Need mental aspects of the game in the sticky

[FH2FH]

There isn't much info here geared directly toward the mental aspects of tennis. Nearly all the threads point out how to respond to the another player's ball or develop a stroke, but these are only good for practice situations.

Shouldn't there be mantras or guidelines for building confidence, patience, mental toughness, etc here? I've seen and read some of the recommended books, but not everyone can afford a library devoted to tennis. This is the most underrated component of competitive sports once there is physical ability and technique.

We can build the perfect boat for a race, but without a good captain we're doomed to sink!

 

[diredesire]

There isn't much info here geared directly toward the mental aspects of tennis. Nearly all the threads point out how to respond to the another player's ball or develop a stroke, but these are only good for practice situations.

Shouldn't there be mantras or guidelines for building confidence, patience, mental toughness, etc here? I've seen and read some of the recommended books, but not everyone can afford a library devoted to tennis. This is the most underrated component of competitive sports once there is physical ability and technique.

We can build the perfect boat for a race, but without a good captain we're doomed to sink!

You should find some useful links and then post in the thread

If you have any in mind, i can edit the original post...

 

[Duff]

I'll find a captain after I get my boat.

I (and others I presume) get satisfaction and mental stability of tennis when I improve/play well. I know when I suck I just can't bring myself to play for a long time, but when I'm hitting good serves/groundies I'll play for 4~5 hours straight. To achieve that satisfaction I watch clips and read tips to improve my technique.

 

[FH2FH]

Working on a list of useful links...

 

[FH2FH]

The article below is a good start from TennisServer.com. The author, John F Murray, PhD, has many more articles there and his own website (www.johnfmurray.com).

"Your 5 Greatest Problems"
http://www.tennisserver.com/mental-equipment/me_01_08.html

The Mental Equipment Archive is here:
http://www.tennisserver.com/mental-equipment/me-archive.html

 

[jsiu]

I picked up a book titled "Tennis: Winning The Mental Game" by Robert Weinberg, Ph.D. at the Los Angeles Festival of Books a few weekends ago for $5. I've been a bit busy lately so I haven't really gotten into it yet, but from what I have read thusfar, it's been pretty interesting.

 

[FH2FH]

I read "The Inner Game of Tennis" and "Winning Ugly." Both offer lots of useful info. WU is kind of common sense, but covers lots of topics. TIGT takes an interesting approach toward using "self 2" to allow you to play instinctively. Maybe I'll post a thread "Where can I buy some confidence?" because it seems that's what I'm lacking. I get rattled too easily in close matches or against players slightly above my level. I beat the players I think I should and lose to the ones I believe can beat me. So mental... I can literally feel my game slipping away against better players and I lose focus b/c I'm so preoccupied with negative thoughts.