The learning
of Moral Values and Mental Skills, should, where ever possible be started at an early age and these are not confined to the
tennis court.
It would
be hoped that Moral values are taught in the home and the school and of course the tennis coach should be a partner in the
learning process.
Mental skills
should also be taught in the above environment but too often these are not taught specifically, but it is the duty of the
sports coach to feature these in the learning process.
The teaching
and learning of moral values and mental skills should be an on going part of the overall training programme.
Attached
at Appendix 1 – I am providing a chart to indicate the methods of developing mental skills, this was published by the
L.T.A. and was based on the experiences and ideas of National Coaches, County Performance Officers and coaches in France and
Great Britain.
Working
day – to – day on mental skils.
You should
practice your mental skills during training periods and then take them onto the court with you when you play matches.
Never ever
be negative – always practice positive encouragement. Build up your own list of positive statements and then use them
consistently, such as ‘ My forehand is my best weapon’ My serve is my strength’ ‘ This positive thinking
will influence the way I am on court and the way I play these shots’.
Always be
fully prepared. Make sure you are in the best physical shape and fit, be prepared to continually work on your technique so
that it is the best it can be. Work on your tactical game, learn all about patterns of play.
Each shot
you play well in practice and in matches and every point you win should be remembered.This will add to your confidence/ Here
are some points to assist you:
Link a success
to a positive word (either aloud or to yourself) ‘Come on’ ‘YES’
Link a success
to a positive action, punching the air etc
Take a mental
picture of moments of success.
Keep a diary
or note book and include your successes
One tennis
play I know, keeps his positive statements and successes on the side of his water bottle which accompanies him to all his
practices and matches. At a time of need he takes stock by looking for the appropriate statement.
Get into
the habit of imagining success rather than defeat in your mind. See yourself playing
well and hitting winners.
Concentration.
Whilst you
are playing focus on the ball, allow it to fill your gaze so that other thoughts are eliminated. Try to watch the wording
or seams of the ball.
Concentrate
on the sounds of the rally, the ball bouncing, the racket hitting the ball, feel the rhythm of the hitting. Even the pro’s say bounce – hit to themselves if things are no going too well with their concentration.
As you hit
the ball exhale sharply – concentrate on your breathing.
Whilst rallying,
repeat in your mind the following words before each hit ‘Hit’, ‘Attack’ etc., Pick your own words.
Adaptability.
You should
try to practice under as many different conditions as possible, go to different venues for practice with different court surfaces.
If it is very sunny or windy, so out and practice, you will have to play in these conditions.
Use different
pressure drills to make it tough for you to beat your partner. Use old and new tennis balls.
Managing Anxiety
We must
first of all recognise when we or our players are anxious and this may take various forms, displaying nerves and appearing
anxious, some people may seem quiet, some yawn whilst others become boisterous.
Try keeping
a log or a diary to record feelings of anxiety before and during each training session and whilst competing. Once you recognise
the signs of anxiety you can begin to work on it.
Recognition
is only part of the equation, it is then necessary to manage it. One of the most commonly used relaxation techniques is Progressive
Muscular Relaxation (PMR). this is a body-to-mind technique which encourages you to alternate tensing and relaxing the muscles,
moving around the body from head and neck to lower legs and feet. Also using correct breathing techniques. These exercises should initially be performed before training only.
Try the
following before a training session.
First name
some of the major muscle groups (using simple names such as calves, forearm etc) then use this sequence for each group:
Tense the
muscles for about 5 seconds (ensure there is no pain associated with this)
Notice the
sensation of the tension
Completely
relax the muscles.
Notice the
difference between relaxed and tense muscles.
Repeat two
or three times.
Breathing
Exercises.
Abdominal
breathing. Close your mouth, exhale then inhale through your nose intil your lungs are full. The the area below the ribcage should expand when breathing in.
The sequence
is:
- deep inhalation
- tensing of muscles for five seconds
- exhalation and relaxation of muscles.
Meditation
Meditation
allows you to relax while simultaneously focusing the mind.
It require
four main elements.
- A quiet, warm environment (e.g. changing room, car )
- A comfortable position.
- An object/word on which to focus attention (a mantra)
- A passive attitude, allowing thoughts to pass through the mind, passively returning to the object of
focus.
Imagery
can also be used as a mind-to-body technique in order to practice relaxation.
Obviously
the above techniques take time and can only be performed during training sessions, therefore you will a quick fix technique
to help the feeling of relaxation during competitive play (eg between points,
during change overs) and this is where the technique of centering comes in to play.
Centering
require you to change the centre of consciousness from the head to the cebtre of gravity (normally a point just below the
navel) this allows you to feel more balanced and stable, and so in control of the situation.
Practice
the following so that you can use it during competition.
- imagine your consciousness is slipping down from the head, down the neck, through the chest and into
the stomach, coming to rest just below the navel.
- take a deep breath (using the diaphragm) and as you exhale, focus for a moment on this part of the body.
The above
is often all that is need to to relax and refocus and back into the match.
Discipline.
You should
identify the rules of acceptability first and I list a number below.
Inmany of
these the person who makes the deccission is you, however you can discuss and arrange these through your coach and they should
be scrupulously adhered to. An agreed penalty should be set for any breach of the rules.
Some rules
for discipline:
- To be on time
- Not to complain
- To be on good behaviour
- No drugs
- No smoking
- No swearing
- No drinking
- No racquet throwing
- Respect for umpires and officials
- Involvement in goal setting
- Humility about tennis ability
- Consistency in the programme
