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ACCELERATE YOUR GAME WITH A QUIET MIND
The game of tennis is ultimately a mind game. There are dozens of mind games that a crafty opponent will play to disrupt your game. There are also dozens of mind games that you can play on yourself to disrupt your own game. This article will focus on controlling the inner mind games first.
In my experience, high level players often need to focus on doing less…not more when cleaning up their strokes. The same holds true with their mental game. Quieting the mind is an essential part of mental toughness.
Allowing the mind to wonder into past and/or future thoughts can destroy on-court success. I get countless phone calls from parents concerned about their child’s “inability to concentrate” during a match. They watch their children lose to seemingly “less talented” players because their child cannot seem to concentrate.
First of all, what is concentration?
Concentration is focusing your energy, attention, and intentions on a singular point or plan. A wondering mind filled with frenzied thoughts and fears can destroy a well thought out game plan. Expectations and perceptions of a match are not reality…They are simply feelings. These “thoughts” take the players away from thinking about their performance goals.
As the players let their walls down, they discover that their mind games have been the culprit of many of their past losses.
Example of Mind Games:
Past Thoughts:
This might include a past loss to the same opponent, the opponents past ranking, tournament wins, or reputation, coaches or parents comments after a bad loss, how they choked in a similar situation, a bad line call several points prior, or a missed overhead on the last point…etc.
Future Thoughts:
This might include thoughts about what will my ranking be if I win or if I lose, what will my peers think if I win or lose, will the USTA invite me to Carson if I win, what will my parents say if I lose…etc.
Uneducated players often see themselves as VICTIMS. Educated Players have learned that they are in control of their feelings and thoughts. They are taught to say “STOP” and pull their thought pattern from the Past or Future back into their Present performance thoughts.
Solution:
Videotaping players playing sets allows us to show the players what their wondering minds look like. Spotting visual clues prepares the players to control their present thoughts. So what are the proper Present thoughts?
Present Thoughts:
Present thoughts are performance goals. These may include serving to the opponents backhand, getting 60% of their first serves in, isolating their opponents weaker side, playing at a slower speed, taking swing volleys on moonballs, standing closer on their opponents second serves, adapting and problem solving…etc.
Here are three tips to give you a head start controlling your mind games: Practical application is customized to each player
- Sit down and re-visit Past/Present/Future thoughts. Write down the recent Past and Future thoughts you had during your last match. (WARNING: Parents be ready to have some or all of the blame passed onto you! For example: “When Mom shakes her head in disgust over an error…I lose focus and I am done!”)
- Understand that your mind follows your eyes. Between point rituals are made up of internal vision, not external vision. Players with wondering eyes have wondering thoughts. Focusing on your string pattern in between points may help you focus on the next performance goal.
- Use positive feedback. Here is an example: A player hits a terrific kick serve out wide to the advantage side, and gets a floater return up in the service box. The player attacks the net and pulls the volley just wide. A Normal player would get furious for missing such an easy volley and relive the point for the next 4-5 points. A National Champion would miss the same volley, turn, look at his strings, and smile. WHY? The Champion has just figured out how to win 90% of the big points on the ad side! Positive feedback allowed the player to spot the opponents flawed high backhand return and now knows what pattern to use in the future.
The Normal player focuses on the past, and the Champion focuses on the future.
Rehearse saying something GOOD. Find something positive to say before you address a flaw in your child. Often the most difficult and sometimes paralyzing factor in a junior’s development is an ultra-negative or jaded parent. The ratio that I recommend is to offer five positive comments for every one negative comment. Reverse psychology works wonders! The player progresses happier and quicker.
Example:
The player continually tosses the ball too low on the serve. Instead of saying “Your STILL doing it wrong…How many times…” try saying “Great! You’re getting that toss higher…I can really see the difference.” The positive comment will still remind them that they need to improve their ball toss and it is more likely that the correction will occur! Thanks, Frank
Contact:Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com
