What Are Your Goals in Tennis?
What is your goal?
What do you want to accomplish?
What place to do want to arrive at by the end of the season?
These are questions that every tennis player should mull around in their minds.
The reality is that tennis players find themselves at different points along the goal setting continuum.
Some players don’t set goals… These players may be afraid to fail or fall short of accomplishing their goals in the past. Either way, these players make an assumption that goal setting doesn’t work.
Some players have merely hopes… These tennis players dream of what they want to do in the sport and hope that, somehow, they magically get there.
Some players have a goals, though not specific…
These players say things such as, “I want a better serve,” or, “I want to win a tournament,” but these players fail to define the ‘what,’ ‘when,’ ‘how’ and ‘why.’
Some players have a goal and no plan… These players know exactly what they want and by when but they have no plan highlighting what is needed to achieve their objective.
Some tennis players have a well-defined goal with a specific action plan…
These players set a very specific goal with a target date. These players also create an action plan detailing the necessary steps required to accomplish their goal.
The fact is the tennis players who achieve big things are ardent goal setters who have a reason for setting their goal and understand the process of goal setting.
When you apply effective goal setting strategies, you understand what it takes to hit the mark.
Effective goal setting strategies:
- Give you purpose and direction. Goals give you something to shoot for and give meaning to all the effort and time you dedicate towards training.
- Provide a sense of control. Knowing where you want to go and how to get there gives you a sense of confidence as to where you are going.
- Enhance motivation. When times get tough, having a goal gives you that little boost to keep pushing towards something of personal value.
- Foster a sense of pride. As you move closer to your goal, those small accomplishments give you a sense of satisfaction and further increase motivation and confidence.
Goal setting will help you achieve more in tennis… just like it has for Caroline Garcia.
Garcia has utilized goal setting to help her steadily improve her performance and achieve more in tennis.
After winning her first premier mandatory title, Garcia started focusing on her plan to achieve her next goal.
GARCIA: “After the accomplishment, do you have any plan for what’s next? What is your primary task now, goal? ‘It’s not because you win a premier mandatory that your career is over.'”
Garcia understands that attaining a goal leads to accomplishing even greater things in the future.
GARCIA: “I still have so many goals to achieve. Of course, to be a part of the top 10, it’s a step in the career. Of course, it gives me confidence and it gives me also motivation to work even harder to get some bigger trophy.”
What is your goal?
What will give you the motivation and confidence necessary to succeed in tennis?
Tip for Creating a S.M.A.R.T. Tennis Goal:
When creating a goal, follow the SMART method:
- Specific – Your goal should be as detailed as possible
- Measurable – Your goal should be quantifiable
- Attainable – Your goal should realistic
- Relevant – Your goal should have personal meaning
- Time-bound – Your goal should have a concrete deadline
It you want to achieve more in tennis, you must be SMART! Improve your mental smarts with Tennis Confidence:
Learn Proven Mental Game Strategies To Perform Your Best On The Court!
Are you (or your players) performing up to your ability in competition?
Do you bring your best and most confident game to matches?
I often hear players complain about the following problems when they play in matches…
- “I get so tight or tense before matches that I can’t think straight or have any rhythm in my game.”
- “My confidence seems to disappear when I go from practice to matches and I don’t know why.”
- “I get so frustrated with hitting bad shots or with errors and it snowballs.”
- “I expect so much when I play that I unravel and lose confidence when the match does not go as planned.”
Successful tennis players have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in tournaments.
If you are ready to improve your mental toughness and perform with ultimate self-confidence in matches, Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players can help you do this!
- Players: Learn how to take control of your confidence, focus your best, and win more close matches.
- Parents: Help boost your junior tennis player’s confidence for tournaments. Just load the program on your player’s IPod!
- Coaches: Boost your team’s confidence using simple, proven mental strategies.
- Instructors: Learn how to give your students the mental game advantage.
Use Tennis Confidence to help boost your mental toughness in tennis and discover powerful and proven mental game strategies that have helped professional athletes win!
Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players
What are mental game customers saying?
“Dr. Cohn, one of my goals is to become a world-class-coach. There are a few coaches from the US who inspired me the most–John Wooden, Don Shula, and Pat Riley. After working with you, I now also list your name among the most influential coaches in my field!”
~Franz
“On behalf of all of our coaches who attended the 2004 ITA Coaches Convention, I would like to thank you for serving as a featured clinician. I know that the coaches felt it was both enjoyable and informative. We greatly appreciate your taking the time to prepare and present such an outstanding clinic for the benefit of our coaches.”
~Nancy Breo, ITA Convention
“Dr. Cohn did a great job working with my son Joe on his mental skills for tennis. He taught him the mental skills and discipline necessary to move to the next level. Thanks Doc!”
~Mike Withers, Joe Withers Father
“I want to let you know that your “Tennis Confidence” CD program has been extremely helpful to me. I listen to the CDs in the car and the program is helping me overcome a lifetime of tournament performance Anxiety. Thank you!”
~Wing Yu, Tennis Player
Boost Your Self-Confidence in Tennis With Expert Mental Game Coaching!
Master mental game coach, Dr. Patrick Cohn, can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal mental game coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone.
Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 (local: 407-909-1700) or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
One-on-one mental game coaching with Dr. Cohn
What are our mental coaching students saying?
“Maggie had such a great weekend. As always, after she works with you she just seems more grounded and focused. She’s less likely to look around and get distracted during her match. She’s more focused on one point at a time. Also, as a parent, I’ve learned to encourage her process goals and not outcomes. Consequently, she played well and won her first doubles match, upsetting a seeded team in a really really close match!”
~Katherine Johnson Cannata, Maggie’s mother
“She did really well with controlling her emotions during the matches today. We were very proud of her for not showing her frustrations during the match; I think that was a big accomplishment. She really looked in control of her emotions even when she double faulted or made mistakes. The changes we saw in her behavior in less than 24 hours were AWESOME! Thank you for your guidance!”
~Jennifer, Tennis Parent
“Thank you for all the knowledge, tools, material, and guidance you have given me throughout the MGCP course. It was truly a great experience. I am looking forward to integrating your mental training system to students at the club, as well as to athletes that truly are committed, and strive towards reaching their peak performance.”
~Tim Whitehead, Tennis Coach
“Since you last worked with AJ in early September, his National ranking has improved from 349 to 148. His tournament record at one point, since talking with you was 17-4, with 3 of the 4 being in third sets or tiebreakers and 2 of those matches being the same player, whom he has since beaten (you may recall he was on an 0-9 losing streak when we contacted you). His tie-breaker record is at least 90% through last weekend when he won the 18s District tournament with a semi and final match tiebreak win. Your help has definitely improved AJ’s results and his on-court demeanor has substantially improved.”
~Dawn Woodman, A.J.’s Mother
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