Visualisation will increase inner belief
One of the biggest problems I have found facing most tennis players is a distinct lack of real belief in their own ability.
I am not talking about external confidence (which is simply a brave face put on for competitors!), I mean real inner belief that you truly KNOW that can win, and beat those top seeded players. This is a feeling which cannot be faked, and which is absolutely essential when it comes to serving out that last game against a favored player. Those who cannot seem to serve these games out are simply missing this inner belief which is required to reach the upper levels of tennis.
A lack of real belief in oneself creates a mental approach of fear, which cause a whole variety of different problems for players during matches, the most common ones being:
So what is the best way I know to begin to create belief in yourself and your own ability?
Daily visualization. Let me explain, this is all you have to do. Every day for 5 minutes (or even if just for a few minutes) vividly imagine in your mind the absolute perfect match you wish to play at your next tournament, as if it is really happening right at that very moment. This literally programmes your subconscious mind for success (much like a computer), it's a form of self-hypnosis which is very safe, easy and it works brilliantly.
A crucial element - when you visualize playing a match in your mind, use all your senses - imagine seeing the players, court and surroundings, all in their respective colours, and hear the sounds of people cheering you. Most of all - feel that amazing joy of victory when you win the match.
If you do this every day for around 5 minutes, you will gradually notice a shift in your confidence levels before and during matches, and your results will begin to steadily improve. I don't have the space to tell you how this works, except to say that this creates a mental program (or blueprint) in the area of your mind that is the control-center of all of your body's movements.
Now the only trick to it is this - it's only the truly dedicated players who will do this every day. This very quickly sorts out the serious players from the ones who just wish they were better, but are not willing to do anything about it. Are you willing to try this for 5 minutes a day? If you do, you may well discover a whole range of extra benefits from it as well, which even go far beyond tennis.
There are many important aspects to visualization which you should know about (I could probably write 100 pages on this topic alone), but some of the important aspects it can be used for are to:
"The Mind controls the body, and the Mind is Unlimited"
The best of success, Craig Townsend
I am not talking about external confidence (which is simply a brave face put on for competitors!), I mean real inner belief that you truly KNOW that can win, and beat those top seeded players. This is a feeling which cannot be faked, and which is absolutely essential when it comes to serving out that last game against a favored player. Those who cannot seem to serve these games out are simply missing this inner belief which is required to reach the upper levels of tennis.
A lack of real belief in oneself creates a mental approach of fear, which cause a whole variety of different problems for players during matches, the most common ones being:
- a deep inner feeling of not being good enough
- extreme nervousness
- practicing brilliantly but playing badly when it counts
- negative thoughts - of all types!
- difficulty sleeping the night before
- worrying about small details which may never occur (uncontrollables)
- intimidated by opponents, and even future opponents
- unusual or silly mistakes during a match
- regularly recurring problems in tournaments
- dislike of competing at particular courts
- not looking forward to tournaments
- jealousy of other players
Once players gradually begin to believe in themselves, these symptoms often disappear completely or reduce substantially, allowing positive feelings of confidence, anticipation and yes, even a general feeling of happiness and eagerness to fill your mind and body during a match. This is a far better mental preparation for a strong performance.
So what is the best way I know to begin to create belief in yourself and your own ability?
Daily visualization. Let me explain, this is all you have to do. Every day for 5 minutes (or even if just for a few minutes) vividly imagine in your mind the absolute perfect match you wish to play at your next tournament, as if it is really happening right at that very moment. This literally programmes your subconscious mind for success (much like a computer), it's a form of self-hypnosis which is very safe, easy and it works brilliantly.
A crucial element - when you visualize playing a match in your mind, use all your senses - imagine seeing the players, court and surroundings, all in their respective colours, and hear the sounds of people cheering you. Most of all - feel that amazing joy of victory when you win the match.
If you do this every day for around 5 minutes, you will gradually notice a shift in your confidence levels before and during matches, and your results will begin to steadily improve. I don't have the space to tell you how this works, except to say that this creates a mental program (or blueprint) in the area of your mind that is the control-center of all of your body's movements.
Now the only trick to it is this - it's only the truly dedicated players who will do this every day. This very quickly sorts out the serious players from the ones who just wish they were better, but are not willing to do anything about it. Are you willing to try this for 5 minutes a day? If you do, you may well discover a whole range of extra benefits from it as well, which even go far beyond tennis.
There are many important aspects to visualization which you should know about (I could probably write 100 pages on this topic alone), but some of the important aspects it can be used for are to:
- overcome extreme nervousness
- learn new technical skills far more easily and quickly eg. a new service action
- overcome and conquer intimidation, criticism and cheating from competitors
- dramatically increase your own inner self-belief
- increase your energy, enthusiasm and motivation
- relax easily and quickly
- banish negativity, and sustain positivity
- recover from illness and injuries more quickly
- learn to make contact with the sleeping giant inside you, your subconscious
- and many, many others
"The Mind controls the body, and the Mind is Unlimited"
The best of success, Craig Townsend
