How to stop choking?

[Issya]

I played my first USTA doubles match tonight and choked badly. I’ve been playing for less than a year but I felt like the others were so much better than me, which they were. Still, it made me so nervous that my typical gameplay went out the window. I felt like it was my first day playing.

I felt bad for wasting my partners time. The matches don’t count towards anything. Everyone says they are just for fun but it seemed like it was everything but fun.

I’m at the point where i want to step back and maybe practice for another year before doing something like this again. These posts make me think that maybe I’m being over critical and maybe I should just roll with it.

I guess many sometimes feel this way but it’s my first time dealing with it. Honestly, I may not even be a 2.5 and I am playing 2.5-3.0s. It sure as hell felt like the 2.5 was at least 1 level better than me. The local tennis coach said to go in at 2.5, everyone starts at 2.5.

/rant

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I played my first USTA doubles match tonight and choked badly. I’ve been playing for less than a year but I felt like the others were so much better than me, which they were. Still, it made me so nervous that my typical gameplay went out the window. I felt like it was my first day playing.

I felt bad for wasting my partners time. The matches don’t count towards anything. Everyone says they are just for fun but it seemed like it was everything but fun.

I’m at the point where i want to step back and maybe practice for another year before doing something like this again. These posts make me think that maybe I’m being over critical and maybe I should just roll with it.

I guess many sometimes feel this way but it’s my first time dealing with it. Honestly, I may not even be a 2.5 and I am playing 2.5-3.0s. It sure as hell felt like the 2.5 was at least 1 level better than me. The local tennis coach said to go in at 2.5, everyone starts at 2.5.

/rant

Relax; everyone has a different response to stress but rarely does one's play get better.

In my first USTA match, I was close to hyper-ventilating, which I never do, and I ran into the net to hit a volley, which I rarely do. I was amped up and was trying too hard.

Don't feel bad about "wasting" anyone's time. You have as much a right to be out there as anyone else; don't sweat it if you played poorly. There is always tomorrow.

I think it is a mistake to withdraw into practice because the longer you stay there, the more difficult it will be to break back in to competitive playing. Just lower your expectations [better yet, don't have any expectations; leave them at the gate] and play to the best of your ability.

And forget about rating: try to play loosely, trusting your strokes. If you need to get bumped down, that will take care of itself.

Now, if you can hit all of these shots flawlessly in practice and you fall apart in matches, it's obviously more mental than technique. If you're still getting a feel for your strokes, don't expect you'll be able to execute flawlessly when the pressure is on.

 

[Issya]

Relax; everyone has a different response to stress but rarely does one's play get better.

In my first USTA match, I was close to hyper-ventilating, which I never do, and I ran into the net to hit a volley, which I rarely do. I was amped up and was trying too hard.

Don't feel bad about "wasting" anyone's time. You have as much a right to be out there as anyone else; don't sweat it if you played poorly. There is always tomorrow.

I think it is a mistake to withdraw into practice because the longer you stay there, the more difficult it will be to break back in to competitive playing. Just lower your expectations [better yet, don't have any expectations; leave them at the gate] and play to the best of your ability.

And forget about rating: try to play loosely, trusting your strokes. If you need to get bumped down, that will take care of itself.

Now, if you can hit all of these shots flawlessly in practice and you fall apart in matches, it's obviously more mental than technique. If you're still getting a feel for your strokes, don't expect you'll be able to execute flawlessly when the pressure is on.

Thanks for the advice. The more I read about similar experiences, the more motivated I am. I think I am going to stick with it. I definitely need to turn it around mentally. Tennis is great but it didn’t feel too great tonight.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I definitely need to turn it around mentally.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tennis+patrick+cohn

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

 

[user92626]

I played my first USTA doubles match tonight and choked badly.

/rant

Get a beer or smoke a cig. Relax you're just a newbie with a typical reaction.

What you need to do now is play more and possibly choke more. Go out in a big way and it will pass.

Taking a step back, a break, more practice is the possibly the worst thing you can do for your chokes. If you do that, you'll condition yourself to recoil and remain your status quo.

 

[Issya]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tennis+patrick+cohn

Great videos, thanks for sharing.

Get a beer or smoke a cig. Relax you're just a newbie with a typical reaction.

What you need to do now is play more and possibly choke more. Go out in a big way and it will pass.

Taking a step back, a break, more practice is the possibly the worst thing you can do for your chokes. If you do that, you'll condition yourself to recoil and remain your status quo.

That is now the plan, thanks for the advice.

 

[VoodooChild24]

Sing Hakuna Matata in your head in between points?

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Sing Hakuna Matata in your head in between points?

Even better sing it out loud. And have your spectator friends sing chorus. That could unnerve an opponent!

