| The Zone |
| Practicing Great - But Not Winning In Tournaments_ |
| Why You Should Never Be Intimidated By Your Opponent's Talent |
| You Are Always Talking To Yourself On Court |
| The Awesome Power Of Body Language In A Match |
| Visualization Will Increase Your Inner Belief |
| Develop Your Mental Strength In Practice |
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The value of the serve As a stroke that must be played in all tennis matches the serve will always play a key role in matchplay. Regardless of the surface you play on consider some of the these basics points about the serve. Some of these ideas have been around for many years making
their origins difficult to pin point. A rather statistical idea is a comparison
of aces to doubles faults. At Wimbledon 2002 this is a particularly interesting
statistic due to the fact that the serve can dominate play.
Obviously within the parameters of your skills you could adopt this idea, but be weary of double faults. A cliche that has been around for many years is, "you are only as good as your second serve." This refers to your ability to rely on the quality of your second serve. Your first serve may be very powerful and win you a number of points but does this happen at the expense of your second serve_ Again this idea interacts with the number of double faults you accumulate. The serve is the only stroke played in tennis where you have 100% control over the decision of where to place the shot, how hard to hit it and how aggressive in nature it should be, eg: use of varied spins . During a rally your body movement and your opponents shot can dictate your shot placement and options. The serve dedicates all the starting control to the serving player. In fact there are not many sports that allow an aggressive starting point or emphasis as well as give you two chances to get it right. Soccer kicks backwards, AFL has a neutral ball up and rugby kicks into the opponents half. |
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The Zone
This is the mental state which produces super-human performances, amazing shots and winning streaks. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were both in the zone at various times throughout their matches at US Open recently in 2002, where they both made the final. Any tennis player who is in this mental state is virtually unbeatable at their respective level of competition - and at the elite level, you witness some unbelievable shotmaking. A player who is in the zone experiences an unusual feeling of effortless power, allowing them to feel as if their racquet and body are powered by a turbo-charged engine, and they find their body gliding across the court and hitting with awesome power and minimum effort. The strange part about this is - this powerful performance does not feel as if it is being controlled by the actual player! In fact, they'll often report feeling as if they weren't responsible for some of the amazing shots at all - as if their body was being guided and directed by a more powerful force (and this is exactly what is happening). Almost every player at some stage in their career has experienced this feeling to some extent, and then wondered afterwards "how did I do that_" This is the mystery that surrounds the zone - why does it appear so fleetingly, and then disappear just as quickly as it came_ And most of all - why can't we access it all the time_ What is the powerful force which is guiding the body when you hit an unbelievable shot_ The answer is the sleeping giant that resides inside all human beings - the subconscious mind, the source of all bodily movement which also stores all past tennis memories and experience. When a player is 'zoning', their conscious mind becomes quiet (the normally busy, chattering mind we use all the time), and this allows their more powerful subconscious to run their performance on 'automatic pilot', in the way a computer runs software. This allows their strokes to flow with effortless reflexes and power in a way that could never be matched by conscious thought. This means that when you are in the zone, you have virtually no thought going through your mind whatsoever, your body is just playing on automatic-pilot, powered directly by your subconscious mind. This is not to say that your body is playing without instruction, on the contrary, it is simply getting its instructions from a more powerful and reliable source. So how do we get into the zone_ Everyone must find the method that best suits their needs, but one of the main ways is to simply practice (in your daily training) thinking absolutely nothing while you are hitting! This prevents the weaker conscious mind from giving your body incorrect instructions, and allows your powerful subconscious (the sleeping giant within you, and control center of all bodily movement) to run your tennis on auto-pilot, as it is meant to. Of course, if you are having a lesson, doing this is not possible, as your coach will be asking you to consciously try different things on court. But once you are practicing away from your lesson, allow some time where your mind goes completely quiet and see if your standard or level increases. It almost always will. A classic example of the Zone is where someone serves a rocket at you at 200 km/hr - and you reflex back an amazing return for a screaming winner down the line. This is the subconscious at work! Yet if someone hits a slow second serve to you, where you have all the time in the world, these are often the returns a player will miss, because they have too much time to think! These are the times when the weaker conscious mind gets involved, and it's never very pretty when this happens! The zone is a very powerful state that can help you reach beyond your limitations to achievements you may have never realized were possible. Try it, explore it, master it, and then show the world what you can do! "The Mind controls the body, and the Mind is Unlimited" |
