Really Frusterated and Confused..feeling really down right now.

[Matt87]

So here's the deal, This is my 2nd year of playing junor tournaments, and I was really looking forward to improving and even winning alot of good matches.

I trained this whole summer, worked full time to save up enough money to go to a tennis camp in the states, changed racquets, even got a couple privates, yet these last 2 tourneys I played,

1. Whenever I feel like I should be winning the match or scared of losing ranking points I don't go for my shots and just push, I HATE IT!

2. Whenever I'm playing a match I always try to play perfect and have the perfect technique, yet when there are big points or when the match starts I dont use any of the fundamentals I've worked on!!!

3. I feel like a wreck on the court, I've trained so hard, yet I almost feel like crying cause I'm disapointed in myself.

4. I only go for my shots when I feel like I'm playing an opponent I have nothing to lose and there's no pressure, I know I should play the ball not the player.

I perform well in practice because I consiously try to work on those fundamentals, such as footwork,

1. I'm trying to stay low the whole time and be on tip toes
2. My backhand I'm trying to lean in on every ball
3. Forehand is all over the place as of late

but anyways please help, I have a tourney this weekend and I am right now flustered cause I feel like if I'd play like I do in practice I'd be soo much better, even though I DO play practice sets.

I've trained so hard and yet I don't feel like I'm improving..

please help.


God Bless

Matt.

 

[mikeler]

Your goal for the tournament should be this. Whether you win or lose is absolutely not important. No matter what, even on the big points, you have to play your game. The only thing you should worry about is translating your practice play into match play.

The more tournaments you play, you'll find that they become routine and you start to settle down. For me, I choked at so many tournaments in a row I got so fed up with myself that all the anger erupted one match and I just started going for my shots. I still lost the match but I got rid of that problem for good.

 

[Kevo]

I think you have to worry about learning to play tennis one point at a time during a match. Don't worry about your technique. If you play matches thinking about your technique and what you need to do to fix your serve or your forehand, you won't learn how to play the game.

Just learn to accept that you will make mistakes and those mistakes are simply something that you try to account for in your game strategy. Don't worry about why they occurred. Just stick with your routines and work a plan. Try to make small improvements and add elements every time you play a match. You will improve.

I absolutely agree with Mikeler, don't even think about winning or losing. That's not what it's about. Just have a plan and work on it.

 

[dozu]

I have played tennis for 22 years.... a lot of opponents along the way.

I also have involved in other competitive sports, with tournaments etc.

20+ years later, when I look back, I can no longer remember I beat somebody, or got beat by somebody.

what I can remember, are flashes of extrodinary moments - great shots, great mental toughness, the emotions after victory and defeat.

none of that would be possible, if not for the tough challenges my opponents put forth.

So, in the moment, you might get frustrated why your opp don't just surrender, but a few years from now, you will realize that your opp was the reason that you performed.

So, on top of playing 1 point at a time, you should LOOK FORWARD TO the challenge in front of you, you should hope that your opponent PROVIDE YOU A TOUGH CHALLENGE, to draw the best out of you.

with this attitude, you will not choke, you will rise to the occassion, because you look forward to the occassion.

 

[rk_sports]

...
...
1. Whenever I feel like I should be winning the match or scared of losing ranking points I don't go for my shots and just push, I HATE IT!

2. Whenever I'm playing a match I always try to play perfect and have the perfect technique, yet when there are big points or when the match starts I dont use any of the fundamentals I've worked on!!!
....
.

Looks like you're already on the way to figuring it out...

Now, I don't know if anyone can help you transform for your next tournament or not, but I would suggest you 2 books..
1. Inner Game of Tennis -- knowledge to manage emotional lows and self doubt
2. Winning Ugly -- knowledge to know the importance of a point over everything else (like a 'technically perfect shot')

 

[Blake0]

Everyone goes through this stage in competition. From playing more and more tournaments you'll eventually learn to play your game. Just play how you play in practice, focus on footwork and hitting instead of winning/losing/rankings. Forget about rankings for a bit and play your game. It's better to establish solid mentality fundamentals right off the back then push for the next year so you can improve as a player.

 

[coyfish]

Actually be careful about the "perfect technique." I figured out what I was doing wrong for the longest time yesterday in fact. I thought it was footwork but it turns out I was getting stressed in matches so I would overcompensate my feet. In other words I got too close in the ball trying to be in perfect position which threw me off. Kept thinking my footwork wasn't good enough but it turns out it was "too" good . . . Just something to think about.

 

[fuzz nation]

Decent advice already.

I learned a lot of things myself from reading Vic Braden's book, Mental Tennis, and I recommend it to players all the time. Braden is a long time tennis guru, but also a licensed psychologist, so he has a rather firm grasp of the nuts 'n bolts of the sports psychology related to our game. He's also a funny dude, so his writing (and lectures) are no chore to work through.

One of the best things I picked up from Mental Tennis was improved awareness of the conflict we might have with our own expectations when we play. Your description of your own frustrations given the amount of work you've put into your game tipped me off to this problem. Whenever our expectations are out of touch with, well... reality, that's when the frustrations usually set it.

It's a huge discipline in tennis to stay focused on what we want to do right on the courts despite whatever is going wrong. Even if you played at a new, stronger level a week or two back, you've got to get comfortable with the fact that it's going to come and go. Expect your best game to be there all the time and you're destined for disappointment.

Stay focused on what you want to do right out there with your game though, and it will be much easier to connect with your better stuff more often. Fixate on those errors and it's much more likely that you'll repeat them. In the big picture, the smart advice is to enjoy the process. You can't put a clock on your progress and there's no avoiding an occasional setback.

 

[MNPlayer]

I have played tennis for 22 years.... a lot of opponents along the way.

I also have involved in other competitive sports, with tournaments etc.

20+ years later, when I look back, I can no longer remember I beat somebody, or got beat by somebody.

what I can remember, are flashes of extrodinary moments - great shots, great mental toughness, the emotions after victory and defeat.

none of that would be possible, if not for the tough challenges my opponents put forth.

So, in the moment, you might get frustrated why your opp don't just surrender, but a few years from now, you will realize that your opp was the reason that you performed.

So, on top of playing 1 point at a time, you should LOOK FORWARD TO the challenge in front of you, you should hope that your opponent PROVIDE YOU A TOUGH CHALLENGE, to draw the best out of you.

with this attitude, you will not choke, you will rise to the occassion, because you look forward to the occassion.

This is great advice! As you get better you will start winning more, but that will only mean you have to start playing tougher players - and go back to losing again. If you can only enjoy tennis when you are winning, all that pressure will eventually be too stressful and you will burn out.

I only wish I could consistently have this attitude . The toughest time to maintain it are when you are losing an "important" match to someone you think you should beat easily.