When Kvitova won her second Wimbledon title last year, she was quick to thank the influence of Michal Safar, with whom she’s been working with for five years. A naturally shy person, Kvitova consulted Michal consistently during Wimbledon, using visualisation techniques to keep her calm and focused. “It’s nice to talk with someone who knows how I’m feeling before my match.”He helped me a lot to handle the pressure and […]
When numbers speak … Most people have the impression that a tennis match takes a long time. That idea in your mind greatly affects the way you practice, train and condition. And it also affects your attitude when you go out to play a match. But here’s the surprising information: In the 90s, Vic Braden, a great tennis pro from the US, simply timed the actual playing time of some […]
Researchers at the Olympic Training Centre at Colorado Springs enlisted 30 college-age golfers, who were asked to work on their putting each day for a week. One group was instructed to practice physically putting the ball but without any visualization. The second group was instructed to visualize sinking each putt just before putting. This visualization process included mentally rehearsing the entire putt. They visualized the backswing, the stroke through the […]
Q: What do you make of Serena mentally? What’s your explanation, beyond the clichés about “rising to the challenge”… Mouratoglou: I know there are things that come to her mind, And when they do come to her mind, they make her incredible. Q: Do you discuss this? The mental strength, what do you attribute this to? Mouratoglou: There are things you can and can’t explain. I think first of all, […]
Rafael Nadal: my pre-game rituals Before a big match I have to follow my locker room rituals in the same order always. It’s like a great big matchstick structure: if every piece is not symmetrically in place, it can all fall down. Forty-five minutes before facing Federer I began the last phase of my pre-game ritual. I took a cold shower. Freezing cold water. I do this before every match. […]
According to the research of neuroscientists Mark Waldman and Andrew Newberg, if I were to put you into an fMRI scanner—a huge donut-shaped magnet that can take a video of the neural changes happening in your brain—and flash the word “NO” for less than one second, you’d see a sudden release of dozens of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters. These chemicals immediately interrupt the normal functioning of your brain, impairing logic, […]
Mental coach Juan Coto (Mental Training Inc.)*** reveals secrets behind Johanna Konta’s success – “You need to really believe” The mind coach behind Johanna Konta’s rise to stardom has revealed the secrets that turned her mentally tough. Konta faced Kerber in the Australian Open on Thursday in a grand slam semi final! The Sydney-born 24-year-old is a surprising semi-finalist in this Australian Open 2016. Starting last year 146th in the […]
How Balkan Tennis Players Rise: “We have to work hard and work our way up.” Ana Ivanovic, who says she started playing tennis because of Monica Seles, was one of 17 Balkan players in the women’s singles draw at Roland Garros. Damir Dzumhur was born in May 1992 in Sarajevo, not far from the ice arena that showcased the world’s greatest athletes in the 1984 Olympics. A month before Dzumhur’s […]
MentalApp is the first mobile app designed to help athletes and performers develop mental skill mastery. It is the most complete app designed to help athletes develop mental toughness. The biggest benefits of MentalApp are the ability to train groups of any size or skill level and the added support athletes are provided. For the first time, coaches, sport psychologists and parents can know what their athletes are doing, how […]
Until recent years, many players and coaches have long held some very fixed ideas and beliefs about the game of tennis. “This is how the game is”, “this is how the game should be played or approached”, “and this is how to become better”. Sticking to these rules, no matter what, or never questioning what is possible; is the “old game” of tennis. Nick Kyrgios brings some fresh air, fun, […]