Over the past several weeks there have been several questions submitted for the podcast on mental toughness, fighting anxiety and nerves, and tightening up on certain strokes during a tennis match or even practice. The mental game is a huge part of tennis, and something that truely affects every player, so it’s obviously of huge importance to understand and work on as you continue to strive for improvement in your game.
A huge part of performing well mentaly during a tennis match or during a practice session is keeping your focus sharp, another way of saying concentration. Without good focus and concentration it’s incredibly easy to lapse into a relaxed mental state where unforced errors are more easily hit, and a players attitude can plumit into a negative state of mind.
So how can we keep better focus on the court? Below I will go over the two main ways you can control your mental focus, and improve your mental game.
Control your eyes
At the recreational level tennis players let their eyes leave the court between points way too often, and this is a huge cause of distraction. I struggled with this in college as I was a little insecure playing the bottom of my team’s line up after being “the man” in high school. I was constantly looking up into the viewing area trying to see who was watching me: My coach? Teammates? Friends from my hall or classes? Your eyes need to stay on the court, and preferably only on one of two things: the ball, or your own racket. During the points that you play your focus needs to remain as much as possible on the ball, no brainer. In between points, keeping your eyes down either on your racket, your shoes, or the court is a great way to keep your concentration. The pros are constantly fixing their strings between points, sure their strings move a lot, but this is a focus technique as well. Distractions come easily, your game will improve if you avoid them at all costs.
Control your thoughts
Firstly, it’s essential that you keep your thoughts either positive or neutral as you play your tennis. Trust me, I understand how hard this can be. I’m a perfectionist, and I’m passionate about my tennis. That means when I fail to make a shot, especially one that I feel is routine and easy, its so easy to get angry and take on a negative attitude. Negative feelings can snow ball very quickly and turn your attitude sour very quickly, this in turn can lead to poor decision making, impatience, and overall poor play. Don’t let short falls in your strokes or shot making break your focus and concentration, you need to stay sharp, and negative thoughts will destroy your mentality.
Secondly, its essential to keep your thoughts on whats happening in the present, and what needs to be done in the future. When a poor shot, point, or series of points is played, its very easy to dwell on it and forget what needs to be done to get back on track and avoid making the same mistake again. Another way that mental focus and concentration is often broken is through a poor or questionable line call by the opposition. Let it go. It’s not worth it, trust me. Dwelling on any kind of negative event during your match can do nothing but hurt you. Being able to put those kinds of things behind you quickly, and replacing those thoughts with what needs to be done NOW is a skill that will serve you well if developed.