Personally, I would favor Bohemian Rhapsody ["scaramoush, scaramoush, will you do the fandango?"].

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

I choke so hard on big points, which is part of the reason why I'm so bad at singles. My mental game is awful. I try to concentrate, but I just can't seem to get in the zone and stay there through the entire match.

How do I improve my mental game? I have no idea. It seems like I've tried everything.

Perhaps need to learn some breathing/relaxation techniques. Learning meditation — something like TM or mindful meditation — might also prove useful for your game.

Another way to facilitate getting and staying in the zone (flow state) is to elevate your heart rate a bit. Some rope jumping or some form of cardio prior to starting play may help. Between games or points, perform some shadow swings, ready steps, butt kicks, torso twists or arm swings as well. This can help your brain/body generate the needed neurotransmitters for optimal performance. Might be able to release some endorphins or endocannabinoids (for the “runner’s high”) as well.

Inner Tennis. Have you tried BOUNCE-HIT?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

I played my first USTA doubles match tonight and choked badly. I’ve been playing for less than a year but I felt like the others were so much better than me, which they were. Still, it made me so nervous that my typical gameplay went out the window. I felt like it was my first day playing.

I felt bad for wasting my partners time. The matches don’t count towards anything. Everyone says they are just for fun but it seemed like it was everything but fun.

I’m at the point where i want to step back and maybe practice for another year before doing something like this again. These posts make me think that maybe I’m being over critical and maybe I should just roll with it.

I guess many sometimes feel this way but it’s my first time dealing with it. Honestly, I may not even be a 2.5 and I am playing 2.5-3.0s. It sure as hell felt like the 2.5 was at least 1 level better than me. The local tennis coach said to go in at 2.5, everyone starts at 2.5.

/rant

Many people find that 1/2 glass of wine (or 1/2 serving of some other alcoholic beverage) prior to sports does wonders for relaxing and playing your best. I have found this work at times. There has been one or two studies that have confirmed this effect.

Others believe that 1 or 2 beers helps their play. But these people only THINK that they are playing better. This much alcohol will dull your senses, slow your reaction time and throw off your hand-eye coordination too much to really play well.

Might try some of the suggestions in my previous post.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Others believe that 1 or 2 beers helps their play. But these people only THINK that they are playing better.

So it comes down to thinking I'm playing better vs knowing I'm playing worse?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

So it comes down to thinking I'm playing better vs knowing I'm playing worse?

Yeah. My brother and brother-in-law use to claim that their table tennis & golf games were better after a couple of beers. Not so. But they did enjoy themselves nonetheless.

 

[Issya]

Many people find that 1/2 glass of wine (or 1/2 serving of some other alcoholic beverage) prior to sports does wonders for relaxing and playing your best. I have found this work at times. There has been one or two studies that have confirmed this effect.

Others believe that 1 or 2 beers helps their play. But these people only THINK that they are playing better. This much alcohol will dull your senses, slow your reaction time and throw off your hand-eye coordination too much to really play well.

Might try some of the suggestions in my previous post.

That seems plausible, although now my partner will be upset with me for making him lose and being buzzed.

I did drink a cup of coffee 1.5 hours before the match and that did not help the situation. Will not be doing that again.

My game plan is to stay relaxed, look at it as practice since the games do not count, focus on 1 ball at a time and not worry about the outcome.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

That seems plausible, although now my partner will be upset with me for making him lose and being buzzed.

I did drink a cup of coffee 1.5 hours before the match and that did not help the situation. Will not be doing that again.

My game plan is to stay relaxed, look at it as practice since the games do not count, focus on 1 ball at a time and not worry about the outcome.

Game plan sounds like a good one.

Half a glass of wine would not really give most people a “buzz”. It would just relax them a little. Your partner would likely not even realize that you had a drink. Or you might try one or more of my suggestions from my earlier post (#60).

Ever try BOUNCE-HIT?

I had tried coffee a number of times before competition. It proved to be a mixed blessing/curse for me. I would actually play very well for the first 30 minutes or so. But then I would experience a bad case of the jitters. And then play very inconsistently. Even happened with a half cup of coffee.

But what did work much better for me was drinking a NO-sugar energy shot drink. Something like 5 Hour Energy (not a drink like Red Bull or Monster Energy). I would drink only 1 oz (1/2 bottle) of 5 Hour Energy. It worked best if I drank it on an empty stomach and then did about 10 minutes of cardio prior to tennis. After a couple hours of tennis, I would drink the other half bottle if I was going to play more. This “cardio + energy shot” routine worked very well for me. No jitters at all.

 

[user92626]

I had tried coffee a number of times before competition. It proved to be a mixed blessing/curse for me. I would actually play very well for the first 30 minutes or so. But then I would experience a bad case of the jitters. And then play very inconsistently. Even happened with a half cup of coffee.

