Toughness is doing whatever you can do, and more, when the pressure mounts and starts weighing you down.
It's the same on and off the court and mentally tough players often succeed despite the challenges they face.
More: 6 Ways to Win the Mental Battle in Doubles
You can't look to others to help you. It's up to you to increase your chances of succeeding. This along with other factors starts with everything you do, especially in practice. Practice is where you build a foundation of mental toughness.
Here are two tips to help you develop into a mentally tough player on and off the court.
Find Balance in your Life
The most successful athletes are those who do (and know) more than just one thing. For example, a super trained athlete must not put aside "life."
More: 6 Ways to Give Your Tennis Game an Edge
There will be a day when they must live within the community and so many cannot deal with it. Almost every day there are stories about past superstars getting into drugs, violence, even suicide. Why? They only knew one aspect of life.
Verbal Vs. Visual
How often do you hear from sports broadcasters, "let's go to the video?" There is a darn good reason why. People have a far different opinion of what they really do whether it be in sports or reacting to what happens to you during the day.
The brain has a very difficult time distinguishing between the vividly imagined and the real physical experience. When you have a really vivid dream you are having an emotional response. When you fall in a dream your body is responding to that vividly imagined situation.
Here are two more tips that might help you when you're having an especially trying match or tough day:
- Try getting the most out of what you've got, even when you are not feeling great.
- Remember, the enemy has a vote. If your opponent is also having a great day and they are in the zone, you might struggle to get points.
More: 8 Simple Ways to Instantly Improve Your Tennis Game
Search for your next tennis event.
About the Author
Discuss This Article