What mental concept dramatically helped your game, once you got it?

Taxvictim · May 15, 2007

There's another thread about what one thing really helped your game, but the options are all tangible actions, such as reading books or taking lessons.

Here's a twist: what mental concept dramatically helped your game once you "got it"? For example, my backhand improved tremendously recently when I started to think of "pulling" the racket instead of pushing it.

Can you think of a time you suddenly figured something out? Maybe something you heard a million times, but it never helped you until that day on the court when a light bulb went on inside your head?

Tony Robbins says the way to improve quickly is to copy not only the physiology of a successful person, but also his belief system. So what beliefs, thoughts, or ideas made you a better player?

Solat · May 15, 2007

when i changed my game plan from hitting winners to forcing errors

kevhen · May 15, 2007

That doubles is more about hitting the ball low over the net rather than hard over the net.

lordmanji · May 15, 2007

"be aggressive."

crazysoccer00 · May 15, 2007

"Watch the Ball"
I never quite understood the importance of it.
But during last match I actually tried doing that and I could return serves much better and my ground strokes improved so much I was quite surprised

str33t · May 15, 2007

That I'd rather lose playing hard and going for my shots than lowering myself to my opponent's level.

chris1992 · May 15, 2007

flicking my wrist on the forehand and concentrating on making the ball rise over the basline rather than just hitting all out.

skiracer55 · May 15, 2007

Play your way through a match...

...don't think your way through a match. In that vein, one of my coaches, who is an Aussie and played on the ATP, said "Play the ball, not your opponent." Or, as one of the other Aussies said, some years ago, vis a vis Inner Tennis, "You play tennis on the court, not in your head."

johnny ballgame · May 15, 2007

One point at a time, one shot at a time. Before, I couldn't help but think "3 more points" if I was up 5-2, 15-0 or something like that. That screwed me up I think. Now, I'm constantly reminding myself to just focus on the task at hand: the next point, the next ball.

Calm but focused, that's my mantra.

televisiontommy · May 15, 2007

I always remind myself: "smooth = power". Swinging faster doesn't necessarily mean you hit harder.

On 1-H backhand I always remind myself to stay sideways and not open up my shoulders and body. Helps me keep from spraying the ball and mishitting off the frame.

Robbnc · May 15, 2007

Stay loose.....have fun!

Supernatural_Serve · May 15, 2007

Tennis is a game of errors. Consistency wins.

atatu · May 15, 2007

str33t said:
That I'd rather lose playing hard and going for my shots than lowering myself to my opponent's level.

I'd say you're the exception to the rule. Most people who adopt this mantra don't get better, they lose all the time to more consistent players then say "oh well...I'd rather lose than...."

For me, it was the realization that griding out a tennis match isn't that difficult mentally. I was always weak mentally, then when I studied for the bar exam one summer I came back and thought "this is easy" and improved a lot.

sapient007 · May 15, 2007

don't under estimate. even if the other player looks like shiet during warm ups doesn't mean he/she can't whip your butt

stnick · May 15, 2007

1) slow down and play deliberately and relaxed, controlling the pace,
2) to focus on the next point, not the last mistake, which channels my competitiveness in a positive direction. The key to this, I've found, is to understand the last mistake as not a mistake at all, but just another repetition in the long slow trial-and-error process of improving in tennis- it takes thousands and thousands and thousands of repetitions, of errors and successes to "groove" your game.

103xStateChamp · May 15, 2007

1. Don't try to hit extra hard serves when hot girls walk past your court.

2. Think every shot is going in if you think your going to hit it out it will go out when you hit a big winner think it's going in.

Andres · May 15, 2007

DON'T NET IT. Hit it long, in any case, but DON'T net it.

LuckyR · May 15, 2007

atatu said:
I'd say you're the exception to the rule. Most people who adopt this mantra don't get better, they lose all the time to more consistent players then say "oh well...I'd rather lose than...."

