In our serious quest toward improving mental and physical skills, one important ingredient is often overlooked -- humor. Coaches in all sports including tennis are advised at times to heed the wisdom of the best comedians. Let's start laughing and take a closer look.

Using humor at the proper time, and in the right way, can provide many short- and long-term performance benefits to athletes. Here are three key purposes for using humor:

1. To stimulate creativity and encourage a playful atmosphere where learning thrives.

2. To better cope with the often grueling demands of training and competition.

3. To help keep the athlete loose and focused on the moment rather than becoming overwhelmed with pressure or panic.

Mixing in appropriate humor does not mean the coach has to be a stand-up comedian, but understanding some general principles and types of humor helps. While much of coaching in sports is serious business, there is periodically the need to release stress. Humor adds distance and perspective when problems often seem too heavy.

The first principle is communication. Coaches should make sure that whatever humorous message is given -- that it is understood and received properly by the athlete. Using humor out of Shakespeare will probably not work well with a 5th grader, just as grade school slapstick is off target for a 35-year old. Timing is another key to communication. The right message delivered at the wrong time is wasted.

Some attempts at humor should never be encouraged. Examples include insulting sarcasm, and ethnic or gender-based jokes. These comments are taboo for most, and may have disastrous consequences. It's wise to be cautious about these types of messages.

Coaches need to be part actors, but do not need an academy award to succeed with humor. To properly communicate and foster learning and motivation, many tools are used. Let's examine the key styles of comedy available to the coach. All the coach has to do is choose the most appropriate form of humor, and use it when the need arises.

The Metaphor

Exaggeration

Improvisation

Pantomime

Absurdity

Performing well requires that every cylinder of the engine functions properly, but don't forget that staying serious too long can lead to boredom, fatigue or burn-out. Humor in coaching goes a long way toward making the whole performance experience more enjoyable and successful.

Send me your best tennis jokes and I'll see you next month!