Tennis Psychology (Part 1)

Tennis psychology is not a new concept, sports people have been using it for millennia for it is nothing more than understanding the make-up of your opponent's mind and gauging the effect of your own strategy on his or her head and also understanding the mental effects resulting from different external influences on your own mind.

Tennis Psychology (Part 1)

However, it is true that you cannot be a successful psychologist of others without first understanding your own mental processes. The same is true in tennis.

Therefore, you must first study the effect on yourself of the same thing happening under different circumstances. This is because people react differently in different moods and under different circumstances.

Once you understand what effect certain external influences have on your own mind, you are in a much better position to work out what effect your actions are having on your opponent.

You must understand the effect on your game of annoyance, joy, confusion, frustration, anger, or whatever other form your reaction takes. Does it improve your efficiency?

If so, try for it, but never offer it to your opponent. Does it rob you of concentration? If so, either remove the reason for it, or if that is not possible, strive to ignore it.

Once you have correctly assessed your own reaction to circumstances, study your opponents in order to work out their temperaments. Like temperaments react similarly, and you can judge men of your own kind by yourself. Opposite character types you will have to seek to liken with those people whose reactions you already know.

A person who can regulate his or her own psychology runs an excellent chance of determining those of other people for the mind works along certain lines of thought and can be studied. One can only regulate one's own thought processes after examining them meticulously.

A steady, phlegmatic baseline player is seldom a very quick thinker. If he or she were he would not adhere to the baseline. The physical appearance of a player is often a pretty clear indication of his or her type of mind.

The stolid, easy-going player, who usually advocates the baseline game, does so because he hates to stir up his/her torpid mind to work out a safe method of reaching the net.

Then there is the other kind of baseline player, who would rather remain at the back of the court while directing an attack intended to disrupt your game. He is a much more dangerous player, and a deep, keen thinking opponent.

That player achieves his/her results by varying his/her length and direction and worrying you with the variety of his/her game. This type of player is a good psychologist.

If you want to play tennis well, get fit and sharpen up your reflexes because you will definitely need those skills, but also spend time getting to know your opponent inside out, but that is the best way to defeat him or her.