Mind
Training for Tennis -
Tip 17
Winning
Body Language In Matches
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Nadal
and Federer had a fabulous rivalry,
and the mental side was particularly
evident in their French Open finals.
A
big part of Nadal's claycourt "aura
of invincibility" he established
came from his powerful, positive body
language -
that is, the way he walks,
acts and behaves on the court
during matches - which has a massive
psychological effect on both himself
and his opponents. We
are going to discuss winning -
and losing - body language today.
Body
language was one of the key factors that I believe affected Federer when
these two players faced each
other on clay.
Federer
was very much used to most players
being already
scared of him before they even
walk onto court - but Nadal is completely
different. Instead, Nadal's
powerful body language - such as
running all over the court on his
way back to the baseline before he
begins the hit-up, and his total appearance
at all times that he believes he
will win - powerfully emphasizes
that he is not willing to give that
kind of respect to anyone.
Sure
- off the court he is
highly respectful at all times,
but he (quite correctly) refuses
to give this advantage to Roger
while they are on the court.
All
the top players have their own different
types of body language, which
speaks volumes to their opponent without
even having to say a word. Serena
and Venus Williams had very powerful
and physically intimidating body language,
like Andy Roddick. Roger
Federer and Justine Henin had quieter
and more subtle body language,
but which is just as powerful.
The
important thing to know is that body
language not only intimidates and
affects the play of your opponent
(which some players seek
to do, and others are not focused
upon at all), it also has a powerful
effect upon the way you play as well.
Let's
discuss some of the body language
aspects that will help to boost
your performance, and also the ones
to avoid.
1.
Winners generally walk faster than
losers on the court. Always
keep your pace in between points
and games fast and confident -
with your head and shoulders up,
never slumped.
Andre Agassi
used to be a great example
of this, while Roddick
was another. Moving
confidently between points and games
has a powerful effect over your own
mental attitude and performance, and shows to your opponent
that you mean business.
Avoid
slow walking unless you are deliberately
slowing down the quick pace of your
opponent. Players who losing
a match tend to walk slower and slower
as the match wears on, and their heads
and shoulders begin to drop lower and
lower with each game - avoid this
at all costs!
It
will have a negative affect upon
your performance and boost the morale
of your opponent.
Every
time you change ends and pass your
opponent at the net, walk confidently
and quickly, and also do not show any
exertion - breathe normally, not heavily
- and show them that you have heaps
of energy left (even if you don't!)
- as this might start to bother them
if they start getting tired themselves.
So,
even if you are not winning the match, act like
you are. This really confuses
your opponent. Basically you need to
become - right now - the winning player
you wish to be in the future - and
you do this by behaving the way this
future player would behave, walking
the way they this future players would
walk, and playing the way this future
player would play, etc etc.
2.
Become "the machine" in your
opponent's eyes. Never
show your frustration or annoyance to
them in any way whatsoever - hide it
in any way possible.
Never
show your opponent that their game
is "getting
to you" even if you are not winning
the match - and eventually they will
begin to wonder just what it takes to
get you down.
Let's
face it - no-one wants to play "a
machine"! By demonstrating
a relentless 'Terminator' type of attitude
on court, along the lines of "I
do not stop until I achieve my goal" -
it can psychologically and mentally
wear down your opponent, and cause
them to make crucial unforced errors
at important times in the match. Lleyton
Hewitt won many matches from this
attitude.
Of
course, it's fine to show positive
emotions any time - just keep
the negative ones to yourself, or they
will boost your opponent's morale,
and their game - which is the last
thing you want to do.
3.
Create a winning feeling inside
yourself during your matches, to
boost your performance. When
you hit a fabulous shot or win a
big point, briefly squeeze your hand
into a fist and say to yourself "yes!". (You
do this purely to yourself, not towards
your opponent). This
reinforces the winning feeling and
help deliver optimum performance.
This is a great little habit to cultivate
in your matches, to boost your performance. While
some players like to use this
as an intimidation
tactic towards their opponents (which can sometimes backfire,
as it can make the opponent angry and more determined), I am actually talking
about using this method purely to strengthen your own performance.
This
uses your great shots to help to create
a stronger "winning
feeling" within your mind and body - which helps to deliver a stronger
performance from you as the match wears on.
Remember, no-one
even needs to know that you are doing
this - this is purely something
that you quietly do, and say, to yourself
- in order to strengthen your winning
mood.
4.
Everyone gets nervousness, angry
or frustration at times - even the
champions. The key
is to use it positively by
channeling these emotions into your shots rather
than using them for self-sabotage purposes,
such as verbal self abuse, racket-throwing
etc.
This is also along the lines of "not
showing any weakness" to
your opponent - and something the elite champions seem to have over their
lesser opponents - emotional control. This is not to say they
don't get angry, frustrated or down - they do - it's just that they know
what to do with these feelings, when they occur.
So
whenever you are feeling negative,
nervous or frustrated in any way, channel
this valuable emotion into your shots, rather than using it for self-destruction
- leave that to your opponents instead! Emotional
energy is very powerful and champions
always seem to know how to use it -
the right way.
So
that's it - bringing these
four principles into your game will
make a huge difference to your results, and will even allow
you to win some matches that you might
have otherwise lost, because the "slight
edge" they create is often all
you need to close out those tight matches. Try
it and see!
