The fast, erratic, net-rushing tennis-player is a person of impulse. There is no real system to his/her game, no comprehension of your game. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, mostly by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an fascinating sort of character.
The most unnerving player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court under the direction of an ever-active mind. This/her is the player to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A player who has an answer to every query you present him in your game. He is the most subtle antagonist in the world of tennis. He is from the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of slavish determination that fixes his/her mind on one plan and adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the end, with no thought of changing.
He is the player whose psychology is rather easy to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he never allows himself to think about anything except the business at hand. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of Johnston.
Choose your sort from your own mental pattern, and then plan your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are on the same level concerning stroke, strength and equipment, the deciding factor in any match is the mental viewpoint. Luck, as it is called, is often no more than grasping the psychological advantage of a break in the game, and turning it to your own account. People talk a great deal about the "shots we have made." But few people realize the importance of the "shots we have missed."
The science of missing shots is just as important as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a return that is killed by your opponent. Let me explain. A player drives you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and having reached it, you drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is surprised and put off his stride, realizing that your shot could just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to try it again and he will not risk it next time. He will strive to play the ball, and may make an error. You have thus taken some of your opponent's confidence, and increased his/her chance of error, just because of a miss.
If you had just tapped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt even more confident of your inability to put the ball out of his/her reach, while you would merely have been winded without result.
Let's just say that you had made that shot down the sideline. It was a seemingly impossible achievement. First it amounts to TWO points, because it stole one away from your opponent that should have been his/her and gave you one that you ought never to have had. Second it also worries your opponent, as he thinks that he has thrown away a big chance.
The psychology involved in a tennis match is very interesting, but readily understandable. Both men start with equal opportunities. Once one player establishes a real advantage, his/her confidence rises, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental viewpoint becomes poor. The only objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thereby maintaining his/her confidence.
If the second player pulls even or pulls ahead, the inevitable result is an even more drastic contrast in psychology of the players. First, there is the natural confidence of the leader of the game, but it is boosted by the great stimulus of having turned a seemingly sure-fire defeat into a likely victory. The situation of the other player is the reverse. He is likely to lose confidence and play worse. The breakdown of his game plan will be the result.
The most unnerving player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court under the direction of an ever-active mind. This/her is the player to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A player who has an answer to every query you present him in your game. He is the most subtle antagonist in the world of tennis. He is from the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of slavish determination that fixes his/her mind on one plan and adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the end, with no thought of changing.
He is the player whose psychology is rather easy to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he never allows himself to think about anything except the business at hand. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of Johnston.
Choose your sort from your own mental pattern, and then plan your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are on the same level concerning stroke, strength and equipment, the deciding factor in any match is the mental viewpoint. Luck, as it is called, is often no more than grasping the psychological advantage of a break in the game, and turning it to your own account. People talk a great deal about the "shots we have made." But few people realize the importance of the "shots we have missed."
The science of missing shots is just as important as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a return that is killed by your opponent. Let me explain. A player drives you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and having reached it, you drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is surprised and put off his stride, realizing that your shot could just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to try it again and he will not risk it next time. He will strive to play the ball, and may make an error. You have thus taken some of your opponent's confidence, and increased his/her chance of error, just because of a miss.
If you had just tapped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt even more confident of your inability to put the ball out of his/her reach, while you would merely have been winded without result.
Let's just say that you had made that shot down the sideline. It was a seemingly impossible achievement. First it amounts to TWO points, because it stole one away from your opponent that should have been his/her and gave you one that you ought never to have had. Second it also worries your opponent, as he thinks that he has thrown away a big chance.
The psychology involved in a tennis match is very interesting, but readily understandable. Both men start with equal opportunities. Once one player establishes a real advantage, his/her confidence rises, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental viewpoint becomes poor. The only objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thereby maintaining his/her confidence.
If the second player pulls even or pulls ahead, the inevitable result is an even more drastic contrast in psychology of the players. First, there is the natural confidence of the leader of the game, but it is boosted by the great stimulus of having turned a seemingly sure-fire defeat into a likely victory. The situation of the other player is the reverse. He is likely to lose confidence and play worse. The breakdown of his game plan will be the result.
About the Author:
If you are a novice tennis player or want to know more about the general psychology of tennis, just go to our website called Tennis Tips for Beginners
Comments (0)
Posting Komentar