playing with one arm wrapped around my neck..

[ardew]

i choked again last night im my league match.
during practice and when it doesnt count im easily a 4.0 player,
but when it comes to a real match i drop down to a 3.0 - 3.5

ive read books and articles on fixing my mental game, but when it really comes down to it i always come up short.

its so frustrating to deal with and its really the only thing stopping me from advancing.

last night's defeat went so fast i didnt even have time to adjust my game. i was in the hole the entire match and i couldnt get out.

im wondering what everyone thinks of when they're down.
what is the best mindset. i guess it should be a "never give up" attitude but also when you hit a bad shot that you know you can hit, do you think about why it was netted or long? and how to adjust for a better shot next time? i feel like its hard to adjust because you'll wont get the same chance at the same forehand you just missed, especially in doubles.

thoughts?

[predrag]

i choked again last night im my league match.
during practice and when it doesnt count im easily a 4.0 player,
but when it comes to a real match i drop down to a 3.0 - 3.5

ive read books and articles on fixing my mental game, but when it really comes down to it i always come up short.

its so frustrating to deal with and its really the only thing stopping me from advancing.

last night's defeat went so fast i didnt even have time to adjust my game. i was in the hole the entire match and i couldnt get out.

im wondering what everyone thinks of when they're down.
what is the best mindset. i guess it should be a "never give up" attitude but also when you hit a bad shot that you know you can hit, do you think about why it was netted or long? and how to adjust for a better shot next time? i feel like its hard to adjust because you'll wont get the same chance at the same forehand you just missed, especially in doubles.

thoughts?

Well, your problem is lack of experience.
You need to get used to the match situtations, and you need to get your feet moving.
Once you do chances are that you will be able to get yourself in situations and
rallies that you are used to.
Practice is not enough, you need to play a lot of matches, too.

Regards Predrag

[BSousa]

Well, I trully can vouch for the "never give up" thingy, was down 5-1, other player serve and i was able to get it to breakpoint. I lost at 8-6 but I was proud I was able to catch up to a -better- player than me. I lost, but I felt great... Shame my legs don't think that way today :)

But seriously, never give up. Don't get into a loser's mindset or fear a shot you have been screwing up always, jsut try your best.

About adpating to a bad stroke. Most of the times I net the ball stupidily (mostly on the return of serve) I tend to take a look at the racquet angle and the end position of my hand, and from that I now why I messed up. This usually doesn't work well and I still keep losing these points, but each time it gets a little better and by the 5-6 try I'm able to do what I'm supposed to do :)

Someone said that Tennis is the most/a interesting game since you never know the winner until the very last point is decided. I think you should remember this everytime you are down by a few.