Tennis mental game books

Dedi Jacob, the Head Coach, wrote this testimonial about Bill's time with the players. His ability to help our players stay motivated, focused and on-track is just excellent. Bill really takes the time to understand people, to listen and to figure out what each person needs to achieve and excel.

He has crafted a comprehensive mental game peak performance program for us, as a mental game advisor to individual players and team mental game coach for team practice sessions. He is a master mental game coach. He is one of the top peak performance coaches on the Pro Tennis Tour.

More players on the pro tour could use his help. The Mental Game of Tennis is scheduled for publication in You can order the book in advance from Amazon. Mar 12, Jeremy rated it it was amazing Shelves: work. Quotes: Images are better than words, showing better than telling, too much instruction worse than none, and… trying often produces negative results. The first skill to learn is the art of letting go the human inclination to judge ourselves and our performance as either good or bad.

Judgmental labels usually lead to emotional reactions and then to ti Quotes: Images are better than words, showing better than telling, too much instruction worse than none, and… trying often produces negative results.

Judgmental labels usually lead to emotional reactions and then to tightness, trying too hard, self-condemnation, etc. This process can be slowed by using descriptive but nonjudgmental words to describe the events you see. Slumps are part of the process. The first step is to see your strokes as they are.

They must be perceived clearly. This can be done only when personal judgment is absent. Ending judgment means you neither add nor subtract from the facts before your eyes. Things appear as they are—undistorted. In this way, the mind becomes more calm. To Self 2, a picture is worth a thousand words. It learns by watching the actions of others, as well as by performing actions itself.

Getting the clearest possible image of your desired outcomes is a most useful method for communicating with Self 2, especially when playing a match. Having provided yourself with an image and a feeling, you are ready to hit some balls. Now focus your eyes and mind on the seams of the ball and let it happen. Then observe what happened.

It cannot just be let go; it must be focused. To the extent that the mind is preoccupied with the seams, it tends not to interfere with the natural movements of the body. Say the word bounce out loud the instant you see the ball hit the court and the word hit the instant the ball makes contact with the racket—either racket.

Focus is not achieved by staring hard at something. It is not trying to force focus, nor does it mean thinking hard about something. Natural focus occurs when the mind is interested. When this occurs, the mind is drawn irresistibly toward the object or subject of interest. It is effortless and relaxed, not tense and overly controlled. When watching the tennis ball, allow yourself to fall into focus. If your eyes are squinting or straining, you are trying too hard. If you find yourself chastising yourself for losing focus, then you may be overcontrolling.

Let the ball attract your mind, and both it and your muscles will stay appropriately relaxed. Remember: it is almost impossible to feel or see anything well if you are thinking about how you should be moving. Most of our suffering takes place when we allow our minds to imagine the future or mull over the past. Nonetheless, few people are ever satisfied with what is before them at the moment.

What I really wanted, I realized, was to overcome the nervousness that was preventing me from playing my best and enjoying myself.

I wanted to overcome the inner obstacle that had plagued me for so much of my life. I wanted to win the inner game. Winning is overcoming obstacles to reach a goal, but the value in winning is only as great as the value of the goal reached.

Reaching the goal itself may not be as valuable as the experience that can come in making a supreme effort to overcome the obstacles involved.

The process can be more rewarding than the victory itself. In tennis who is it that provides a person with the obstacles he needs in order to experience his highest limits? His opponent, of course! Then is your opponent a friend or an enemy? It isn't the other person we are defeating; it is simply a matter of overcoming the obstacles he presents.

In true competition no person is defeated. Both players benefit by their efforts to overcome the obstacles presented by the other. One can control the effort he puts into winning. One can always do the best he can at any given moment. Since it is impossible to feel anxiety about an event that one can control, the mere awareness that you are using maximum effort to win each point will carry you past the problem of anxiety. For the player of the Inner Game, it is the moment-by-moment effort to let go and to stay centered in the here-and-now action which offers the real winning and losing, and this game never ends.

