Mind
Training for Tennis - Tennis Tip
10
http://www.tennispsychology.com
Develop
Your Mental Strength In Practice
The
secret to solid tournament and competition performances is to practice
with the same intensity and mental approach that you would use in a match.
It
may seem amazing but very few players seem to do this, except for possibly during
the hour they might spend with their coach in a lesson - but once they are practicing
elsewhere without the watchful eye of the coach, it often becomes easy to take
the foot off the accelerator.
For
instance, often you will see players regularly letting the ball
bounce twice in practice, yet obviously when they are playing
a match, they simply would not allow this to happen or they would
lose the point.
The
major problem with this attitude is that taking it easy in practice
creates a completely separate mindset for practice
than the mindset they use when playing actual matches - and this
creates some big problems.
These players find it difficult to mentally tough out their matches in
tournaments, especially matches that go down to the wire in the 3rd set,
because their mind (and body) are simply not accustomed to toughing it
out on a regular basis.
The
best way to perform strongly in all your matches is to use your
practice as a mental training rehearsal for your tournament
matches - treating practice as if it was a match.
Doing
this keeps your mind trained up for performing at the highest
level, so that when you play a match, your mind will treat it no
differently and ensure you bring out your best tennis. This
one tip, alone, can help to pull ahead of most of your competition.
Practice
is also a fabulous place to sharpen up your ability to fight back from behind
in a match - an ability that every tournament player will need, but very
few ever actually practice!
For
instance, if you are in a practice set with someone, and find yourself
down 5-1, dig deep and see if you can pull out a 7-5 or 7-6
win.
Doing
this conditions your mind to never give up, which makes it
far easier for you to stage a spirited fightback in your tournament
matches when you are behind in the 3rd set.
Also,
some players practice completely differently to the way they
actually play while in the heat of competition - practicing heaps
of low-percentage shots that they simply would not use when
under the pressure of a tournament match.
It's
important to keep in mind that you are practicing to win your
tournament matches, not to impress your practice partner.
Last
of all, it is also productive to practice quietening your mind
during actual points in practice (unless you are having a
lesson with your coach of course, where you will need to be listening
to their instructions).
This
often helps players to click into The Zone more often, by
playing more instinctively rather than 'thinking' every shot.
The
Zone is the (somewhat rare) mental state that delivers your absolute best
tennis every single time, and it appears most often when we can switch off
and allow our subconscious to run our performance (for more info on this, see
The
Zone)
So
from now on, begin using practice as a mental training exercise as well
as your tennis practice, to get the jump on your opponents. Practice with
a new intensity and purpose, practice your fightbacks, practice the shots
you will actually use in your tournament matches, and practice getting
into the zone more often.
By
doing this, you will find that your tournament results will be far more successful,
as your mind and body will always be primed and ready for every match!
