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Mind
Training for Tennis
- Tip 21
What
Your Opponent Doesn't Want You To Know
http://www.tennispsychology.com
When you walk
out onto court,
this is the time when you want to be feeling calm,
powerful, strong and confident.
Unfortunately,
a lot of players do not feel this way, as
they walk out for a match. Many are worrying
about how they will play, and often are also intimidated or
concerned about their opponent's ability.
The most important thing to remember here is
we give our opposition far too much credit!
Remember
that you are not competing against powerful,
unemotional robots, who never have a bad day.
Sure,
that's the impression they try to create for you,
hoping you will believe it.
Your
opponent wants you to believe they are cool, calm, powerful,
relentless, emotionless and in control, and that they
are not the slightest bit worried about playing you.
But
the fact is - it's not true. It's so very, very far from
the truth.
Instead, you
are merely competing against a normal, everyday, emotional,
equally-nervous human
being, with all the various frailties that come with
being human -
and who is also experiencing
the same emotional feelings, the same highs and
lows, the same nerves, the same intimidation, and everything
else that you may also feel at times on court.
When
you think about it, you probably know very little about
your competiotor's mental state of mind, or physical health
- and yet we
always seem to assume they are going to play better than
us, and feel more confident than we do!
But
- most of the time, the simple fact is..... they're not.
All this fear is simply stuff that our conscous mind throws
at us before we walk on court.
Simply
by - for just a few seconds - moving
your focus from yourself and
seeing the match through the eyes of your opponent,
can often be enough to take the major edge off your nerves.
Yes,
I know - it sounds almost too simple to be true, but
it truly does help. It reminds us that we are not competing
against super-human powers - we are simply playing
against regular everyday human beings,
who happened to turn up to play today - and who may
be experiencing the same emotional or physical frailties
that you have also experienced, in the past.
One
thing you can definitely be
assured of is that your opponent is feeling nervous
- that is an absolute given.
But what you don't know
is, they may also be feeling low in confidence, ill,
injured, upset, or a whole host of other mental or physical
influences - any of which may give you the edge.
So
never assume that
you are the only player who is feeling nervous
out there - you will be in a draw with 63 other
players who will all
be feeling exactly the same.
But the difference is - you have the edge!
You
already know they are nervous. Plus,
by using the mental technique of looking at the
match through their eyes,
it strengthens your own confidence -
and this will make you
feel stronger.
Even
better, your competitors will not know
this technique! They will be dwelling
upon their own negative thoughts - of intimidation, nerves,
injuries, etc etc.
Keep
this little technique in mind before you step onto court
- it's just another way of getting into the mind
of your opponent, and under their skin!
