Mental Toughness

Anti-Choking Remedies

by Jack W. Broudy

Take it from me, choking is probably the biggest reason players don't like playing tournaments. How often do you see a seemingly talented player completely fall apart under pressure situations? It's awful. Everyone has been plagued by this sensation, and I'm no exception. A "real player," however, can usually overcome these feelings, work past them and play decently--but not always.

What's happening when you're choking is that your mind begins to wander to all kinds of things--usually the drama of the match--other than focusing on the ball. You're double faulting, missing easy returns, sitter-volleys and so forth. It can get so bad that you feel as though you can't hit a decent shot. Your confidence then dissipates--and once that happens, it's over. Directly opposed to the feeling of "the zone," you have now entered the "flail zone."

Recently my friend Peter told me of his recent trip to the flail-zone in a random men's doubles match. He explained how he could not hit a ball in the court, and he even knew that his game wasn't coming back during that match. His experience made things all the more interesting when a few weeks ago I played an a mixed-doubles exhibition match at my club (where I'm the pro).

The club members came out to watch the four of us who were all 5.0 and up players. Unfortunately, I probably hadn't played a competitive doubles or singles match in over six months (I teach a lot), and I hadn't played mixed doubles but once in my life, when I was a junior. I guess I wasn't ready because I started off serving up three doubles in the first game (I average one to two a match). Things went downhill from there. To make a long story longer, I started thinking about what my friend Peter had said about knowing that he could "not get it back."

What a good opportunity for me to see if I can "get it back." Down 0-2 quickly, I began to think about moving my feet, so I listened for the sound of my feet moving on the court. At 0-3, I began thinking about a return of serve method I call, "toss, hit, bounce, hit," which entails saying those four things as your opponent serves to you--"Toss-Hit-Bounce-Hit!" This helps to focus only on the flight of the ball from the toss. Okay, we get a game. It's now 1-3.

Then I focused on keeping relaxed on my serve and breathing deeply while I prepared, bouncing the ball. Close game, we're down 1-4 but I manage to gain a little feel and lose a little more fear. The next game was a good game but we go down 1-5. Who knows whether it was the breathing or footwork, but at 1-5, I start to get deeply focused on hitting the ball and I actually begin to have fun playing and working on all these little projects I had given myself out there.

Down 1-5, set point, I hit a winner backhand down the line on my return of serve (better late than never!). From that moment we turned the game around, eventually winning the set on my low, cross-court return of serve. My partner and I looked at each other slightly bewildered.

The key thing to remember here is that, although I knew I was having a rough start, I kept trying to focus on things that would allow me to calm down and focus on the ball--and most importantly--have fun. Telling yourself to "relax," "focus" or "concentrate" is only going to make matters worse. Get yourself involved in playing well--give your mind something with which to occupy itself. This is what allowed me to get back into the game before it was too late. Have a list of sure-fire list of anti-choking remedies, from breathing to visualization to singing a song to yourself, and then make sure you can maintain the presence and clarity to remember them when the pressure is on. These types of relaxation hints can be found in the books, "The Real Spin On Tennis" (publisher I.C.S. Books, Inc.) and "Winning Ugly." Also, ask your coaches what they do when they need to recapture focus on their game.

Remember, you can always turn things around--it is completely in your power. Always keep the faith and stay fascinated with the process of tennis. Learn to control your mind, and let it help you. It ain't over till it's over.

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We encourage you to email your comments (pro, con, appreciative, whatever) directly to the author. To send email to Jack Broudy, click here. Jack Broudy, author of "The Real Spin on Tennis," is a teaching pro at The Bobby Riggs Tennis Club. For information on Lessons, Clinics, Summer Tennis Camps and The Bobby Riggs Tennis Academy call (760) 753-4705.