For me, it was the realization that griding out a tennis match isn't that difficult mentally. I was always weak mentally, then when I studied for the bar exam one summer I came back and thought "this is easy" and improved a lot.

This is the best post on the thread, IMHO...

Geezer Guy · May 15, 2007

You have to close out the match with whatever's working for you.

If you've been grinding it out from the baseline, don't try to serve and volley on match point.
If you've been hitting big shots and going for winners, don't get conservative and start pushing.
And if you've been pushing, don't start going for winners.

spot · May 15, 2007

Watch the ball bounce. I sometimes would get caught looking at the opponent and where I wanted to hit the ball instead of just focusing on the ball coming up off of the ground. In fact my game is at its best when I stop watching the ball in mid flight- once the opponent makes contact I want to start looking at wherever it is going to land so that I can watch the ball come up off of the ground. Particularly on serves this was a major difference in my game. I can't tell you how much more consistently I hit when I just focus on this one thing.

nyc · May 15, 2007

1. Pretend you're down when you're in the lead
2. Watch the ball
3. Have a plan

madmanfool · May 15, 2007

I used to play matches to have fun, now i play to win. Cause if i win i can come back to play a second round

That kinda helped.
I still need to learn to grind out more points and to play cross court as much as possilbe. Basically i'm trying to go from a "brain dead Gonzalez go for broke style" to a "be a nasty *** consistent grinding style from Canas".

Geezer Guy · May 15, 2007

madmanfool said:
I used to play matches to have fun, now i play to win. Cause if i win i can come back to play a second round That kinda helped.
I still need to learn to grind out more points and to play cross court as much as possilbe. Basically i'm trying to go from a "brain dead Gonzalez go for broke style" to a "be a nasty *** consistent grinding style from Canas".

Actually, Gonzalez is making that transition himself. He's been playing much smarter tennis lately.

madmanfool · May 15, 2007

Geezer Guy said:
Actually, Gonzalez is making that transition himself. He's been playing much smarter tennis lately.

Very true.

OrangeOne · May 15, 2007

What to think about...

When I was doing my coaching course we had a lecture from a leading sports psychologist in Australia. He posed the following set of thoughts that he felt were common thoughts by a player before a match:

I'm playing John today, the last time I played him he beat me
AND we're on clay, damn it, I play better on Hardcourt
AND we're on court 7, a show court...if only we were on court 13
AND my knee is hurting like it always does

And he asked the group what all of those thoughts (there were even more in his example) had in common...and we tried and tried, and didn't get it.

You, as a player, can change none of that in the time before a match. Not the opponent, surface, court, not even consistent pain... it's all just the way it is... Focus on, and think about, the things you CAN change, because 'worrying' about things you cannot change is pointless.

Taxvictim · May 15, 2007

spot said:
In fact my game is at its best when I stop watching the ball in mid flight- once the opponent makes contact I want to start looking at wherever it is going to land so that I can watch the ball come up off of the ground.

So you first watch the ball to get an idea of where it will land, then you take your eyes off the ball and watch that part of the court where the ball will land? Then you intently watch the ball come up off the court?

tennis_hand · May 15, 2007

str33t said:
That I'd rather lose playing hard and going for my shots than lowering myself to my opponent's level.

agree.

play aggressive, play your usual game. don't just tap and push. u lose yet you feel bad and u don't improve over those pushing techniques.

10s talk · May 15, 2007

banish the doubt (about getting my 2nd serve in)

shojun25 · May 15, 2007

like lordmanji said, be agressive. this especially helped me find the right playing style for me.

also, trying to clear my head from the match helped my game considerably. i just get too tense most of the time and this helped me find my peaceful place.

spot · May 16, 2007

Taxvictim said:
So you first watch the ball to get an idea of where it will land, then you take your eyes off the ball and watch that part of the court where the ball will land? Then you intently watch the ball come up off the court?

