Tag Archives: tennis focus

“How do I spot when I’m losing focus?”

Posted on November 17, 2019 by in Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
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“How do I spot when I’m losing focus?”

 

“Be on high alert for signs of mental detachment.”

In matches, it’s not uncommon for athletic individuals to realize that the opponent isn’t the only cause of their losses. It’s their roller coaster performance. Their detachment fuels bouts of sloppy play which complicates even the most routine matches. So, how can a player spot when their performance level is about to take a dive?

The following are 10 common signs of an athlete detaching from their script.

  1. Unfocused Eyes: “Are my eyes starting to wander outside my court?”
  2. Reckless Shot Selection: “Am I now attempting shots the moment doesn’t really demand?”
  3. A Drop in Intensity: “Has my energy level or focus intensity dropped?”
  4. Frustration-Body Language: “Am I calm or agitated?”
  5. Rushed /Panicking Play: “Is my breathing shallow and is my heart racing too fast?”
  6. Choking/Pushing: “Am I worried about the outcome?”
  7. Lack of Rituals: “Am I skipping my between point rituals?”
  8. Hesitating: “I know how to play my game, but am I chickening out?”
  9. Attempting to Play above Your Level: ‘Do I really need to hit this big?”
  10. Wandering Mind: “Am I thinking about irrelevant, contaminating thoughts?

 

If detachment is spotted, disconnect and reboot before returning to play. Verbal and physical triggers pull the athlete back on script. Verbal triggers include “Get back on script.” “One point at a time.” Physical triggers involve moving your feet and doing some loose shadow swings.

 

Reconnecting to the correct headspace starts with picking up these available clues.

Wandering Mind in Match Play

Posted on September 20, 2016 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

 

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers! Click Here to Order

Frank GiampaoloQUESTION: My child’s mind wanders off in matches, how can we fix that?

 

Frank: Lapses in concentration are so very common. Focus is a key mental and emotional skill set. Without it, even the most gifted ball strikers are usually early round losers. Focus requires the athlete to understand that their mind is like a muscle that needs to be continually tightened and toned. Remember from the previous section, an un-trained brain can easily slip back and forth between it’s under-arousal state of mind, it’s over-arousal state of mind and it’s optimal emotional state of mind.

Let’s look once again into the thought process of these three different “head spaces.”

In the under-arousal state, the athlete often begins to detach and slip into past or future thought scenarios. After the mind wanders off, athletes often report that they choked. In the optimal performance state, the athlete stays deeply entrenched in their calm, happy, confident script of patterns. When this emotional state of readiness lasts throughout the match, the athlete often reports that they’re in the zone. In the over-arousal state of mind, the athlete slips into the over hitting, rushing, and reckless style of play. The athlete often reports that they were trying to play better than they actually needed and simply panicked.

The initial key to solving this issue is to ask the athlete to begin to notice where their thoughts are at certain stages of the match. (This is best done through match play video analysis.) Once the athlete is able to identify a particular thought process during a match, under arousal or over arousal, they should be coached to apply pre-set protocols or triggers to help bring about the appropriate performance state of mind.

Remember, triggers are used to get an athlete back into their script of patterns. Triggers are both verbal and physical. Triggers serve the athlete in two very positive ways: it inflates their energy while deflating their opponent’s energy and by sending the message that they’re in it … to win it.