How the Seattle Seahawks Really Won the Super Bowl
One watching the most recent drubbing of the favored, Payton Manning-led Broncos, by the youthful defense and offense of the Seattle Seahawks, might be taken somewhat aback by the revelations shared by Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll. He revealed his team’s intensity and single-minded aggressive mindset can be significantly attributed to a regimen of peaceful and tranquil mediation and yoga. Not possible you say? Not possible in a world of NFL violence? Well, read on my Doubting Thomas?
So what does that have to do with you, the aspiring recreational or competitive tennis player? The mental game is typically the stepchild to technical and tactical training, yet tennis is a game that requires a highly skilled mindset to cope with the quick pace of its ups and downs.
I am always intrigued by how surprised my students are when they realize how much work needs to go into mental conditioning. The mind, by its nature, is wild and wants to give us an ongoing stream of negative self-talk and rationalizations. Training the mind is frequently akin to training a bucking bronco.
There are many physiological changes that go on in the body when it is under stress … and we all know just how stressful competition can be. Yet we perform our best when the body is relaxed and focused. So how do we handle this seemingly contradictory situation? Follow these next three tips and you will begin to experience the benefits of mental conditioning training:
1. Learn how to initiate the “Relaxation Response:” “Relaxation Response” is a term coined by Herbert Benson, MD in 1975, a physical state of deep rest that changes our physical and emotional responses to stress. When we practice this progressive relaxation exercise (which is a form of meditation that takes us to this state) off the court, our bodies have a greater tolerance for stress while on the court. It’s like putting money in the bank and having it when we need it. During competition, we are more able to think clearly and play in a more focused and relaxed manner.
2. Practice focusing exercises: Tennis is a game of extreme concentration and focusing is a skill that will help you concentrate. The first step in mastering this skill is to begin to recognize when you are not focused, or in other words, when you become distracted. The tennis ball gives you the ultimate object on which to pay attention to. Practice noticing when your concentration wanders and continuously, without judgment, bring it back to watching the spin of the ball.
3. Create a ritual for yourself: Every great player has a recognizable ritual that he or she does every time they play a match. Whether it’s Rafael Nadal putting his hair behind his ears and pulling on his shorts, or Maria Sharapova’s walk behind the baseline in between points … these predictable patterns have a succinct purpose. That purpose is to help them relax and let go of the last point and prepare for the next.
Mental conditioning is an ongoing process. Changing one’s thoughts, learning how to relax and breathe on the court and practicing focusing all take time and effort. But if you make the commitment to add these skills to your arsenal, you will be amazed at the difference you will make not only in your game, but also in your life.
