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Holding a Lead
By Kim Shanley
To The TennisONE Community
In the last three newsletters, I wrote about preparing for
a match
physically,
psychologically,
and
strategically.
All this was to get you into the match and hopefully ahead of
your opponent(s).
But getting ahead and winning, as we all know, are two entirely
different things.
I received an email from Dave X who said he frequently wins
the first set 6-0 or 6-1. Dave's problem is that after dominating
the first set, he often loses the second set 6-0 or 6-1. He writes,
"This is too weird. Does TennisONE have something that can
help?"
As your acting librarian, I scoured the massive TennisONE
archive representing the best minds in tennis, and lo and behold,
I came up with the precise guidance sought by Dave X. Anyone
who worries about holding a lead should read TennisONE editor
Jeff Greenwald's article, "Closing
out Matches" (you need to login as a TennisONE member
to view this).
Holding a master's degree in clinical and sports psychology,
Jeff Greenwald is a master of the weird. He is also a master
on the court, holding the number one ranking in the world in
both singles and doubles in the men's 35 age division.
Jeff cites the key psychological breakdowns once you get a
lead:
- Protecting the lead syndrome. "The most typical
response in this situation is to tighten up and become tentative."
- Over-attachment to results. "As players begin
savoring the possibility of winning, they become distracted by
the attractiveness of this outcome. They lose focus, are unable
to stick with their game plan, and instead of enjoying the game,
they shift their attention to the results."
- In-the-driver's-seat mentality. "They feel they
are in the "driver's seat," and have the room to pull
out from the match for a moment and briefly celebrate their success."
- Nagging self-critic. "As soon as we are on the
verge of something good, enter Mr. Doubt: you better not lose
this now. You've choked before. Here we go again."
Greenwald offers these anti-choking remedies:
- "Stay with your game plan. Don't change it because you
are leading."
- "Use positive phrases to maintain concentration and
appropriate arousal" [not over-excited and not too relaxed].
- "Smile when the critic comes knocking."
- "Keep your eyes focused on specific targets--Strings,
ground, where you want to hit the ball."
- "Breathe deeply and rhythmically to maintain physical
relaxation."
So Dave X, I hope this answers your question and solves your
problem. You're not alone out there, and I'll certainly raise
my hand as having fallen prey to all the psychological breakdowns
listed above. I end with the same advice: email this to one of
your tennis friends. Say, "I found this helped me."
[Sure, this is a bit phony. You really mean, "Hey
friend, quit dragging me down!" But you're too nice of a
person to say this. Cut out this last part before you email your
friend].
If you have a comment about this newsletter or anything else
about TennisONE, please click
here to send your email directly to me.
Kim Shanley
President, TennisONE
If you are receiving the newsletter but haven't become a member
yet, here's some good news. Now you can get a free one month
membership! Click here for the details.
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June 1, 2003