Rhythm & Flow Tennis

Competition by its nature triggers a lot of thoughts and internal dialogue. It also triggers a lot of emotions ranging from joy and excitement to fear, frustration, anger, and disappointment. Thoughts and emotions are at the root of most of our actions and behavior and therefore have a profound effect on our performance. Controlling thoughts and emotions, or using self-discipline, is critical to getting the best out of yourself in competitive situations.

Understanding and harnessing the power of thought and emotion and how this impacts your performance is a key ingredient in maximizing your potential. Many talented athletes have failed to reach their full potential simply because they could not control their thoughts and feelings. Negative thinking and emotions such as fear, anger, and anxiety destroy self- confidence and concentration and eventually weaken commitment. Not only do they affect mental fitness, they can diminish your physical performance. A negative internal environment creates stress and tension which can cause muscle tightness and poor coordination. Research on the effect of words and images on the functions of the body offers amazing evidence of the power that words spoken at random can have on body functions. Science shows that thoughts can raise and lower body temperature, relax muscles and nerve endings, dilate and constrict arteries, and raise and lower pulse rate.  Learning how to control your internal dialogue then also means gaining control over both your mental and physical state.

A competitive situation, like a tennis match, is a strong  trigger for a range of thoughts and emotions. Your mind is bombarded with stimuli before and during and event. How you react to external stimuli such as the event, the weather, coaches, family, and friends and internal stimuli including your own thoughts, feelings, memories and images, can determine the outcome of your match. Your mind perceives and interprets stimuli in two ways. Humans have a rational or thinking mind and an emotional or feeling mind. These two “minds” work together generating a series of thoughts based on what it sees and the emotional mind reacting to it.

For example, let’s say your opponent is on court already and warming up when you arrive at the court. Your opponent is the defending champion and #1 seed. Do your thoughts start to wander? Are you thinking something like – my opponent looks so fit. No wonder they are the champion. I hope I don’t make a fool of myself. Or are you thinking – I have trained really hard and am so prepared for this match. My opponent is tough, but I am excited to put all of my hard work into action and win.

The first set of reactions are based on fear. Fear of looking foolish and self-doubt can lead to anxiety which of course can lead to getting uptight and nervous. In this situation most players will play it safe and let their opponent take control of the match. In the second set of reactions, the player is coming from a position of strength, rather than fear. This player is excited for the challenge and calm and ready to play. They are more likely to dictate play rather than just reacting to their opponent.

It takes practice and awareness to gain self-control over your thoughts and emotions. Consider how you react when faced with a competitive situation mentally, emotionally, and physically. Once you become aware, you can try to exert some control. You cannot prevent yourself from thinking and feeling, but you can, with practice, manage these processes so they can help you perform at your best.

Here are a few strategies to help control thoughts and emotions:

Calming Techniques

Breath Control

Breathing is a bridge between your mind and your body. When you are calm and relaxed, your breathing is quiet and easy. When you are angry, tense or upset, you tend to hold your breath or take rapid, short breaths. You can use deep and slow breathing to calm the mind and body. Exhalation, particularly long slow breaths stimulates, the part of the nervous system that calms the body.

Finding Calm  Under Pressure

During competition, there will be times when you need to calm down. These include critical times during the match like set points, after a major error or when you are trying too hard.

• Slow down. Take time before you serve or return to reframe your internal dialogue.
• Use cue words. Choose words like “calm”, confident” or “relax” and repeat them to yourself.
• Stay in the present. Many players get uptight when they make a mistake. Use a cue word or slap yourself on the leg as a signal to get back in the present.
• Loosen up. Shake your muscles out. Repeat this several times until the tension eases.
• Choose your internal dialogue. Think about what you want to happen instead of what you don’t want to happen.

Train Under Pressure

The most effective way to cope with pressure is to train for it. Set up situations in practice that simulate competition. Make a list of simulation practices you can set up to prepare for competitive pressure. During these pressure situations, use the mental training techniques that you’ve been practicing.

Imagery Control

Imagery is also known as visualization. If a player can picture in advance each moment of an event exactly as it should be, in a relaxed meditative state, the greater will be the chances that he or she will carry out those movements during the actual performance. In your mind’s eye, see yourself performing the way you’d like.