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.

How to Play Versus a Serve and Volleyer (a Rush and Crush Player Looking to Come into the Net Whenever Possible)

Be prepared for a new challenge. You may encounter a player who selectively closes into the net behind 1st serves and less occasionally behind 2nd serves. You may also face players who look to close into the net behind the serve return but rarely will you face a player who comes in on everything. Your first reaction may not be “shock and awe” but it is not unusual to feel rushed and pressured. Be prepared also for short and choppy points making it difficult to find rhythm in the traditional sense.
Anticipating the difficulty of breaking serve versus a serve and volley, rush and crush player, the first priority is to hold your serve. Focus on winning the first two points each game. Work on hitting your targets and consider taking pace off your 1st serve to get a higher percentage of 1st serves in play. Work on getting a heavy kick on your 2nd serve. An effective kick serve is more difficult to close in behind. Minimize the number of times your opponent can attack and close into the net off your serve. The objective of the serve is to pin your opponent back at the baseline.
The second priority is the return of serve. Knowing your opponent is likely to close into the net on 1st serves and many 2nd serves, the objective with your return is to keep the ball down (at the feet of your opponent). That generally requires playing tighter into the court with your serve return position. Split step and move forward with momentum in hitting the return. The backswing should be compact and short, keeping your hands in front of your body. Block the ball sharply with a degree of underspin. Use a continental grip and lead with the bottom edge of the racquet. If you have more time, you can use topspin to get the ball to dip at the feet of your opponent.
An aggressive but effective tactic is to beat your opponent to the net. It may not play to your strengths, but it does place your opponent in a disadvantageous position of having to defend from the baseline (an uncomfortable position for most serve and volley players). The opportunities you have to close are with anything short, your serve and with your serve return. The goal is to keep your opponent back, but should you close in together, look to gain advantage by getting in as tight as possible to the net with each shot. It is the player who finishes closer to the net who wins most volley-to-volley exchanges.
Take time away from your opponent. Limit the time your opponent has to respond at the net. Play tight to the baseline. Take the ball early, hitting on the rise as necessary to maintain or improve your court position. Pounce on short balls.
Keep your opponent back with depth and the weight of your shots. Hit heavy (with topspin) and deep with a high margin of net clearance. The trajectory and height of your ball should be managed to not allow your opponent the opportunity to step in and take the ball out of the air.
Test the net play prowess of your opponent. Give your opponent different looks. Go at the body. Go up high to the backhand (and the forehand). Go low to either side. Check agility, ability to cover balls out wide and recovery after the shot. Hit with pace and take pace off the ball. Test the patience and shot threshold of your opponent at the net. See if your opponent has the means and resolve to be able to hit multiple shots at the net. Learn how you can disrupt rhythm. Identify target patterns and weaknesses you can exploit.
Execute patterns from the baseline to draw errors from your opponent at the net, pass your opponent at the net and dislodge your opponents from the net. Patterns include:
• Hit a low preferably angled ball at the feet of your opponent and then follow with an offensive lob to the opposite deep corner of the court.
• Hit a cross court low angled ball to either the forehand or backhand side and then follow with a down-the-line passing shot drive or a second cross court angled ball to the opposite side for a clean passing shot winner.
• Hit a low, sliced, off pace, down-the-line ball to either the forehand or backhand and respond by hitting to the opposite side or to the same side (hitting behind your opponent).
• Hit a low ball to the feet of your opponent and then anticipating a reply up, move in to take the next shot in the air with a drive or swinging volley.
• Hit a ball up to the backhand side of your opponent (barely in reach). Anticipating a cross court angled volley from your opponent in response, move in and then drive the ball down-the-line to the open court.
• Hit a high defensive lob over the reach of the reach of your opponent requiring your opponent to retrieve the ball on the bounce. Follow your shot into the net and finish the point with an overhead or crisp drive volley to the open court.
• Go hard at the body (freezing your opponent). Move in and then go big to either side.
• And, if your opponent doesn’t follow the line of the ball into the net or hits a cross-court approach leaving the line exposed, go directly down-the-line with your next shot.
Be careful with all examples above not to force your shots and go for too much. Even when required to hit to narrow and difficult targets, there should be no mistakes in the net or out wide. If nothing else, make your opponent hit one more shot.
Slow the tempo and pace of play. Be methodical and deliberate with your serve. Judiciously use towel breaks to manage your recovery time between points. Look to extend the rally when you have your opponent on the baseline. Use the lob to push your opponent back, buy time for recovery and slow the match tempo.
Be resolute. Embrace the challenge and most importantly have fun. Match play versus a rush and crush player can have stretches where points are quick and rhythm is hard to come by. Ride out these tough stretches by being positive and maintaining concentration. The pressure to respond quickly and the requirement to hit narrow targets will also lead to more errors (unforced and forced). Play however, does not have to be clean. In this match up, the goal (and expectation) is not to win every point just most of the points. Stay solid and focus specifically on winning the pivotal points. Look to convert breakpoints to close out games and save breakpoints to stay in games.

