Nervous before a match? Boost your confidence with these 5 tips
You know the feeling: The most crucial match of the season is approaching. Your teammates are pumped, you are pumped.
Yet, on matchday, things do not go as planned. The backhand you have been hitting precisely during your practice sessions misses three times in a row during the match. Before a game, reality often looks different: Tension builds,and you almost start gasping, your legs feel shaky, and your steps are hardly as confident and focused as you are used to from training.
With 5 tips, this blog post will help you keep it together before and during an important league game.
Yet, on matchday, things do not go as planned. The backhand you have been hitting precisely during your practice sessions misses three times in a row during the match. Before a game, reality often looks different: Tension builds,and you almost start gasping, your legs feel shaky, and your steps are hardly as confident and focused as you are used to from training.
With 5 tips, this blog post will help you keep it together before and during an important league game.
Training and competition – are you having fun?
Being nervous before a match is typical. In the end, during the game, things differ tremendously from your training sessions in the past week. That is an experience you share with probably 95 percent of tennis players who have experienced either precisely the same or at least something similar. Nervousness can impact our actions. Even pro-players change their game, once they get nervous. On the one hand, some players then change to a passive approach, settling for softer shots. On the other hand, some players start hitting incredibly hard, even though they have not spotted any gaps and therefore are not scoring any points. We feel like both variations are not beneficial in the long run. Moreover, we are confident that with the help of the following 5 tips, you will be able to play your matches with more confidence in the future. As for league games, the following goes: full concentration with every shot, mentally as well as physically.
#1 Awareness – nothing can go wrong
No matter whether you are playing a league game or in a recreational competition: As soon as the stands are reasonably packed, and fans start cheering, players may get very nervous. Be aware that this goes for any player. Take a look around, enjoy this atmosphere, and realise that, first and fore most, you are here to have the fun. Become aware that you are giving your best – at any stage of the match. And if you lose the match, you will learn from your mistakes and grow as a player. Every pro-player has lost dozens of times. First of all, being nervous means that you have prepared and trained thoroughly – which can give you an advantage for the next match.
#2 Give yourself exactly as much time as you need
After every rally, take your time before your next shot. The last rally might have been tough, close, and you might even have lost it – that, however, does not change the fact that the game goes on. Breathe deeply and give yourself a few more seconds before your next service. Do not put yourself under time pressure and prepare calmly. In certain situations, stress might award us with an adrenaline rush, yet, in others, it might have a paralysing effect. Therefore, find the stress level that brings you fun instead of one, that raises tensions and turns your attention towards your mistakes.
#3 Learning routines from the best – how you decide your match in your favour
You ask yourself how a routine relates to nervousness before and during a match? Well, watch a few of your favourite athletes’ old games. Especially pay attention to their actions when things do not go their way. Again, there are to types of players: those who want to push themselves before a match, who, therefore, watch successful players of the past, the most incredible points of recent years, and might even listen to loud, pumping music. Others do the exact opposite. They seclude themselves, turn inward, and try to calm themselves withthe help of breathing exercises and relaxing music. Every player develops hisor her very own ritual – all of which aim at the same goals: calmness and confidence. At the same time, depending on gender and character, those rituals differ tremendously. Some always kiss their talisman, others wear their favourite bracelet. Some look towards the sky and breathe deeply, while others rely on pretty inventive rituals, such as specific smells or ointments. Therefore, you may very well copy and take to a pro’s routine. Then, use it during practice as well. That way, it will boost your confidence and give you a positive attitude during your match – and who knows, maybe it even chafes your opponent?!
#4 Breathing – controlling your lungs improves your shots
Before every rally, after every won or lost point: breathe! Focus on calm and even breathing – even if your pulse is racing. That might sound simple but demands some practice. With the help of your breathing, you can bring your focus back to the point, the next rally. Breathing calmly and controlled will lead to you serving confidently and turn your full attention towards the match. You may try out several of the many different breathing techniques during practice. From the holotropic - to deep abdominal breathing or simple relaxation exercises – you can apply most breathing techniques within seconds, and you will sense an effect immediately.
#5 “Percent tennis” – the effect of “right” mistakes
The term “percent tennis” describes a style of play where you play 80 instead of 100 percent. You play it safe deliberately, giving your opponent enough opportunities to make a mistake. Try to play to your opponent’s weaknesses while not taking too much risk yourself. That, of course, means patience. Raise the pressure on your opponent by continually lowering your error rate. Attack in the right moment, but instead wait for the next ball, in case the risk of losing the point is still too high. When playing “percent tennis,” you always take the safe approach to your second service. You never play a return too close toward the line – at the same time, not too central, either. Find your balance between passive “playing back” and active “attack” and use some topspin from time to time. Even if you make a mistake yourself, make sure to keep playing “percent tennis.” That may lead to long-term success, and maybe your nervousness even has transferred on to your opponent by now.
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