PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

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Mental Performance at Home

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Dr. Larry Lauer, Mental Performance Specialist for USTA Player Development, offers tips, including visualization, engaging in normal routines and more, to help players when dealing with uncomfortable situations.

Core Values of a Successful Player

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Whether you are a junior player starting your tennis career, a dedicated tournament player, a casual League player or a top professional, there are seven core values you should have to make sure success applies off the court as well as on it.

Competing in the Summer Heat

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During the summer hard court season the heat and humidity often create extreme conditions. It can zap the legs and the mind of the fittest player. If you are going to not only survive, but thrive, in these extreme conditions you must prepare for them.

Embrace Your Fears and Focus on the Mission

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Too often we perceive threat in a variety of performance situations such as closing out a set when in fact we are in a good position. As the fear takes over and the fight or flight response continues we struggle to think clearly and focus. The best remedy is not to wait for the moment and try to deal with it. Instead, prepare a new way of responding by engaging in the following actions

Expectations and Goals: Know the Difference

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It is important to clarify the difference between expectations and goals because how we think about these concepts dramatically affects mindset and tennis performance. And, all of us must become comfortable with those expectations and goals that are challenging us to be our best.

The Mental Game: Visualize Success Part 1

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Utilize visualization techniques to help ensure success when you play. Mentally rehearse what you want to do on the court by recreating in your mind things you want to do on the court, like shots you want to execute and how you want to compete.

The Mental Game: Visualize Success Part 2

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To make the most of visualization techniques, have a definitive plan for what you’re visualizing. Find a quiet place free from distractions and focus on your breathing. Sight, feel, taste, smell and touch enhance your visualiztion

The Green Light Routine

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The purpose of the green light routine is to be able to let go of the last point and focus on the current point. Ready with full focus, energy and belief

Between Points Routine Check-Up

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This principle of optimal readiness applies to pre-match as well as before each point. This check-up document lists a series of questions to help you review your between points routine.

The Why, What and How of Mental Training

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Many top professionals use a sport psychology professional/mental coach to help them achieve their goals. Mental training will help you use your brain to perform better and be happier competing.

Mental Performance Profile

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Use this document to rate yourself on your mental performance in areas of emotional control, vision of the game, vision of yourself, confidence, resilience, passion and more.

Target 22

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Find the target where resilient, confident competitors flourish.

Goal Setting Table

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Organize effective performance and outcome goals using this table and key principles.

An Integrated Approach to Mental Skills Training

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The field of sports psychology has contributed to the improvement of tennis coaching and playing at all levels of the game. At higher levels of tennis competition, when physical skills and tactics of players are more comparable, psychological skills take on even greater importance.

Anger in Junior Players

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Have you ever experienced this scenario with one of your players or seen it happen with someone you’re watching? Chances are nearly every coach who works with junior tennis players has, most likely on a number of occasions.

Understanding and Influencing the Road to Success

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The concept of development, including athletic development, consists of quantitative and qualitative change that is orderly, cumulative, and directional (DeHart, et al, 2000). Read this definition of development again and see if it hits home. Do you try to effectively develop the players you coach? Do you try to bring about change in your players that is orderly, cumulative and directed? Do you believe that how you coach your players today will impact their abilities and performance in years to come?

Coaching Through the Stages of Growth & Development

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One of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of coaching is being able to work with players during their transition from childhood through adolescence and into young adulthood.

The Match is Over and You're the Coach - What Now?

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Without question, some of the most critical moments of your tennis-coaching career occur in the moments, hours and sometimes days following a big match. Win or lose, the athlete wants the feedback, support and knowledge that will take him or her to the next level. You must be sensitive to the athlete’s needs. In other words, you have to be gentle when you need to be, tough if necessary, ready to answer questions, ready to practice, prepared to work with a trainer and sometimes just ready to listen and not talk.

 

 
 

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