Breathingand the Mental Game

Take a deep breath. Feel better? The breath of life. What could be easier and more natural, right? You come into the world breathing deeply from your gut, but, for most people, that doesn’t last. In our fast-paced society, with its ever-increasing levels of stress, good breathing habits are actually rare.

Many players, even at high levels, restrict their breathing under pressure.

Most people breath with short, restricted breaths, instead of using the deeper, slower abdominal breathing that facilitates relaxation and high energy. This is true in life and it’s true on the tennis court as well.

A crucial aspect to improving mental toughness and sustaining the ideal performance state is developing better breathing habits on the court.

Our breathing is a window to our emotions. Our breathing patterns fluctuate as our feelings change. Conversely, we can have a significant effect on how we feel and how we perform by controlling the way we breathe.

Proper breathing technique is a thread that runs through every aspect of tennis, what happens during the points, and what happens in the vital time between points as well.

It is central to staying relaxed, maintaining confidence and a sense of fun, so that we…