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Winning Tennis Psychology – the difference between
champions and all the rest
By Tomaz Mencinger
Being a master in tennis psychology is usually a
deciding factor for winning tournaments,
regardless the level of play. Mental toughness is important, whether you
play at a local
club tournament or Wimbledon final. You need to handle the pressure that comes from
playing a big
match.
The psychology of tennis is based on sports and
general psychology and is applied specifically to tennis. What you learn are not tips and general advice, but much more
effective
methods of controlling your mind under the circumstances.
So, what are these tennis psychology topics?
Here’s what you need to learn to become a
winning tennis player:
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How to concentrate
Many players have good concentration in the beginning of the match but then
their level of focus starts to go up and down. The reasons can be outside
events, pressure situations, emotional outbursts, or just fatigue. You need
to learn how to deal with these situations and keep your concentration high,
even when such events happen.
-
How to control arousal – activation
If your
arousal–activation is too high, you are angry and you have too much energy. That
is why players throw racquets – release of energy. And if your arousal
is too low, you are frustrated and have low level of energy. Both states of
mind
prevent a high level of tennis play.
Learning to find the ideal state of mind is the key in controlling your arousal and
one of the
most important aspects of tennis psychology.
-
What can you control in a tennis match
There are many things that you cannot control: wind, court conditions,
opponent’s play, bad line calls, and so on. If you put too much attention on
these events, you get irritated, or even upset. Yet, the events don’t change
... only the level of play drops dramatically.
By being focused on these events you waste your energy which could be used on
elements that you can control: your attitude, effort, and how you intend to
play.
-
How to control your thinking
Negative thinking affects your body abilities. Such thoughts creat tension and evokes
negative
feelings. All are emotions that cloud your judgment.
If you are aware of your thinking you can change those thoughts to positive. That is the mark of the great tennis players. Being aware of
your thoughts is quite a challenge in the psychological approach to tennis.
-
How to use visualization
Imagery or visualization is extremely useful in all aspects of the tennis
game. You can
improve technique, strategy, physical abilities and mental preparation of
certain events.
Another use of imagery is when you miss a shot and then see in your mind how
you hit the ball correctly.
Using visualization is an incredibly efficient technique, not only in the
psychology of
tennis, but in everyday life, too.
-
How to gain confidence
Confidence is one of those elements where tennis psychology can help quickly
and with very simple tools. If you are not confident you will hesitate, you’ll
be afraid to take risks, and your shots will miss by a little.
When you build confidence you are able to play your best, even when things
don’t look to go your way. That’s how you change them.
These techniques and exercises form the base of
tennis psychology and if you apply them
regularly you will develop mental toughness. You will know how to apply the
tools and how to
deal with tough situations in tennis matches.
You will have the edge against your competitors; you will see that most of them
have no idea
of mental training and that will make you feel even more confident. You’ll know
that you are
the likely winner of pressure situations and that is the belief of a champion
tennis player.
About the author: Tomaz Mencinger is a tennis coach and mental toughness coach.
He teaches tennis players how to apply
tennis psychology to make their mind their best ally.
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