Exactly right. Think about facing a big serve. I focus my eyes on where contact will be made so I can pick up the ball as early as possible. Once I see where the ball is struck and you see the initial path of the ball you know where it is going to land. Watching the ball mid flight doesn't give you any additional information- it just makes your eyes be in constant motion. Instead I will focus my attention where the ball is going to land. On a serve the ball loses 50% of its velocity when it hits the ground- focusing on that impact is just as important as focusing on your opponent hitting the ball. When I focus on that spot it keeps my head still and it gets me into position early. It has made an incredible difference in my game.

Taxvictim · May 16, 2007

spot said:
When I focus on that spot it keeps my head still and it gets me into position early. It has made an incredible difference in my game.

Thanks, I will try that because my returns of serve need big improvement. Right now I usually just block back any powerful serve because that's all I have time for.

z-money · May 16, 2007

THINK!
if you realize what a player doesnt like. make sure he sees alot of it. if you keep your head in the game. you can beat a peer who you are close to by 6-0, instead of 7-6. just make sure you can keep it up

Pusher · May 16, 2007

Taxvictim said:
There's another thread about what one thing really helped your game, but the options are all tangible actions, such as reading books or taking lessons.

Here's a twist: what mental concept dramatically helped your game once you "got it"? For example, my backhand improved tremendously recently when I started to think of "pulling" the racket instead of pushing it.

Can you think of a time you suddenly figured something out? Maybe something you heard a million times, but it never helped you until that day on the court when a light bulb went on inside your head?

Tony Robbins says the way to improve quickly is to copy not only the physiology of a successful person, but also his belief system. So what beliefs, thoughts, or ideas made you a better player?

The person that figures it out will be a millionaire. Many have tried to address the question-few, if any, get it right. A room full of sports psychologists will give you a roomful of different answers. I doubt there is one right answer but there is one right answer for you. Keep playing and it will come to you.

str33t · May 16, 2007

This one came to me a while ago when I was reading something on TennisOne.

When the ball hits the court and bounces, it is usually spinning with more spin than the player hit it with. You have to counter that intense spin by swinging your racquet fast to counter the ball's spin. This concept has helped me to swing faster so I can counter the topspin that the incoming ball has, and also has added more topspin to my game.

Doc Hollidae · May 16, 2007

Control, Hurt, Finish

penpal · May 16, 2007

I really didn't get the "watch the ball" mantra until those still frame shots of Federer started becoming popular. I can't claim I do it as well as Fed, in fact I can't even claim I always do it, but when I find myself in a funk I can now usually correct it much more quickly because I realize I'm tending to look where I want to hit, rather than watching the ball into my racquet.

zzzbrianxxx · May 16, 2007

johnny ballgame said:
One point at a time, one shot at a time. Before, I couldn't help but think "3 more points" if I was up 5-2, 15-0 or something like that. That screwed me up I think. Now, I'm constantly reminding myself to just focus on the task at hand: the next point, the next ball.

Calm but focused, that's my mantra.

All I have to add to this is that if you lose a point, the moment you lose it you have to forget about it and move on to the next point no matter how bad of an error you possibly just made. This helped me a lot. Fixing your strings helps you forget. But don't just fix the strings...concentrate intensely on fixing the strings for 10 seconds. Think about NOTHING else. After that your ready to go and you've forgotten about the previous point.

I think every point, from a mental point of view, has to be played independantly of all the others. This is why the tour tries to remain calm all the time.

smoothtennis · May 16, 2007

penpal said:
I really didn't get the "watch the ball" mantra until those still frame shots of Federer started becoming popular. I can't claim I do it as well as Fed, in fact I can't even claim I always do it, but when I find myself in a funk I can now usually correct it much more quickly because I realize I'm tending to look where I want to hit, rather than watching the ball into my racquet.

