Why Playing Scared Means Playing to Lose
Fear. It’s a noun—an unpleasant emotion created by the belief something is dangerous or likely to cause pain—and a verb. We “fear” the unknown, danger, failure and more.
No matter how you define it, one thing is certain. When it comes to tennis, fear is never helpful to a player's game. In tennis, fear means being afraid to lose, being afraid to make a mistake or being afraid of how you'll be looked at by your parents, coaches and peers if you lose the big match. Fear typically increases right along with the importance of your matches.
And here’s the most frightening part of playing with fear: It clouds your concentration, saps your confidence, tenses up your muscles, spoils your rhythm, causes indecision and overall sloppy play. Almost always, playing scared sets you up for a loss.
The difference between fear and nervousness
Fear and nervousness are not the same thing. Fear is a mental state that hurts your game. Nervousness, on the other hand, is a physical state where common symptoms are elevated heart rate, sweating and anxiety. Unlike playing with fear, playing nervous can actually elevate your game. That's because it can provide you with the energy and increased concentration to boost your play.
Embrace nervousness—a winning tactic
The famous Czech-American tennis player Martina Navratilova claims to have always been nervous playing tennis. You could argue that—as a winner of 18 Grand Slams—nervousness is one of her competitive advantages!
The same can be said about golf icon Jack Nicklaus—he once stated that he did not know how to play great golf when he wasn't nervous. Eighteen career major championships speak for themselves. "The Golden Bear" must have been nervous a lot over the course of his career.
Take control of your fear instead of letting it control you
Getting fear under control will be more of a work in progress than an overnight cure. Before you can completely kick fear, it's important to understand it. Fear is a result of your own expectations, so combating it begins with fine-tuning your on-court performance.
Here’s how:
â–ºForget about everyone else. Don't think about your parents, your coach or how your peers might view you. It's all about you and how you feel about yourself.
â–ºPrepare to win. Play to win. And expect to win.
â–ºRemember the good times and the times when your play was at its best. Conversely, when it comes to bad play, forget about it and move on. Everyone is bound to have an off match, it's how you handle it that matters most.
â–ºFocus on your goal and the task at hand.
â–ºPlay aggressive and not tentative.
Tennis players are at their best when they are playing with poise, confidence and trust in their abilities. You may not always win, but if you can learn to manage your fear, you are already on the right track to a successful course in tennis. See you on the courts!
