Tennis Book for PDF - Gloucester Academy

Developing a Ritual
Tennis is a sport where the activity of playing is “interrupted”. Between
points and between games there are constant challenges to your skills of
concentration. Many top players develop a ritual to help focus their
attention. A ritual is a set-routine which a player follows before recommencing
play.
Relaxation
The aim of relaxation is to decrease tension in the muscles of the body.
Relaxation does not mean falling asleep. It is important to feel some
tension on court. However, if the muscles of the body are either too
relaxed or too tense this will affect performance.
Breath Control
We breathe differently when anxious or nervous than when we are calm
and confident. Fear and tension causes shallow, jerky breathing. The more
relaxed and calm you feel the easier it is to breathe in a deep, rhythmic
manner. Breathing out is one of the body’s natural ways of relaxing. By
exhaling in a controlled, continuous manner it is more likely that a player
can hit a controlled stroke. The goal is to breathe in rhythm with the ball –
in the ball approaches, out as it goes away.
Visualisation
Visualisation is the ability to create an imaginary picture in your mind.
Visualisation is thinking in pictures. Sometimes the image players
produce is so clear their heart and muscles behave in the same way as
they would if the situation were real.
Learning mental skills is just like learning tennis skills. They need
guidance and practice. Not all of them will work for everyone. Experiment
to find the one(s) which work for you and build them into your training
schedule.
22