Player Advice
The Marathon Mentality: Developing a Mentally Tough Tennis Player
by Patrick Alban, 10 September 2015
Special from
SPMI
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To achieve real results, junior tennis players need to change and enhance their overall mentality. I often tell my tennis players that success is not a sprint - but rather a marathon. Basketball legend Larry Bird had a marathon mentality when he said, "I've got a theory that if you give 100% all the time, some how things will work out in the end."
Too often, I see junior tennis players validate their results before they even start competing. Saying things such as, "I need to do well in this tournament so that college coaches will see that I am good enough to play for their team." Validation is when a player identifies success through results or awards such as trophies, ranking, approval from others, winning tournaments, getting a scholarship to their college of choice, etc. When tennis players use validation to define their success, it often creates an overwhelming feeling to where they end up underperforming. In severe cases, tennis players may even lose all of their confidence from the positive results that they achieved in the past.
When a tennis player starts perceiving their practices, matches, and tournaments as a marathon instead of a sprint, they begin placing less emphasis on the need to validate or prove their greatness, and they instead focus more on just their performance one match at a time. This marathon mentality also promotes a healthier mindset and a more resilient confidence. Now the junior player is able to focus more on what they can control - and can quickly bounce back from losses and even setbacks.
SPMI is a premier mental toughness training company that has trained hundreds of tennis players throughout the world, helping them maximize their mental game and achieve their goals in tennis and in life.
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