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The Mental Side of the
Game.
We have all heard
of the importance of having the ability to focus our emotions and deal
with our fears as we play. However; let me ask: When was the
last time you practiced your focusing skills? Enough said, here we go.
One of the most
damaging emotions to your competitive tennis play is that of
"surrender", more commonly called tanking. It surfaces at
times where it seems easier to give up rather than deal with the
challenge in front of you. You trick yourself into not caring. Not
caring actually reduces some of the pain and nervousness of playing.
You don't perform well, because you don't perform at all -- you've
given up!" Another form of tanking is "excuse making".
You tell yourself your poor performance was due to the weather
conditions, your coach or others. Since you convince yourself
your loss was not really your fault, emotionally you don't care as
much and you don't feel as bad about your performance.
The second most
damaging emotion to performance is anger. Your temper flares and your
muscles become focused on the perceived threat. Anger can actually
"fire you up", arouse and stimulate you to compete. But
anger is a negative emotion and sports psychologists have proven that
peak performance is generated by positive emotions.
Here are a few tips
to practice in learning to deal with the many emotions created during
a competitive tennis match:
Establish
Rituals. You probably already have rituals, but are unaware they
exist. The important aspect here is to know what they are and to
consciously perform them when you are feeling threatened. If you every
have the opportunity to watch someone choke a match away, pay
attention to their rituals. I'll bet they are probably being very
inconsistent between points. If you watch Pete Sampras while he is on
a roll, his rituals are virtually the same between each and every
point. For example: if you usually bounce the ball three times before
you serve, be sure to do it every time. Just watch a player choking,
just watch! They will be all over the map.
Stay In The Here And Now.
Remember the point at hand is more important than the point just
ended. Often times players will focus on the previous point and not be
ready for the point at hand. Players might also start thinking ahead
to winning the game, set or match. The challenge here is not to remove
your thoughts from the task at hand. Stay in the here and now and you
will definitely be taking care of business. Most often when a player
begins to tank or give up, he has left the here and now and is dealing
with the emotions of loosing the match.
Love The Battle. As I think back on some
of my more competitive matches, I remember actually smiling during
certain instances where the heat was on. You feel the need to
either fight back or go home early. To enjoy the competition and love
the battle is one of the steps needed to enter the "zone"
where everything just clicks.
Think As A Winner. If you feel confident,
you will show it. Your walk, body language, and presence will give
your opponents the feeling that you know what you
are doing and know what you want. Be positive! Prior to serving, look
toward the service box (and opponent) with confidence. Let them know
you are going to win! Visualize.
The mental side of
tennis is what makes the difference in more matches than we would ever
like to admit. Specific steps can be learned to improve your ability
to perform well in challenging situations. Start with the four listed
above and you will be on your way.
Good luck and have
fun.
It’s a lifting game, right?
Years ago I was
discussing with a junior player about the concept of the conventional
“low to high” swing. The idea that we should swing up to hit a ball with an arc
the travels over the net and into the opponent’s court was confusing
to him. You see, he thought
better players hit the ball lower over the net.
I had my work cut out for me on this one.
I explained that better
players hit the ball OVER then net.
What I meant by this is that many players believe they should be
aiming just over the net. There
are a number of reasons why this is not a good strategy.
Let’s look at playing singles for example.
If you aim low, the possibility exists that your ball will end up
in the net. Wouldn’t you
want to give your opponent a chance to miss it!
In fact, they may even play a ball going out as long as they were
given a chance to do so. Secondly;
if you aim low, your ball will probably land short in your opponent’s
court, giving them the green light to dictate play.
And that’s no fun because you’re going to run!
The net used in tennis
tricks us into thinking we should aim low.
Let me explain. If
the net were not transparent, wouldn’t you feel like you needed to
swing up more to create the necessary arc?
Here is a little test I ask my students to try.
Stand on the baseline and look over the net.
What do you see? Unless
you are quite tall, you probably see the back fence and maybe a little
of the area behind the baseline. You
probably don’t see any of the court!
That, however; is the direction the ball must travel once it’s
been struck From the baseline, every time you see one of your shots land
in your opponents court, you are looking through the net.
Think about it.
Now let’s look at
serving. Stand at the
baseline and look at your target. You are looking through the net!
That’s my point. You
must drive the ball up to create an arc, so the ball may then come down
into the service box. Although
you may swear you are hitting the ball down, to be successful, you need
to drive it up. The only
exception here that I am aware of is very tall players who can hit the
ball very fast. Imagine Shaquille O’Neil shooting free throws.
If there was just more arc, the ball might hit the target more
often.
Tennis is a lifting
game. Lift the ball on your
groundstrokes and serve and have more fun.
Enjoy your tennis.
Any questions please let me know.
My focus in this
article is how to hit better volleys.
The ability to volley adds a great deal to any player’s game.
It allows them to attack with confidence and pressure their
opponent(s) at the same time. A
considerable advantage exists to the player(s) who can attack and
pressure their opponents. Let’s
first review the position on the volley.
There are three
positions everyone should be aware of.
The defensive volley position, DVP, is on or around the service
line. The ideal volley
position, IVP, is near the center of the service boxes, and the
offensive volley position, OVP, is close to the net.
Understanding the difference between these three positions can
immediately make you stronger player, as you will make better decisions
based on your current volley position.
For example: Many players will attempt to do too much with their
first volley while they are in the DVP, thus forcing errors and making
life easier for their opponents. Conversely,
if a player is lucky enough to be in the OVP, they had better angle the
ball away for a winner because they are totally susceptible to the lob
if they don’t.
Once a player has
worked their way into the IVP, either through a good approach shot or a
solid transition volley from the DVP, they are now ready to win the
point. What is required
here is the ability to move to the oncoming ball and close in towards
the OVP. Most players
don’t move much from the IVP or in fact, play many of their volleys
from the DVP! There is also a group of players that are big time lob bait
due to their insistence of standing too close to the net.
The technique necessary
for consistent volleys is where contact is in front of your body, with
very little backswing and an open racquet face.
Volleying is generally easier for those that have learned to use
the Continental grip compared to the many that use forehand grips.
The advantage of this grip is that in generally opens the racquet
face allowing you to hit through the ball better and not down too much.
Please see your local USPTA teaching professional for tips on
whether you are ready for the Continental grip.
Then is simply a matter of elbows in, racquet head up, and
through the ball.
An excellent
practice tip is to lock in your Continental grip and practice hitting
first forehand then backhand volleys against a wall. It is impossible to do without an open racquet face.
Remember that a volley is hit before it bounces so you will be
attempting to keep the ball going in the air.
A challenging, yet practical way to learn how the racquet head
needs to be positioned on the volley.
Good luck, play more
tennis, and have a little fun along the way.
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