|
|
|
MENTAL TOUGHNESS November 2009
Mental Toughness – Team Building
Team Building is a very important part of Alta. Most of the Championship Teams are not based solely on Talent. If you go and watch the City Finals whether Men’s or Women’s the players have a passion for their team. They appreciate doing their part whether that means cheerleading, waiting 5-6 hours to play line 5 or sitting out as an alternate. The teams also have good leaders that captain and co-captain the team putting team first themselves and other agenda’s second. The team also has good leadership at the top of the team with the strongest players dedicated to improving and working as hard as any member of the team. The team’s players are all committed to practice, watching all the lines complete their matches, and cheering them on with positive verbals and praise. The players enjoy the overall experience, friendships, exercise, and companionship and would be satisfied with just those things even if it didn’t mean a championship.
The teams players are made up of players that talk to one another, are all working toward a common goal of improvement in there tennis games, and don’t worry about the position they play as they know the captain or coach will put them in the appropriate spot with a complimentary partner. These players will also enjoy the company of teammates outside of tennis activities. When the players come out to practice they feel excited, ready to learn, and compete for enjoyment. Players get out of every practice: knowledge, enjoyment, exercise, and friendship.
Championship teams have their struggles but will be more likely to experience these positive feelings towards tennis than do the teams that struggle. Team Building is part of Mental Toughness and again one of the most important parts to fun and quality tennis yet it is practiced and talked about the least.
________________________________
MENTAL TOUGHNESS NOVEMBER 2008
Mental Toughness- Replacement Behavior
If you have mental breakdowns because you are disappointed in the way you are playing and you react by throwing a racquet, hitting a ball against the fence, saying a curse word, or simply just giving up before the end of the match you need a replacement behavior. All these behaviors take place in between the actual point. During a match the actual time you are hitting the ball falls well short to the time you spend in between points.
These are the top replacement behaviors you should follow rather than using that time to beat your self up.
- Racquet in your opposite hand at the end of every point
- Shake out your dominant hand between points
- Keep your racquet head and your head up – dropped heads shows defeat
- X-strategy (paint an “X” into your strings) look at the X after every point this as a way to forget the last point and strategize for the next point. Never start a point until the last point is forgotten.
- Control the pace – Slow down if you are struggling, speed up when you are on a roll. Pace has to fit what you feel comfortable with and should change when you need it too.
- Spring in your step- start moving your feet hop around to get your body up and ready for that next point. Whether serving or returning.
- Visualize a solid return or where you plan to place that serve.
Replacement behaviors are important to keep focus and to get your mind on the job at hand. A few extra tips, first “love the elements and they will love you back” the elements include wind, sun, and hot or cold weather. These are factors both players must deal with and the player who handles these better will have an advantage. The second tip is to make sure that you use your x-strategy even when you hit an ace or when you win an incredible point. Many players raise their adrenaline level when making great shots this can be as much of a problem as hitting an easy shot into the net. You must always play at a level in the middle not to high or to low. Mental toughness keeps you on a straight line rather than peaks and valleys.
|
|
|
Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter
|
|
Please support TPN sponsors
|
