The Mindset of a Winner!

As a player this is something that you would love to have as a coach something that you would love to be able to teach.

For many it is tough to be able to win when only a few games away from the certain victory. Sure you  may have been playing well up until the score of perhaps 4-2 serving but we have no idea how the rest of the match will pan out. Perhaps you have the mindset that having worked so hard that you can sit back and take it easy as you should now go on to win this encounter! Maybe you think it is time to change tactics and try and finish your opponent off or worse still try and protect your lead with different variables in your tactical play?

How about coming back from behind to take the match literally from behind?

Tennis has many momentum swings, many rides on the roundabout of scoreline, things can change in an instance, your thoughts could get in the way of your play – literally! Points arent linked together, one is a friend to another, they now nothing of the previous or the future point. Except our mind may make it so!

How can we even begin to understand this? When does these switches occur and how can we prevent them? Why do they happen, are they on a conscious or non-conscious level?

For all players its about evaluating your beliefs and expectations when in a specific situations during the match. What do you believe you will accomplish when having worked your way to a comfortable lead in the penultimate set? What is your expectation when on the brink of losing the match?

The key is to check out your belief system when in key situations, tough matches, easy matches, tie breaks, write down your beliefs, your expectations, your thoughts and let them go! That’s right forget about them all they are of no use to you at anytime in your sport if you are to achieve peak performance.

Let your thoughts enter and be gone just as quick with out any personal or emotional attachment to them. Easier said than done but alas nothing that cannot be trained!

Psychology isn’t for players when there are difficulties, the best utilise these strategies in their game throughout their careers, from an early age!

In your following matches write down the problem areas and check to see if you have any attachments to these. Any beliefs surrounding these situations and learn to just let them go so that you can play in purely the present and the now!