Is over thinking...

[Mike2228]

Is thinking too much the very worst thing you can do on a tennis court? I find I play much better when I rely on instinct.

[LeeD]

I"m sure there are plenty worse, like pooing over yourself, breaking your leg on the net post, or contracting malaria from the little flying mosquitos around.
A fine line between too much thinking and no thinking whatsoever. What were you thinking?

[VeeSe]

Leave the serious thinking about strategy adjustment, observations, etc. for in between points, when you are catching your breath or preparing for the next point. That's where the bigger decisions should be made and where you decide if you are going to try and set anything up.

During the point, I think you should rely mostly on instinct but also try to execute your gameplan when the spots are available.

Lastly, I think "instinct" can be built up by practicing. For example, you can train yourself to recognize balls that you should and should not be taking risks with and attacking during practice so that when these situations come up during the match, your "instinct" is there.

[Moz]

I think that most people waste the time between games. It's a good time to make adjustments. Take a pad of paper and write 1 or 2 things that worked and 1 or 2 things that didn't work in the last 2 games. You might find that the adjustments come more naturally during points without you having to force yourself to think about them.

The ball and opponent should be the in-point focus, the rest is pre-point background.

[TheCheese]

As VeeSe said, leave the strategy and tactics to your conscious mind. Leave hitting the ball to your body.

[Hi I'm Ray]

Originally Posted by Mike2228

Is thinking too much the very worst thing you can do on a tennis court? I find I play much better when I rely on instinct.

Over thinking and/or trying to make too many adjustment on the court can be a disaster. However you'll usually get it sorted out eventually and improve at the end of it, even if it takes a while.

As LeeD said, there are worse things than overthinking, just a few:
* not trying new things/improving in practice
* mindless, no strategy, aimless hitting
* deer in headlights reaction when things aren't working in a game, locking up mentally when you need to be seeing/thinking clearly what needs to be changed in the middle of a game.

[dlam]

"inner game of tennis" by T Galloway is suppose to good to help settle your mind

[dman72]

I find that while i'm hitting, if I think about more than one thing, I'm toast. So, if I'm telling myself "keep your head down on the ball", or "hit the ball early", I'm fine.

If I'm thinking both things at once, errors come in droves.

Where I'm hitting the ball to is a complete different side of the brain..that part doesn't interfere with strokes, unless in trying to direct the ball it makes you start pushing and not completing your stroke.

I'm sure everyone is different to some degree in this regard.

[jakeytennis]

Originally Posted by dlam

"inner game of tennis" by T Galloway is suppose to good to help settle your mind

most definitely. your mind should be quiet and only aware of your senses and game situation.

keeping you mind quiet keeps you concentrated on the ball and your body relaxed, resulting in peak performance

[fuzz nation]

Originally Posted by Moz

I think that most people waste the time between games. It's a good time to make adjustments. Take a pad of paper and write 1 or 2 things that worked and 1 or 2 things that didn't work in the last 2 games. You might find that the adjustments come more naturally during points without you having to force yourself to think about them.

The ball and opponent should be the in-point focus, the rest is pre-point background.

I also encourage some of my kids to jot down a basic plan on a 3x5 card or something so they can look at it on change-overs. It's often a settling thing when we can revisit a simple, decent plan through the course of a match. When the point starts, we should already know what we want to do. That way we're not just reacting to our opponents - that gives them too much initiative in competition.

Also Mike, I'll bet that you're discovering the significance of thorough, deliberate practice. When our shots are reliable enough that we can repeat them without thinking about them in match settings, it's easier to mind our opponents. If we have to focus on the other guys as well as our own technique, etc., that's a recipe for over thinking. Groove your shots and then your instincts will be free to guide you through your basic plan of attack.

[morandi]

I find focusing on breathing to be key. With your breath everything flows and stems from that.

[Ash_Smith]

Is thinking too much the worst thing you can do on a tennis court - not necessarily, but it is certainly as destructive (if not more so) than under thinking.

cheers

[Mick3391]

Originally Posted by Mike2228

Is thinking too much the very worst thing you can do on a tennis court? I find I play much better when I rely on instinct.

Yea, overthinking will kill your game.

Do repetitive practice so when you hit it's like putting your foot on the gas or brake, you aren't aware of it, it's built in reaction.