tennis training

You know your skills are roughly the same. You beat players he loses to. Your strokes even look better. Yet for some reason, you can't beat him. Not to worry, you're in good company. At one time or another, most of us have fallen victim to a player we know we can beat. Whether it's his playing style, or your inner critic chastising you for every missed ball, each match with this opponent is a struggle.

You're enmeshed in a tight match with the hotshot at your club. As the contest progresses your opponent begins to irritate you. Perhaps the way he swaggers after making a good shot grates on your nerves. Or his calls are a little too quick and there's a smug, pleased tone to his voice as he yells, "Out!" In your mind, you have to win because you can't imagine having to smile and shake his hand if he beats you.

Knowing and then exploiting your opponent’s mental flaws is extremely important in the battle of wits on a tennis court. While it’s easy to know if your opponent’s forehand or backhand is better, it requires a little extra sensitivity and insight to analyze their mental state for flaws. This awareness is the first step in gaining a huge mental advantage.

One of the biggest challenges in tennis is fatigue. While fatigue often makes cowards of many, it’s not always the case. Following a 33-hour solo flight, Charles Lindbergh landed safely in France. Give in to fatigue and you are cooked. Fight through it properly and you gain a huge advantage. Let's take a closer look.

While fear and anxiety inhibit performance and lead to muscle tension, confusion, and indecision, an equally dangerous mental state often arises in the absence of fear, when a player is totally in command of the match and on the verge of victory. I call it a major “comfort trap” when a player feels satisfied and puts on the brakes with a lead.

A competitive tennis match is the perfect breeding ground for pressure. This sport is so challenging and unpredictable at times that responding to crises becomes more rule than the exception. Proper mental training and preparation helps players feed off competitive pressure, improve focus, and raise their game to a higher level. Lack of readiness overwhelms the unsuspecting victim, and can lead to panic, choking, anger, or tanking.

How to keep focus after winning the first set.

How you carry yourself can bolster your chances of winning.

A closely fought tennis match is not just a physical battle. It’s a struggle of will, mental strength, and character. One powerful element in winning matches is establishing dominance.

Let’s talk about losing. While I don’t wish defeat on anyone, most of us will agree that we lose 50% of the matches we play at any level. If you play a serious match once a week, that’s at least 25 losses a year, and you are in super company. Nikolay Davydenko is behind only Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the world rankings, and he lost 28 matches in 2006!