Confidence Against Higher Ranked Opponents
September 5, 2010 by PatrickCohn
Welcome to session number sixty four of The Tennis Psychology Podcast. Dr. Patrick Cohn at Sports Psychology for Tennis, is a mental game of tennis expert and helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure using sports psychology strategies.
In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn teaches you how to stay confident no matter who you play. Many tennis players lose confidence in their game when playing higher seeded or ranked players. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how to boost your tennis confidence.
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*Download The Tennis Psychology Podcast #64 (right click and “save as” to your computer)
Subscribe to The Tennis Psychology Podcast via iTunes
*Submit your mental game of tennis question to Dr. Cohn at Peak Performance Sports
*Download a free tennis psychology report to improve your mindset between points
Improve Your Mental Toughness for Tennis Quickly with Dr. Cohn’s new Tennis Confidence audio program!
Rodger Federer Accesses the Zone
September 1, 2010 by PatrickCohn
The zone is a state of supreme focus that help athletes perform at their peak when they become totally immersed into their performance. Athletes depict the zone in many ways, such as the driver merges with the car; the tennis player joins her mind with the ball and court; the swimmer becomes one with the water; and so on.
Five-time champion at Flushing Meadows, Rodger Federer found the zone early in the opening round Monday night against 96th-ranked Brain Dabul. Federer hit 18 aces in his 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory, but no shot was more exciting than his between the leg shot in the second round. “There is nothing you can do when he has those days,” said Dabul. “He’s perfect.”
Many athletes view the zone as this magical, hard-to-obtain state of mind, but the zone is really not that complicated or hard to achieve with the right mindset. If the zone is that simple, why can’t athletes achieve this mindset every time they compete? Top athletes like Rodger Federer know what thoughts trigger a mindset to access the zone, but some athletes are blocked from getting into the zone because they are overtaken by massive distractions such as fear of failure and worry. “The court speed, surroundings, the event, and everything helps my cause to really focus on each task and play well,” said Federer.
You can capture this state of immersion to enhance your performance and maximize your athletic potential by identifying specific triggers that have helped you find the zone in the past. One way to do this is to think back to when you were performing in the zone and what you thought about. What did it feel like for you? Can you imagine yourself in your next competition with the same level of confidence and focus?
Identify your self-talk when you are performing well or in the zone. What was your self-talk like? What were the buzz words you apply to your self-talk? Use these statements when you compete to help you find the zone. Once you identify the thoughts or buzz words that help you perform well you can use them to trigger your mindset to access the zone.
Keeping Confidence After Losing Matches
August 21, 2010 by PatrickCohn
Welcome to session number sixty three of The Tennis Psychology Podcast. Dr. Patrick Cohn at Sports Psychology for Tennis, is a mental game of tennis expert and helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure using sports psychology strategies.
In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn teaches you how to boost your self-confidence in matches. Many tennis players lose self-confidence after playing poorly or losing matches. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how to maintain your self-confidence after losing matches.
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*Download The Tennis Psychology Podcast #63 (right click and “save as” to your computer)
Subscribe to The Tennis Psychology Podcast via iTunes
*Submit your mental game of tennis question to Dr. Cohn at Peak Performance Sports
*Download a free tennis psychology report to improve your mindset between points
Improve Your Mental Toughness for Tennis Quickly with Dr. Cohn’s new Tennis Confidence audio program!
Rafael Nadal Relies on His Confidence to Win
August 16, 2010 by PatrickCohn
To compete at the top of your game you need to have confidence in your ability to succeed. Number 1 ranked tennis professional, Rafael Nadal understands the importance of confidence to win tournaments and succeed in tennis. “I rely on my confidence to help me win,” said Nadal. “I have total confidence that I am going to play well on match days.”
Having confidence offers you an advantage over your competitors because confident athletes play more relaxed, focused, and aggressive. Nadal knows that if he isn’t confident on match day he is at a disadvantage. “I am not playing good this week because I lost a little bit of confidence about me…There are moments when you don’t have the confidence you need and it affects your performance,” said Nadal.
To maintain confidence you must develop mental toughness to overcome adversity, setbacks, mistakes, and accept defeat. “You have to accept when you don’t play well and somebody else does,” said Nadel. After a loss take time to cool down after a loss and focus on the positives of your performance.
Accepting when you do not play well will help you maintain confidence and learn from your performance. Dwelling on mistakes or setbacks will decrease your confidence, which may cause you to play tentatively. When you have confidence you are more likely to play aggressively which Nadal feels is vital to winning in tennis. “When I am confident I play a bit more aggressively which is a decisive factor during matches,” said Nadal.
To ensure that he has confidence going into a match Nadal prepares physically and mentally before competition. “I played for four hours today so I’m a bit tired but I’m confident I can win.” Practice will help you gain confidence and become self-efficient in your sport. It is also important to transfer what you learn in practice to competition. Give 100% during the match and leave it all on the court.
Tennis Juniors Who Play Cautiously
August 7, 2010 by PatrickCohn
Welcome to session number sixty two of The Tennis Psychology Podcast. Dr. Patrick Cohn at Sports Psychology for Tennis, is a mental game of tennis expert and helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure using sports psychology strategies.
In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn teaches you how to play your game in matches. Many tennis players revert to a style of play that isn’t as effective in matches. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how to play your most effective style of play in matches.
