| Head Games: Don't Think Too Much! |
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| Written by Diet Detective Editorial Staff | |
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Free your mind so your body can do its best work. I often hear tennis players shout to themselves, "Think, stupid." What a pity. Because, in most cases, players who are losing are actually thinking too much. The human brain can only send down one signal at a time to the muscles. Thus, the players who are trying to solve their problem by thinking as they hit are normally sending down too many signals, and the result is usually chaos. It's interesting to note that many losers state in post-match interviews that they were afraid of losing the match while points were being played. But, the great players aren't afraid to lose. When you do the very best you can to get into position, strike the ball properly and to hang tough in a match, then not a soul on this planet can fault you. There are simply days when you can't beat Mickey Mouse. And there are days that hitting, rather than thinking, will help you stage some real comebacks after being close to defeat. As a psychologist, I've heard quite a few speakers tell athletes to imagine themselves in the winner's circle. I've said it a thousand times and it's worth repeating. A player with brilliant images and lousy strokes is simply a creative loser. The ball doesn't play favorites and God likes people on both sides of the net, so it boils down to who can hit the best shot under stress. The next time you're in deep trouble, see if you can get some sheer joy out of simply hitting the ball the best that you can and pat yourself on the back for not thinking too much. In other words, if you're going to go down, go down swinging, not thinking. Vic Braden is a licensed California psychologist and well-known author, sports educator and researcher, cinematographer, videographer and television commentator. If you have a question for Vic or would like information on Vic Braden's Tennis College around the country, please visit his Web site VicBraden.com or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 July 2006 ) |
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