How to Get Motivated and Sustain Motivation for a Big Match or Event

What makes you tick? Dig deep to learn what motivates you internally to work hard and perform at a high level. Where do you find your inspiration to pursue your passions? What has served as a catalyst in your life to make you want to get better and improve your skills? What makes you want to compete and take on new challenges. A self-awareness of what mental and emotional state is required to boost your confidence and propel you to perform at the highest level is the key to motivation and preparation for every match.
Have fun. Dig a little deeper to determine what makes tennis fun and fulfilling for you. Why do you to play tennis and how do you benefit from playing tennis? From your time on the court what aspects of tennis bring you joy and happiness. If you are having trouble identifying or even appreciating the fun features of tennis, here are some thoughts on what makes tennis an encompassing, fun game. Tennis is highly engaging, physically demanding, strategic, technical and mentally challenging. It requires resilience and focus, emotional control, attention to details, adaptability, creativity and problem-solving skills. As a skill-based sport with so many shot and shot pattern options, the game provides a life-time opportunity for learning, development and growth. Plus, the scoring system with no time clock has been designed to keep you in a match when behind no matter how large the deficit and keep you invested and focused to stay on form when ahead knowing a comeback is always a possibility. Focus on the identified aspects of tennis you find most rewarding for motivation. Reference what works for you to have the most fun possible every time you step on the court. Express your personality with your style of play. Look to make each match fresh, interesting and compelling. It is much easier to get excited and motivated when participating in an activity you love and enjoy particularly if one of your main priorities is having fun.
Embrace the challenge. Adopt a Challenge Mentality where competition is perceived as an opportunity to learn and grow as a player and person. A Challenge Mentality is characterized by a readiness and willingness to accept all challenges. Get excited about the opportunity to showcase your ability to execute shots and shot patterns. Look forward to the opportunity to solve problems, overcome obstacles and meet the unique challenges you encounter every match you play. Get motivated to face every challenge with determination, conviction and commitment with no fear of failure.
Have a plan. If you are peaking for an event, establish a macro, long-term training plan six to 12 months in advance of the event. Set up a training block or series of training blocks leading up to the start of the event. Have a plan for the day of the event. When to practice? What and when to eat? How to approach your match warmup and your choice with the spin for serve, return of serve, sides, etc. And most importantly, establish a goal, objectives and a plan with contingencies for how to play each match. When set to play one specific match and opponent, establish a plan to cover whatever lead time you have available to prepare and train. Chart out a course on how you plan to play the match preferably with advance scouting knowledge of your opponent’s strengths, weaknesses and tendencies. Working through the process of planning in preparation for an event or match serves to increase motivation, sense of purpose and confidence.
Work through your rituals. There are other practices and rituals you can follow just prior to the start of play and during play to get pumped up, bolster confidence and maintain focus and composure. What are things you can do to get and stay motivated? It could be listening to a specific playlist just before the start of play or the ritual you follow in preparation to hit each serve. It could be your routine during the changeovers or how you express joy after hitting a good shot. It could be positive self talk and affirmations or something quirky like not stepping on lines between points. It could be how you direct your vision to your strings prior to getting set to return serve or it could be all or some of the above plus more. Find out what practices, routines and rituals work for you to get motivated to work hard and perform your best.
Create a backstory. Use your imagination. Make your opponent out to be a villain looking to leverage a win against you to steal your girlfriend or a coveted promotion at work. Picture playing in front of a group of college coaches looking to be the first to sign you to a college athletic scholarship and six figure NIL deal. Imagine waking up with the superpower to read the intentions of your opponents, anticipating every shot and shot sequence and your next match is your opportunity to showcase this new amazing ability. Use your story to create a competitive edge and fuel your passion to perform at your highest level.
Use imagery as a motivational tool. Find a quiet place and envision serving, hitting from the baseline and net, moving in coverage of the court and executing patterns. Map out a series of points against selected opponents. Work through how to positively respond to different situations and scenarios. Establish a positive mental image of your performance. Apply this mental rehearsal as a process to get motivated, build confidence and prepare your body and mind for competition.
Stay engaged. From the start of the match, have a purpose and plan for every point. Focus on things you can control such as the process of how and where to hit the ball. Be relentless and resilient regardless of the outcome of the previous point and the score. Motivation is not always easy to sustain for an entire match, but it is more possible if you are purposeful and focused with a clear intent every point.
Be all in. Make a commitment to go for every ball. No excuses. No half measures. Give 100% effort each point regardless of the playing conditions, level of your opponent, score, how much you have hit or not hit beforehand, etc.
Live to play another day. No one likes to lose. Losing can be painful and leave scars, but it is these scars and experiences in loss that can serve as an impetus and motivation to work harder and smarter and make the changes necessary to get better (and ultimately to defeat an opponent you may have struggled against before). Every competitive match (win or lose) should be viewed as a learning process with the goal of continuous improvement. Learn from your wins. Learn from your losses. And jump at the chance to play anyone who previously gave you difficulty whether you won or lost approaching each ensuing match as a problem to be solved. And, to take it one step further, get motivated for every match and hitting session. See each match as an opportunity to develop into a more skillful player capable of doing more things with the ball, responding to all situations and conditions and having the most fun in the process.

