Has anyone out there tried hypnosis for their tennis game?

Question

I need to find a way to steel my nerves, stop doubting myself. I know I have the ability, but keep s******g up, even when I have the lead (blew a 4-2 lead today) Aaargh! Social player, but I love the game, hate losing.

Answer 1

Uncontrolled nervousness makes your legs heavy and your feet stick to the ground. Nerves take the oil out of your strokes. They freeze you up. Nerves can make you stop thinking on the court and try stupid shots. A nervous player will kick himself afterwards and say: "Why did I try that drop shot from behind the baseline?" Nerves, that's why. Nerves can make you really braindead. What was easy to do suddenly isn't so easy. And it happens at all levels of tennis.

Nerve-Busters:

*Breathe like you've got asthma*

When you get nervous your breathing pattern changes. It's the first thing you should check. Your breathing tells you about the level of your anxiety. And, more important, your breathing can help you control your anxiety. When you're nervous you take short, shallow, quick breaths. And that's exactly how you feel. Everything is jumpy, racy and out of sync. When that happens, take smooth, rhythmic, deep breaths. You sound like you've got asthma, but it helps reduce nervousness.

*Get happy feet*

Let me tell you about footwork. It is the most important part of the game. It's everything. And nerves can destroy it. Good footwork gets you to the right position in time. If you're there in time you have options. If you have options you have a better chance of winning the point. If you have bad footwork and get to the ball late, or wait for the ball to come to you, you have fewer options. The ball is playing you. If it's tight to your body all you can do is fight it off. Bad footwork hurts your timing, your balance, your power and your consistency.

How do you get good footwork? Simple. Think toes. If you stay on your toes (the balls of your feet) you have to be taking light, quick, short steps. Heels are for digging in, for carrying the load, for holding your ground. Being on your heels is how you get passed in tennis. And nerves put you back on your heels quicker than anything else. So when it comes to good footwork, think like a ballet star - get up on your toes.

I consciously tell myself to move my feet. It's an order I give to myself when I'm nervous. "Bounce. Get up on your toes. Stay light on your feet! Bounce." I keep telling myself to bounce, to stay light, to keep moving. It helps me work into good footwork and out of nervousness. I want happy feet, not heavy feet.

*Read the label*

During the initial part of the warm-up, when I'm anxious and trying to settle down, there's another little trick I use to fight nerves. I read the print on the ball. I try to see Wilson or Penn or Slazenger as the ball is coming at me. You'll find that trying to see the writing not only helps get your eyes tracking the ball but gets your mind off nerves and on to something else. At first you probably won't see anything. Your eyes will improve and you'll start seeing a blur. If that's as far as you get, fine. What matters is that you've taken your mind off a problem by distracting it. Nerves aren't what you're thinking about. The label is what you're thinking about.

*Sing a song*

This one sounds a little strange. I distract myself from nerves by singing under my breath early in the warm-up. I'll get a song going through my head and sing the lyrics to myself. I'm just trying to keep everything calm and easy to start with. And believe it or not, this little trick works for me.

~~~

Good Luck!

Answer 2

You may want to do some research into autogenics.  In a way it is a form of self hypnosis or meditation.  The routine I would do is autogenics followed by visualization of specific tennis shots while you are still in the relaxed state.  This takes about 15 minutes and is done 15-30 minutes before you walk on the court.  Once on the court, pick two specific changeovers to close your eyes and quickly recreate the feeling of calm you had in your meditation session.  These two changeovers are most commonly after the first 3 games and after the completion of a set.

You can practice autogenics at home, and once you get the feel for what it does, you don't even have to do it before every match.  Just try to remember the feeling of calm control you'd experienced as you are playing your match.

I actually learned these techniques while training my voice in an acting class, and I discovered that when I played tennis immediately afterward, my mind was completely calm and my body relaxed.  Needless to say, I felt in the zone in my tennis.