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Practicing Great - But Not Winning In
Tournaments_
It is a common scenario that some players practice brilliantly yet seem to never show the same form on the court in tournaments. Often strokes which were incredibly smooth and powerful in practice, become much weaker and lacking in rhythm out there in a tournament match. It's important to know first of all that this common problem has absolutely nothing to do with the 'physical or technique' side of tennis. It's purely the mind's reaction to the pressure of the match or tournament (or both), and it comes out in the strokes. So by simply making some mental changes, your results can change too - but of course, it does take some discipline to make these mental changes. The answer to stopping this situation occuring (or getting out of this situation if you are already in it) lies in your attitude and mental approach - and so here is your 5-Part Action Plan. Firstly, look at tournaments and matches in their 'true' perspective from now on. For instance, how many millions of people will know about the results of this match_ (Often) none! Will the results be broadcast all over the country or around the world_ No. Is this match life or death_ No. Will you continue to live after this tournament is over_ Yes. OK, so we've just discovered that this match is not as important as we first thought! In fact, compared to many other things going on in the world right now, it could pretty safely be considered UN-important! So really there's no need to stress out about it at all. There'll be plenty more matches after this one, so you might as well just relax, enjoy yourself and go for it. The more fun you have, the better you'll perform, anyway. Secondly, look at the match from your competitor's viewpoint - look what THEY have to deal with - YOU! You certainly wouldn't want to be in their shoes, would you_! They might even be the favorite to win, which means ALL the pressure is on them and not you. Even worse, they see this great player down the other end (you), trying to de-rail their dreams! So always remember, THEY may be scared of YOU! Next, it's very important to build yourself up mentally. Reinforce the positives about yourself - going over all of your own positive attributes. Literally ask yourself "what's great about me_" and begin to think of (and write down) all the things you've done in the past which made you feel great about yourself. (If you cannot think of anything, it simply means you are not thinking hard enough - because EVERYONE has positive attributes. And so the answer "nothing" is not only banned from this list, but worthy of a firm kick in the butt!). List down anything that makes you feel good about your game - your great service action, your whippy topsin forehand, your consistency, your mental strength, your fitness, your coach, the win you had over so-and-so, the tournament you won last year, what someone told you about how good your game was, etc etc. Go over this list at least once before each and every match, and let each point sink in a little before you move on to the next. Last of all, two more important things. It's important to regularly visualize yourself winning the matches and playing great shots, imagining a great tournament where you show them all who's the best! The other thing is to talk positively to yourself, using positive affirmations and upbeat thoughts (no, not aloud - in your mind!) - become your own inner 'cheer squad' who constantly tells yourself how great you are. This can transform your results more than you could ever possibly imagine. So to overcome the 'great practice / bad tournament' blues - here's the action plan: Put the tournament in its true perspective, then look at the match from your competitor's viewpoint. Build yourself up mentally, and then visualize and affirm to yourself just how great the whole experience is going to be. So if you find yourself stuck in a negative pattern, change it. You can create your life into anything you WANT it to be. You've got the action plan, now the rest is up to you! "The Mind controls the body, and the Mind is Unlimited" |
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Why
You Should Never Be Intimidated By Your Opponent's Talent
