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Mental Tennis - Improve Your Game Dramatically
Drew B.
For most average tennis players, practice consists of going
out with a friend, hitting the ball around, smacking a couple
of serves in, and then playing a couple of games. Once you
get a little more competitive, practice gets a little more
intense, with the addition of sprints, stretching, and drills.
As you finally move up to the pros, there's much more intensity,
with long hours of conditioning, etc. but what most people
don't realize is that pros also focus on the mental aspect
of the game, almost as much, if not more than the physical
aspect of the game.
How many times can you remember when you were winning the
match, up 5-2 or so, but all of a sudden your body clenched
up, and you started losing and before you knew it you had
lost. This scenario happens all the time in sports, as well
as the scenario where players go out defeated before the match
even started. These things and many others are all aspects
of the mental game.
One of the biggest things that players get is really nervous
and anxious, or too relaxed and not caring at all. Now, anxiety
is more common, but they both have to do with the same thing:
your state of mind. Your state of mind is always in a flux,
changing from relaxed to anxious and anywhere in between.
You want to be in the middle: confident about your game, aware
and ready to hit anything. This is commonly known as the "zone".
When athletes are in this they get that feeling that everything
they do is working perfectly, and almost as if time is moving
slower.
So how do you get into the perfect state? First, you must
always be aware of what state you are in. Are you anxious
right now or completely unfocused? If you're extremely anxious,
then one tip to help you calm down is to take deep breaths
in through your nose and out through your mouth. This will
help slow down your heart-rate, making you more relaxed and
calm. If you're not focused or ready at all, moving sluggishly
or what-not, then some good tips to help you get pumped up
and focused is to jump up and down, shake yourself a little
bit, and talk to yourself. Say things like "C'mon! Let's go!"
When you hit a nice shot, congratulate yourself, or shout
the same words as before.
I know how it feels be up 5-2, to even have match point, and
blow it. Getting nervous is a killer in sports, so next time
use your new tips to keep your state of mind in the middle,
oh and also don't get angry, EVER. Anger is almost as bad
as anxiety. It kills your concentration and you make mistakes.
OK, now, go out and win a few matches for me.
Drew B. is an author and writes about various topics
that interest him.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Drew_B
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