Tag Archives: mental emotional strength

Overriding Negative Past Belief Systems-Part 2

Posted on August 19, 2021 by in The Soft Science of Tennis

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis.

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Reprogramming a Negative Athletes Brainfrank

It’s within the parent’s and coach’s job description to help change the way negative personalities see themselves and the world around them. Often, like my younger self; athletes harbor past oppressive patterns of belief. These false beliefs are their perceptions of the truth and they are often based on the distorted knowledge that is likely holding them back.

Negative believers typically have a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. Fixed mindset individuals stubbornly believe that individuals can’t really grow, learn and improve. A common false fixed mindset belief is “Some are born with it… some just aren’t.”

Psychologists refer to the subconscious knowledge (negative thoughts) we form as young children as conditioned beliefs. These pessimistic beliefs are developed with the help of parents, friends, social media, teachers, coaches, and society. All of these influencers mold the athlete’s thoughts and actions. Without a conscious effort to question whether or not these beliefs are helpful, many children unknowingly take these conditioned beliefs into adulthood.

Believing the negative perceptions of others can destroy an athlete’s inner belief (dialog) and override intelligent self-coaching under stressful match conditions. Negative past beliefs become the athlete’s self-fulfilling prophecy. Athletes young and old often believe what their authority figure tells them, such as:

  • You’re not talented enough.
  • You’re not smart enough.
  • You lost in your first three events. Try another sport.
  • You’re too short; you’re too slow.
  • You’re too young; you’re too old.

It is essential that parents, coaches, and mentors learn to teach optimism, regardless of their personal conditioned beliefs to maximize the potential in their children and athletes. Though not every athlete is capable of or may not even desire to become a high-performance player, it is essential that every athlete is given the opportunity a growth mindset affords. When nurtured correctly, one day these children will be able to influence others positively.

COMMON PERFORMANCE ANXIETIES – Part Three

Posted on April 10, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

Continuation of Common Performance Anxieties Posts.

 

SAMPLE COVER PRESSURE

7) Common Anxiety: “It’s Losing To The Weaker Players That Kills Me…I Self-Destruct!”

“Self-destruction unknowingly begins in the preparation phase.”

The worst part about the feelings of self-destruction in competition is that the athlete is fully aware it’s happening but can’t do anything to stop it. Their muscles begin to tighten, they shank every other ball, and their brain is fixated on contaminating outcome thoughts. We’ve all been there. You’re choking, and you know it, the opponent knows it, even the spectators know it, but you weren’t taught any self-destruction solutions, so the match feels like a slow death.

Rehearsing self-destruction solutions on the practice court provide the athlete with a practical “go to solution.” The following are a few proactive solutions to employ during match play to aid in regaining focus:

  • Focus on Hitting 3 Balls Deep Down the Middle
  • Apply the Old School Bounce-Hit Method of Vision Control
  • Return to your Script of Top Patterns of Play
  • Reboot your Between Point Rituals

I recommend the player choose two of the above solutions and play a few practice sets while focusing exclusively on employing the solutions to stop the imploding.

Preparing for pressure requires pre-set solutions to common problems.

 

8) Common Anxiety: “I used to beat these toads…now I’m losing to them.”

“Revitalizing begins by assessing the athlete’s
efficiencies and deficiencies.”

When athletes aren’t getting the results they believe they’re capable of getting, I recommend conducting an honest assessment of their current training and match preparation. With few exceptions, I find that the athlete has changed their developmental routines…and not for the better.

I’m a bit more detailed than the average coach. When I’m hired to revive a stalled career, I begin with a 300 Point Assessment of the athlete’s life skills, weekly developmental routines, primary & secondary strokes, mental skills, emotional skills, and incorporate match video analysis. Together, the athlete and I assess their confidence level, under pressure in each category. By doing so, we relaunch their progression
with a new plan.

Preparing for pressure often requires rebooting training modalities.

 

 

9)  Common Anxiety: “In real matches, I’m so stressed. All I think about is don’t lose …then I lose!”

“Internal dialogue refers to the unspoken conversations
we all have …”

Athletes are often unaware of the inner conversation they have through the course of a tennis match. Internal dialog is the conversation our ego is having with ourselves. The old Henry Ford saying is “Whether you think you can…or think you can’t…you’re usually right,” refers to one’s inner dialog. In match play, inner dialog takes place in-between points and during changeovers. This is when athletes are encouraged to program themselves towards a more constructive mindset. With practice, athletes will learn to focus on what they want versus what they don’t want.

It’s true that society programs a negative bias day in and day out. Athletes would benefit from committing to replacing the typical negative statement, “The problem is …” with “The solution is …”

Positive self-coaching revolves around a reoccurring theme of this book: Gratitude. It shifts our mentality from pessimistic to optimistic. I encourage my athletes to apply the mantra: There’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here, right now!

Preparing for pressure demands the athlete control their mindset because energy flows wherever their
internal dialog goes.

Neuro Priming- Part 3

Posted on December 9, 2018 by in Neuro Priming for Peak Performance

The following post is an excerpt from Neuro Priming for Peak Performance NOW available!

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NEURO PRIMING FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE_2D (1)

The Sports Science of Neuro Priming

Neuroscientists report that mental rehearsal activates a network of neural coded motor programs in the brain that when primed activate the athlete’s correct physiological responses. By creating customized audio recordings and then routinely listening to the recordings, the athlete strengthens the neural pathways required for competition.

 

Why Neuro Priming Works

Mental rehearsal is a form of preventative medicine. It identifies the causes of an athlete’s anxiety. Neuro priming pin-points the possible problems and pre-sets their solutions. Performing at peak performance level requires the athlete to be confident and able to adapt when things go astray. In competitive matches, the athlete who has their pre-set contingency plans has superior confidence in their problem-solving ability.

Neuro priming is one of an athlete’s greatest defenses against performance anxieties. It assists the athlete in trading in pessimism for optimism.  (Note: Neuro priming may be a 3 -second between-point visualization routine or up to a 20-minute complete pre-competition review.)

ATP and WTA touring professionals are often quoted as saying the game is 90% mental and 10% physical. Neuro priming is a cutting-edge method to improve the mental and emotional components of a competitive athlete’s tennis game. As I stated at the beginning, an athlete’s routines and rituals ultimately define their success. I hope you find Neuro Priming for Peak Performance the key to maximizing your athlete’s potential.