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One of the most common mental struggles I see with junior tennis players is the inability to control emotions. Going to tennis tournaments, you'll see many players of all ages and levels show every emotion possible. Players (and in some cases parents and coaches) show emotions such as frustration, anger, disappointment, and even sadness.

The problem with emotions is that when they are negative they directly affect the player's focus and match performance. In the most severe cases players will end up choking after being in control of the match and even tank altogether.

From a sport psychology and sports science standpoint, we know that emotions heavily influence a player's working memory. Working memory is involved in how a player stores and manages information such as decision making on the court, problem solving, and learning from past mistakes. One example of this in tennis could be from an angry tennis player focusing on the referee's over rule of a bad call instead of focusing on the next point. This shift of focus depletes the player's full capacity to stay in the present and maximize his or her working memory.

A critical skill that a tennis player must learn in emotionally challenging situations is acceptance. Acceptance is defined as the ability to see things as they are and not as they should be. When players learn how to accept they are able to stay more emotionally in control and win key points they might otherwise lose. The challenge with acceptance is that it is a skill that must be practiced often and in many cases does not work like a simple light switch that can be turned on and off.

In tennis, one of the greatest advantages players have is the ability to maximize the 20-second rule. The 20-second rule is the maximum amount of time allotted for tennis players to take in-between points. When frustrated, many players will rush and take a fraction of that time. To help with this, I encourage players and coaches to practice taking the same amount of time between each point to improve their acceptance skills and learn how to balance their emotions.

To help improve the consistency and player awareness of their routine, coaches can use a stopwatch and monitor player's progress in practice and matches to make sure that they are staying consistent with the time frame. The goal of this intervention is to help players slow down and regain some of their emotional control. Of course, there are many additional techniques and a need for a deeper understanding of why each player responds more emotionally in some situations than others in order to maximize each player's full potential.

SPMI is a premier mental toughness training company that has trained hundreds of tennis players throughout the world, helping them maximize their mental game and achieve their goals in tennis and in life.

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