One of the toughest things to deal with mentally can be when you are hitting up with your opponent before a match, and they are showing you an absolutely awesomely wide repertoire or arsenal of shots that they possess! Some opponents during the hitup - rather than hitting their groundstrokes within your general range when you are at the net - will prefer to display to you their acutely angles passing shots, topspin lobs or flat-out blasts of power - purely as an intimidation tactic! When this happens however (and it will happen), never, ever be worried about this - this does not mean you are going to lose the match. The flair and talent your opponent displays in this very low-pressure environment of the hitup will count for absolutely nothing - once they are forced to try and hit these shots under the true pressure of a match. Tennis history is scattered with countless sad stories of incredibly talented and hugely gifted players who never managed to take full advantage of this enormous talent - often because they relied too much on their talent and simply did not work as hard, or become as mentally tough, as the less-talented players. Talent alone these days simply doesn't cut it anymore - they have to put in the work as well (physically and mentally). So if you've put in the work, you have nothing to worry about. And so even if you feel that your opponent has more shots, flair and touch than you do, don't worry - there are still many ways for you to win. If you're fit enough, you can always outlast them, and if you're mentally tough enough, you will relentlessly wear them down. Talent alone is not enough - always remember this.$ Sure - these ultra-talents often begin their matches with a flurry of huge winners and aces - but it's not a case of what your opponent can do in the match, it's a case of "how long can they continue to do it_". Often the answer is: not long enough! The longer you stay in the match, and the more you can continue to (at least) remain even with them score-wise at the beginning of the first set (and withstand the initial onslaught) - the better your chances of running out a routine 6-4 6-1 win. The key is - never to begin the match feeling intimidated by their sheer talent, power, speed, spin, or whatever - the truly important thing will be what they can bring out when under pressure. This is so very, very important to never forget: * Talent (alone) is not enough! OK - now there is no longer any reason why you cannot succeed - so go out there and show them how it's done.
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You Are Always Talking To Yourself
On Court
Not only that, but even words you say during a match can have a major effect upon your results! Humans think approximately 60,000 thoughts a day, and on court is no different - you talk to yourself constantly on court. It is the quality of these thoughts which is important however - as it is now well-known that negative thoughts lead to classic problems such as fear, extreme nervousness, intimidation, lack of belief, worrying about 'uncontrollables' (ie. things out of our control), uncharacteristic errors, anger, frustration ...and so on. This is not surprising when you disvover that all of your tennis experience (ie. every stroke you have made in your lifetime) is recorded in the archives of your memory bank, and this entire 'computer file of your tennis experience' lies within your subconscious mind, right now. Your subconscious happens to be the control-center of all movement (which makes it pretty important to your level of tournament play), and it functions just like a computer. In fact, computers were originally modelled upon the subconscious, and this mental computer is being constantly programmed by the thoughts, words, statements and emotions you use regularly on (and off) the court. What this all means is this: Think negative thoughts during a match, and you will (generally) get a negative result. No question. Likewise, program your mind positively with powerful words, images and emotions (and get rid of any mental roadblocks which may have been holding you back), and you will get vastly improved results. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say. This is all now common everyday knowledge, tested many times in university experiments - so this is no longer theory, it is simple truth! Simply by changing the thoughts you think during a match may help you to transform your results in future tournaments. So how can you do this_ One of the best ways to overcome negative thoughts directly before and during a match is to use a mantra. This is an ancient and world-renowned technique, where you simply repeat (in your mind) a few positive, powerful words - over and over again between points. This does two things; it focuses the mind onto the positive, and it prevents your mind from focusing up negative thoughts. An example of this would be where you repeat a mantra such as 'power and control' several times in between points during your match, which keeps your mind focused and thinking positively - regardless of the point.
Then the point begins and your mind instantly goes blank again (as this is the mental state which puts you in 'the zone') - but when the point finishes, you go back into your mantra again until the next point begins. This also helps ensure your emotions remain under control - which is essential, as frustration is one of the main reasons why players often lose the second set 6-1 after they have lost the first set 7-6! If you keep yourself mentally under control, you can wear down your opponent relentlessly, even if you lose the first set. How often do you see a score like 6-7 6-4 6-1 - pretty common! The greatest boxer of all-time, Muhammad Ali, used "I am the greatest" as his mantra to great effect - he became the greatest boxer who ever lived. You can just as easily make up your own mantra using your own words, but ensure you keep them short, positive (ie. no words such as 'lose'), and present-tense (eg. 'powerful and steady', not 'I will be powerful and steady'). This is very important for them to work properly (for reasons I do not have time to go into here). So try a mantra in between points and see if it makes a difference to your results - my guess is that it will create massive improvements in your results.