As tennis players we tend to think too much before and during our shots; we try too hard to control our movements; and we are too concerned about the results of our actions and how they might reflect on our self-image. The longer I live, the greater my appreciation of the gift that life itself is.

This gift is much greater than I could have imagined, and therefore time spent living it in a state of stress means I am missing a lot — on or off the court. Freedom from stress does not necessarily involve giving up anything, but rather being able to let go of anything, when necessary, and know that one will still be all right.

Feb 20, Anthony Mazzorana rated it really liked it. Bloody brilliant if you ask me. Oct 09, Mario Tomic rated it it was amazing. Honestly this is one of the best book I've ever read, it really spoke to me on so many different levels.

If you've played any sports or games you know what it feels like to be In The Zone, everything is flowing and you play the best you've ever played. This state is familiar to most of us but what is preventing us from being in the zone every game? Well, this book addresses that exact issue and I found it extremely valuable to help me reach a new level for my gym workouts. One other thing I real Honestly this is one of the best book I've ever read, it really spoke to me on so many different levels.

One other thing I really like about this book is that it speaks about the importance of natural effortless learning which is so much powerful than consciously trying to learn a new skill. Definitely check out this book, it's loaded with value. Sep 05, Yevgeniy Brikman rated it it was amazing. A fantastic read that's far less about tennis and far more about how to learn any skill or ability.

It is remarkably well written; concise and straight to the point, without the filler material you find in most business books; and a useful read for just about everyone.

Here are some of the key insights I got: Self1 and Self2 - When you're learning something, you typically have an inner voice: you might be telling yourself things like, "keep your eyes on the ball" or "you fool, how did you mess that A fantastic read that's far less about tennis and far more about how to learn any skill or ability.

Here are some of the key insights I got: Self1 and Self2 - When you're learning something, you typically have an inner voice: you might be telling yourself things like, "keep your eyes on the ball" or "you fool, how did you mess that up again? You might say, "I'm talking to myself. The thesis of this book is that self2 is remarkably good at learning—so long as you can trust it and let it do its thing by stopping interference from self1.

If you can quiet self1, then self2 will, almost magically, do the rest. Stop judging, start observing - One of the keys to quieting self1 is to get it to stop making judgments, such as "you fool, how did you mess that up again?

You absolutely want to see the truth, but the goal is to see events as they are without adding anything to them. Observing is essential; adding labels like "bad" to your observations isn't.

Not only do labels and judgments like "good" and "bad" not help, they actively interfere with self2's natural ability to learn, so learning how to observe without judging is essential.

It's remarkably well written and does a far better job of explaining this concept. That's because you can't hear a compliment positive label without being aware of it's opposite, so you get one compliment, start hoping for another, and if you don't get it, you assume the opposite is true, and you're back to the negative labels.

So it's not about replacing bad judgments with good judgments, but about removing judgments altogether and solely observing. Stop giving instructions, start visualizing - Another key to quieting self1 is to get it to stop giving instructions to self2.

It's very common for self1 to be constantly telling self2 how how to do something: e. Repeat this again and again, and self2 will figure things out remarkably quickly. Habits and focus - Stopping old habits is very hard. Starting new ones is easier. Instead of merely trying to stop this habit, you should try to replace it. For example, focus your attention on the seams of the ball as it spins.

Focus on the sound the ball is making. Focus on how the racket feels in your hand. Focus on your breath a big technique in yoga and meditation! It's not about controlling your breathing; it's about taking self1 and giving it something to focus on—giving it a new habit—so it doesn't spend all its time judging or instructing.

The role of competition - The value of winning is directly proportional to the difficulty of everything you had to overcome to win. The harder the goal, the more obstacles you have to overcome, the more skill you have to use, the more satisfying the victory. It's not about ego or showing off. It's about the fact that the better the competition, the more it draws the best out of you.

