Living up to Others Expectations
Why do some very talented athletes never seem to live up to their potential?
Do you feel that you have more to achieve in tennis but are consistently under-performing?
Many talented, skillful and physically gifted tennis players fail to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
These talented tennis players often play poorly against lower ranked opponents and fall apart under the weight of pressure in big matches.
Does this sound familiar?
Your coaches tell you how talented you are over and over but you can never seem to get over the hump…
You crush it in practice matches, but can’t seem to replicate that sort of dominant performance in matches…
This inability to perform at your potential leaves you frustrated…
You might even lose your motivation and no longer get excited playing in tennis events… You label yourself as a “practice player” and lose your competitiveness.
How is it possible that highly talented tennis players never reach their potential in match play?
Your success depends on more than physical talent and ability. Success in tennis requires mental skills. Mental skills take your physical talent and magnify your play on the court.
Mental skills, such as focus, confidence, emotional control, goal setting and mental toughness get you over the hump and vault you to the next level.
But mental skills require direction and work.
If you are not being coached in the development of mental skills and are not working to improve your mental skills with a knowledgeable professional on a daily basis, you will remain that tennis player who consistently falls short of achieving your potential.
Take for example highly touted and talented Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios is gaining a reputation of being the player blessed with all the physical gifts who can’t seem to live up to the hype.
Kyrgios will play well one match and seem like he is well on his way to becoming a tennis star, then inexplicably self-implode during his very next match.
Kyrgios’ inability to manage his emotions on the court has held him back from consistently performing at a high level.
Kyrgios was fined a total of $16,500 for violations of the ATP code of conduct after he tanked his second round clash against Mischa Zverev at the 2016 Shanghai Masters.
Jeff Bond, a former Australian Institute of Sport psychologist of 22 years, believes Kyrgios will continue to underperform because of an unwillingness to seek help on the mental side of his game.
BOND: “People who are high on self confidence [cockiness], you know the ‘me, me, me’ thing are unlikely to seek support from any kind of professional unless they’ve got they’re backside in a sling, unless they’ve got their back against the wall.”
Bond went as far to suggest that some tennis players on the circuit will not admit they need help because they see it as a sign of weakness.
The thing to remember is that if you don’t commit to improving your mental game, you will often be ruled by the mental circumstances that you face in competition.
Tips for taking your talent to matches:
What mental skills do you lack that affect your performance in matches? Talk to your coach and get your coach’s assessment of your mental game.
For example, do you tighten up and not trust your strokes? Do you fear failure? Do you try to perform perfectly? Do you have fragile confidence?
Ask yourself, “How can I improve my mental game in matches?”
Reach out to a mental game coach or sport psychologist just to see what they can offer you in terms of mental skills coaching.
From that point, you can make a more informed decision on how to improve your mental game.
Check out my mental coaching programs:
Take advantage of my complementary 15-minute session to see if you can benefit from mental coaching.
Boost Your Self-Confidence And Focus With Expert Mental Game Coaching!
Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal 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 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
What are our students saying?
“Thank you for all the knowledge, tools, material, and guidance you have given me throughout this course. It was truly a great experience. I am looking forward to integrating this mental training system not only to students at the club, but as well bring this wonderful education outside to athletes that truly are committed, and strive towards reaching their peak performance.”
~Tim Whitehead, Head Tennis Professional, MGCP
“I have really enjoyed listening to your tennis psychology podcasts on iTunes and reading your E-books. I already have improved in my mental game. I played in a tennis tournament this past weekend and played with the amount of confidence I should have in myself. If I lost a point or made a stupid error, I knew how to deal with it and move on to the next point. I didn’t get frustrated.”
~Melanie Lewis, Junior Tennis Player
Learn Proven 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?
Successful tennis players have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in tournaments.
If you are ready to improve your mental toughness and perform wiht ultimate self-confidence in matches, Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players can help you do this!
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 customers saying?
“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.”
~Mike Withers, dad of Joe Withers
“Danielle 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 on Danielle’s behavior in less than 24 hours were AWESOME! Thank you for your guidance!”
~Jennifer Alamo, Tennis Parent
Add More Value To Your Mental Training Programs!
This workbook series was designed for coaches and mental coaches to use with their athletes.
The Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks complement your existing mental training program. Each of the 15 workbooks in the Athlete’s Mental Edge System teaches your athletes a specific mental skill to improve their performance.
For mental coaches, this system is ideal for between session education.
For sports coaches, you’ll be able to conduct 15 team seminars using the workbook system.
In the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbook system, you receive 15 easy-to-read, practical Mental Edge Workbooks on PDF, as well as 16 coaches’ game plan MP3 audio files.
Athlete’s Mental Edge Workbook System
What are coaches saying?
“I am really pleased with the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks – they are fitting in really well with my coaching! I find they offer a great framework for doing workshop sessions. I have also used the workbooks with a few individual athletes – for the younger ones (12 and under). They are giving a good structure and framework to our sessions. The workbooks have worked well with all of them!”
~Kerri Morgan, Mental Game Coach
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