The jitters!!! Performance anxiety part 2

Thinking about a match the night before can make or break a player. It can eat at them to the point where one can lose sleep, become sick or nauseous, or one can sleep like a baby. I find it best to try and take your mind off of the match you have the next day rather than worrying yourself to death about a match you know you eventually have to play anyway. Ways that one can take their mind off of a match the night before is by reading a book, watching a movie, a favorite tv show or listening to music. I understand how the nerves can build up especially when one has not played a match in quite some time due to injuries. So as excited as you are to play, there is also that part of you that does not want to disappoint your teammates, yourself and your coach. You may or may not have familiarity with your opponent(s) from past experiences. But no matter what, the situation will be different because you are unsure of yourself stepping out onto the court for the first time in weeks, months or possibly over a year. Private lessons, clinics and team practices help you get back into the swing of things, but it's not the same when the adrenaline is pumping through the veins and you're trying your best not to beat yourself. The doubt creeps into your mind, "will I be able to play like I use to before my injury? Will I be a shell of myself? Will I suck? What if I can't play as well as I did in practice the other day? What will partner think of me if I'm not playing well? Oh shoot! How could I miss that easy shot? What's wrong with me? I don't belong out here. I can't believe I'm playing this badly. I shouldn't have told my coach I could play. Ugh! Come on! Get it together, you're better than this!" These are the thoughts that an athlete can not allow to run through their heads when competing the first few times back out on the court. You have to look at as a slow process and you have nothing but time on your side. If you are familiar with your opponent(s), there is no need to psyche yourself out because you know exactly what to expect. You know their strengths and you know their weaknesses. You know what worked for you in the past and you know what didn't work for you.

Playing against an unfamiliar opponent(s) can be a little more tricky. A player can only go off of what they have heard about their opponent(s). But, not every player plays the same so, a player sometimes has to figure things out while playing the match against a new opponent on the fly. I can remember as a kid travelling to East Lansing, Michigan for Zonals with my team representing New England. The schedules had come out and I new ahead of time that I had a tough match to play against this kid from New York. I had never played against this kid before, so I was nervous but confident in my own abilities. Our team had an early match against the New York team so my mom made sure that I was in my hotel room at a reasonable time so I could get a good nights rest. Some of my teammates were hanging out in the lobby of the hotel and they were chatting with my opponents' mother. The mother was asking my teammates and their parents for any inside information that they might have to help her son before he played me the next day. Clearly my teammates were not going to tell them anything to give my opponent an edge, but they did tell the mother that I had not lost a single match in New England at the time. That information ended up being the worst thing for my opponent and the best thing for me going into that match. That night, the kid could not sleep, plus he ended up having diarrhea. It was still somewhat early, so some of my teammates that were still hanging out in the lobby got word that the kid was literally crapping his pants thinking about the match he had to play against me the next morning. Some of my teammates ran to my room to tell me the news. I couldn't believe it, but it made me sleep a whole lot easier. Needless to say, I won that match in straight sets. The kid had lost the match before he even stepped out onto the court with me. Like I always tell my clients whether it's adults or kids, go out on the court and make your opponent beat you. Make them prove to you that they are the better player on that day. Don't psyche yourself out before your opponent can prove to you what they are capable of doing. You have a racquet, they have a racquet. You're playing on the same court with the same balls as they are. May the best person or team win!

To Judy, remember to take your time tomorrow. Don't try to do too much. Let the game come to you. Don't force your shots and don't try to play mistake free tennis. Mistakes are going to happen, but how will you respond and bounce back after making mistakes. It's important that you play your game and make sure that you don't second guess yourself. Changing your mind at the last second almost always results in an unforced error. Remember that you don't have to rush the net when you're back at the baseline, most times the net payer on the other side of the net is going to hit the ball right back to you. Be patient and use good shot selection, keeping the ball to the deepest person on the other side of the net. Once you get the short ball or the high floater, use the angles and attack the open areas of the court. Take deep breathes before each point focusing on keeping the game simple. Keep space between you and the ball on your forehand and make sure you're balanced before hitting through the ball. On your serve, slow with the toss, fast with the swing. It's all rhythm and timing with the serve. Stay positive and go out there and dominate! I believe in you!

Always believe,

Shaun.