Quotes I saved some of my favorite quotes from the book. Great music and art are said to arise from the quiet depths of the unconscious, and true expressions of love are said to come from a source which lies beneath words and thoughts.

So it is with the greatest efforts in sports; they come when the mind is as still as a glass lake. We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed. When it first shoots up out of the earth, we don't condemn it as immature and underdeveloped; nor do we criticize the buds for not being open when they appear.

We stand in wonder at the process taking place and give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development. The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential.

It seems to be constantly in the process of change; yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is. He values the obstacles the wave puts between him and his goal of riding the wave to the beach. Because it is those very obstacles, the size and churning power of the wave, which draw from the surfer his greatest effort. It is only against the big waves that he is required to use all his skill, all his courage and concentration to overcome; only then can he realize the true limits of his capacities.

At that point he often slips into a superconscious state and attains his peak. In other words, the more challenging the obstacle he faces, the greater the opportunity for the surfer to discover and extend his true potential.

The potential may have always been within him, but until it is manifested in action, it remains a secret hidden from himself. The obstacles are a very necessary ingredient to this process of self-discovery. Note that the surfer in this example is not out to prove himself; he is not out to show himself or the world how great he is, but is simply involved in the exploration of his latent capacities.

He directly and intimately experiences his own resources and thereby increases his self-knowledge. From this example the basic meaning of winning became clear to me. Once one recognizes the value of having difficult obstacles to overcome, it is a simple matter to see the true benefit that can be gained from competitive sports.

He is a friend to the extent that he does his best to make things difficult for you. Only by playing the role of your enemy does he become your true friend. Only by competing with you does he in fact cooperate! No one wants to stand around on the court waiting for the big wave. In this use of competition it is the duty of your opponent to create the greatest possible difficulties for you, just as it is yours to try to create obstacles for him.

Only by doing this do you give each other the opportunity to find out to what heights each can rise. So we arrive at the startling conclusion that true competition is identical with true cooperation.

Each player tries his hardest to defeat the other, but in this use of competition it isn't the other person we are defeating; it is simply a matter of overcoming the obstacles he presents. Like two bulls butting their heads against one another, both grow stronger and each participates in the development of the other. This attitude can make a lot of changes in the way you approach a tennis match. In the first place, instead of hoping your opponent is going to double-fault, you actually wish that he'll get his first serve in.

This desire for the ball to land inside the line helps you to achieve a better mental state for returning it. You tend to react faster and move better, and by doing so, you make it more challenging for your opponent. You tend to build confidence in your opponent as well as in yourself and this greatly aids your sense of anticipation. Whether you're upset, angry, nervous, or just distracted, repeat this phrase to block out negative thoughts and return your focus to where it belongs, the ball.

Probably the hardest time to concentrate is when you're getting ready to return serve. Your opponent has the ball, so your mind seems to sense that this is an opportunity for a little time off. The next thing you know, your musings about which movie to watch tonight are rudely interrupted by a chunk of rubber and fuzz coming in at 90 m. A combination of three tactics can help keep your mind on the job:.

The "baaalll" device seems to work well for most players without much of a downside. The "hit, bounce, hit" phrase is also popular but for some players it distracts more than it helps. It's possible to become too analytical in the middle of a match, which will keep you from letting your strokes take their natural flow, but you don't want to shut down your analytical abilities either.

If you miss a shot you shouldn't have, you'll dwell on it less if you take a moment to figure out what you did wrong, then say to yourself, "Okay, I won't do that again. You might very well make the same error the next time the stroke comes up but just go ahead and apply the same process. Eventually you will get it right and, in the meantime, a little extra optimism won't hurt.

Learn versatility. If you have only one playing style and it's not working, your lack of strategic options also creates a shortage of mental safety valves. A key factor in psychological health, in general, is feeling empowered to choose different courses of action. Tennis players often lose because at least a part of them secretly gives up. You won't give up while you have something else to try.