Tennis.
When played well, it is an extremely physical sport. Aside from the physical aspect of tennis, another significant part of tennis (at least for me) is mental. My mind plays such a huge part in how I play, affecting how confident or tentative I am, how many risks I take, etc.
In practice, I’m able to perfect my technique, hit confident shots, or work on consistency. It is very important to have the knowledge and ability to hit certain shots well. If I hit a ball out, I don’t worry about it. I just focus on the next hit.
When it comes to matches, the pressure is significantly higher than practice. Due to the increase in pressure from practice to matches, it is easier to get nervous and tense up in the beginnings of matches, as opposed to practice. I find that the more I try and tell myself to not be tense, the more tense I play. The more I focus on what I don’t want myself doing, the more I get in my head.
This creates an unhealthy headspace for me. Austin, my doubles partner, and I have a mantra to get out of this negative cycle: “Aggressive shots to smart spots.” We say this to think of something positive that we want to do in each point. This creates a much improved headspace for both of us, allowing both of us to play our best tennis. We call this a reset.
Instead of continuing the negative spiral, we pause, say the mantra, and begin the next point. We hit the shots we hit in practice. We stay confident. Most of all, we have so much fun.
This aspect of focusing on positive things to do has helped me outside of the courts, too. In a time where I am feeling overwhelmed with schoolwork, I just focus on what I can do. This might mean reviewing the notes after class, emailing a teacher, or just sitting down and focusing on completing one task at a time.
Your mind plays a significant role in how you process situations. The more positive your thoughts are, the more positive your outcome will be.