Do you have something to stop what's bothered you right away?

[kiteboard]

What bothers me: cheating, missed serves/return, passing shots, easy shots, losing points I should win, missing too many shots period, cramping, self sabotage in match play. Locking myself up unconsciously. Not realizing in my body what I realize in my mind. Listening to my mind not my body during rallies. When I listen to the body and feel the shot ahead of time, as if I've already hit it, I feel the shot way ahead of time, get sideways faster, have more time, as if time is moving slower. When I hear my mind over my body, the mind says: "Hit down the line. HIt cross court. Hit to his back hand. Hit high balls when pushed out wide to give yourself time to recover." Etc. When I listen to my body, it has me feel things in my hands, in my torso, in my body ahead of time, and there is no other thought or voice but the body's.

Do you have a trick, a mind thing, a mantra, a decision, etc. that stops what has bothered you?

 

[Chotobaka]

I actually heard something today in an interview on NPR this morning that would apply here, at least conceptually. Take whatever is bothering or distracting you and put in a sealed box inside your mind. Then take that box and move it to a shelf outside your mind.

 

[comeback]

Obviously you are an experienced high level player from your posts..if these things are bothering you, you need to play more tournaments;leagues;matches until you can play freely without mental obstruction..Or take the mental strain off your shoulders by retiring from competitive tennis and use your knowledge to teach others.

 

[kiteboard]

That's pretty much what I have done now. I do yearn to be come a better player. Cheating always hurts my mental self.

 

[comeback]

Then you haven't lost your competitive desire. Getting cheated does take the wind out of you...Play matches a half level down, those mental obstructions will become much less

 

[heninfan99]

There is a mma figher that sings and whistles to himself just before a round begins. I couldn't believe how relaxed he was even in a championship fight. I tried it and it works pretty well but silly songs work best.

What bothers me: cheating, missed serves/return, passing shots, easy shots, losing points I should win, missing too many shots period, cramping, self sabotage in match play. Locking myself up unconsciously. Not realizing in my body what I realize in my mind. Listening to my mind not my body during rallies. When I listen to the body and feel the shot ahead of time, as if I've already hit it, I feel the shot way ahead of time, get sideways faster, have more time, as if time is moving slower. When I hear my mind over my body, the mind says: "Hit down the line. HIt cross court. Hit to his back hand. Hit high balls when pushed out wide to give yourself time to recover." Etc. When I listen to my body, it has me feel things in my hands, in my torso, in my body ahead of time, and there is no other thought or voice but the body's.

Do you have a trick, a mind thing, a mantra, a decision, etc. that stops what has bothered you?

 

[SkipBaylor]

What really bothers me is 2 things.

1) cramping

2) losing to guys even slower and lower level than me

I don't have any mental ways to deal with this. I usually implode and lose even worse.

 

[kiteboard]

Sounds like me! Ha, ha.

 

[steve s]

I play one point at a time. When the point is over, its over. Then play the next point.

A bad call , or a error on a sitter is just part of the game.

 

[mr.torrence]

I play to lose (in order to win). Not wanting to win a match but not wanting to lose either, keeps my mind buddha fresh. Sounds counterintuitive/counter effective, but it works for me. Not to say you should immediately start thinking you're going to lose a match, (totally the opposite) but just stop wanting and playing to win. Once you start wanting to win, you become afraid to lose, even a single point, and it'll make you tighten up, play safe and conservatively. Every time I played this one particular guy, I would always tighten up during those most crucial parts of the match. I could never play like how I play during practice with this guy, which was free and easy and effortless. And I would always become unravelled by my own doing, and inevitably end up losing to him. Why? Because I cared so much about wanting to "win", that I started to play safe and not go for shots, unlike during practice. I had analyze myself for hours and hours until I came to the realization that it was only because I cared so much about winning that I started to lose, every single time. So I started to play like how I played during practice....free and easy and effortless. (nothing to lose mentality) and have beat him ever since.
hope that helps. It's helped me a lot. Keeps me zen and dialed in.

 

[escii_35]

As a person with zero athleticism and glacial twitch sports are all about percentages and fitness. Play % tennis and what happens happens. The problem now is failing joints which negates any type of fitness.

 

[Bender]

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