How to Deal with the Adverse Effects of Nerves in Tennis

There are three things to acknowledge when it comes to nerves in tennis. One, getting nervous when playing a competitive match should not be perceived as a bad thing. It means you care about your performance. It indicates the challenge of playing the match is important and meaningful to you. Two, there are different degrees of nerves. There is mild nervous energy which can adversely lead to anxiety and lack of focus but also can serve to heighten awareness and focus. There is a moderate level of nervousness that could lead to a breakdown at critical junctures of a match (break points for and against, when closing out a match when ahead, when the score is close at the end of a set or match, etc.). The symptoms are tentativeness, inability to generate racquet head speed and sluggish footwork. And at the worst, most severe level, nervousness can lead to a feeling of helplessness and inability to cope. Even the easiest tasks become difficult such as getting the serve in play. Three, every competitive player has or will experience a problem managing nerves and most likely will suffer a mental collapse (or “choke”) due to nerves regardless of preparation and training. The objective is not necessarily to eliminate your nerves but to learn to manage your nerves or better yet harness your nerves and nervous energy to achieve a higher level of performance.
Nerves are related to a lack of confidence or doubt in your ability to execute specific patterns, hit specific targets and control and vary spin, pace, net clearance, direction and trajectory under the pressure of competition and during pivotal stages of a match. The best way to build confidence is with repetition in practice of all strokes and stroke patterns. The process should be purposeful. Repeat strokes to set targets. Rehearse and repeat collaborative shot combination patterns. Repeat specific point situations with different response requirements, points of emphasis and challenges. The more time on court with exposure to different conditions and situations, the more responses become instinctive (with less chance for negative thoughts and uncertainty to adversely affect performance). Prior preparation should also include off-cost fitness and mental training. Fitness training should be comprehensive focusing on developing complex coordination and movement, dynamic balance, linear/multi-directional speed, strength, endurance or stamina, flexibility, core and shoulder stability and explosive and reactive power. The objective is to establish a level of fitness capable of sustaining effort and executing strokes and covering court at the highest possible level. For mental training, work on goal setting, decision making, concentration, resiliency, managing emotions, confidence, self-reliance, positive self talk and body language, intrinsic motivation, stress control, spirit and courage. The objective is to develop a mental toughness capable of managing all challenges and situations (including nervousness) with courage and fortitude. Specifically, the objective with purposeful and targeted on and off court training is to develop a strong, resilient body and mind and efficient and sound racquet and movement skills equipped to respond positively when experiencing nerves under the pressure of competition. Doing the advanced work in your practice, role playing and workout sessions will provide the tools and confidence necessary to handle all stressful situations.
In your pre-match practice sessions and during the warm-up prior to the start of play, look to establish rhythm, form and consistency with exaggerated preparation, movement and length with your stroke pattern. Grip the court by spreading your toes and drop down with a low center of gravity to create torque, tension and stability in your lower body as you load and coil in preparation for the shot. Establish length and a strong finish with soft hands and a fluid effortless stroke pattern. Start slowly and then accelerate through the hitting zone. Also, in pre-match hitting sessions and warm-ups, look to establish consistency and a high shot threshold by hitting with a high net clearance (high arc of trajectory). Hit at a manageable and sustainable pace. Create margin and consistency with spin. Hit high and heavy to establish confidence in your ability to keep the ball in play with a full swing pattern. Tightness and a fear of making mistakes when hitting out on the ball are symptoms of nerves. To the extent you can establish confidence in your ability to keep the ball in play with a free-flowing stroke pattern in a pre-match hitting session and/or warm-up will help immensely with nerves when it comes to execution during pivotal points in the match.
Maintain active feet. A second major symptom of nerves is frozen, heavy and sluggish feet. To offset the adverse effects of nerves, the major areas of focus from a stroke production perspective are footwork, soft hands/relaxed grip (to encourage fluidity), acceleration through the hitting zone and a complete finish with your follow-through.
If you are still experiencing jitters starting the match or if you feel you are getting tight at any point during the match, go back to your focus during the pre-match hitting session and warm-up. Establish or reestablish rhythm and confidence by hitting with consistency, margin and depth. Commit to your shots with racquet head acceleration but create margin by aiming for big targets with two to three feet of net clearance when on or inside the baseline and four to seven feet when hitting from a more defensive position behind the baseline. Hit heavy and deep. Get your first serve in play. Go down the middle with your serve returns and reduce (or eliminate) mistakes in the net.
There are several coping strategies to calm nerves. There are a set of breathing techniques you can employ prior to the start of match and breathing techniques you can employ during the match between points and during changeovers. Yoga based breathing techniques (Pranayama) for the controlled intake and outflow of breath have a particular advantage for tennis players. Through pranayama, players can learn to control and slow down breathing during recovery between points and changeovers to lower heart rate, calm the nervous system and clear and focus the mind in preparation for the next point. Yoga exercises to better master control breathing and breathing patterns include Ujjayi and Three-Part breathing. Ujjayi breathing begins with a big inhale through the nostrils and a gentle constriction of the throat. Feel the breath move through the throat. Exhale through the mouth with a quiet audible sigh or “ah”. Three-Part breathing begins with a big inhale in through the nose to fill up first your belly first with air, then the ribcage, and finally the chest. Pause and hold the breath for a second or two longer. Then exhale out through the nose, allowing the air to release down from your chest first, then the ribcage, and finally the belly. Another technique between points is to drop or loop back in a semicircle behind the baseline (outside of an imaginary playing area) before stepping back (into the playing area) to serve or receive the next point. Step out to regain composure, calm your mind and strategize and step back in to apply and execute. While walking back outside the imaginary playing area narrow your focus to your strings (adjusting your strings or dampener with your fingers). Shut out all external noise before stepping back into the court to start the next point. Envision the racquet face as a mirror. Look into the mirror in self-reflection to gain self-confidence and positive affirmation. Go to your towel to dry off between points as another technique to step back, collect your breath and refocus.
Establish a ritual prior to serving and receiving serve. A set routine prior to serving and receiving serve helps to regulate emotions, reducing anxiety and stress. It directs your attention to the next point rather than dwelling on the result of the previous point. Bounce the ball with your tossing hand or racquet as a serve ritual. Manage this time prior to serving to set the pace or tempo of play. Be deliberate (and slow down if you need more time to regain composure). Anchor your gaze or sightline to the tennis ball (while peripherally scanning for other important cues) as a serve return ritual. The objective is to release (stress and tension), reset (establish your plan for the next point) and recharge (go).
Nerves often emanate from an undo focus on outcome (whether you win or lose). To reduce the adverse effects of nerves, the focus should shift to process (the repeatable steps necessary to hit a ball and construct a point). Maintain the focus on process by taking one point at a time. Stay in the present. Stop worrying about the previous points or the score or what could happen in the future should you win or lose the next point, game or set. Control what you can control and disregard things you cannot control. In application, the coping and ritual strategies mentioned earlier are essentially tools on how to eliminate or reduce negative thoughts and/or emotions hindering your efforts to stay on task and in the present.
Perhaps the best way to learn how to cope with nerves is to play more meaningful competitive matches. Learn what works best for you in dealing with nerves and difficult situations. Learn how to deal with adversity, close out a match when ahead, establish or reestablish momentum when behind or when your opponent is coming back in the score, establish rhythm when not playing well, respond when there are high expectations for you to win, offset negative emotions and thoughts and respond when opposing a difficult personality. Develop a court presence and awareness capable of handling all circumstances.
Put things in perspective. In the big picture, there is no need to get stressed out over a tennis match. Embrace the challenge of competition. Choose to be positive (with positive self-talk and affirmations) and have fun. Tennis should be joyful and expressive. Treat each match and hitting session as an experiential opportunity to grow and develop as a tennis player and person.

