TennisOne

A great deal has been written about the mental game of tennis; yet despite all the books, articles, and videos, players still come on the court and play scared. Why? What's going on? Why do so many players do incredibly well in practice and then play differently, tentatively in matches? It happens all the time; coaches and teaching pros just shake their heads over this phenomenon, tear their hair out.

In my experience, the reason is simple. We've all been conditioned -- by parents, by schools, surely by society -- that winning, as Vince Lombardi used to say, is everything, the only thing. It shouldn't be. When it is, I believe it's a handicap. Yes, winning is a great feeling, but there's a better feeling out there -- the feeling that you are playing the best tennis you are capable of, all the time; that you are playing full out, enjoying the drama, embracing the moment, relishing the opportunity to compete, learning something every time --- whether you are winning or losing. And a funny thing happens when you relish and enjoy and play up to your potential -- you win more. It has happened to me, exactly like that.

Everyone talks about self-talk, that it needs to be positive, upbeat. Sure, that can help. But more powerful yet is the ability to come on court truly ready to play absolutely fearless tennis. I believe every one of us, somewhere in our lives, has been a fighter, has toughed it out through a difficult situation -- or maybe we just want to be tough. The trick is, on the court, not to be victimized by the first and automatic thought that may come into your head -- "Oh, god, he's ranked, or seeded, or misses nothing in warm-up. I'm gonna get creamed!" Go down that train track and you know where you're going to get off -- at the Big "L" stop, embarrassed and angry at yourself. Instead, let the second thought surface: "Wait a minute. I can do this. I belong here. I'm just going to go out and enjoy the hell out of it." Amazing how you can play when you feel that way.

"FearlessTennis is a breakthrough program. As the #1 Men's 35 player in the world and as a sports psychology consultant, Jeff has rare insights which can dramatically enhance your mental game and free you up to play the best tennis of your life," - World-renowned Sports Psychologist, Dr. James E. Loehr.

Why is it we all hit buckets of serves, but don't practice hitting loose? Do we really know or feel the difference between playing loose and playing tight? Why, when we all later regret not going full out for our shots, when we hate playing like a wimp -- why do we keep on doing it? What are we getting out of it? Why do we constantly back off balls or push our returns, or hit the ball late, again and again and again? Why do we keep on reinforcing bad habits? Why are we scared to lose, scared to miss? What are we trying to protect? Why are we more aware of the sidelines, the crowds, the coach, our parents, our opponents, our ranking, than we are focused on the ball?

All players know when they're playing in fear -- all players, if they are honest with themselves. It's an "elephant in the room" that few know how to banish. FearlessTennis addresses this universal challenge and can help players achieve real growth on the court-finally.

Look for the first of Jeff's three part series in the upcoming issue of TennisONE.

This year's #1 world and U.S. ranked 35 singles player and Sports Psychology Consultant, Jeff Greenwald, Releases 2 Hour, Double-CD, Audio Program, FearlessTennis: The 5 Mental Keys to Unlocking Your Potential.

Trained Sports Psychology Consultant, Jeff shares with all of us in this exciting, new audio program how he transformed his game through a change in his mind-set on the court and how we can do the same.

Jeff Greenwald was very modestly ranked on the ATP computer in the early 90's. Ten years later, though playing only occasional tennis in the interim, has applied a Fearless mind-set to the game earning in 2001-2002 the #1 world ranking (ITF) in Men's 35s, and #1 (USTA) in both U.S. Singles and Doubles. At the Sybase and Siebel Open (half a million dollar ATP events), over the last two years, in San Jose, California, this same mind-set helped push two players to three sets, both of whom were in the second and third rounds of Wimbledon this year. Jeff is clearly playing better tennis now than he did when he was fulltime on the tour.

How did this transformation happen? That's what you will find out in FearlessTennis, a two-hour audio program chock full of stories, interviews, practical techniques, and anecdotes from top-ranked pros-a program you can pop in the car on the way to a tournament.

FearlessTennis
Cost: $22.95
To order online: www.mentaledge.net
or call: 415-563-7621

A Report from Jeff Greenwald, the Author of FearlessTennis