Who’s up for a challenge?

I want you to ask yourself 3 questions….

1. Why do you play tennis?
2. What do you want to achieve in tennis?
3. What do you gain from playing tennis?

I spend the majority of my time coaching adults and juniors of all ages and abilities. I get a buzz out of seeing improvements, big and small from everyone I teach. People don’t realise how huge even the tiniest of gains are, even if it’s something small like, the correct wrist movement on a forehand or adding that little bit more topspin to your backhand.

This year I’ve spent a lot of time at external tournaments as well as watching adults in social tennis, club matches, squads, juniors in county squads and high performance groups, County tournaments and Tennis Europes.

I’ve noticed one thing…..

What’s everyone chasing??

Everyone is out to ‘be the best’ - but what is the best? It’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparison. Tennis has a cruel way of making you feel rubbish IF you compare yourself to others constantly.

“He hits the ball harder than me”

“She’s faster than me”

“He’s got a bigger serve than me”

“She wins more matches than me”

So here’s your challenge…..

Everyone is competitive, I get that! There has to be a certain amount of competitiveness when you play a sport but my challenge to you is, instead of competing against the player or players on the other side of the net, compete with YOURSELF.

Challenge YOURSELF to do better than you did last time you played. Instead of being the best in the group, tournament, county, region, or country, BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOU.

Comparison will only lead to heartache because here’s the honest truth…..

There’s always someone better than you!!

So next time you play a tournament, club match or social game, don’t get disheartened if you didn’t win the tournament or match, be positive that you played better than you did last time. Focus on the small gains, the tiniest improvements you did this time that you didn’t do last time.

Focus your energy internally not externally.

Forget everyone around you and beat the last version of yourself.

This is how I would answer the above questions:

1. Why do you play tennis?
Because it’s a highly skilled sport, which I am constantly trying to improve in. I love the technical and tactical challenges of the game. It’s great exercise and I feel great when I hit balls and move around the court.

2. What do you want to achieve in tennis?
To be better than I was the last time I played

3. What do you gain from playing tennis?
I gain confidence, character and life skills I use on and off the court. Tennis built me from being a shy boy with zero confidence to who I am today.

Give this challenge a go next time you hit the court. It’s a great way of training your mind to focus on yourself and not be overwhelmed.

Let me know how you get on!