Tennis Training Theme #8 – Psychological and Mental Training

Objective

Develop a strong sense of conviction and purpose and an unwavering commitment to excellence on and off the court. Learn how to control and manage your emotions. Develop an on-court presence and command of your faculties. Learn how to be mentally tough in match play competition.

Develop control and regulation of your emotions.
Develop self-awareness, an understanding of your strengths, weaknesses and natural responses under pressure.
Learn how to manage and control your thoughts. Learn how to remain positive and stay in the present.
Develop intrinsic motivation with a desire to succeed and achieve. Develop autonomy and self-reliance. Do not rely or depend on feedback from others for motivation.
Learn how to set specific, realistic, attainable and process (versus outcome) based goals.
Work on your self-belief, confidence and self-esteem. Learn how to use self-talk and body language to bolster your confidence. Learn how to portray a strong and confident image to your opponent (even if you must fake it).
Develop a high work ethic. Always look for continuous improvement in the pursuit of excellence. Establish a drive to succeed. Develop resiliency and an ability to stay on task.
Work on your concentration and focus. Establish set routines and rituals to stay engaged and focused. Control the tempo of play by managing time between points and your ritual prior to serving. Learn how to cope and maintain focus and intensity under the pressure of competition.
Establish accountability for your actions and performance. Establish and maintain a commitment to the highest standards for excellence. Acknowledge your mistakes. Accept the bad with the good. Recognize what you do well and what you need to do to get better. Appreciate the process of development and growth and the requirement not to take short cuts. Respect your opponents and the things your opponents do well (particularly the things your opponents do to disrupt your rhythm).
Develop court awareness and presence. Learn how to stay engaged and present for each point. Follow and adapt to flow and momentum changes, recognizing pivotal moments in a match. Develop an awareness of your position on the court in relation to the ball and the position of your opponent and the options available to you based on this position. Develop an awareness of the score, playing conditions, condition of your opponent, strategic necessities and the key points in a match where you need to be bold and decisive or solid and steady.