FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE NOT THE OUT COME By Shalu Bedi

By Shalu Bedi. Former Incharge Department Of Sport Psychology •NSNIS (SAI) Patiala.

Tennis is a racket sport which requires the player to have excellent physical as well as mental skills.The physical aspects are generally taken care of during practice and training sessions where the skills and techniques are refined to a great extent. But competitive tennis is altogether a different game requiring different strategy for the player to have a competitive edge on his or her opponent. It requires the use of psychological skills and strategies.

Tennis is infact a mental game on the competitive field. It requires mental toughness,Concentration,arousal control, a lot of self confidence and a positive approach towards performance. The greatest enemy of a tennis player is pre competitive anxiety and negative thinking. Here is where psychological skills training can play a great role in overcoming any fears and making the player goal directed.

Practice makes perfect and perfect practice makes for a better player. So incorporating psychological skills training along with physical training and strength work, we can make Champions as the game of course can be very much under a players control on the field. Time to time psychological testing for diagnosis of anxiety and stress and counseling and relaxation training session are recommended for all our budding Tennis players. Last but not the least, the coaching strategies of an experienced, hard working and dedicated coach like Birbal Wadhera can make all the major difference. Birbal uses a sport scientific attitude with the players which are a must in todays highly competitive era especially for a country like India. Therefore, all the budding tennis players plan properly and have performance oriented goals and not outcome oriented ones which are not in your control. This way you can manage your anxiety. Remember a little anxiety and stress is infact facilitative to performance and keeps us motivated to achieve. But don’t let it increase to a level that it affects your performance negatively.

Practice deep breathing exercises to control your arousal levels and use positive imagery. See yourself perform in the field and bring in all your senses while using imagery.These psychological strategies are very helpful for a tennis player.Wish all the players being trained by Mr.Birbal Wadhera the very best for the future competitions.