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The Awesome Power Of Body Language
In A Match
http://www.tennispsychology.com Your body language on court has a huge impact upon not only your own game, but your opponent's performance as well! Every top player on the tour would have been instructed on how to better use the powerful art of body language during matches. You can also use body language to know when your opponent is just about to hand you the match on a platter! So exactly what is body language_ Well, it's pretty much everything you do on a tennis court in between the points and games - such as the way you walk, stand, talk, react to points, etc. Every single action you make sends signals to your opponent which they pick up either consciously or subconsciously (and the other way around) - and these signals either report that you are confident and strong - or otherwise nervous, irritated, tired, frustrated etc. Body language never lies, unless you know how to use it, of course! First of all lets talk about how your body language affects your opponent. When a player is behind in a match and they are feeling frustrated, their negative body language (such as drooping head and shoulders, moving slowly between points, yelling self-abuse in frustration, smashing rackets and balls etc) all make their opponent feel more in control and cruising to victory - as they can visibly see that their opponent is unravelling and self-destructing. This encourages the opponent even further, and helps them to raise their game to greater heights, making it even harder for the negative player to make a comeback. Positive body language however, is a different story. This sends out danger signals to your opponent - that conveys: "I am in control and nothing can stop me". Here are just a few of the subtle actions which are the sure sign of a future winner: Pumping your fist after you hit great shots You see, body language also has a huge impact upon your own game. It is a fact that if you simply forced yourself to use positive body language on court (eg. even just walking faster between points) your mind simply has no choice but send positive commands through to your body - and so your tennis level immediately increases. You see, whilst it's your mind that controls your body, your body influences your mind, through its body language! So if you ever need to rapidly increase your standard of play, change your body language, quickly! If you begin to watch another tennis match, you rarely need to see the scoreboard to know the score if one player is well ahead - as you can instantly tell who is winning through the positive and negative body language, being displayed by the winning and losing player! So if you find yourself locked even in the 3rd set (eg. 3 games all), this is when your positive body language can have a very powerful effect upon your opponent - as they will begin to believe that you are simply not as tired or frustrated as they are, and begin to wonder "what does it take for something to get to him (or her) _" Once thoughts like this run through your opponent's mind, you are very close to making the vital break and cruising to a victory. Last but not least, make sure you keep an eye on your opponent's body language for signs that they are becoming frustrated or tired, as they often give you some major insights as to when they are reaching breaking point and about to crack under the pressure. Watch for shaking of their head after a point, muttering or yelling at themselves, looking downwards, walking slowly (not when used as a delaying tactic however, this is quite different) and breathing very heavily after points, especially if they take extra time or squat down to rest in between points. Body language is all a part of the mental warfare that a competitive tennis match involves, so ensure you begin to add this htmlect of your game if you are a serious tournament or competitive player. |
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Visualization Will Increase
Your Inner Belief
I am not talking about external confidence (which is simply a brave face put on for competitors!), I mean real inner belief that you truly KNOW that can win, and beat those top seeded players. This is a feeling which cannot be faked, and which is absolutely essential when it comes to serving out that last game against a favored player. Those who cannot seem to serve these games out are simply missing this inner belief which is required to reach the upper levels of tennis. A lack of real belief in oneself creates a mental approach of fear, which cause a whole variety of different problems for players during matches, the most common ones being: a deep inner feeling of not being good enough Once players gradually begin to believe in themselves,
these symptoms often disappear completely or reduce substantially, allowing
positive feelings of confidence, anticipation and yes, even a general
feeling of happiness and eagerness to fill your mind and body during a
match. This is a far better mental preparation for a strong performance.
