Self-Talk Affirmations

When on the tennis court (or any sport) you must make sure that you maintain a positive attitude and project confidence. The mind cannot have a positive and negative thought at the same time. Choose to be positive.

These are statements that you can repeat to yourself to achieve your peak performance. By repeating these during your games, you can help defeat the negative thoughts that can and will arise during play.

• I maintain a strong on-court image regardless of the situation.
• I allow myself to make mistakes, rebounding quickly and completely.
• I always give 100%, regardless of the score or outcome of the match.
• I am a relentless fighter.
• I work hard to be in the best physical condition and I work hard to maintain that edge.
• I am a mentally tough competitor.
• I have a positive mental attitude, I always look for the good.
• The tougher the situation, the more challenged I become.
• I am quick and alert and ready to move to any ball on the court.
• I have absolute and total concentration and focus during a match.
• I enjoy playing before a crowd and appreciate their support.
• I love the craziness of competition.
• I am intensely motivated to be the best player I can be.
• I am confident of my ability to win.
• I feel challenged in pressure situations and remain relaxed and focused, following my rituals at all times.
• I visualize my serves and return of serves in detail before I hit the ball.
• I quickly release the frustration of a poor shot, remaining positive and focused.
• I am in complete control of my thoughts and emotions.
• I learn something about my game and myself with each match I play.
• When a negative thought enters my mind, I take a moment and replace that thought with something positive.
• I feel calm and relaxed, loose and energized when I play.

Find 3-4 that work best for you. It should elicit the best response during the match that puts you in the correct fighter's frame of mind. As good as these self affirmations can be for sports, they work equally as well in everyday life. Having a strong, positive mental attitude is key to becoming the best you can be.

10 Things to Notice About Your Tennis Opponents

It is very important that we learn to read our opponents and understand their strengths and weaknesses on the tennis court, especially during the warm-up. All players have tendencies and patterns that they repeat throughout the match and the sooner you uncovered these, the quicker you will be able to take advantage. Ask your partner what he/she noticed about the player they were hitting against and compare notes.  Not to oversimplify, but below are 10 things to notice about your opponent and expose during a match.

• Who has the weaker overhead? Lob this person, especially on the backhand side.
• Is one opponent weak in returning serves? Poach more against this person.
• Does either have a weak second serve? Stand in and take advantage of it. Take it on the rise and "steal time" from your opponent.
• Which opponent is the weaker volleyer? Play this person at the net. Shots at the body will test them and likely produce good results for your team.
• Is one person slower? Play this person out wide or work your drop shots.
• Which are their favorite strokes? Play all others, not these. Also pay attention to where in the court they like to hit their favorite strokes, everybody has patterns.
• What are their favorite positions on court? Make them play other positions. Baseliners are weaker around the net and vice-versa.
• What is the weakest stroke they possess? Play this one, time and time again until they prove you wrong.
• At what height do they prefer to take shots? Give them all other heights based on the limitations or their swing and grip. If a player has an extreme grip (semi-western/western) then shots played at the feet will become more difficult.
• What pace do they prefer? The difference between each playing level is the ability to control pace and depth. Vary your speed and spin to keep them off balance and make yourself less predictable. Need more doubles strategy?

Most importantly play within yourself. Play your game. Just because your opponents have a big serve or big forehand, don’t try and show them how hard you can hit it unless that is your weapon. Being the bigger hitter doesn't matter, the final score does. Don’t let your ego get in the way of you winning the match. Your ability to identify their strengths and weaknesses either in singles or in doubles will determine the outcome of the match. On the changeovers, make sure to reevaluate your initial analysis to make any necessary strategy changes. Be aware, make a strategy and you will play better tennis and more importantly win more matches. Good luck and have fun.

11 Simple Tips for Better Doubles

• The better server serves first- Gets you off to a good start and allows the stronger server to serve more times.

• Get your first serve in- It helps keep the pressure on your opponents and does not allow them to get a swing at your second serve. It also allows the server’s partner to not “false start” when poaching.
• Serve down the middle (or into the body)- This should be done frequently but not exclusively. This limits the receivers’ angle by forcing them to keep the return in the center of the court. This also allows your partner the opportunity to poach.
• Hold serve- If you don’t lose your serve, it's hard to lose the match. If you lose focus, get back to your rhythm. Set your eyes on the spot where you want to serve, take a deep breath, relax and make a smooth toss and swing. The server's partner also plays an active role in influencing returns, poaching and supporting the server as well.
• Consistent returns- Get your returns back into play, most often crosscourt. Don’t give away points with your return errors. Every missed return is the same thing as a double fault to your team.
• Take over the net- Use the position at the net to your team’s advantage by hitting angles and decreasing your chance of hitting the ball into the net. When hitting deep, keep the ball low with underspin to make your opponents hit up.
• Talk to your partner- You and your partner must communicate to win. Period. Meet at the T frequently to set strategy, high five and stay on the same page.
• Support your partner- The Golden Rule applies. If you find yourself being critical of your partner, STOP. Your job is to help raise the level of your partner, not decrease it. Share in your successes and help build up a partner when they are having a bad day. We have all been there, so treat your partner as you would like to be treated.
• The ball is always coming to you- By remembering this, you will rarely be surprised and you will remain intense and ready to play.
• Angle your body- Make sure to face the player who it hitting the ball. This will allow you to address the ball, have full vision of your opportunities and get your feet moving the right direction.
• Have FUN- Sounds simple but we often forget it. We all started this sport to have fun with our friends. Don’t let that be lost when concern about wins and losses comes first.

Remember these 11 simple tips when playing doubles and your success and enjoyment of the game will soon follow.