A Practical Guide to Peak Performance: Part 1

A practical guide to help you win matches. In this article I want to present a simple, practical and easily applicable performance enhancement system, designed to take the uncertainty out of how to handle the pressures and challenges generated by competition. In my opinion, this guide gives players the best possible chance to play their best tennis and win more tennis matches. Many tennis players—especially recreational players--have no substantive mental and emotional foundation for dealing with the rigors of competition.  Even some pros I have met have no identifiable or systematic approach to handling the mental aspect of tennis. These players, regardless of level, are “winging it,” and usually hoping that by just “trying harder” and “willing” a victory that it will be achieved.   I call this the “hammer method.”  If only that worked more often than it actually does. There is also another class of players.  These are players who take the mental game very seriously, and who overburden themselves with so much information that they are unable to process the truly useful items when they are needed the most.  They have read every article and book and seen every video.  But unfortunately, just exposing themselves to more information...