How to Trust Your Tennis Game
Trust in your skills is a must for your tennis game…
Trust in your conditioning… Trust in your ability to tough out challenging circumstances… Trust in your ability to compete against strong competition… Trust in your ability to make shots with over thinking.
Trusting your strokes allows you to remain aggressive and go for shots. Trust allows you to keep fighting no matter the score. Trust keeps you focused on the current point because trust gives you the confidence needed to win that point.
When you lack trust in your game, difficult match circumstances can cause you to tighten up and short stroke your swings in the middle of a match. Without trust, you can’t play near your peak.
Take this little test to gauge your level of trust in your tennis game:
- When a match runs long, do you trust you have what it takes to finish strong?
- When you are down a set, are you confident in your ability to come back?
- When you have made a few unforced errors, do you continue to play aggressive and swing freely to your target?
- When you are playing a highly contested match, do you trust in your ability to make critical shots?
Trust was the key to victory for 20 year-old Jelena Ostapenko who beat Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the French Open for her first Grand Slam title.
Despite hitting fifty-four errors (more than four times as many as Halep), Ostapenko stayed aggressive, raced for the ball and went for winners.
Wow, 54 unforced errors! That really going for it!
Even after losing the first set and being down 3-Love in the second set, Osatapenko stayed focused and Continued to go after her shots with full trust.
OSTAPENKO: “I was losing 6-4, 3-0, and then in my mind I was just, I’m just going to enjoy the match, and I will try to fight until the last point.”
Instead of becoming mentally worn down by overthinking and ruminating about unforced errors, Ostapenko stayed present on each shot, just hit the ball and looked for opportunities to hit winners.
Trust allows you to stay in the game mentally and see opportunities as they unfold.
Where did this level of trust come from? Well, it’s not just how Ostapenko plays, it’s how she practices.
OSTAPENKO: “I always had the possibility I could hit the ball really hard… if I have a chance to go for a shot, I’m trying, and it’s quite helpful [strategy]. It’s just the way I play.”
And that trust paid off for Ostapenko helping her become the first unseeded player to win the French Open in the Open era and the youngest player to win a Slam in more than a decade.
How to develop trust in your game:
Trust requires that you train your body to act in a certain way and train your mind to act in that same way when the pressure is on.
So, you must practice with a purpose. Create small practice goals for each practice session.
When you step on the match court, you have to feel relaxed enough to go for your shots instead of push the ball.
Most players will tighten up under pressure and not hit out on the ball. They protect from make the error. Instead you want to use the shots you worked on in practice no matter if you miss.
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.
- Instructors: Learn how to give your students the mental game advantage.
- Coaches: Boost your team’s confidence using simple, proven mental strategies.
- Parents: Help boost your junior tennis player’s confidence for tournaments. Just load the program on your player’s IPod!
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?
“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
“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?
“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
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