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Winning The Mental Game At Wimbledon
Learn These 7 Wimbledon Mental Success
Strategies
For Your Sports, Business and Life
Bill Cole, MS, MA
Wimbledon is always a thrill to watch, but wasn't the 2001
Wimbledon especially exciting? Hingis, Sampras, Agassi, Rafter?
The Good Goran? The Bad Goran? I was taking it all in from
the centre court, the player's lounges, the practice courts
and in the player's locker room at Wimbledon. I spent nearly
two weeks coaching in England with the Israeli Davis Cup Team
as their sport psychology advisor and coach.
I arrived in London and immediately took the bullet train
250 miles north to Nottingham, where our top player, Harel
Levy, was having a splendid week. He had beaten, among others,
Andy Roddick, the brash young American star, ranked #20 in
the world, Wayne Ferrera, the South African veteran grass-court
star, ranked #24 in the world, and found himself in the finals.
Harel played a good final and lost to the world #18, Johannsen.
In the process, Harel sustained a slight hip injury, that
made him uncertain for playing Wimbledon. But in one week
Harel moved his world ATP ranking from #54 to #30--a huge
increase at that rarified level. Wimbledon was unlucky for
Harel due to that hip injury. He had to retire from his first
round singles match.
What can we learn from the world's top athletes as they compete
at one the world's most spectacular and glamorous sporting
marvels? Can what they do mentally help you in your sport,
your business, your life? Let's find out how.
1. Enjoy Big Moments, But Keep Your Focus -- It is
amazing how often young players get caught up in the splendor
of big events and lose focus. They star-gaze and lose a sharp
sense of purpose. The smart player surveys the scene and stays
mentally on track until the goal is achieved.
Your Mental Tip? Vow to maintain concentration until
your task is over, and only then will you allow yourself to
"smell the roses".
2. Keep Things In Perspective -- I have been in press
interviews many times with tennis legend Jimmy Connors. When
asked about how he would be playing an upcoming opponent,
he gave almost the same blasé, predictable response every
time. "We have played each other so often, it's just another
day at the office. I'll play my game." Connors viewed the
match as one of thousands he has played in his career, and
stayed on an even keel emotionally about it.
Your Mental Tip? Cultivate the mindset of a champion
by keeping things in perspective.
3. Be Patient and Go With The Flow -- Rain and delay
is standard at Wimbledon. When it came, players just needed
to realize that it was out of their control, and not to whine
about it. Luck is just that-luck. The best players handle
the toughest conditions the best.
Your Mental Tip? Handle discomfort and adversity well
and you have an edge over those that are consumed by it.
4. See Opportunities, Instead Of Chances To Fail --
If he had won his first match Harel would have played last
year's finalist Rafter on Center Court in round two. He looked
at that as a great opportunity to play a legendary champion.
Other players would have seen it as a chance to look bad in
front of a lot of people.
Your Mental Tip? Great opportunities often give small
windows in which to seize them. Recognize them when they are
beginning to open and strike at once.
5. Prepare Well Under Tough Circumstances -- Practice
courts at Wimbledon can be scarce and not in the best of shape.
With men and women at this event, warm-up courts are at a
premium so players need to be flexible.
Your Mental Tip? Realize everyone has the same constraints
and vow that nothing will bother you. Make every minute of
your preparation count.
6. Handle Distractions With Diplomacy -- The crowds
are huge, the media intense and the administration ponderous.
Smart players realize this and allow for time delays, last-minute
changes, favoritism and confusions by remaining poised and
focused.
Your Mental Tip? Emulate the top players who remain
above it all and who stay cool and in control.
7. Raise Your Game Under Pressure -- Top players like
Sampras and Agassi live for the major events and gear their
year to peak then. They give the Grand Slams their supreme
focus and prepare to succeed all year with that in mind.
Your Mental Tip? Plan to succeed -- don't fail to plan.
Target your major goals and create objectives to get you there.
What have we learned from the top players at Wimbledon? They
maintain concentration, they prepare, they stay cool under
pressure and they pride themselves on being mentally tough.
You can do the same in your business, your sport or your life.
Copyright © Bill Cole, MS., MA. 2001, 2007 All rights
reserved.
This article covers only one small part of the mental game.
A complete mental training program includes motivation and
goal-setting, pre-event mental preparation, post-event review
and analysis, mental strengthening, self-regulation training,
breath control training, motor skill training, mental rehearsal,
concentration training, pressure-proofing, communication training,
confidence-building, breaking through mental barriers, slump
prevention, mental toughness training, flow training, relaxation
training, momentum training, psych-out proofing and media
training.
For a comprehensive overview of your mental abilities you
need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete
mental strengths and weaknesses. For a free, easy-to-take
65-item sport psychology assessment tool you can score right
on the spot, visit https://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Assessments/MentalGameOfSports.html.
This assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your strengths
and weaknesses in your mental game. You can use this as a
guide in creating your own mental training program, or as
the basis for a program you undertake with Bill Cole, MS,
MA to improve your mental game. This assessment would be an
excellent first step to help you get the big picture about
your mental game.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority on peak performance,
mental toughness and coaching, is founder and President of
the International Mental Game Coaching Association, https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com.
Bill is also founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting
firm that helps organizations and professionals achieve more
success in business, life and sports. He is a Wall Of Fame
Honoree, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published book
author and articles author, and has coached at the highest
levels of major-league pro sports, big-time college athletics
and corporate America. For a free, extensive article archive,
or for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.
Article Source: https://www.MentalGameCoaching.com
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