Preparing athletes for pressure is a form of preventative medicine. I will soon be releasing Preparing for Pressure. This book came to light organically. It began as a Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Tennis Pro Magazine instructional article and quickly ballooned into a full-blown book.
The purpose of Preparing for Pressure is to provide solutions to assist those athletes that are able to thrive on the practice court only to wilt under game-day pressure. Many athletes have the will to compete but they often fail to find the will to prepare. I’ve found that performing well under pressure begins with preparing the athlete’s software for the heaviness of competition.
The US Navy Seal’s motto best describes insight into the solution to performing under pressure:
“We don’t rise to the occasion…we sink to the level of our training.”
The often debilitating scenario athlete’s face during competition is remedied with deliberate mental and emotional training. Very few athletes are born competitive tennis experts. Performing their best when they need it the most is nurtured.
“Competitive pressure is the lousy partner of great opportunity.”
The following scenario depicts an athlete failing to train in the manner he is expected to perform.
Brian’s frustration begins like clockwork each tournament match. This solid athlete can’t understand why he’s not able to duplicate his practice level in tournament competition. Friday on the practice court, Brian grooves his fundamental groundstrokes for hours.
Essentially playing “catch” back and forth. In this setting, Brian thinks: “Tennis is easy! Forget juniors…Man, I’m going pro!”
Fast forward to Saturday morning. Brian’s internal and external stressors ramp up because the practice court environment of catch is nowhere to be found. The friendly face on the other side of the net is now replaced by an intimidating, confrontational warrior whose hell bent on torturing poor Brian.
Come game day, that cozy, cooperative game of “catch” turns into a violent struggle of “keep away”. Brian would be wise to practice in the manner he’s truly expected to perform.
Preparing for pressure # 1 rule: Practice in the manner you’re expected to perform
“Performance anxiety is the habit of worrying.”
Some athletes stress about every minute detail while others confront setbacks in warrior mode. Because no two athletes are exactly alike, preparing for pressure begins with an assessment of the athlete’s and their entourage’s stress level as it pertains to the reality of tournament competition.
- The Games Scoring System
- The Opponents Style Of Tactical Play
- Gamesmanship
- The Draw/Seeding
- Spectators
- The Environment/Conditions
- The Court Surface
- Current Fitness/Energy Levels
- Untrustworthy Strokes
- Outcome Anxieties
Every athlete feels pressure; it is how they’ve been nurtured to deal with it that counts.