LOL, I can't say it any better than that. I THOUGHT I was watching the ball too, until those youtube super slow mo's came out, and now I realize how badly I have been looking up shot after shot. I am working on this myself, and it is HARD.

andymac1 · May 16, 2007

"Watch the ball" and "Don't Jump You Friking Idiot" invaluable 2 phrases. Honestly.

Taxvictim · May 17, 2007

andymac1 said:
"Watch the ball" and "Don't Jump You Friking Idiot" invaluable 2 phrases. Honestly.

Wow. "Watch the ball" is a popular answer.

Don't jump? Do you mean, don't jump off the ground when you hit the ball?

smoothtennis · May 17, 2007

Taxvictim said:
Wow. "Watch the ball" is a popular answer.

Don't jump? Do you mean, don't jump off the ground when you hit the ball?

For a great majority of 3.0-3.5 players that have this problem that I have seen, tend to jump, or lift up at contact or just prior to contact. The issue there, is that in their case, as was in mine for many years, the hitting *base* is reduced so much that there is no option but to arm the ball becuase you expended your stored energy by coming up with the body prior to contact.

Now that I think back, not jumping for me and my hitting partner, were HUGE breakthroughs in our tennis games, and took a long time to undo. LOL, I used to jump on volleys, all volleys! Excited I guess...

N23 · May 17, 2007

Relax..........

Jay27 · May 17, 2007

chris1992 said:
flicking my wrist on the forehand and concentrating on making the ball rise over the basline rather than just hitting all out.

???WTF??? Sorry, but you may want to rephrase your statement here. You're forearm will pronate (or should) during the forehand follow though (that might be the "flick" you're talking about) and why would you want to make the ball rise over the baseline. That's considered "out" where I'm from.

Anyway, I think the thing that helped me most, once I realized it, was the fact of staying loose and not tensing up and moving my feet! It's amazing how much more consistent I became when both of these tasks were combined in actual match play.

Taxvictim · May 17, 2007

smoothtennis said:
For a great majority of 3.0-3.5 players that have this problem that I have seen, tend to jump, or lift up at contact or just prior to contact. .

I'm in that category. Taking lessons as a teenager, I remember the instructor saying to bend my knees before the shot, and to straighten my legs as I make contact. Is that now considered bad form?

smoothtennis · May 17, 2007

Taxvictim said:
I'm in that category. Taking lessons as a teenager, I remember the instructor saying to bend my knees before the shot, and to straighten my legs as I make contact. Is that now considered bad form?

Staightening your legs and jumping are not the same things. What I am talking about are guys coming up with their body and head before their stroke has happened. This disconnects their arm from their power plant before they stroke, so all that is left is the arm. In other words, they are misfiring the kinetic chain. Ground to feet, to hips to shoulders to arms to racket to ball. One smooth transfer of energy, both linear and angular.

I don't want to mislead you with technical jargon. But the above is what I am talking about when I say jumping is a bad thing. I know the pros tend to jump, but their dynamic balance is very different than a 3.5 weekend player.

DrewRafter8 · May 17, 2007

Move your feet! Watched a great match of a couple good DI college players a few weeks back. ECU vs. UNC Wilmington, there was a lefty who I loved watching play. His feet were constantly moving. I mean really moving. It was a great thing to watch.

MTXR · May 17, 2007

When i start getting aggressive and serve and volleying i don't double fault and i start winning...

Being aggressive is key for me...

shutupova · Aug 17, 2007

Watch The F******* BALL!!

That remains to be the single best advice for me.
I couldn't believe how that helps my shot making almost instantly.

lakis92 · Aug 17, 2007

You have to pay for every ******** you do.... A coach I know told me that.....

It also helps me when I get mad and angry with my opponent. Like he has done something to me... I hit harder and faster then. If you can be angry and stay calm you gonna kick some butts.

Photoshop · Aug 17, 2007

Move yo feet. Run down every ball. Keep the intensity.
and hit every ball on the same horizontal path.

What mental concept dramatically helped your game, once you got it?

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