Tennis

Is Your Head Getting in Your Way?

Ask any tennis pro out there how important the mental part of the game is and they’ll tell you it’s at least 90%!

Tennis players who consistently win do so because they are mentally tough. That is, they have the ability to:

  • Effectively handle the pressure of competition
  • Bounce back from missed shots, double faults, and lost tie-breakers
  • Focus on what’s important and block out the opponent’s attempts at gamesmanship, the crowd, lousy court conditions and tough weather
  • Avoid getting psyched out or intimidated
  • Maintain self-confidence and a positive attitude even when their back’s to the wall

How about you? Do you have trouble closing out your matches? Does the sound of the grass growing distract you? Are there certain opponents who “own” you – who you just can’t seem to beat even though you have a better game than they do? Do you get so down on yourself after a double fault, blown put-away, or lost lead that you mentally take yourself out of the match?

If your answer to these questions is a “yes”, then perhaps it’s time for you to add some mental toughness tools to your shot selection and match strategy. If your head is the weakest part of your game – if you have the reputation around your club or team as being a “total head case” – then listen up! Your game is only as strong as its weakest link. You can’t get better as a tennis player unless you commit yourself to finding your weak links and systematically working on them. If, like a lot of players, your mental game is what holds you back, then it’s time to get serious about working on this critical part!

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If you think of yourself as a “mental weakling”, then don’t despair! Like any other training arena in tennis, you can learn to systematically develop and strengthen the mental side of your game. Regardless of what level you play this game at, with a little mental toughness training you can improve your consistency and raise the caliber of your play. Let me share with you a personal example:

As a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts, I was the #1 singles player. Our season built up and culminated in our conference championships. That tournament was broken into six singles divisions corresponding to each player’s position on the team. I fought my way all the way to the finals in the #1’s bracket. In the championship match, I had to play a 6’ 5” hard-serving lefty from New Hampshire who had easily beaten me two weeks prior.

On this particular day, however, I was playing out of my mind, loose, relaxed, and simply focused on one point at a time, one ball at a time, and on nothing else! Concentration is the key to athletic excellence, and choking in this game is always a direct result of having the wrong kind of focus. When your mind “time travels” and you visit the past and/or the future before and during your match, you will get yourself too nervous to play your game.

I won the first set, 6-3, with aggressive, well-placed shots, hard accurate serving, and perfectly-timed assaults on the net. I continued this brilliant play into the second set and built up a 5-2 lead in our best-of-three-sets contest. I was now about to serve for the Conference Championship and my opponent hadn’t been able to touch my serve the entire match. Good tennis always comes directly from a mindset where you’re not thinking and you’re loose and relaxed.

As we changed sides at the 5-2 break, I happened to glance off the stadium court and my eyes settled on the awards table that the tournament officials had begun to set up. On it was a very big trophy that belonged to the #1 singles player in the conference: ME! For the first time all day I started to think about winning.

One of the paradoxes in tennis is that if you really want to win, you can’t focus on winning. You’ll always play the best tennis of your life when you have nothing to lose and when the outcome of the match is the furthest thing from your mind. If you’re too preoccupied with the outcome or worried about getting upset by a lower-seeded player, then there’s a good chance that this nightmare will come true.

As I got ready to serve, I was thinking outcome thoughts, “You’re only four points away from winning! Hit a big serve! Go for it!” As I thought this, I tightened up and sent my first serve six feet out. As I continued to think about winning, I sent my second serve into the bottom of the net, Love-15. As I stepped over to the add-side to serve, I kept telling myself “You can win this! Go for a big serve! Hit an ace!” As I got more excited, I began trying too hard. Then, after I double-faulted again, I started to panic: “Oh my God. What if I blow this? What if I choke? Remember what happened two weeks ago?”

This made me scared and tentative. Now, worried about blowing my lead, I abandoned my previously-aggressive game and let my opponent back in the match! To make a very long and painful story short, he broke my serve to go to 3 games to 5. He held his serve, broke me again and then went on to win the second set, 7-5. By this time, I couldn’t get my focus or confidence back and I went on to lose the last set and match 7-5. As painful as this experience was, I learned some valuable lessons about how to mentally handle myself under pressure and what to concentrate on. These lessons formed the foundation for winning the Conference Championship my last two years!

With mental training and practice, you too can begin to strengthen your mental muscles so that these kinds of choking experiences fade into the distant past.

Dr. Alan Goldberg is the former #1 singles player for the UMass Minutemen and twice Conference Champion. He has taught tennis professionally for 22 years. As a Sports Performance Consultant, he has worked extensively with all levels of tennis players from around the world, helping them overcome blocks and play to their potential. He is the author of the revolutionary book, This Is Your Brain On Sports: Beating Blocks, Slumps and Performance Anxiety for Good! Check out his popular Mental Toughness Training Package.

  • Dr. G! Awesome program. Easy for my kids to listen to, you're a great story teller and your methods are solid. Your background as a #1 singles player and teaching pro give you the creds with my players so they are willing to listen to you. My kids have clearly benefited by how well they're playing in tournaments!

    Jack Teaching Pro, Massachusetts
  • My son plays #1 singles and has been struggling lately with his game and confidence. I got your racquet sports cd's and I can't believe the difference! He used to get upset with bad calls and then give points away. Now he's playing so much more confidently.

    Barry T Tucson, Arizona
  • Using Your Head...Tennis has turned my game around. I always had problems closing out sets and matches. Now I realize what I have been doing wrong and how to fix it. My last three matches where I was ahead, I was able to maintain my composure and close the match!

    Daniel N South Carolina
  • Ricky is playing tennis and actually having fun again! Losses aren't knocking him off balance and he's changed his whole headset to just "enjoying the dance" like you talk about. The anxiety that used to overwhelm him is gone. Your MP3's and book have helped him tremendously!

    Manny Texas
  • It used to really upset me that I would lose to players who had weaker games than me. Since I started using your book, (Using Your Head... Championship Tennis) I play my own game. and don't beat myself. You taught me how to be so much tougher in my mind. I don't know how to thank you.

    Janice A Virginia
  • My son has been plagued by self-doubt and a lack of confidence that has always kept him from playing his best tennis. Yesterday when his match was finished his exact words were "it is all because of those CD's." It's that top notch! Thank you again.

    Troy College Tennis program, Michigan
  • I'm a sophomore at a top ACC tennis program and would get too nervous  going for my shots. My mom found your book and I now know why I was so nervous and what would trigger my pushing. The end result is I am playing MY game. I have already moved up to #3 singles on our team!

    Randy North Carolina
  • My daughter plays high level junior tennis but when opponents cheated her she'd come unglued. I got her your new audio series and the change has been dramatic. Now instead of getting upset with an opponent who cheats, I know her opponent is done! Thank you!

    Melissa Rhode Island
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Resources

HANDLING CHEATERS
Cheating is probably one of the most upsetting behaviors that athletes have to deal with during competition. When your opponent cheats, not only is he/she dishonestly bending the rules to your disadvantage, but he/she is flat out stealing…

OVERCOMING PERFORMANCE FEARS AND BLOCKS
Are you struggling with a seemingly mysterious performance problem? Have you or your athlete suddenly lost BASIC abilities? FINALLY understand where this FRUSTRATING problem comes from and what you can do about it!

THE MENTAL SIDE OF ATHLETIC INJURIES The mental pain caused by your injury and the temporary or permanent loss of your sport can be far more devastating than the strained or torn ligaments, pulled muscles, ripped cartilage or broken bones. Unless this type of pain is directly addressed and “treated”, your overall recovery will be slow and incomplete.

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