Tennis Mental Game – Beating Matchplay Nerves Part 1

I was sitting courtside the other day when a couple of guys came up to me and said “are you the online tennis coach guy?” I laughed and said “I think I know what you mean, so yes.”

“We were just wondering” they said, how do we get to play better in matches, we all play ok in practise but in matches the nerves get the better of us and we just don’t play as well”. “Our serves go, our forehands go and don’t even ask about our backhands!!”

“Let me ask you a question” I said, “when was the last time you put yourself out of your comfort zone?” They all looked at me and at each other with blank expressions.

This is part 1 of the reason I asked them that question.

I decided a couple of years ago to get back into some regular tournament/matchplay after a bit of a break. I played in some of the events I used to play in as well as some new ones and regular club matches.

I would be lying if I said it all went well and fell into place nicely but I definitely learnt some stuff that I had forgotten about (because I wasn’t using them regularly) about playing under match pressure that I think would be helpful. So here is your 7 step plan to beat nervousness.

1. Never Stop Moving or Smiling – keep your feet moving because “lead boots” normally follow nerves and it’s difficult to be too nervous when you are smiling….try it!!.

2. Easy Breathing – slow and deep in time with shots, not quick and shallow.

3. Raise The Height Of The Ball – hit the ball over the net – sounds simple but how many people actually do it?.

4. Visually Stalk The Ball – do not allow your mind to wander or get distracted by outside factors (like what may or may not happen).

5. Out The Court Not In The Net – Be brave and go for your shots, nothing worse than pushing the ball apart from pushing & missing.

6. Understand & Undertake The Challenge – A no-brainer (but still needs to be addressed), nerves will affect performance for the good & bad. Feeling nerves during matches is normal and never forget that your opponent will be feeling nervous too (people forget this bit). If you have no nerves you probably don’t care enough or the task is too easy and not really worth winning. Acknowledge that nerves are part of the process and you just need to build in some coping strategies (like these) for when it happens.

7. Speak Positively To Yourself – tune into your internal conversation and keep it positive.

Players like Nadal, Federer & Djokovic that have the “champions mentality” all feel nervous, but love the challenge of it!!

They all look forward to playing tight matches in front of big crowds at Wimbledon, US Open & French Open etc and you should see your situations as a great opportunity to pull out a great performance in a big match.

Believe, me when you do it you’ll be glad you did!!

Don’t waste your time protecting your tennis weakness

Everyone has one (or 2 or 3) of them. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray, Del Potro, Sharapova, Wozniacki, Venus & Serena have them, so surely you will have them.

The area of your game where you feel and indeed know you can be hurt. For some people, it’s a particular shot, for others it’s maybe something like poor tennis fitness or a weakness at the net.

So, it’s natural that you want to defend it and surely that’s the best way isn’t it??

Keep opponents away from it or them so that you won’t get hurt too much. I call this “damage limitation”, but is this the way for you to play your best tennis?

For too many players this is the way they approach the matchplay situation but it’s WRONG! Instead of asking the question, how much will my playing of a “protecting” game actually make it more likely for me to be hurt? You should be asking yourself the following 3 (progressive) questions…..

1. What can I do to create situations for me to use my strengths?

2. What can I do to create situations that expose my opponents weaknesses

3. What can I do to create situations that don’t play into my opponents strengths and/or expose my weaknesses.

Because the fact is that the more you try to protect your weak spots, the more likely it is that you will expose them and get hurt. All the time and effort (energy) you will put into hiding and protection will not only send dangerous (for you) signals but could be better used to make sure you use the shots and situations that will cause your opponents the biggest headaches and problems.

The sooner you understand that this effort is probably making the problem worse, not better, the more success you will have on the match court.

Do you think top WTA player Sam Stosur wastes too much time trying to cover her weak spots or is she better served (no pun intended) using this time to further improve her big weapons of her serve and follow up game??

Always try to play the game on “your” terms by moving towards “your” objectives rather than trying to avoid and move away from stuff you may think will cause you problems and watch how your results change along with your enjoyment of the game.

Nadal And Verdasco Practice but make sure you watch for the right stuff

I got access to this clip of Rafa Nadal & Fernando Verdasco practicing together in the lead up to the Masters tournament at Indian Wells.

Apart from being a cool clip, the thing I want to point out is explained in the video below.

It’s all in what you choose to focus on…and if you focus on the wrong things you actually get the wrong information no matter how good the model is that you choose to study.

It’s all about PERCEPTION and all the best tennis players have it in abundance as it’s this that “tells” you when to step it up as well as when to just hang in there and ride out the storm. (The people on the Tennis Turnaround Toolkit course should recognize the error in this point as being down to a misuse of the rules in the Power Control Continuum)

If you want to see more clips like this then just signup HERE

If you already have then let me know what specifically you are looking for by commenting below!!

For more info on the Toolkit just go HERE

Just swallow the right medicine to improve your tennis

I was reading the other day that a recent study found that placebos work even when the patient is told the drug they’re taking has nothing in it.

“Learn to use placebos to help y our tennis”

 

How the hell does that work?

I was always told that we used and needed placebos as well as controls in our experiments to validate the testing procedure and to make any results we got as valid as possible. But now we hear placebos actually work?

Then I took my metaphorical white lab coat off and put my track suit on and grabbed my tennis racket

This is all the evidence I need for the people asking why I talk so much about mindset!!!!

No, not just the tennis mental skills you do with your brain on the court but the tennis mindset skills that you do off the court that are the blanket for everything you do (there is a difference).

I talk about mindset because it’s the map for your tennis performance journey.

Let’s get right up to date and say Sat Nav. If you don’t put the right co-ordinates in to the Sat Nav, you arrive in the wrong place.

So, what makes you think you can arrive at the right place in your tennis game if you don’t set the right co-ordinates?

If you set the co-ordinates correctly you only have to negotiate the traffic and the road systems along the way.

Hey, even if you get re-routed because of an accident etc. because you have the right destination plugged in you can still find your way there.

If you don’t have the destination keyed in though you could find yourself somewhere else and more than that it may well be a place you really don’t want to be!!

Now we know the placebo effect is real, the skill is knowing how to use it to improve your game (don’t forget that should be the goal for everything you do in your tennis), because most people don’t know it works never mind how to use it for benefit

“tape can give tennis players confidence with injuries”

A very quick yet simple example is when players use taping or strapping to mentally tell themselves that a tennis injury is ok and it’s alright to commit fully to the match ahead.

It’s why all the people in my Tennis Turnaround Toolkit did a week of “Mindset” before they were allowed to open the “Box”.

It’s why athletes and sports teams spend $100,000,000′s a year all over the World trying to get that “Champions mentality”.

It’s also the reason some players “overachieve” while others with substantially more talent “underachieve”.

Not everyone can have the Champions Mentality like a Federer, Serena Williams or Nadal (otherwise we’d all win Wimbledon), but the clever ones learn to use the the tools out there to elevate their performance to the highest level possible.

Do you want to be an under achiever??

Learn to use the placebo effect!!

Tennis Video – Turnaround Toolkit Overview

Check out this video that outlines the 24 day Tennis Turnaround Toolkit.

Hope that helps.

Tennis Mental Game – What are Your Ceiling Factors

Hi,

Had a chat with a guy I coach from time to time the other day who told me that he lost a practise set the other day from 5-2 and serving.  Well, I’m sure we have all done the same at some point I know I have!!

His problem is that he keeps on doing it.  In fact yesterday he lost in a tournament match in straight sets to a guy nowhere near his ability level.

He really needs to work with me on other parts of his game instead of just hitting loads of tennis balls as they will always be his limiting factors.

The point is this – the ceiling of your game (the top level it will reach) is set by many other factors apart from your ability to hit a tennis ball which is a motor skill and can be taught and honed over time – the more times you do it the better it becomes basically.

But like I said your ceiling is always set by other factors such as your fitness, nutrition & mental game etc.

It doesn’t matter for instance how well you hit the ball in practise if you don’t have the confidence to hit the same shots in a match situation or when it really matters in a match.

Many people call this choking and I sent you a video a week or so ago giving you the first of 4 coping strategies but I forgot to send you the video that should have gone to you first because it explains a very important thing that you need to realise.

So……..Want to know why every single tennis player – including YOU is hard-wired to choke??

OK then……

Click HERE

To Your Tennis Success

Paul Gold

P.S. You need to identify what your “ceiling factors” are – but don’t worry I have some great info on this in the next week or so…watch out for it!!

Tennis Mental Game – Why We All Are Chokers

Your tennis mental game will ultimately decide how much of your potential you can fulfill and one of the biggest enemies of the tennis player is choking.

But before we go into the strategies to cope with choking, there is something we all need to know……

Play the video below

Don’t forget – Click HERE for more tennis mental tips and training.

Tennis Confidence – The Key To Your Success

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that tennis mental toughness and the mental game of tennis is hugely important to your tennis success.

Why?

Because players have told us so:

“I make an unforced error and lose my focus.”

“I can’t keep my concentration when I’m down in the match.”

“I always drop a couple games because I lack of focus at the start
of match.”

“I’m missing easy shots because I get distracted by things.”

But there is something wrong with all these scenarios!

Most players (and coaches in fact) often assume that a lack of focus is the culprit for their mental mistakes on the court!

But that’s not always the real problem.

In most cases, concentration errors are usually triggered by another inner game tennis issue…

Here’s the proof:

1. Frustration causes a lack of focus because you are upset with something that just happened and can’t focus in the present.

2. Lack of motivation or intensity causes poor focus because you are not “up” enough to focus at your peak.

3. Tension, anxiety or fear can kill your power to concentrate early in the match when not confident.

4. A lack of trust in your strokes can lead to missing easy shots and you assume that you just didn’t focus enough.

Too many times, players assume their concentration is causing mistakes. In reality, a poor focus results from other things such as frustration, lack of confidence, and low trust in your strokes.

Do you want to really understand your mental game better?

Want to find REAL solutions to the culprits of mental mistakes?

Check out my good friend Dave Breslow’s new “Match Tough” program.

it’s a complete step-by-step solution to boosting your mental toughness.

I have personally reviewed it and endorse it 100%.

So much so, I am using it with many of the players I am working with!

Jump over to his site and learn how this program can rocket your mental game:

CLICK HERE

P.S. Don’t assume that your focus is to blame for mental errors.

Sometimes it is, but in most cases, doubt, intimidation, fear, frustration and lack of trust are to blame.

The program is available for download which is great because it means you can get started immediately:

So do it now!!

CLICK HERE

Can You Improve Your Tennis Technique By Improving Your Tennis Mental Skills Or Do You Need Lessons

Wow, what a question!!

Tennis technique is the major focus for most tennis players.

Do I try to play my tennis forehand like Nadal?

Do I try to have a single handed backhand like Federer?

Should I try to have a tennis serve like Roddick?

What about a double handed backhand & return of serve like Andy Murray?

Has Djokovic got the kind of tennis volley technique I should be using?

Here is the question again -

Can You Improve Your Tennis Technique By Improving Your Tennis Mental Skills Or Do You Need Tennis Lessons?

Well one thing is for sure and that is you need your mental skills to be in place before you can play your best tennis and one of the most asked questions is “how can I take my practise form onto the match court??”

The answer could well be………HERE