Two more secrets of great tennis players

There are two more secrets of great tennis players from the book Maximum Tennis by Nick Saviano.

Sloane Stephens, Nick Saviano and Eugenie Bouchard

Breathe

Picture this: it is match point in the finals of the US Open, and a player is about to step up to the line to serve the biggest point of her life. What is the one thing almost all tennis players will do? Take a deep breath and exhale. Why? Because they are using their breathing as a way of helping to control themselves physically and emotionally. Controlling your breathing is one of the best ways to deal with both mental and physical anxiety.

I am not advocating that you run out and take a yoga class (although that is not a bad idea). Simply remember that, by pausing and taking a deep breath between points, you can really help to control yourself. So, when you are feeling tense and uptight, stop and take a few deep breaths, and you might be surprised how much it helps.

If you can’t visualize it, chances are it will not become a reality

The ability to visualize yourself executing in competition is essential to achieving your goals. When top Olympic coaches and elite athletes from a wide variety of sports were surveyed as to the most important factors in their psychological training programs, they named visualization, or imagery, as number one in importance.

Try to visualize yourself performing on the tennis court exactly the way you would like. If you have trouble with a particular shot, learn to visualize yourself hitting that short particularly well. If you have trouble serving out a match, visualize yourself serving out the game with confidence. In preparation for a match, many great tennis players will actually get away by themselves shortly before competing and visualize certain aspects of the tennis match or specific shorts. Others practice their visualization at night.

It sound corny, but for most tennis players it really works. If you are to play in the tennis club championships and you simply don’t believe you can win it, take some time each day and visualize yourself playing the final tennis match. Picture yourself being totally under control, executing great shots and winning the last point. The more vivid your visualization, the better. Try it, and you will be surprised just what an effective tool it is.

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