How to Counter the Pace and Power of a Big Hitter

Mirror shot trajectory, spin, net clearance and pace of your opponent. If receiving a flat shot with pace and low net clearance, respond with a similar shot with pace. Adhering to this approach with discipline shows resiliency (a willingness to stay in the point) and makes a statement that you will not be overwhelmed by power or aggression. Matching shot for shot and pace to pace can go right for you in two ways. One, your big hitting opponent unable to get an edge in the rallies goes bigger (as one may predict for an aggressive personality) and starts to break down, making more unforced errors. Two, if you can match everything your opponent has to offer and still have reserves to be able to step it up to an even higher level, you can then start going for more and dictate play in your favor. On the negative side, you may find matching shots is not sustainable, in which you will need to look at other options to offset the power and pace of your opponent such as taking pace off the ball and varying spin.
Play high percentage tennis, a basic principle versus all playing styles. Hit over the middle part of the net (using the center strap as a guide). Hit with high margin of net clearance and depth. Maintain shot direction. Aim for big targets. Maintain cross-court patterns following the serve and return. Playing smart, high percentage tennis keeps you in the point and requires your opponent to take more risks, hopefully leading to more errors. There is however a caveat to playing traditional high percentage patterns versus a big hitter. Most big hitters build their game around a big shot such as the forehand groundstroke. A forehand-to-forehand cross-court pattern could feed into the strengths of player with a big forehand. This presents a need to possibly take more risks, going for a shot more difficult to execute sooner in the rally than you would like under normal playing situations to get your opponent moving (and not as set to hit the big shot). It may also require you to look for other shot and pattern options such as hitting to the middle of the court to take away angles.
Be alert. Get ready, read and react (quickly with dynamic balance and active feet) and then respond and recover with purposeful intent. Be focused on taking the ball early, on the rise as necessary holding a court position on or near the baseline. Be prepared also to move forward to attack any short ball. By being more alert not only will you be better able to respond to the pace and power, but you will also be better able to transition to offense when you get a weak reply.
Take pace off the ball with spin. The first three points provide strategies for managing the pace, staying in the rally and potentially drawing errors and perhaps play to your strengths if you can match pace with pace but do little to disrupt rhythm or offset the strengths of your hard-hitting opponent. Big hitters generally feed on pace but can be frustrated by having to generate their own pace or respond to a mix of balls hit with different pace and spin. You can absorb pace by blocking the ball back in play (with little to no spin) which can be effective (particularly with the serve return) if you are able to get the ball deep or short and angled. A better option to take pace off the ball and disrupt rhythm is with slice (underspin and sidespin) and topspin (with a raised arc of trajectory).
Vary the height (net clearance) and the resulting bounce to require your opponent to hit balls below and above his/her strike zone. Getting the ball up against a big hitter may require hitting from a deeper position on the court (to provide more time to get underneath the ball). When hitting from a deeper court position, it is important to get depth and weight behind your shot with heavy topspin (to prevent your opponent from moving in to take the ball in the air with a swinging volley). The best way to keep the ball down is with a hard, biting slice (with a low angle of contact to surface incidence).
Disrupt rhythm by moving your opponent. Utilize full use of the court hitting to the four target zones with short and deep, drop shot and lob, deep corner to corner, cross-court down-the-line redirection and sharp angle patterns. The goal is to not allow your opponent to get comfortable dictating play and the pace of the rally.
Slow or manage the pace of play or tempo of the match. Many big hitters tend to play quickly or prefer to play quickly (particularly when ahead in the score). To counter the big hitter who likes to play fast, slow down the pace of play by being methodical and deliberate. Take all or most of your allotted time in setting up to serve each point. Judiciously go to your towel and consciously walk methodically (slowly) to retrieve balls to buy time. Your goal is to turn the match into a mental grind frustrating your opponent into being rash with no shot tolerance.
Be resolute and resilient. Big hitters tend to be streaky by the nature of their game and willingness to take risks. It is important to hang in there “weather the storm” and be prepared to take advantage to establish or reestablish momentum when your opponent experiences a dip in performance.
Keep the ball in play (as best as possible). Resist the tendency to go for too much. Do everything possible to extend the rally and make your opponent hit one more shot. Be scrappy and run down every shot. Be especially attentive on getting the serve back in play, varying your return position as necessary. Make your opponent work for every point.
Vary the variables in your control (pace, spin, trajectory, net clearance, depth, direction, court position, etc.). There are other things you can try to disrupt rhythm such as taking time away by closing into the net whenever possible but ultimately it is the variety of shots in your arsenal and the variety of different options you can apply (with disguise and unpredictability) that will serve to best disrupt the rhythm and confidence of your opponent. Mixing things up with strategic intent is the best way to stifle a big hitter.

