Tips From the Tennis Pro: How to Always Play Your Best
“I always play well …”
Whenever I say this, a look of disbelief often stares back at me. My statement is not coming from a place of misplaced arrogance. Let’s look a little deeper.
“Playing well,” or “playing poorly” are subjective. Please understand … I do not always win, so obviously I do not always play well enough to win! Is it getting a little clearer now?
The reason for my bold statement is that I have reached a level of self-mastery on the tennis court. This means that I accept the way I am playing at any given moment. Sure, I have my reasons why I am not hitting my shots better, but I also know that those reasons do not matter to this event, since I cannot change them now.
I also understand that in the game of tennis, my opponent is ever-present in the dynamic of my feelings. If I am losing some faith in my backhand in a match, it is because my opponent’s play is making me aware of it. By giving the opposition some credit, I will not blame myself, but try to find a way to avoid it or overcome it. In addition, after much soul-searching and analyzing, I know what I am trying to do on the court as far as strategy and game planning. I cannot always execute, but I know what I am trying to accomplish. This gives me great strength.
While navigating my way through a match, I am trying to get a feeling for my incidental errors versus reoccurring errors. If I cannot avoid certain errors from returning, I know that I am learning a lesson. After the match, I need to learn a new behavior or a new shot in order to succeed the next time out. I believe that every match is a learning lesson for a bigger match to come in the future. This helps me keep a healthy perspective.
I accept, I understand, I know, I learn and I believe … therefore, I always feel like I play well.
Now it’s up to you!
