Mental Toughness

Mental Toughness And Tournament Etiquette

Rituals
Top players go through a series of rituals prior to beginning a point. On the serve, bounce the ball at least two times and pause before beginning the service motion.

Stay loose
Think spaghetti arms on the serve, relax your hand on the grip, breath deeply between points, and exhale at the hit.

On the return of serve bounce on your feet, relax in your ready position and focus on the ball, as your opponent gets ready to serve.

Control your Eyes
Players maintain concentration by focusing on their strings or other fixed objects between points.

Project a confident image
After a point is over, relax your hand by holding the racquet in you non-dominate hand. Walk tall, shoulders back, head up and eyes forward.

Learn to be a good actor
Do not show negative emotion to your opponent. Yelling out, throwing racquets and poor body language will all hinder your performance.

Stay positive even if you miss an easy shot. Tell yourself “No Problem” or “Next Point”.

Great shots
If your opponent hits a great shot, compliment them or clap your racquet.

Clear your Court
"Clear your court to clear your mind". Never start playing a point with a ball on your court.

The following are some basic rules that cover common courtesy for tennis matches.

Warm up your opponent
Warm up is not practice; it is warm up, for your opponent as well as yourself. This means hitting balls directly to the opponent and at a reasonable pace. Generally, you should not return serves during the warm up, unless you ask your opponent for permission. Doubles teams may warm up with each other, rather than their opponents.

Call the score before each point
This not only ensures that players are on the same wavelength before each point and avoids later disputes, calling the score before serving lets the receiver know the point is about to begin.

Do not return serves that are obviously out
If a serve is obviously long or wide, the Code of Conduct requires player to hit the ball into the net in front of them, or make sure it is secure in the fence behind them. It's considered a form of rudeness to hit serves that are obviously out back over the net. Continuing to do so can be considered unsportsmanlike and a delay of game.

Play to the reasonable pace of the server
While the rules allow up to 25 seconds in between points for recovery, the receiver must play to the reasonable pace of the server, which is generally considered around 10-12 seconds after the last point ended. Receivers should not stall and servers should not rush, even if they prefer to start the next point immediately. Additionally, if the receiver is not ready when the ball is served, he or she should make no attempt to return the ball. If the receiver makes a stab at a serve, and then tries to claim he or she wasn't ready, the receiver is out of luck. Just hold up your hand and say, “I wasn't ready.”

When in doubt, call it “in”
If there is any doubt, give the call to your opponent. If you honestly can't see a call, you may ask your opponent if they saw the ball. If they saw the ball, they should make the call. If they didn't, then you must give them the call. Remember if you are 99% sure the ball was out, the correct call is in.

There are no “do overs,” with one exception
If doubles teammates disagree on a serve call, and the serve was put back in play, they may play a let. If the receiver puts a sitting duck back in play, sportsmanship would require that the receiving team give the point to their opponents.

Don't interrupt points on the next court when returning balls
In order not to interrupt a point on the next court, or delay your match, simply roll balls into the fence behind and between fences if the other court is involved in a point. This will allow you to begin your point, and allow the players on the next court to retrieve their ball without interfering with your point. Do not roll balls behind players involved in a point, even if it's well behind them and into their fence; their opponent can see the ball rolling behind them.

Keep balls dry
If you sweat to the point that your shorts become soaked, do not put balls in your pocket if this causes the balls to begin to absorb the moisture in your pockets. This can be considered tampering with the equipment and you can be penalized for it. If you sweat this much and use a two-handed backhand, you'll have to come up with a remedy for this situation, as you may not place a ball on the ground near your feet when serving.

Educate spectators
Do not applaud double faults or missed shots. If your fans heckle opposing players, you can expect twice that many fans waiting for your team when you come to their school! Knowing these simple rules of etiquette prior to matches will help you maintain a sportsmanlike match atmosphere during even the toughest matches.

Tournament Scoring Systems and Preparation

Keeping score
Different scoring systems may be used depending on the tournament.

Set
First player to reach 6 games by 2. If the score reaches 6-6, players should play a 7-point tiebreaker to determine the winner of the set. (7-6)

2 out of 3 set match
First player to win 2 out of 3 sets.

8 Game Pro-Set
An 8 Game pro-set is a race to 8 games. The first player to win 8 games wins the match. If the score reaches 7-7, a 7-point tiebreaker is played to determine the winner.

Regular scoring
15, 30, 40, game. If the score reaches 40-40 or deuce you must win 2 consecutive points to win the game. Regular scoring is used in DPTA tournaments.

No-ad scoring
The first player to win 4 points wins the game. If the score reaches 3-3 or deuce, the returner has the choice of which service box he or she would like to return serve from. This is the scoring format used in ZAT tournaments.

7 Point Tie-Breaker
This is considered the last game of a set or a match if the score reaches 6-6 or 7-7 in an 8 game pro-set. The first player to reach 7 points with a 2-point margin is the winner. The first point is served to the deuce court. Players alternate serving 2 points each after the first point serving to the ad court first and the deuce court second.

9 Point Tie-Breaker
Not played very often but this sudden death tiebreaker is played to 5. Players alternate serving 2 points each and if needed the last server serves the remaining 3 points.

10 Point Tie-Breaker
In lieu of a third set in ZAT tournaments. This is played in the same format as a 7 Point Tie-Breaker.

