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!

Trust When Playing A Tough Opponent

Welcome to session number fifty 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 play your relaxed tennis when playing a tough opponent. Many tennis players become anxious and tighten up during tough matches. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how to play your best 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 #53 (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!

Podcast: How to Overcome Prematch Jitters

 Welcome to session number fifty one 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 overcome prematch jitters. Many tennis players experience prematch jitters. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how to use your prematch jitters to your advantage.

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 #51 (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 Become Nervous in Matches?

Welcome to session number forty 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 the top strategies to overcome feeling nervous during a match. Many tennis players play tenatively and under perform when they feel nervous or anxious. Listen to the podcast to learn how to play free of anxiety to play your best.

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 #42 (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!

How to Cope with Prematch Anxiety or Nerves

Most tennis players feel “jitters” or nervousness before match play. You can feel prematch jitters or nerves in many ways such as a pounding heart rate, sweaty palms, tightness in your shoulders or dry mouth. These physical symptoms are often a normal reaction by your body. They are the body’s way to prepare for the upcoming match.

For most players, feeling highly nervous has negative effects on their performance. When you feel nervous or afraid to lose, your muscles tighten up. And when your muscles tighten up, you don’t have full range of motion which can lead to a tight stroke. Mentally, nervousness also can cause athletes to play more defensively or try to avoid mistakes.

Keep in mind that not all prematch jitters are bad. Prematch jitters take two forms – positive or negative. Positive prematch jitters occur when tennis players interpret their physical changes (rapid heart rate, sweaty palms, or feeling butterflies in your stomach) as positive, such as “I’m ready to play!” If you interpret these physical signs as helpful to your performance, you will perform better and have more fun.

Negative pregame jitters happen when athletes interpret these physical signs as negative, such as “I’m nervous.” Negative prematch jitters can be harmful to performance if they don’t disappear within the first few minutes of the first game. Tennis players who experience negative pregame jitters are more focused on themselves, such as feeling that they are nervous or questioning why their heart is beating so fast. When this happens, you are not focused on the game, such as executing a game plan or strategy.

Most tennis players who get nervous before a match, are nervous for a specific reason. You might feel nervous because you don’t want to disappoint a parent or a coach. Or your might fear that you won’t play up to your or others’ expectations. You might become nervous because you are afraid your hard work won’t pay off.

Whatever the sources of your anxiety, you can take control of your thought during your match to reduce your nervousness. Start by playing high percentage tennis – focus on hitting balls five feet over the net, hit with a lot of topspin and cross court. This will help you find your rhythm and boost confidence until your confidence replaces nerves.

You can also use your time between points and on the changeovers to reduce your nervousness. Take a few extra seconds to release your tension. You might take a deep breath to relax, shake out your muscle tension or use positive self-talk to prepare yourself for the next point or game.

All tennis players feel some type of nervousness or jitters before and during their matches. You want to look at your nerves as a good sign – it shows you want to do well and care about your performance. A good option is to tell yourself that it’s normal to feel some prematch jitters. Tell yourself that your body is ready to compete. Welcome the jitters and you won’t waste time focusing on how anxious your feel.