What is the difference between competitive and elite tennis players?
This may be of interest to aspiring professional tennis players around the world, who have played numerous local and regional tennis tournaments yet have not broken through to national and international level events.
First things first, tennis is a ruthless sport. That much we all know. It takes a very balanced and composed mind to win matches and stay in the present moment, especially when we are lagging behind in the score line. There are a few tips I can share with you which might make your tennis journey a little more informed and easier. Read on.
- Do not pay attention to the score.
This is fundamental yet an easy trap for most players. If we look long term, a career is made of almost infinitely many points and I prefer to really think of tennis as one point following the next, rather than many individual isolated events, called matches.
2. Find a good team.
This includes a technical tennis coach but also great teammates who push you forward and encourage you to excel to new heights. This is fundamental. Tennis is a tough sport mentally and without your buddies, you can feel very alone on court. If you travel as a team to competitions, this will help keep up your moral and increases your chances of going farther into the draw. A team may also comprise of an understanding partner who accepts your absences from home whilst you compete or, even better, supports you along the way.
3. Find the right equipment.
This may sound trivial but it really isn’t. There is a mountain of equipment available out there yet not much guidance to aspiring players. Some rackets are better for baseline grinders, others for attacking type players. Investigating and trying out different racket heads is vital before sticking to one. Racket weight is also very important. In order to be competitive in matches, a racket must be at least 300g. (unstrung) in order to give you the control in faster paced points. Find the right strings for you. Some will gie you more feedback (they feel stiff) and some are easier on your arm and give you more elastic energy. Experiment with different string tensions and even a mixture of two strings (one type for the vertical and one type for the horizontal direction). Also remember to change your strings regularly. If a racket is strung for more than 8 weeks the strings stiffen and will not play to their optimum. Also typical strings usually give you no more than 12 hrs of play at optimum levels of performance. Do not sacrifice racket performance by keeping old strings in.. if you can afford it! Find comfortable shoes as uncomfortable shoes will not allow you to move freely on court. Grip on the shoes is essential and shoe makers specialise in soles for different surfaces. Again, experimentation is key until you find the comfortable pair which just fits!
4. Eat like a professional athlete
A diet can either enhance or hinder you.. and you are what you eat (literally). So..what’s the take home message? Do the research about what is the intake of nutrient your body needs. As an athlete, you’ll probably need a higher protein intake than the average non-athletic individual, simply because your muscles will need to repair and grow. Proteins are responsible for this. Yet, this does not mean leaving behind carbohydrates, fibers electrolytes and vitamins. Generally a balanced diet will help you go a long way. As your body becomes more trained, try to reduce high sugar content foods and feed your body on slow carbs. Time your eating before a match and always remember to eat before a big game ( at least an hour before the game). Our body burns energy and if you run out of gas .. well you know what the most likely outcome for that game is..
5. Do the work in the gym — preconditioning is vital. It will save you from painful injuries and forced time out (trust me on this young fellas). But the benefits do not stop at injury prevention. At the higher levels of the game, tennis becomes grueling and stamina is required. More specifically, your muscles need to be elastic, so that you can hop around the tennis court for two hours without loosing that elasticity or “hop”.
6. Practice meditation — nerves are a really big thing in tennis. In fact, once you have been playing for a while, you’ll probably notice everybody has the shots. It’s then about who can pull them out under pressure and repeatedly stay focused. Like any other activity in your life, tennis matches require your undivided attention and concentration. As soon as your mind starts to think about something else, then you are no longer in the zone and don’t stand a chance in competitive play. Headspace has some fantastic exercises for performing under stress. These skills are great to have under your belt and are highly transferable. You can use them in almost any occasion where you are out of your depth and get the butterflies.
7. Take rest days — at least one a week, forget about doing sport that day. It’ll give your body the chance to repair the micro-tearing in your muscles.
8. Make changes to your team.
Life is about energy. We have a certain amount of it at the beginning of the day and give it away until we have little to none in the evening. Find the people who drain your energy in an unproductive way and let go of them. There are better uses of your time. This may be an unhelpful coach or people who are external to your tennis life. Do not be afraid to experiment and make changes. Maybe a new club is a better idea, a new hitting buddy or new coaching base..if you feel that someone/something is getting in your way, address it so that you can move on.
9. Volunteer to coach juniors.
There’s an old saying which says.. If you cannot explain something, you do not really understand it. Coaching is a good way to really internalise technical moves and make sure they enter your subconsciousness. Coaching is also likely to help build your self-esteem as a player, as well as a good source of income so it really is a no-brainer.
10. Keep an open mind — Tennis is mostly about loosing until you find your A-game. And even then, you’ll have spells where your game is just nowhere to be found. This is part of the tennis player’s career and these moments are to be endured. If tennis makes you happy in the long run, then it’s worth playing!
