Above the Net - Tennis Tips for Life Намуна

Manage Your Mindset

A wonderful book was recommended to tennis players many years ago: Inner Tennis, Playing the Game. Written by Timothy Gallwey, it teaches the “student of tennis how to concentrate and perform to his best in pressure situations.” Published in 1976, this book still helps many today. The detailed mental and physical exercises shared in the book help a player increase body awareness, improve concentration and rhythm, and demonstrate strategies for putting into practice the inner-game concepts of tennis play.

Keeping our head in the game is critical. It’s so easy to lose focus. Being distracted by anything other than the match being played sets you up for a loss before you’ve even begun. Andrew, another coach who helped me, once shared that during a lesson or drill, he tries to not ask questions to his players that are not “game related.” For example, during the holidays, he doesn’t ask “Hey . . . how is your Christmas shopping coming along?” because he can see the players’ focus slowly fade. When you mind wanders, so does your game.

It’s best to “be all in” mentally and physically, at every practice, match, and in whatever you are doing in life. Having too many “balls in the air” literally is too much to juggle at any time and is impossible in a match. Focus on one ball, one shot at a time. Our minds often can feel like a cell phone with too many apps open at once. The phone, and our minds, work best when we swipe away the unnecessary apps and tasks, allowing us to concentrate on the one thing that needs our attention.

An inspiring saying is this: “Wherever you are, be all there.” The enemy seeks to cloud our minds with worry, doubt, and fear. When negative thoughts seek to invade your mind, dismiss them and give them to God. Say positive words aloud and claim truth.

Ask the Lord to help you manage your mindset. He so desires for you to be mentally prepared and focused on whatever the task is before you—a tennis match, a phone conversation, a meeting, anything in your day. When your mind is surrendered to Christ, He will show you the way and how to play.