Stressed out at work - can't focus on the court...

[H. Ju]

Hi guys,

I am dealing with a huge amount stress these days, trying finish school, find a job, deal with my currnet work... so when I'm at the court my mind isn't clear and I loose concentration. I can't really focus on hitting the ball, and consequently I am losing a lot (to guys who I wouldn't normally consider playing with, I'm a solid 4.0 player and the guys who I loose are like 3.0ish). And when I get back from the court, my stress level is even higher because I get so angry, I know that I lost becasue of my error and not hitting the ball well. AND the bigger problem is that I think I am going deep into slump and I am worried that I won't be able to play at my level again, and it's a terrible feeling when your heading the wrong direction.

I know that there's not much you could help me with my personal life, but just wanted to hear some cheer ups and any advice from who had these issues before. Should I stop playing tennis for a bit?

 

[RCTennis11]

tennis should be an escape from you real-world issues, not an extension. I know as far as im concerned, when im playing tennis it is the only thing im thinking about. However, once im done with practice or a weekend of matches, i realize i have way to much uni work i have procrastinated on.

 

[Nellie]

If I have stress getting the tennis court (traffic, etc.), I am worthless for about an hour before I can put it behind. Maybe you need some extra time to warm-up and get focused.

 

[dozu]

ok.

this is not really a tennis issue. it's a general psychological issue.

but some techniques in sports psychology can be applied to everyday life.

'Inner game of tennis' advocates that you observe yourself. This is the key.

What is the purpose of life? How are you observing yourself going thru life?

The purpose of life is to experience - joy/sorrow, euphoria/distress, pleasure/pain, pressure/relief... It's you who puts in a criteria of which is good which is bad.... but if you remove the artificial labels, they are all equally life experiences, so there are really no difference in these seemingly opposite pairs.

If you understands this, there will be no sorrow, no distress, no pain, no pressure in life.

The Samurai spirit is along the same lines, if there is no fear of death, then there is no death to be fearful of.

At the more detailed level, you are gonna be fine no matter how things turn out... you will have food on the table and roof over head, you will have health... so what is there to worry about? You are just carrying these extra weight around... the weight that you put on yourself.

cheers.

 

[Maroon_Tenniskid]

The whole reason I like tennis is because you get to hit the ball, and if you get mad, you can take it all out on the ball! I have had my slumps... and I think the thing that helps me most is to not have any expectations the next time I go on court, and set my goal just to laugh because tennis is just a sport and it should be fun. I haven't won a single match since I aged up to 18's and it's extremely frustrating... but i think it's just something everybody goes through at one point or another. So just laugh, and take all your stress out on the ball if it comes back again.

 

[neverstopplaying]

Tennis is more than strokes

Learning concentration and focus skills are important. Many of us lead hectic lives; you have to learn to block out external factors and only concentrate on your point - and for the duration of a match. It can be done. I do it most of the time. Learning yoga may help.

 

[pvaudio]

I was playing the best tennis of my entire life this past summer. Come fall time, I began researching and applying to graduate schools. My stress levels were through the roof. Whether I even hit the sweet spot was dependent on how stressed out I was that day. Even now, I can "feel" if it's going to be a good practice or not based on my anxiety level. It sucks, so I know what you're going through.

 

[eliza]

So young and already stressed out? I should not make light of your issue, every age has its own....
I am told to "compartimentalize", so out of the office, out of your mind any work.
Easier said than done, as I am like you.
Yoga? I cannot stand it, too high energy....SO I go jogging, or walking before tennis.
Good luck with your career.

 

[skiracer55]

If you want to be a tennis player...

...quit your job and play tennis. If you want to actually be a tennis player, it has to, at some point in your life, be the central theme of everything you do. No substitutes are allowed...