How to Get Better Off the Court

Getting better at tennis means creating a positive changes in different aspects of your tennis game. To get to the level you are currently at, you had to change something in your game to bring about your improvements. And now that you're here, you must again change certain aspects of your game to get to the next level.

There is no substitute for practicing tennis mechanics on the court. But the reason why most tennis players improve their abilities so slowly is that they only focus on making improvements by physical practice on the tennis court.

Perhaps more important to increasing your tennis performance is what you do off the court. Why? Well, first of all there is a particular mind state that you can condition yourself to assume so that every time you step on the court, you learn new skills faster than ever before. This means by practicing how to get into this mind state off the court, it will allow you to get 5 or even 10 times more out of the practice you get on the court.

Also, to really get to a high level in tennis, you have to be resourceful just as much as you have to have good physical ability. In other words, your mind has to be open to every possible advantage available to you. It has to have razor sharp focus. There are certain mental exercises you can perform off the court to give your mind this razor sharp ability to focus, so you instantly become more resourceful when you're on the court.

Today I will share with you two off-court strategies that can increase your abilities dramatically. They are:

1. How to enter a peak state of focus

2. How to condition your mind to responder better during training

To read about each of these strategies, click here.

How to Enter a Peak State of Focus

You process your experiences through your senses. For example, think of a pleasant experience you recently had. Look at the shades of colors you have in your memory, the size of the objects, the sounds and tempo of the memory, even the “weight” of the memory.

Now compare it to a recent unpleasant memory. Here you will notice that the colors are more harsh, that the memory is likely to be “heavier” and the objects are bigger. Now manipulate the colors, and make them lighter and warmer. Reduce the size of the objects. Make the memory feel lighter. Do this, and you will change how you feel about the memory.

Now ask yourself this – when was the last time I was in a state of ultimate focus? Think of that memory, and notice all of the visual, auditory and kinesthetic properties of that memory. Right before you step on the court next time, instantly take the current surrounding around you, and in your mind manipulate those surroundings so they match the same characteristics in your mind as the memory of the last time you had ultimate focus.

Do this enough and you'll train yourself to slip into a state of peak focus almost on demand.

How to Condition Yourself to Respond Better to Training

Watch your favorite tennis player and record them when they are performing at the top of their game. Then, notice their physiology. What are the muscles on their face doing? What is their posture like? How do they walk back to the line to serve after scoring a point? How do they catch they balls that are thrown at them from the ball boy?

Mind state and physiology are linked. The mind state your are in will control the postures and facial expressions you assume. The cool thing is this can be reverse-engineered. By assuming the same physiology, you will enter into the same mind state that your favorite tennis player was in when they are at peak performance.

To do this, just model their “peak performance” posture, right down to the look on their face and the different physiologies they assume. Create a mental picture in your mind of this person, then enter in to the person. Do this right before you hit the court, and instantly you'll be able to reach a peak performance state.