But what did work much better for me was drinking a NO-sugar energy shot drink. Something like 5 Hour Energy (not a drink like Red Bull or Monster Energy). I would drink only 1 oz (1/2 bottle) of 5 Hour Energy. It worked best if I drank it on an empty stomach and then did about 10 minutes of cardio prior to tennis. After a couple hours of tennis, I would drink the other half bottle if I was going to play more. This “cardio + energy shot” routine worked very well for me. No jitters at all.

SA,

I thought you were one of the veteran with experience in matches.

What exactly were you looking for with coffee, energy drink, or even wine, etc.?

Those things seem like novelty stuff to try for newbies. If anyone has been competing for months or years, has put his heart in it, choking will not be an issue.

I compete pretty well these days but then I have been playing matches for over 5 years.




Today I put my foot down and beat a peer who think he has improved so much -- has beaten a couple guys handily -- and actually believed he was on my level. I gave him a set of 6-0 That was a match of pride.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

SA,

I thought you were one of the veteran with experience in matches.

What exactly were you looking for with coffee, energy drink, or even wine, etc.?

Those things seem like novelty stuff to try for newbies. If anyone has been competing for months or years, has put his heart in it, choking will not be an issue.

I compete pretty well these days but then I have been playing matches for over 5 years.


Today I put my foot down and beat a peer who think he has improved so much -- has beaten a couple guys handily -- and actually believed he was on my level. I gave him a set of 6-0 That was a match of pride.

Looking to overcome lethargy & slow starts. Which happens to many athletes.

Not just for novices. Many veteran actors get butterflies or the jitters when they go out on stage. Ditto for seasoned athletes. Rafa and many others have their rituals (and superstitions) before and during competition. I’m willing to bet that many use coffee, energy drinks (and gels), dark chocolate, MCT or coconut oil, amino acids (L-Theanine, DLPA or GABA), chamomile or green tea, pseudoephedrine, asthma meds, etc to promote relaxation or elicit peak performances. And also meditation, tai chi, yoga, etc. Maybe even a couple of sips of wine or beer.

Some baseball players still chew tobacco. Sugarless cinnamon gum might help as well.

Have seen Novak, Roger and Rafa come out and play nervous or flat in the first set, on occasion, before turning it around to win a match? Recently, Nadal lost 0-6 in a first set to Thiem before turning it around to win it in 5. Even the greats have slow starts at times.



EDIT: I am not a morning person at all. I usually peak in the evening. When I started playing badminton tournaments in the early 80s, I often had start times at 7:30 or 8am. Not good. I would just be starting to warm up my skills by the time I was eliminated from the tournament. That is when I started looking for countermeasures to promote a quicker start — to get me past my first wind quicker and get me more into a flow state and an aerobic mode.

In addition to developing both my aerobic and anaerobic fitness, I started doing sports vision training in the mid/late 80s. Software-driven tasks/exercises for mental and visual development in the 90s. Plyometrics for fast-twitch, etc.

All this stuff got me to my natural endorphin (endocannabinoid) “runner’s high” a lot quicker. Back to tennis in the late 80s and tennis competition in the early 90s. Carried the badminton practices over to tennis so that it would not take me 1 or 2 hours to really warm up.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Oh yeah, how about Novak and his hyperbaric/pressurized egg chamber?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904787404576532854267519860

Training aids for Olympic athletes:
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/loc...ry-Javelins-Discus-in-Olympics-164999856.html

 

[davced1]

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

So your opponent drinks this while you drink chamomile tea?

 

[Simon_the_furry]

It just seems like I can execute my normal style of offensive tennis and changeups much easier on the points that don't matter. Like, I'll be down 0-40 on an opponent's serve and I'll bring it back up to 40-all, and then lose the next two points.

I don't know why I do this. It's really frustrating.

 

[NuBas]

I choke so hard on big points, which is part of the reason why I'm so bad at singles. My mental game is awful. I try to concentrate, but I just can't seem to get in the zone and stay there through the entire match.

How do I improve my mental game? I have no idea. It seems like I've tried everything.

You have to be at least comfortable with your technique and strokes first. If your form isn't the problem, then what exactly are you concentrating on in those pressure moments?
If you are down 0-40 and managed to get back to deuce yet fail to secure the game then you might not be willing yourself to believe. Mental imagery can help and making yourself believe that you will win the game is equally as important.

You should adopt mindset to win every single point or try to only focus on the current point.

 

[BTURNER]

I choke so hard on big points, which is part of the reason why I'm so bad at singles. My mental game is awful. I try to concentrate, but I just can't seem to get in the zone and stay there through the entire match.

How do I improve my mental game? I have no idea. It seems like I've tried everything.

How to stop choking? Take smaller bites and chew thoroughly.