Nerves

Abhiram Reddy Asked 11 years ago

Yes I know that this topic has been broached many times before in the mental preparation column but I have a question about something very specific that happened in a tournament today.I played my first match and as expected I felt nervous and was defensive for the first 3-4 points.Then I got an easy ball and put it away and for the rest of the match I coasted through being as aggressive as I normally am.

Then comes the second match.  The nerves had diminished from the first match but in this case I made an error off the first easy ball I got and smashed it long.  For the entire match I could not put away a single bad ball with my forehand and luckily I scraped through with my backhand counter-hits and good serving and receiving as I could sense that I was facing a weaker opponent.

Tomorrow I will be facing stronger opponents. What should I do if this happens tomorrow?  In general I have a better forehand than backhand.

Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago

Hi Abhiram,

Try to take each point as it comes.  Remember your ability doesn't change just your confidence in it and your ability to relax during the stroke.  Focus on the breathing that we have talked about.  As soon as you feel the tension and the negative feelings start to build take a breath.  Then focus on the tactics for the next point.