Before and After Tennis

Before and After Tennis Tennis instruction based on logic, science, and the shape of the court.

3 questions to ask yourself before you play your next match.1: What are my expectations for this match?2: Do I know how ...
23/04/2025

3 questions to ask yourself before you play your next match.

1: What are my expectations for this match?

2: Do I know how to manage my anxiety and arousal?

3: Have I practiced my patterns of play?

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Being a tennis parent can be difficult.Hopefully you’re not making it more difficult than it needs to be for your child,...
21/04/2025

Being a tennis parent can be difficult.

Hopefully you’re not making it more difficult than it needs to be for your child, too.

Who doesn’t enjoy a little Goggins once in a while?While motivational videos can “amp” you up, they are no substitute fo...
20/04/2025

Who doesn’t enjoy a little Goggins once in a while?

While motivational videos can “amp” you up, they are no substitute for learning to control your arousal.

Nor is not doing the work to build appropriate mental skills.

Coaches, players, and parents have all sorts of bullsh*t ideas.
14/04/2025

Coaches, players, and parents have all sorts of bullsh*t ideas.

Be honest—what drives you on the tennis court?
13/04/2025

Be honest—what drives you on the tennis court?

Yes, you can *train* your concentration. Read to find out how.
10/04/2025

Yes, you can *train* your concentration. Read to find out how.

There are so many myths and misunderstandings about this field. I hope this answers some consistent questions.
05/04/2025

There are so many myths and misunderstandings about this field. I hope this answers some consistent questions.

If tennis is 80% mental… why do most players barely train it?Kaufman et al. (2018) highlight three reasons:1. “I don’t h...
03/04/2025

If tennis is 80% mental… why do most players barely train it?

Kaufman et al. (2018) highlight three reasons:

1. “I don’t have time.”
Mental skills training doesn’t need to be a huge time sink — it can be done in under 10 minutes a day, often built into what you’re already doing.

2.“I wouldn’t know where to start.”
Most players simply haven’t been exposed to the tools. The field hasn’t been emphasized historically, so there’s a real knowledge gap.

3. Fear of the unknown and “It feels kind of weird.”
Mental training can feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable at first. But often, it’s the fear of that discomfort—not the training itself—that holds players back.

#1: Imagery: Make it PETTLEP. In other words, when you’re visualizing make sure your imagery has physical, environmenta...
01/04/2025

#1: Imagery: Make it PETTLEP. In other words, when you’re visualizing make sure your imagery has physical, environmental, task, timing, learning, emotion, and perspective cues to it. It has to be specific. Try to engage all your senses in the practice.

#2: Routines. We’ve spoken about these before. But they should be automatic and practiced.

#3: When players learn about process goals they are understandably excited. Make sure,, though, that they’re “holistic” (Mullen et al.) in nature and that you don’t set too many!

#4: Do you know your Individualized Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)? Once you do, have some uppers and downers in your back pocket that you can rely on to get the most out of yourself.

Please, if you have any questions, post them in the comments below.

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How do you speak to yourself on the court?This week, I challenge you to be kinder and use more compassionate self-talk.U...
31/03/2025

How do you speak to yourself on the court?

This week, I challenge you to be kinder and use more compassionate self-talk.

Use the double-standard method:

If you wouldn’t speak to your loved or child in a particular way... why would address yourself this way?

Avoid: “You suck.” “Just quit.” “Get off the court.”

Lean into kindness: “It’s okay.” “Next point.” “You can do it.” “Come on, [Name], you can do it. Let’s go.”

It will help.

Good luck out there this week when you’re competing... and try to be kinder to yourself.

Tennis players are often confused about what sports psychology is and how it can help them. In the performance space, sp...
30/03/2025

Tennis players are often confused about what sports psychology is and how it can help them. In the performance space, sports psychology is the application of evidence-based principles, theories, and skills to help athletes perform to their potential and enjoy a better relationship with their sport.

Working with a sports psychology practitioner can:

- Help you build confidence on the court
- Play with better concentration
- Develop emotional resilience
- Reduce and manage anxiety, frustration, anger
- Increase intrinsic motivation

Hope this helps! Interested in learning more?

Give me a follow.

Novak Djokovic: “I might appear locked in… but trust me there’s a storm inside. And the biggest battle is always within....
15/03/2025

Novak Djokovic: “I might appear locked in… but trust me there’s a storm inside. And the biggest battle is always within. You have your doubts and fears. I feel it every single match. I don’t like this kind of mindset which I see a lot in sports, which is like, ‘Just think positive thoughts, just be optimistic, there is no room for failure, there is no room for doubts. It’s impossible to do that.”

“You are a human being.

“The difference between the guys who are able to be the biggest champions and the ones that are struggling to get to the highest levels, is the ability to not stay in those emotions for too long.

“For me, it’s really relatively short. As soon as I experience it, I acknowledge it, I maybe burst, or I scream on the court, you know, whatever happens, but then I’m able to bounce back and reset.”

What is this skill Djokovic is referring to?

This ability to stay present and always return to the now?

I would argue that it’s a kind of mindfulness.

Here’s How It Works in Practice

Instead of battling anxiety about what a loss might mean to your social standing, what your coach or partner might think, or how it’s the worst thing to happen to you in your week, you acknowledge the thought running through your head (“Losing this match will be horrible, horrible stuff,”) without judgment. You notice and observe that it’s just a thought—and that it doesn’t necessarily represent reality. There is no prolonged, protracted need to engage in thought stoppage or reframing.

Then, you bring your focus back to the present and commit to your value-based goal—for example, before your match, you hopefully had taken my prior advice and created a pre-match goal sheet, writing down that you want to maintain acceleration on your 2nd serve regardless of the situation because you’re more interested in long-term development rather than giving in to the whims and pressures of your mind.

No need to fight or suppress your thoughts. Just notice, return, and commit. Commit, in our case as tennis players, to the action, strategies, and ways of playing and being that we conceptualized at the start of the match through our goals.

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