Tennis Mind Game: A Clear Mind for Serving

How many times have you stepped up to the service line without a target or type of serve in your mind? Maybe you were frustrated with your play on the prior point and rushed through your service routine. Or maybe you were too worried about losing the game or set that you forgot to focus on the current serve.

Likewise many players “go through the motions” of the tennis serve without mental focus or intensity. If you do this, you lose a good opportunity to get your mind clear before you serve. When you go through the motions of the serve without mental focus, you skip some very important steps you need to prepare yourself for the serve.

“When I bounce the ball more times because I am not clear of the option to do; serving to the T, serving outside, or serving to the body, I’m not thinking a lot of times. So when I decide, I serve.”
~Rafael Nadal

The mental aspects of the routine as just as critical as the physical steps you take to prepare for a serve such as you set up. Mentally, you have to get clear in your own mind about the plan and type of serve you want to hit. Indecision about the serve you want to hit will undermine your confidence to hit a good serve.

Most good tennis players use a routine to help them prepare and plan for the serve. Your routine should include the basics such as picking a location, a type of serve, and committing to your plan of action. I call this the planning stage of the routine.

Once you are clear of the plan and committed to the plan, it will help you execute your best serve without doubt or hesitation. So take just five seconds to get your mind clear on the plan for each serve.