STRESS: YOUR ENEMY OR FRIEND?

If you ask most players why they like to play tennis, they will probably tell you "because it's fun".

However, there is a large number of players out there, both tournament players and recreational players, who struggle to handle the stress of competitive tennis. 

Most of their anxiety comes from them attempting to play at a level they know they can play at, but constantly coming up short and letting themselves down by making silly unforced errors. Playing tennis to them is more like a type of mental torture!

It's the age-old enemy of most tennis players... STRESS

It's stress that causes us to blow a match when we are leading by a set and a break. It's this same stress that makes us miss those easy forehand put-aways with the court wide open.

In nearly every situation our response to helping players deal with stress is to try to teach players how to avoid stress. But stress is an inherent part of our game.  

Traditionally, we have attempted to alleviate stress in players through various methods.

We have tried breathing techniques that help redirect our focus from the stress of the match. Breathing techniques can also help slow the heart rate and, therefore, calm the mind. 

The problem is that the match is ongoing, and the stress continues to mount in even greater waves, especially as the game reaches its climax. There are only so many breaths you can take before you begin to hyperventilate!

There are rituals we can use that we hope will envelop us in a "other world" cocoon, designed to help us forget the stress of the moment. However, players can become too reliant on them, almost verging on superstition at times.

I've had players with rituals (read superstitions) about wearing the same pair of shorts for every match. The problem arises, of course, when they keep winning (proof the shorts are indeed lucky?), and the same unwashed shorts are being used for the 5th match in a row!

Taking more time between points to collect your thoughts and playing one point at a time are all good strategies that can work with proper guidance around you.

I recently tried another method for dealing with the stress of competition, which I'd like to share with you. It may work for you as well.

A player came to me seeking help to manage stress in competition.  He knew his results should have been better if only stress did not affect his matches as much as it did. 


After watching him play points, I started to believe that each time he got the opportunity to finish the point, and stress arose, he would "switch off" mentally to avoid the uncomfortable feeling that comes with stress. I also felt that he believed mentally "switching off" at these crucial times was a legitimate technique necessary to overcome his choking in matches.

He felt stress was the enemy, and at the crucial moments of the point, stress needed to be avoided for the winning passing shot, mid-court forehand, or cross-court winner to be successful.

I began to talk to him differently regarding stress. I began to discuss stress as a beneficial thing, even something that we needed to utilise as a tool to help us in matches.

Here are the key changes I asked him to make mentally regarding stress in matches:

1. LEARN TO PLAY WITH STRESS...

There's no point in trying to ignore stress. The better you get, the more stress there is. I'm sure you're not playing for your country yet or playing in front of thousands on TV. Billie Jean King once said, "Pressure is a privilege", meaning the better you get, the more stress there will be. Learn to deal with it!

2. LET STRESS BE YOUR FRIEND...

Acknowledging stress as you play will keep you focused. Rod Laver once said, "Play scared and never let up". Play scared! That seems like a strange thing to say, but Laver understood that acknowledging the pressure and stress within the match would keep you honest. Let stress become your friend and use it as a tool to keep you focused throughout the game. 

3. STAY WITHIN STRESS...

Recognise the little subtle ways your brain tries to avoid stressful moments. The passing shot that's just too ambitious. The forehand mid-court put-away is hit too close to the line. There are many examples I've seen in matches where players have switched off mentally too early. This rush to switch the brain off becomes a habit the player uses to avoid stress. Force yourself to stay switched ON throughout the finish of the stroke. Take responsibility for the result by not switching off early!

4. TAKE YOUR MENTAL RESTS BETWEEN POINTS...

All this effort to embrace the stress present in every point and with every stroke takes its toll. It's not easy!

I like to think of this process as if you are exercising a muscle, the “stress muscle” in your head. The more you exercise it in every drill, every point of every match, your stress muscle gets stronger and stronger. This is what the world's best players have achieved. The stress levels of playing a Grand Slam final on TV in front of millions of people is the most stressful thing you could ever do. But these top players have exercised their "stress muscle" for years, 

Learn to take your rest periods between points to relax the "stress muscle" in your head. But when it's time to play the next point... SWITCH ON AGAIN!

Dealing with stress in competition is one of the most prominent problems players face at all levels of our game. Try to change the way you perceive stress in matches, and it will help you deal with it more effectively as you play.