Comments for Tennis Psychology for Junior to Tour Pro Players

Comment on Perfectionism in Tennis and Fear of Failure by Patrick Cohn

Patrick Cohn — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:17:01 +0000

Please check out my videos on this topic here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB7304D35CD9B173D&feature=view_all

We also have a program for perfectionist sports kids here: http://www.peaksports.com/helping-young-athletes-kick-perfectionism/

Perfectionism in sports is a major issue and includes many issues so I don’t have one answer that will solve the issue for you.

Comment on Perfectionism in Tennis and Fear of Failure by Leslie Nelson Cressy

Leslie Nelson Cressy — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:08:14 +0000

Very interesting video but I would like to understand how we, as parents, can help our perfectionist tennis players (or how they can help themselves). Thank you very much.

Comment on How To Coach a Perfectionist in Tennis by Stuart Koster

Stuart Koster — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:54:56 +0000

I was a perfectionist, and now, some 36 years later, I still battle lingering and recurrent traces. I can see coach’s difficulty in helping perfectionists, since I have had so much trouble dealing with myself. Recognition of the problem was finally helpful; in my case it was an extreme solipcism, so when I played, whether socially or competitively, there was never any other player playing with me–my play was purely self -expression, or, rather, full expression of what i perceived to be a beautiful idea, and it did not matter whether it was obtainable or not. In fact, its final unobtainability made it almost more attractive.
We need to find other ways of talking about strokes and game without valuation. Our omnipresent “good strokes,” “beautiful strokes” and emphasizing practice until you achieve that elusive bar works against people playing a game. Yes, discipline is good, but only as directed to enabling you to play in this and other situations like it. The kind of pressure that builds up in oc personalities when continually given valuation from outside allows them to generate a failing not-expectation, not hope, but a self-fulfilling prophecy when they do compete, and they cannot live with it, or without it. Self-killing performance anxiety! Your identity is at stake with every move you make, every stroke you hit, every game you play, and in every match!

Comment on Playing Well in Practice, but not Matches? by PatrickCohn

PatrickCohn — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:44:32 +0000

I do not have the material in Spanish right now.

Comment on Playing Well in Practice, but not Matches? by Guillermo

Guillermo — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 15:37:49 +0000

Es muy importante recibir esta información en español, de otra forma no se aprovecha al 100%.
¿Los cursos a la venta están traducidos al español?

It is very important to receive this information in Spanish, otherwise not utilized 100%.
Are the courses on sale are translated into Spanish?

Comment on Take Your Practice Game to Competition in Tennis by Stuart Koster

Stuart Koster — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:37:37 +0000

I am very definitely affected by this syndrome. What I did to help take my practiced elements into my competitive game was to think about one of the significant differences between practice and comp and use that. The difference lies in the fact that in practice the stakes are much smaller, ie the consequences of performance or lack of performance are less–confined to a moment, that session. The first thing was to consider the first competition or so as “practice competition,” so I radically reduced my own stakes. Once I had successfully deluded myself, I worked at developing specific practice oriented physical routines. Shadow swings, at slow pace and then normal pace, are particularly useful. They use the physical cues that Joe was discussing, the very specific cues, and turn the “correct” stakeless performance of the routine into comfort. “I really do have that shot.” I have to work at the latter some if what I have been practicing is not a stroke, but a strategy. I can’t very well shadow a three-stroke sequence!

Comment on Tennis Podcast: Maintaining Your Intensity by PatrickCohn

PatrickCohn — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:37:29 +0000

Find a challenge for him that will get him excited and into the match-a game within the game, such as hitting an ace or two.

Comment on Tennis Podcast: Maintaining Your Intensity by amy

amy — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:45:38 +0000

I liked the pod cast #26. My son has a hard time getting his intensity up in the first set. He is mentally tough and does well in tie breakers. How can he shoot out of the blocks in the first set? He does warms up in locker room prior to walking on the court but honestly doesnt see the big deal of it. He also gets too intense (never acts out) and goes for too much in 2nd set after loosing a lead. Sometimes he can rein it in other times he can”t. Any suggestions? He is 14.5 and plays as well as his L1+ players ranked ~ 50-60.

Comment on How to Exploit Your Opponent’s Weaknesses by PatrickCohn

PatrickCohn — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:34:30 +0000

Maybe not having a pre-match routine where you assess your opponent in the warm up and think about a game plan before you play?

Comment on How to Exploit Your Opponent’s Weaknesses by Nic

Nic — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:14:35 +0000

I think this is very true, I often focus so much on what I am doing and forget about my opponent and their weaknesses. I often come up against players that seem to be better than me but have a weak part in their game such as their backhand, and I often forget to counter this.
I know that attentional narrowing causes this but what else might be causing this to happen??