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*Download The Tennis Psychology Podcast #62 (right click and “save as” to your computer)
Subscribe to The Tennis Psychology Podcast via iTunes
*Submit your mental game of tennis question to Dr. Cohn at Peak Performance Sports
*Download a free tennis psychology report to improve your mindset between points
Improve Your Mental Toughness for Tennis Quickly with Dr. Cohn’s new Tennis Confidence audio program!
John Isner’s Will to Win
July 30, 2010 by PatrickCohn
History was made at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, when John Isner and Nicolas Mahut battled on the court for a record 11 hours, 5 minutes spread over three days. Both players displayed remarkable mental toughness throughout the match, but Inser took the victory 70-68 in the fifth set. “It was the will to win. Not that I outwilled him; I mean, obviously, he gave it his all,” Isner said.
Reasonably, both men were wiped out when it was all said and done. Isner “was incoherent” for 20 minutes, according to his coach, Craig Boynton. “We played the greatest match ever, in the greatest place to play tennis,” said Mahut. Each player gave it their all leaving everything they had on the court day after day. “It was really painful, but I knew I couldn’t hold anything back,” said Mahut.
To be successful in tennis you must have the mental toughness to overcome adversity, keep your composure, and maintain a high level of performance. “I kept telling myself to stay focused on finishing strong after I missed a shot. I knew I would eventually get my look,” Isner said.
Isner was able to keep his composure by sticking with his strategy, and not letting mistakes affect his ability to perform at a high level. To do this you need to develop mental strength that compliments your tennis skills, and avoid frustration. Practice and training will help you achieve mental strength, but it is import that you avoid frustration between points. Frustration only works in favor of your opponent.
“It was frustrating at times, but I didn’t let it get to me or throw me off my game,” said Isner. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Every athlete makes mistakes, but the ability to maintain confidence and focus on the next play separates talented athletes from the elite. Leave it all on the court! Let your mental strength, abilities, and preparation guide your performance.
Mental Game of Collegiate Tennis
July 11, 2010 by PatrickCohn
Welcome to session number sixty of The Tennis Psychology Podcast. Dr. Patrick Cohn at Sports Psychology for Tennis, is a mental game of tennis expert and helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure using sports psychology strategies.
In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn talks to Kathy Toon from www.coachtoon.com about the mental game of tennis. You’ll learn more how to improve your between point routines. Kathy Toon was the head women’s tennis coach at University of California Berkley where she helped three doubles teams win NCAA championship titles.
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*Download The Tennis Psychology Podcast #60 (right click and “save as” to your computer)
Subscribe to The Tennis Psychology Podcast via iTunes
*Submit your mental game of tennis question to Dr. Cohn at Peak Performance Sports
*Download a free tennis psychology report to improve your mindset between points
Improve Your Mental Toughness for Tennis Quickly with Dr. Cohn’s new Tennis Confidence CD and Workbook program!
Mental Preparation for Matches
July 7, 2010 by PatrickCohn
Welcome to session number fifty eight of The Tennis Psychology Podcast. Dr. Patrick Cohn at Sports Psychology for Tennis, is a mental game of tennis expert and helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure using sports psychology strategies.
In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn interviews Ian Westermann of www.essentialtennis.com about how players should mentally prepare for tournaments. Young tennis players know how to get ready physically before a match, but most players don’t take enough time to get mentally prepared before a match.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
*Download The Tennis Psychology Podcast #60 (right click and “save as” to your computer)
Subscribe to Ian’s podcast The Essential Tennis Podcast at iTunes.
Subscribe to The Tennis Psychology Podcast via iTunes
*Submit your mental game of tennis question to Dr. Cohn at Peak Performance Sports
*Download a free tennis psychology report to improve your mindset between points
Improve Your Mental Toughness for Tennis Quickly with Dr. Cohn’s new Tennis Confidence Audio CD program!
Tennis Parents with High Expectations
June 27, 2010 by PatrickCohn
Welcome to session number fifty nine of The Tennis Psychology Podcast. Dr. Patrick Cohn at Sports Psychology for Tennis, is a mental game of tennis expert and helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure using sports psychology strategies.
In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn teaches answers a question from a sport parent about putting high expectations on young tennis players. Young tennis players feel pressure with they have high expectations for their performance. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how keep your parental expectations in check.
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*Download The Tennis Psychology Podcast #59 (right click and “save as” to your computer)
Subscribe to The Tennis Psychology Podcast via iTunes
*Submit your mental game of tennis question to Dr. Cohn at Peak Performance Sports
*Download a free tennis psychology report to improve your mindset between points
Improve Your Mental Toughness for Tennis Quickly with Dr. Cohn’s new Tennis Confidence CD and Workbook program!
Mental Game of College Tennis
June 14, 2010 by PatrickCohn
Dr. Patrick Cohn, author of Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness for Tournament Players, and Stephanie Nickitas, Head Coach of the Women’s Tennis Team at the University of Central Florida, discuss the mental game challenges college tennis players face. Listen to the interview to learn more about improving your mental game of tennis.
Stephanie was a standout player at Florida from 1996-99, earning All-America recognition six times for the Gators. A member of the Gators’ 1996 and 1998 NCAA national championship squads, Nickitas won 128 singles matches during her career and four collegiate Grand Slam titles.
Use the player below to listen to the interview with Stephanie Nickitas and Dr. Cohn:
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To listen to the entire interview with Dr. Cohn and Coach Nickitas or for more interviews on the mental game, visit Peaksports Network:
