Psychology In Tennis: Winning Is All In Your Mind

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Psychology in tennis is as important as practice. To begin, it amazes me how many players will hit thousands of balls every day, yet avoid any deliberate efforts at improving their psychology in tennis skills. For me, this is similar to the body builder who only develops his/her upper body. She/he is doomed to lose in competition! Everything we do stems from the mind...which is really not a separate organ in our bodies. Rather, the mind reaches every cell in our bodies. Every thought we have in some minor or major way impacts every millimeter of our bodies. They are inseparable and deeply interconnected. To prove my point of psychology in tennis, try this experiment.

These reveries take no more than five minutes and sometimes last for far less time. But, they are an indispensable part of my training regimen. The more you imagine yourself playing perfect tennis...actually seeing it...hearing it...feeling it, the more likely it is that you will play perfect tennis. This is the psychology in tennis skills.

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2. Psychology In Tennis: Avoid negative self-talk and start to compliment yourself! Imagine you are playing doubles with a person whom you have just started dating. You really like him/her, and there is the excitement of a new relationship. What kind of partner would you be? Hopefully, you would be patient, supportive, forgiving. Winning wouldn't be the most important thing. You would do your best to encourage this partner and would never chastise him/her. You would offer your best advice and try to keep your team's confidence high. If you lost, you wouldn't blame her/him. You would probably express how well she/he performed. You would probably express your confidence that next time, your team would win. You certainly wouldn't get angry at her/him...call her/him names...throw your racquet in disgust...nor give up and tank the match. You would fight to the end...no? Well, don't you think you deserve the same when your partner is yourself?

I watch high school and college players compete all the time. So many of them are self-abusive when they play. They yell at themselves, call themselves all sorts of names, panic at every little mistake and sometimes they just give up. No wonder they end up losing or even worse, find themselves not enjoying the game. If they were paired up with themselves in doubles, they would probably walk off the court...stating something like: "I refuse to play with that maniac!" (By the way, these histrionics are not limited to junior and college players).

Negative thoughts or verbal expressions (self-talk) rarely if ever, improve a player's performance. It's natural to get a bit fearful or to lose confidence in a shot, etc. However, negativity will never get you back on track! (Okay, you'll put McEnroe forth as an example of a player who could use anger to his advantage. Maybe so...but do you think he really enjoyed those matches? Besides, these tantrums won him matches by unsettling the opponent...not by out playing the opponent. He never went crazy when he was winning! To me, this form of "gamesmanship" is nothing more than cheating. What is really sad is the fact that he was rewarded with millions of dollars for this behavior. Incredible part of psychology in tennis :)

When you do sense that your thoughts are turning negative or you find yourself saying negative things aloud, pause and say firmly to your self: "STOP!!!" Then, try to relax your body and reverse the negativity with a positive statement. Throughout a match, I must say the following statements a hundred times (silently or even aloud): stay tough, you can do it, patience...hang in there, the stroke is there...just give it a chance, I'm getting tougher every point, next time...I'll make it, I'm getting stronger, I'm feeling tougher. Self talk is so important part of psychology in tennis! If you say it often enough...you'll believe it. If you believe it is true...it usually becomes true.

Regardless of whether or not you'll practice specific affirmations on a daily basis, I promise you that your game, and more importantly, your enjoyment of the game will greatly improve once you stop the negativity. I know for many this is not any easy task. However, like all good things in tennis...practice makes perfect.

3. Psychology In Tennis: Teach your mind to relax your body! Learn to relax while driving in the snow. How?...by using your mind to deliberately relax the muscles of your body. The same holds true in tennis. When our body is calm and relaxed, we are likely to play our best. When we are afraid, we tend to hit less fluidly and frequently -- we commit errors. These errors cause more anxiety and we find ourselves becoming even more tense...a horrible cycle!

How do you break this cycle?...through two specific techniques: controlled breathing and mind induced muscle relaxation. Throughout a match, I monitor my breathing. I want slow, regular, relaxed breathing. Whenever I find myself taking short, shallow breaths, I stop and force my breathing to slow down. I inhale deeply through my nose and exhale slowly through my mouth. I force my breathing rate to slow down. The by product of this controlled breathing is relaxation. You greatly reduce tension, anxiety and stress when you breath slowly and deeply. It really works in psychology in tennis!

You can relax any muscle group with your mind's "commands." This is especially true if you send these "signals" while breathing deeply. Try this experiment:

Sit in a chair comfortably. Take in a deep breath through your nose. Fill your lungs with air to their capacity. Hold this breath for three seconds. Then, exhale slowly through your mouth. As you exhale, say the word: R...E...L...A...X, and send relaxing "signals" from your mind to every part of your body. Repeat this entire procedure three times. Now, monitor how relaxed you body and mind are. I am certain that you feel more comfortable and stress free than at the beginning.

You can do this little relaxation ritual between points...right before beginning the serve ritual...in between games, etc. Watch Mary Pierce. Here is a player who experiences stress and anxiety on the court! To her credit, she has learned to use breathing rituals to calm her mind and body...resulting in improved performance. If you did nothing more than learn how to relax your body 10% during a match, your performance would soar!

4. Psychology In Tennis: Play to play...not to win! Finally, some attention must be given to why you play tennis. Let's face it... we all have too much ego invested in our games. The vast majority of us are not going to make it into the top 100 players. Even if your goals include professional competition and/or scholastic competition, you've got to keep the game in perspective. First, 50% of all people playing a tennis match lose. Second, no one wins every match. Third, no one is perfect...why should we expect to play perfect tennis? Fourth, if you play to win, you are in for a rollercoaster ride of emotional victories and defeats. The best reason to play tennis?...simply to play it.

Once tennis becomes a job, a statement of personal worth or a means of recognition...it becomes a burden. Once tennis is a burden, it begins to lose its appeal. Goals that include winning or achieving a ranking, etc. aren't bad. But, they shouldn't be the reason(s) you play the game. The joy of playing this wonderful sport...the places it takes you...the people you meet...the insights about yourself you learn...the benefits to your health and body...the satisfaction derived from training and working hard...the improvement in your play...these are some of the best reasons to play tennis and integral part of psychology in tennis.

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