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by Jeff Greenwald, M.A., MFT.
Many recreational and competitive tennis players
talk about the "zone" - that magical day when the ball appears larger
than usual, the court wider, and confidence is overflowing. This
experience eludes most players and is typically discarded
because of its elusive nature. It comes and goes, and rarely stays
long. However, what many players fail to realize is that the "zone",
also known as peak performance, involves a special mental and physical
state of being that needs to be properly trained. That's right.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
"The zone that people talk about," says Nolan Ryan,
"is all about preparation. It doesn't just happen. It's a build
up that starts months before the competition." Andre Agassi agrees.
"This success didn't happen overnight. I've put in the time and
worked hard all year. What you see now is a product of that hard
work."
Any competitive tennis player knows about the importance
of good preparation in practice. Competitive match play, baskets
of serves, conditioning, mental preparation, technical grooving,
all contribute to tournament wins. Quality practice translates into
feelings of control, confidence, motivation, and overall mental
toughness. Working hard toward a goal and making sacrifices makes
players feel committed. They believe in themselves because they
put the effort in. This goes a long way in developing confidence—arguably
the single most salient factor in peak performance. However, being
unprepared is the kiss of death in competition. When physical or
mental preparation is not at optimal levels, athletes begin to doubt
themselves during competition.
Practice Like a Champion
Before the season starts sit down and evaluate your
goals for the year. Make the goals SMART: Specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic, and time-based. Also be flexible because
one will most likely modify as time goes on. Goal setting is the
first step toward greater confidence, high intensity, feelings of
control, and improved motivation—cornerstones of peak performance.
Also, the goals should be broken down into manageable
"chunks" and based around the process—how one gets to the ultimate
goal. Using a map as a metaphor, the destination could be related
to a desired ranking, and the streets would be the process of reaching
that destination, which are typically referred to as the performance
goals - two baskets of serves, 4x per week).
With SMART goals in place, players have a map for
their practice sessions. If the goals are effective, they will include
all key areas of development--technical, strategic, conditioning,
and mental toughness. For example, mental toughness should include
imagery—picturing specific scenes in one's mind of upcoming events,
which has proved to be highly effective with many competitive athletes.
In fact, 95% of all Olympic athletes have employed imagery training
in their practice routine.
The days leading up to an event are critical for
athletes to get into the proper frame of mind and feel ready both
physically and mentally. Picturing success and specific skills in
the visualizations are enormously effective. The brain records the
messages and pictures, storing them as if the movements were actually
performed in real time. Imagery can be used at any time (do not
perform while driving) and is effective before, during and after
practice or competition. For example, during practice, players can
utilize the imagery to make technical adjustments or to improve
motivation. Eventually, just a cue word can be used to remind the
player of their practice goal (i.e.. Forward, turn, etc.). Cue words
are effective because they simplify the learning process and keep
players from over thinking.
Tips for Imagery Training:
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Find
a quiet place to relax.
-
Spend
a minimum of 5 minutes getting relaxed (use deep breathing)
with feet on the floor, arms and legs uncrossed. Do not visualize
in bed because you may dose off.
-
Begin
visualizing tennis court, weather, what you are wearing, etc.
The more details the better. Include all the senses. In the
imagery session, visualize hitting specific shots, using your
strengths, strategic plays in point situation, and see yourself
confident, energized, and focused. Do this for 10-20 minutes.
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Try
and see yourself performing at your highest level from an internal
perspective (you are actually hitting the ball) or from an external
perspective (like a video).
Quality practice also involves high intensity similar
to tournament conditions. This is difficult to experience and implement
without planning. Too often, players do not play with the same intensity
in practice as they do in tournaments. This slows down skill development.
Therefore, players and coaches should use incentives and pressure
situations and build them into the practice. Walking confidently
after errors, elevating intensity for each point and visualizing
pressure situations in practice will make the training more effective.
For example, visualizing a crowd or a specific opponent during drills
or match play, can raise intensity. Intensity is another crucial
component to peak performance and can be effectively manipulated
through positive thoughts, visual images, and reminders about your
goals. Players should explore a variety of intensity levels to find
the most effective one for their personality and performance style
(ie. Agassi and Sampras).
In the final analysis, preparation is about commitment.
Players who establish goals, work diligently at achieving them on
a daily basis, picture success, and train appropriately for competition,
will find themselves performing at their highest levels. Success
does not happen overnight, but is an outcome that is achieved through
sacrifice, discipline, vision, and preparation.
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