Avoids new challenges, choosing task that are familiar to validate intelligence.
Constantly seeks new challenges to improve and learn.
Prefers partners who boost their ego and see them as role a model.
Prefers partners who challenge and support personal growth and development.