Tennis Podcast: Play Aggressive Tennis

Welcome to session number fifty seven 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 aggressive tennis. Some tennis players tend to tighten up and not play aggressively. Listen to this tennis psychology podcast to learn how to play relaxed, but aggressive tennis. 

 

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*Download The Tennis Psychology Podcast #57 (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!

Mental Toughness for Tennis Players

Mental toughness is an asset to your tennis game. Have you ever lost your composure after making a silly mistake? Have you doubted yourself when you’re losing in a match? Most tennis players at some point or another have struggled with mental game challenges such as focus, composure or confidence during matches.

Although many tennis players face these mental game challenges during matches, many don’t see the importance of mental training. Some doubt whether or not mental training can be helpful.

We received the following question from a tennis coach:

“How can I make players see the value/importance of developing mental toughness?”

Players may not want to work on their mental game because they think mental toughness is something players are born with. Mental toughness is a learned skill, just as your physical skills. Your players didn’t learn how to serve a kick serve overnight. It’s the same idea with mental training.

Roger Federer talks about losing his composure early on in his career as a junior. Federer has learned how to harness his emotions. Currently, Federer is known for being one of the most composed, mentally tough players out there. Mental training is just another form of training and is advantage over your competition.

Many top tennis players talk about the value of mental toughness including Serena Williams.

“I was really mentally tough out there. I wouldn’t give into anything. The first set, I wanted to come out strong and tough, and I did. It’s not that I was actually hitting really hard out there; I was just really mentally focused because I didn’t want to go down. I worked hard, too. I wanted to have an opportunity myself,” said Serena Williams.

Another challenge for coaches is to help their players view mental toughness as a valuable for all players. Some players think that mental toughness is for “problem” athletes. They don’t want to work on their mental game because they think it’s a sign of weakness. The fact is that all tennis players can improve their mental game. Players with mental toughness can tap into their mental strengths so they can stay composed when losing or keep playing well when on a roll.

You can also use the resources at Sports Psychology for Tennis to help your athletes recognize the importance of a strong mental game. You can use articles or quotes from players to start a discussion on the mental game.

How to Perform Well Under Pressure

Most tennis players encounter pressure during matches. What is pressure? Pressure occurs when you feel like you should win, have to play well or worry about the consequences of losing. You can feel increased pressure during critical moments in the match (e.g. third set tiebreaker). You can also feel pressure from parents or coaches who expect you to win matches or play well. When you react negatively to pressure, you can underperform.

Pressure is based on your expectations about how you think you should perform in match. Expectations are set unreasonably high, making it difficult to reach them. Examples of expectations might include playing with the perfect technique or strategy or not having any unforced errors. When you are not performing up to your expectations, you feel added pressure. You can tighten up, play tentatively and try to avoid mistakes.

We received a few questions about playing under pressure:

(1) How to play under pressure?
(2) What am I supposed to do when I become tight in the match?

To play well under pressure, you’ll need to stop focusing on the results of the match. You don’t want to obsess about what might happen. “What if I lose the next point?” “What if I’m down in the 3-4 in the set?” The key is not to get head of yourself or dwell on what might happen and instead focus on execution.

The bottom line is that thinking about results doesn’t help you execute. The minute you notice you’re focusing on results, you’ll want to refocus on what’s important. You’ll want to think about your strategy for the next point, how you will play to your strengths or your target for the upcoming shot. You’ll want to play each point as if nothing happened before, as if it is the start of the match.

Pressure can cause players to tighten up. You don’t want to panic when you feel tight, which can cause you to tighten up even more. Between points you can take some time to relax your muscles or take a deep breath. Relax your racquet in your non-dominant hand or shake your arm to release the tension. Direct your focus to your strategy for the next point. When you divert your focus away from how tight you feel or the results, you will be able to perform better in the moment.

Tennis Podcast: Boost Your Focus

Welcome to session number fifty six 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 answers a question from a tennis player who doesn’t see the ball well. Many tennis players don’t perform their best when they don’t see the ball well. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to to learn how to improve your focus.

 

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 #56 (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!

Do You Perform Better Under Pressure?

Pressure can be both an advantage and disadvantage for your game depending on how you interpret the pressure. Some tennis players thrive under pressure, whereas other players fold under pressure. 

Serena Williams thinks pressure is harmful to her game. Williams played her first tournament after a long layoff at the Italian Open this week. She struggled to find her groove, but was able to come out with a win beating Andrea Petkovic 6-2 3-6 6-0.

“I went in there thinking I can win or I can lose. You never know what can happen and I didn’t put too much pressure on myself. I got off to a little bit of a slow start, but it was good and I was able to fight it off,” said Williams.

Self-impossed expectations are often a source of pressure for athletes. You can set the bar so high that it’s very hard to achieve. Expectations are synonymous with pressure because they cause you to focus on the outcomes and lose focus in the moment.

What’s the solution? First, you want to understand what strict expectations you place on your game. Some players expect to have a perfect match, not make any errors, or never double fault, for example. What happens when you don’t perform up to your expectations? A sudden lose of confidence, in many cases.

Once you pinpoint your expectations, you’ll want to discard them. You simply note your have expectations and focus instead on something more helpful to your game. You’ll want to focus on smaller objectives or mini-goals during your match, such as to have quick feet.

The goal is to replace your expectations with smaller goals that help you focus on expecution instead of results. You might concentrate on a strategy or picking a target. Please don’t judge how well you are accomplishing your mini-goals. Your process goals help you focus in the moment, and are not intended to help you judge your performance during the match.

Your tennis psychology tip is to let go of pressure-packed expectations so you can perform free of pressure. Set smaller goals to help you focused on what’s important to playing one point at a time.

Getting Over Your Comfort Zone

Do you protect your lead when you have a big lead? Many tennis players don’t perform their best because they play within their comfort zone. What is a comfort zone? A comfort zone based on how you expect to perform. You expect to achieve certain statistics or beat an opponent by a certain score. Comfort zones are challenging when you are playing better than expected.

We received the following question from a tennis player:

“What do you think it happens when you have the upper hand and still lose the game? And you know you are beating yourself. What do you think is happening with my mental focus?”

Tennis players performing outside of their comfort zone usually try to avoid making mistakes and protect a lead. It’s really not a problem with your focus directly. When you try to avoid making mistakes or protect your lead, you play more defensively, which can cause you to play too safe. You sit on your lead when out of your comfort zone.

Top 4 signs that you’re playing within a comfort zone

1. You’re nervous, anxious, or afraid when playing better than expected.
2. You lose confidence when playing better than expected.
3. You protect your lead and play defensively or are afraid to risk.
4. You focus on not making mistakes rather than focusing on winning points.

How can you play beyond your comfort zone?

First, you should stop thinking about the score and how much you are ahead in the match. When you think about the score, you lose focus on the current point or game. Think of each game as the start of the match. That way, you will play with the same intensity no matter if you are up or down in the match.

You also can set positive goals to challenge yourself when you’re leading in a match. That way, you will avoid playing defensively. You want to keep playing aggressive tennis. Continue to go for your shots instead of just getting the ball in (or avoiding mistakes). Your aggressive play will help you keep momentum on your side and finish off the match.

Play Your Best Tennis When Down in Matches

Welcome to session number fifty five 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 best when you’re down in a match. Many tennis players tighten up and go for too much when down in a match. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how to play relaxed tennis.

 

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 #55 (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!