|
The Tennis Psychologist: Psychology
for Club Players and Captains
By Adrian Lobley
Reviewed by Bill Cole, MS, MA, Founder and President,
IMGCA
Purchase The Tennis Psychologist printed
version or Kindle
edition
|
 The
Tennis Psychologist: Psychology for Club Players and Captains
is a delightfully insightful, well-written book full of interesting
and practical stories and vignettes that beautifully illustrate
its tennis psychology wisdom.
Author Adrian Lobley is not a doctor or psychologist, but
he could well be, with his in-depth and piercingly on-target
mental tips and recommendations.
As the Founder and President of the International Mental Game
Coaching Association, I read this book with great anticipation.
I have read virtually every sport psychology book and tennis
psychology book in print. The Tennis Psychologist is a wonderful
addition to the literature in this specialty.
Here are some of the highlights of this book I particularly
like.
Listening to the opposition. How to gain smart data, when
the opponent least expects it. (page 7)
In chapter three he has some very useful approaches to controlling
rage.
He calls the team captain the "Mood Leader". They are indeed.
They can make or break the tone of the team, at every step.
(page 125)
He describes how to create a challenge in a match when one
is not naturally present. This is a real art and well worth
reading. (page 128)
One of the best parts of the book is his list of questions
to ask a doubles partner, around making mistakes, pressure
and when losing. (page 139)
He discusses "the relationship" between you and your opponent,
and how to use or not use the concept of "hating the opponent".
(page 159)
He has an excellent discussion of how to create positive thinking,
particularly from a statistical vantage point. (page 187)
Overall, The Tennis Psychologist is a pleasure
to read. Players of any level will pull actionable tips and
advice to help their mind and body operate at peak levels.
Team captains and managers will find many strategies for dealing
with a variety of team cohesion issues and other common situations.
You'll be glad you added this work to your tennis book shelf.
A complete list of book reviews and interviews in the IMGCA
Expert Author Interview Series can be found in the Book
Review archive.
|
