How to Not Freeze Up in The Vital Moments of A Tennis Game




by Kevin Doherty


I don't know about you, but I have found it to be very hard to play my best tennis under pressure. Almost all of the time, my body necessarily tenses up and my shots lose their rhythm at the precise moment I tell myself that the point is extremely important. I have always found this phenomenon to be fascinating, if not really frustrating.

After fighting with this issue for some time, I became extraordinarily curious about would it might really take to reach a state of top performance during pressure-filled moments on the tennis court. What I have come up with is that the best thing I'm able to do is tell myself repeatedly that, in the grand scheme of things, the match truly doesn't matter that much in any way.

Whether I win or lose really will not make that much of an impact on my overall life, so why not just go for it? Having these thoughts go through my mind does seem to take the sting off the magnitude of the moment. What I've noticed is that pressure during tennis frequently arises when we get too attached to winning. If we decide that we actually don't give a damn if we win, then things have a tendency to settle down and we play slightly better.

Many of us actually DO care, of course, if we win or lose. We pride ourselves on winning and become heavily identified in competition. It is a rare person who can actually flourish in this sort of mindset. Many of us are better off recollecting that tennis is but a minor aspect of life and has little bearing on our identity.

As you gain this viewpoint by telling yourself that winning or losing is relatively trivial, I have noticed it's also helpful to take one or two deep slow breaths and to feel your hand relaxing around your grip. Whether I am serving or returning, I tend to concentrate on my hitting hand and keep it as loose as I can. This helps my full body relax.

I am hoping these tips help you find a higher level in the key moments of your next match.




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