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Featured Articles
"Optimizing Your Technique, Part 3," Nick
Saviano
"The Myth of the Tennis Tip," John Yandell
ProStrokes Gallery: Justine Henin-Hardenne - Groundstrokes
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Mental Intervention
To the TennisONE Community
I think most of us know when
our strokes need a mechanical tune-up from a teaching pro. But
knowing and doing are two different things. Just
as we put off fixing the knock in the car engine or the grind
in the gear shift, we tend to put off fixing the wristy forehand
or the errant ball toss.
What we really need is an intervention.
We need all our tennis teammates who have suffered continuous
losses because of our maladjusted game to storm into our house,
confront our state of denial, and demand we seek professional
help.
What holds true for the mechanical
side of tennis, holds true for the mental side of tennis. Most
of us need help, but we're in a state of denial. Just pause for
a moment while you're out on the courts next time, and listen
to the angst and negative self-talk floating through the air:
"Idiot!" "Stupid!" "Lazy!" And
all the other more colorful expressions of self-loathing being
shouted by a group of people supposed to be having fun.
So, here's your intervention for the week: stop it. Stop torturing
yourself--and your tennis partners! "Yes, easy to say, but
how?" Log-on and surf to the mental fitness section of the
TennisONE archive. Help awaits you. There are dozens of different
articles that will provide a mental tune-up, but let me highlight
three outstanding pieces (you need to login as a TennisONE member
to see these):
- "Even Champions Choke," by Allen Fox. Worried about being a
choker? Admit you choke and then keep fighting is the advice
of TennisONE luminary Allen Fox in his fine analysis of Steffi
Graf. Besides being an outstanding professional tennis player
(ranked among the top ten U.S. players for five years) Allen
Fox was the tennis coach at Pepperdine University for many years
(now retired). Among his many tennis credentials, he is the author
of two books on tennis psychology (he has a Ph.D in Psychology
from UCLA.) and strategy.
- "Mental Toughness Training: The
16 Second Cure, Part 1,"
by Jim Loehr. Want some practical advice for improving your mental
game? Take a lesson from TennisONE contributor and world renowned
mental toughness guru Jim Loehr. Dr. James Loehr, CEO of LGE
Performance Systems, is recognized as a world pioneer in the
field of sports psychology and mental toughness training.
- "Utilizing Anxiety to Obtain Peak
Performance," by
Jeff Greenwald. Want to play in the zone and reconnect with the
joy of playing? This is a good introductory article to the wisdom
of TennisONE contributing editor Jeff Greenwald.
Besides being
currently ranked #1 in the world in both singles and doubles in the men's 35 age division and #1 in the United States, Jeff
Greenwald holds a Master's Degree in Clinical and Sports Psychology,
is a USPTA certified tennis professional, and is a member of
the National Speakers Association.
Try a TennisONE mental tune-up.
You can thank us later.
Now on to the issue.
Let us know what you think!
Kim
Shanley
TennisONE
Current
Features
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"Optimizing
Technique Part 3," Nick Saviano
In the third and final part of his new series, top coaching educator
Nick Saviano continues his analysis of the "true fundamentals,"
turning to the returns, volleys, and the serve, excerpted from
his book Maximum Tennis. This series cuts through the confusion
and let's players at any level see the difference between personal
style and optimum technique.
"The
Myth of the Tennis Tip," John Yandell
There are only two things
wrong in traditional lessons, much of the information is inaccurate,
and it's presented in the wrong form. In this provocative piece,
John Yandell explains why traditional "tennis tips"
can actually be a barrier to improving. See what learning theory
and the experience of top players suggests as the alternative.
The prelude to a new series on building a modern game.
ProStrokes: Justine Henin-Hardenne
- Groundstrokes
She's one of the smallest players
in pro tennis, with one of the biggest backhands. Over the past
year we've had more requests for Justin Henin-Hardenne's backhand
than for any other player in ProStrokes. So here it is! Study
Henin-Hardenne's groundstrokes, backhand and forehand, filmed
from multiple angles in live tournament play. |