Changing ends
Players should change ends of the court on odd number games.

Spinning the racquet
One player should spin the racquet on the ground and the other player should call up or down before the warm-up. The winner has four choices. 1. To serve 2. To receive 3. Side of the court 4. You can make the other player choose.

Calling out the score
Call out the score before each point. It is the server’s responsibility to call out the score. If your opponent is not calling out the score, call it yourself. If you and your opponent loose track of the score, meet at the net and back track points. If you still cannot remember the score, go back to the last point where you and your opponent can agree on the score and begin playing again from that point.

Scorekeepers
If you are playing on a tennis court with scorekeepers attached to the net post be sure to use them. Many tennis matches have been lost because of the game score being called out incorrectly.

Bad calls
Expect some bad calls during a match, even the pros get bad calls with line judges. If you get a bad call question your opponent. If bad calls continue, consider asking the tournament director for a line judge.

Coaching
It is against the rules to coach your child during a match or on changeovers. Coaching is permitted between the second and third set and during rain delays.

Tournament tennis bag
Jump rope
Practice balls
Towel
Ice pack, band aids
Energy bars
Sunscreen
Wristbands
Grip overwraps
Spare racquets
Money
Cell phone
USTA card
Walkman, Gameboy, reading material

Tournament suggestions
Re-check playing time
Inspect your racquet strings and grips
Arrive early, give yourself plenty of time to warm-up, stretch and familiarize yourself with the surroundings
Scout your next opponent (if possible)
Hot weather conditions – wear white clothing
Cold weather conditions – wear layers – you can always take clothing off
Water jug – write mental or inspirational notes on it with a permanent maker
Wear Shorts with pockets
Cap, visor, sunglasses
Remember to always carry a change of clothes and shoes

Dr. Jim Loehr’s 12 Mental Toughness Concepts

	Eye Control Between points, controlling your visual field helps control your mental focus. Pick a very small spot on one of three things: your strings, the ball, or the ground. Focus on the spot between points this will help you keep your focus during points. Rituals Important prior to serve and return of serve!! Directly related to how well you hold up under pressure. A way of relaxing right before playing a point. 2 Components: Physical – gestures, movements, and motions Mental – precise series of steps; visualize exactly what you want to happen on the next point, how you will do it, and how it will feel Pace Don’t Rush. Establish the best pace for you and maintain it (especially when under pressure). Dictate the pace of the match. Breathing Significantly contributes to staying under control when under pressure both physically and mentally. Breathing out at the point of contact lengthens your stroke, while making you more fluid and relaxed. “Auditory cue” – saying a specific word out loud when you hit the ball. Control breathing between points. Your breathing should be in sync with your hit. High Positive Intensity Emotions at high levels should be fueled only with positive intensity. You must be able to manage and control intensity. You will become better at this by practicing maintaining the same level of intensity.
	Consistent Fighter Image Look how you want to feel. (“fake it, to make it”) The more intimidating the image, the better. Show your opponent your determination. Project confidence, particularly under tough times/high pressure.
	Relaxation & Calmness Put racquet in opposite hand and shake out arm to loosen and free muscles. Tune into muscles. Balance intensity with appropriate relaxation and calmness. Let body recharge itself between points. Managing Mistakes Single most challenging thing to overcome. Clear the mistake as quickly as possible, both physically and mentally. Play in the “HERE AND NOW”. Dwelling on mistakes makes the ideal performance state IMPOSSIBLE. The more concerned with mistakes, the more difficult it becomes to fine tune emotionally. Take time to clear the mistake from your head before the next point. Look the same whether you are winning or not, or under pressure or not. Visualize dealing with mistakes positively! Negative Self-Talk 2 types of negative self-talk: Overt – audible Covert – internalizing If you talk at all, it needs to be positive, encouraging, and enthusiastic. Enjoyment When you enjoy yourself, you play better; you are calmer and more in rhythm with your strokes, breathing and body. Must practice enjoyment, just like everything else. It’s not worth the price if you don’t balance playing with enjoyment and fun.
	Positive Attitude In order to be a winner, you have to think like a winner. It’s easier to think negatively; thinking positively takes work. Consistency physically requires consistency mentally. Requires discipline to achieve full potential. Racquet Up Keep racquet, chin and shoulders up. Don’t withdraw – keep the fight going and make it obvious to your opponent that you are going to continue fighting. Make a signal for yourself, so that every time you do it, it acts as a trigger to keep you fighting. By looking like you are giving up, you boost your opponent.

Select Tennis Academy: Tournament Travel

Our Service Includes:

Pre-match warm-ups
Pre-match mental sessions
Strategy sessions
Scouting opponents
Proper nutrition and hydration during tournament
Practice sessions the entire weekend
Post match Evaluations

Tennis Player Expenses:

Tennis Professional Fee: $300 per day divided by the group
Hotel: Approximately $25 per day depending on the tournament location.
Transportation: Approximately $30 per day depending on the number of players and the tennis tournament distance.
Meals: Players responsibility, Travel Team has breakfast and dinner as a group.

Private Tournament Travel with a coach includes:

Warm up and practice with a coach
One on one coaching the entire tournament
Scouting next opponent
Physical and mental match preparation
Match Evaluations

Professional Fee: $300 per day
Hotel: Approximately $100 per day
Transportation Approximately $50 per day
Meals: All meals are player’s responsibility