You've got to be kidding. I've never had anyone watch my match play except once and I played awful. Pretend they're wearing clowns pants; does that feel any different? It doesn't matter who or when you are playing you need to be relaxed. Your body reacts better. It's more flexible, makes fewer errors, and shots happen without your self talk getting in the way.
A term for this mind/body relationship is called the ideal performance state (IPS). When you're in the IPS you make the shots. Ray Allen, the famous three point shooter for the Celtics practices his three pointers in the morning; he starts with easy baskets and then goes for longer ones. Then he comes back before team practice in the afternoon (he's the first one at the Garden) and shoots again for one hour. So, part of the reason for his success is that he practices significantly more and smarter than everyone else. Those automatic shots happen for a reason; it's probably harder for him to miss his shots than make the shots. Why? It has become second nature. The more you practice the less you have to think once you've mastered the fundamentals. Then, there's Tom Brady, a true gamer, a pressure expert, and he has performed amazingly in crunch situations. There more he does it the more consistent he shows himself. He's comfortable in those situations. Players who miss are not comfortable with those situations. They can't dial it up. The champions are great when they have to be. The crunch points determine the great from the best of the best. The very best thrive in a high pressure environment. Relaxation, focus, and confidence are all part of that equation. The largest success factor is determined by your preparation. Brady also puts in extra hours practicing his passes outside of the team practice.
A term for this mind/body relationship is called the ideal performance state (IPS). When you're in the IPS you make the shots. Ray Allen, the famous three point shooter for the Celtics practices his three pointers in the morning; he starts with easy baskets and then goes for longer ones. Then he comes back before team practice in the afternoon (he's the first one at the Garden) and shoots again for one hour. So, part of the reason for his success is that he practices significantly more and smarter than everyone else. Those automatic shots happen for a reason; it's probably harder for him to miss his shots than make the shots. Why? It has become second nature. The more you practice the less you have to think once you've mastered the fundamentals. Then, there's Tom Brady, a true gamer, a pressure expert, and he has performed amazingly in crunch situations. There more he does it the more consistent he shows himself. He's comfortable in those situations. Players who miss are not comfortable with those situations. They can't dial it up. The champions are great when they have to be. The crunch points determine the great from the best of the best. The very best thrive in a high pressure environment. Relaxation, focus, and confidence are all part of that equation. The largest success factor is determined by your preparation. Brady also puts in extra hours practicing his passes outside of the team practice.
What if people are watching when I'm competing? First, don't watch yourself. What does that mean? If you're your own critic you won't be able to zone. What I mean by critic is--you can't think of a double fault when your toss is up in the air. The prophecy will come true. Anyone who's played sports knows what I'm talking about. If a pitcher thinks ball before he throws then it will be a ball. If your out in the drive way and shoot threes they tend to drop more when your out shooting around because you believe in it. Maybe not the first one or two times you play but the practice court will eventually show up in your game. If you work on your serve for just twenty minutes per day you'll started nailing the serve in your matches because your body will be on auto-pilot. If you can't get by people watching imagine they're wearing clowns pants There are some tricks to relax: humor is a great way to calm yourself-- crack a joke with your doubles partner, fix your strings, take a deep breath, or tie your shoes. All of these things takes pressure off the moment. Pros will take time outs to control momentum and question calls. The list is almost endless when you think about it.
Many players think-- "just play." They think, hey I play for fun, I don't need to practice and they become cagey. What is cagey? That is when a player learns by experience and manages their game in competitive situations. They have a keen sense of what they can do in a match and in one sense this keeps them free of negative self talk. They just play. The only problem with this is that your game will only go so far. You might be a great singles player for your team but you can't volley too well. Or perhaps you have an aggressive game but no backhand. Or you don't handle pace well because of a hitch in your swing. You don't have the mechanics to execute in that environment. You could say that about anyone who wants to move up a level. What is the biggest hurdle holding you back? Until you address the fundamentals hurdle it's going to just sit there until you jump it. You'll keep getting the lesson every time you play up until you address it. Some players don't see their hurdles and won't address them or don't care enough to jump it. It's too much work.
The players who make the most improvements are the players who receive coaching, practice and put themselves in "playing up" situations. Then they start making the shots in the new tougher environment. They will have several breakthroughs because they go back to the chalkboard, work out the kinks, find challenging coaching sessions (those who want to improve are willing to spend money on their game) and then test those skills in the game. It's a cycle of playing, evaluation, and practicing with a purpose. When you are well prepared you become more relaxed.
Even with preparation you may need some more tricks to keep stress at an optimum level: tilt your head up and look up with your eyes as much as you can for a few seconds and then release the hold, lift up and relax your shoulders, jog in place ( Maria Sharapova) before starting a point, bounce the the ball before the serve (Novak Djokovic), grunt out your breath when you hit (Jimmy Connors), practice a couple of correction swings after a miss, sing a favorite song in your mind, hold your racquet lightly with your fingers when you feel tight during play,etc...etc....etc. You have to be comfortable in the big situations and relaxed. If you look out in the stands at the crowd you won't stand a chance, unless you can disconnect, and then reconnect.
Look forward to your next on court big moment and let yourself play. Tell yourself how much you love it and go for it. Pretend if you have to. Sooner or later you'll start believing. When you believe in yourself you'll play your best. That's all we can ever ask of ourselves. If people are watching that makes it better.
Many players think-- "just play." They think, hey I play for fun, I don't need to practice and they become cagey. What is cagey? That is when a player learns by experience and manages their game in competitive situations. They have a keen sense of what they can do in a match and in one sense this keeps them free of negative self talk. They just play. The only problem with this is that your game will only go so far. You might be a great singles player for your team but you can't volley too well. Or perhaps you have an aggressive game but no backhand. Or you don't handle pace well because of a hitch in your swing. You don't have the mechanics to execute in that environment. You could say that about anyone who wants to move up a level. What is the biggest hurdle holding you back? Until you address the fundamentals hurdle it's going to just sit there until you jump it. You'll keep getting the lesson every time you play up until you address it. Some players don't see their hurdles and won't address them or don't care enough to jump it. It's too much work.
The players who make the most improvements are the players who receive coaching, practice and put themselves in "playing up" situations. Then they start making the shots in the new tougher environment. They will have several breakthroughs because they go back to the chalkboard, work out the kinks, find challenging coaching sessions (those who want to improve are willing to spend money on their game) and then test those skills in the game. It's a cycle of playing, evaluation, and practicing with a purpose. When you are well prepared you become more relaxed.
Even with preparation you may need some more tricks to keep stress at an optimum level: tilt your head up and look up with your eyes as much as you can for a few seconds and then release the hold, lift up and relax your shoulders, jog in place ( Maria Sharapova) before starting a point, bounce the the ball before the serve (Novak Djokovic), grunt out your breath when you hit (Jimmy Connors), practice a couple of correction swings after a miss, sing a favorite song in your mind, hold your racquet lightly with your fingers when you feel tight during play,etc...etc....etc. You have to be comfortable in the big situations and relaxed. If you look out in the stands at the crowd you won't stand a chance, unless you can disconnect, and then reconnect.
Look forward to your next on court big moment and let yourself play. Tell yourself how much you love it and go for it. Pretend if you have to. Sooner or later you'll start believing. When you believe in yourself you'll play your best. That's all we can ever ask of ourselves. If people are watching that makes it better.
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