• Overcoming Nerves And Fear On The Court

    You wait patiently, if a little nervously, for your match. There are butterflies in your stomach, but they aren’t too bad. You feel a little jittery – a small electric thrill of anticipation. Eventually the time arrives. It’s match time. Your heart starts pounding in your chest. The butterflies seem to have somehow grown in size, and possible grown claws. Your legs feel heavy, your hands may even be shaking slightly. You look across the net at your opponent, and his game is intimidating. You begin to wonder how you’re going to handle his forehand. The doubts, at first little whispers in the back of your mind become louder, grow stronger. By the time the first point is played, your carefully wrought game-plan seems a paltry thing – by the time a few games have played you’re no longer even thinking about game plans.

    Does this story sound familiar? Do you find nerves interfering strongly with your ability to play tennis to the best of your ability? If so, read on to find out exactly what those ‘nerves’ are, and what you can do to combat them.
  • 5 Habits To Improve Your Mental Game

    Today’s update is at the request of viva_la_albert over at /r/tennis/.

    I vividly remember an incident during a Stefan Edberg match many years ago. Edberg was the victim of a bad line call. He walked up to stand underneath the umpire’s chair, stuck out his bottom lip and with a sharp outward breath blew his hair up a little bit. Edberg then turned around, walked back to the baseline and played the next point. “That,” the commentator deadpanned, “is a Swedish tantrum.”
    Below is Tactical Tennis’s short list of five ways you can improve your mental attitude on the court and become a better competitor….
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