3 effective steps to build confidence in a game

Tennis was never work for me, tennis was fun. And the tougher the battle and the longer the match, the more fun I had -Jimmy Connors

       So, how was that first game? Hope you learned some valuable lessons when you played. Today we're going to look at some 3 ways of building your confidence during a game.

I know a lot of you might be thinking, how important is this to me? Can confidence in a match make a huge difference? Well, the great thing is, by the end of this session, you'd have realized not only the importance of building confidence, but we're also going to teach you how to use your newly found confidence in winning a match.

            "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world -- that is the myth of the atomic age -- as in being able to remake ourselves."- Mohandas K. Gandhi

1.The first thing we're going to be looking at is identifying the problem. Let's say in the middle of a match, you realize that you are not achieving the goals you set. How do you react to this? Ask yourself these questions. Are you over thinking your moves? Might you have underestimated your opponent? Or could you just be magnifying your errors? Whatever the problem, the key here is to identify it. It would be best to identify the problem before a game ends. This way, you can take some time to resolve the issue. Most people do not take their time in identifying what exactly the problem is so they continue to be frustrated as they play the match. Your ability to identify a said problem about your way of play, can be a  huge confidence boosting factor especially, when you look at it from a positive perspective. You will understand this better as you read on. 

2. As the old tennis saying goes, "You can only achieve if you believe." So the second step to this procedure is going to be, visualizing your success. Though simple, note that this is a very important step.

Visualize previous performance, to remind you of your capabilities and how you felt during that match.

Also, you may want to imagine the various scenarios that could occur, and how you would attempt dealing with each one of them. Finally, set a goal that is achievable yet, challenging and again, visualize how you'd feel if you succeed.

3. Now, get back in the match and achieve these goals. Remember, the most important thing is not to win but rather, to play your best out there. Majority of tennis coaches would prefer seeing their students go all out and play their best than use the wrong techniques and win a match.Again here, you should constantly feed yourself with positive talk. It comes across as something most people find difficult doing especially when they get caught up in a really tense match, but, if you're going to comeback, you need to know how to think and talk positive when things are not going exactly as planned. Note that, using wrong techniques can sometimes result in injury (you can read more on some of these wrong techniques and the injuries you are likely to suffer when you log on to my blog later on. Subscribe to receive free notifications on this). Finally, when you step on the court, relax, take your time, play well and be confident! So, there it is folks. I hope enjoyed reading these helpful tips. Leave a comment below or check out what else I've been up to here. You can also check out part 2 of this article. Have a good game!

Also for your reading; The giant move (Stepping on the court for the first time)