9 basic tips for psychological preparation in tennis
Some simple tips to perform well in tennis.
1- Try not to think about things that have nothing to do with tennis: the score, the past (my opponent always beats me / I always beat this opponent, that ball was a good one and they called it out, etc.), the future (5-3 for / against, I've already won / lost this set, etc.). The score can also make us lose concentration. The problem is that none of these things help us play tennis, since they don't tell us our position on the court, our technical skills, or our strategy against our opponent. These thoughts usually appear in the pauses between points and even between games.
2- During the game, you shouldn't think or analyze anything; just play tennis. This analysis should be done during breaks between points or between games, ideally accompanied by some kind of behavioral ritual (e.g., playing with the racket strings while looking at them) to automate this behavior. During the game, you should simply execute your intention, without time for analysis.
3- Focused concentration on the ball: especially at the moment of impact, since the trajectory of the ball depends on this impact and, if we do not focus our attention on the ball, we can fail no matter how well prepared our strategy is.
4- Reinforce ourselves for success: That is, when a good shot is made, we should recognize it as such, through what is known as verbal reinforcement (e.g., "Let's go!"). When the result of a behavior is positively reinforced (understanding positive reinforcement as a reward), the likelihood of repeating that behavior increases.
5- Learning from mistakes: If we hit the racket against the ground or curse ourselves when we make a mistake, all we achieve is to lose focus and exceed the optimal level of activation. If, on the other hand, when we make a mistake (e.g., hitting the ball into the net) we analyze why and visualize (or gesture) what the shot should have been to avoid making a mistake (e.g., opening the strings wider), then the mistake becomes a source of learning that will help us avoid it, and in this way, we take advantage of the error.
6- Set goals: One of the strategies to achieve flow (a state of narrow concentration on the important stimuli of the game) is to set goals, such as attempting three first serves in a row, or returning three first serve returns, concentrating on achieving this goal.
7- Positive self-talk: Speaking positively to yourself between sessions is a good strategy for self-regulation, reinforcement, and planning. A key point is to avoid self-criticism at all costs. It's also essential to use self-reinforcing words or phrases as a key to gaining extra momentum.
8- Induce a good mood: If we're in a good mood, we'll enjoy the game, our self-talk will be more positive, and we won't react aggressively to mistakes. To do this, I suggest forcing a smile, since the muscular configuration required for a smile causes the brain to identify it as positive and is responsible for secreting substances into the bloodstream that match the emotion. (W. James once asked: Do we cry because we're sad, or are we sad because we cry?)
9- Controlling your arousal level: We all have an ideal arousal level; it's not the same for everyone, but it's usually constant for the same person. If we're too excited, we can freeze and play with fear; this would require calm self-talk and, above all, relaxing breathing (inhale slowly, hold your breath for a few seconds, and exhale slowly). If we're short on arousal, we may feel lazy, have little desire to play, etc. Then we need to increase arousal, either by doing a good warm-up to increase our heart rate and by clenching our teeth like when we're angry, so that the brain identifies the muscular situation as anger and orders the secretion of energy substances into the blood to deal with the anger (e.g., adrenaline).
It is very important not to define a tennis match as a problem, but rather any competition should be conceptualized as a challenge, in order to enjoy the process (the game itself) over the result (thinking about the future).