New Year Resolutions

Listed below are 10 resolutions or commitments applicable and beneficial for every tennis player.

I promise to…

Show respect to my opponents by giving 100% of my effort and focus every match, acknowledging their good shots, points, games and matches and accepting their line calls and decisions for which they are responsible for on their side of the court.
Acknowledge my position on the court and not try to hit winners when hitting from a neutral or defensive position. Be prudent and smart and hit with high margin to big targets when defending from a disadvantaged position.
Eliminate or reduce “bad” unforced errors particularly balls hit into the net.
Run down every ball, making every effort to get a racquet on each ball.
Hit my intended service targets, get at least 70% of my first serves in play and develop a reliable, functionally sound, heavy second serve that I can get in all the time (or at least 95% of the time).
Raise my shot threshold to be able to extend the rally as long as necessary to win the point.
Be bold and decisive when presented with an opportunity from an advantageous position to finish the point.
Acknowledge and implement a plan to improve my weaknesses including a commitment to potentially sacrifice results as necessary to effectuate more long-term gain.
Look for every opportunity to play.
Embrace the fun aspects of tennis including the comradeship and shared experiences with friends, joy of hitting, variety of different and creative things you can do with the ball, challenge of competition versus players with diverse strengths, weaknesses, playing styles and personalities, playing at different sites and venues with different playing surfaces and conditions, complex coordination, movement, strength and endurance requirements of the sport, unpredictability and variability of point length and match times and thought process and skill required to construct points and develop and execute a strategic game plan.

Happy New Year!

Tennis Training Theme #10 – Defensive Baseline Style of Play

Objective

Learn how to extend the point and successfully defend from the baseline with the goal to frustrate and wear down your opponent.

Develop a high shot tolerance (a willingness to hit as many shots as necessary to break down your opponent and win the point). Do everything possible to make your opponent hit one more shot.
Work on your ability to extend the point but raising the height of your ball with a high margin of net clearance. Establish a “must” goal of not making any mistakes in the net. Learn how to utilize lobs and semi-lobs to recover back into position when pressed to retrieve a difficult shot.
Work on your footwork and fitness to be able to run down every shot.
Develop your “hands” and improvisational skills to be able to manipulate the angle of the racquet face to retrieve difficult shots with control of direction and trajectory. Work to develop “soft” hands and the ability to make subtle and quick adjustments with your grip.
Work on your depth and the margin established by depth. Develop the ability to consistently hit past the service line (preferably having the ball bounce midway between the service line and the baseline). Work predominantly to the middle of the court (middle 1/3 of the court).
Learn how to control the pace to your preferred tempo and rhythm. Work on maintaining a manageable pace. Learn how to take pace off the ball (with spin) when the tempo of the rally starts getting too fast and unsustainable.
Work on your ability to stay in a point by maintaining the direction and angle of each shot. Learn how to maintain direction by hitting over the middle part of the net (using the center strap as reference). Improve consistency by hitting to big targets. Make sure to create margin and not force a mistake out wide of the sideline when redirecting a shot down-the-line. With down-the-line redirection, account for the difference in net height and establish a hitting line that has the ball clearing the opposing baseline at a perpendicular angle.
Work on getting your first serve in play. Target to be able to maintain a 1^st serve percentage of 75% or higher. Consistently getting the first serve in play helps to maintain your rhythm for the ensuing rallies and point exchanges and supports a game plan for consistency, depth and your ability to “grind.” Equally important, in singles work on getting your return of serve back in play preferably deep to the middle of the court or cross-court (maintaining the direction of the serve). Target to get 80% or more 1^st serves back in play and 90% or more of 2^nd serves back in play.
Learn how to vary spin, depth, net clearance, and trajectory to disrupt the rhythm of your opponent. Learn how to manipulate these control variables to get balls outside the strike zone of your opponent. With an inability to establish rhythm, your opponent will hopefully get unsettled and tentative which in turn, should help in your goal to slow down the pace and extend the average length of each rally.
Work on managing the flow and tempo of the match. Be methodical and deliberate in your preparation before the start of each point with an established ritual prior to serving and receiving. Learn how to slow down the pace of play and the general flow to the match. Establish a strategy to make play a match of attrition with long, extended rallies (favoring your style of play) and/or frustrating your opponent into making mistakes by going for too much too soon in the rally. Work also on your mental fortitude, resoluteness, stamina and commitment to stay in the rally and make your opponent work for every point. Work on your ability to stay engaged each point with no mental lapses and no free points given away to your opponent.