So what is the best way I know to begin to create belief in yourself and your own ability_ Daily visualization. Let me explain, this is all you have to do. Every day for 5 minutes (or even if just for a few minutes) vividly imagine in your mind the absolute perfect match you wish to play at your next tournament, as if it is really happening right at that very moment. This literally programmes your subconscious mind for success (much like a computer), it's a form of self-hypnosis which is very safe, easy and it works brilliantly. A crucial element - when you visualize playing a match in your mind, use all your senses - imagine seeing the players, court and surroundings, all in their respective colours, and hear the sounds of people cheering you. Most of all - feel that amazing joy of victory when you win the match. If you do this every day for around 5 minutes, you will gradually notice a shift in your confidence levels before and during matches, and your results will begin to steadily improve. I don't have the space to tell you how this works, except to say that this creates a mental program (or blueprint) in the area of your mind that is the control-center of all of your body's movements. Now the only trick to it is this - it's only the truly dedicated players who will do this every day. This very quickly sorts out the serious players from the ones who just wish they were better, but are not willing to do anything about it. Are you willing to try this for 5 minutes a day_ If you do, you may well discover a whole range of extra benefits from it as well, which even go far beyond tennis. There are many important htmlects to visualization which you should know about (I could probably write 100 pages on this topic alone), but some of the important htmlects it can be used for are to: overcome extreme nervousness
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Develop Your Mental Strength In Practice The secret to solid tournament and competition performances is to practice with the same intensity and mental approach that you would use in a match. It may seem amazing but very few players seem to do this, except for possibly during the hour they might spend with their coach in a lesson - but once they are practicing elsewhere without the watchful eye of the coach, it often becomes easy to take the foot off the accelerator. For instance, often you will see players regularly letting the ball bounce twice in practice, yet obviously when they are playing a match, they simply would not allow this to happen or they would lose the point. The major problem with this attitude is that taking it easy in practice creates a completely separate mindset for practice than the mindset they use when playing actual matches - and this creates some big problems. These players find it difficult to mentally tough out their matches in tournaments, especially matches that go down to the wire in the 3rd set, because their mind (and body) are simply not accustomed to toughing it out on a regular basis. The best way to perform strongly in all your matches is to use your practice as a mental training rehearsal for your tournament matches - treating practice as if it was a match. Doing this keeps your mind trained up for performing at the highest level, so that when you play a match, your mind will treat it no differently and ensure you bring out your best tennis. This one tip, alone, can help to pull ahead of most of your competition. Practice is also a fabulous place to sharpen up your ability to fight back from behind in a match - an ability that every tournament player will need, but very few ever actually practice! For instance, if you are in a practice set with someone, and find yourself down 5-1, dig deep and see if you can pull out a 7-5 or 7-6 win. Doing this conditions your mind to never give up, which makes it far easier for you to stage a spirited fightback in your tournament matches when you are behind in the 3rd set. Also, some players practice completely differently to the way they actually play whilst in the heat of competition - practicing heaps of low-percentage shots that they simply would not use when under the pressure of a tournament match. It's important to keep in mind that you are practicing to win your tournament matches, not to impress your practice partner. Last of all, it is also productive to practice quietening your mind during actual points in practice (unless you are having a lesson with your coach of course, where you will need to be listening to their instructions) as this often helps players to click into The Zone more often, by playing more instinctively rather than 'thinking' every shot. The Zone is the (somewhat rare) mental state that delivers your absolute best tennis every single time, and it appears most often when we can switch off and allow our subconscious to run our performance (for more info on this, see The Zone) So from now on, begin using practice as a mental training exercise as well as your tennis practice, to get the jump on your opponents. Practice with a new intensity and purpose, practice your fightbacks, practice the shots you will actually use in your tournament matches, and practice getting into the zone more often. By doing this, you will find that your tournament results will be far more successful, as your mind and body will always be primed and ready for every match! |