ABOUT THE PERCEPTION CHAPTER

I wrote that chapter regarding perception in May 2015, probably at around 3 am, that's when I usually wake up with an idea or two in my head about tennis. We all perceive tennis differently however what separates an average club player from a tournament player is the confidence in one's own ability to hit a tennis ball. I have hit with many club players and been taken back by their ability to hit a ball, albeit in a 'meaningless' 25 minute set before the buzzer goes off.
"Geez mate you are on fire, are you playing a few competitions this year" ? Ha ha ha no I go to water in competitions, I am 'just a club player'. I don't know how many times I have heard that said on a tennis court but if I had a dollar for every time.....
A couple of seasons ago I played a singles club championship locally against some 'older' players, ones who don't miss too many on club day in doubles matches. Ok I realize that doubles is a whole lot different from singles but these guys were chaffing at the bit to finally have a crack at the one on one format. If your club is anything like most clubs you will probably only play singles once or twice a year.
To cut a long story short the most typical comment I heard all day was " I was just too nervous to play how I usually do ". Most of these guys had played for many more years than I had. So what was the problem with these players and why couldn't they loosen up and play an obscure little club championship that had nothing riding on it except perhaps local bragging rights over a beer at the end of the day ?
Some of those guys could hit the ball with remarkable ability, some less conventional than others of course but they could all hit a ball well. The problem of course was simple, they didn't really know how to play tennis.
The decisions made by those guys lacked a process that I refer to as 'an inability to construct a point' which brings players to their knees in frustration. Have you ever heard a player come out with "I can't believe I just missed that "! ? Well that's a pretty common piece of vocabulary whether it be in a club match or a tournament but it regularly gets some air play. How do you think the great Andre Agassi felt when he owned a sensational game yet couldn't win on a regular basis ? The whole process comes down to instilling some ideas into a player's mind that can help with both the decision making and the positivity of thought.
 I wrote the following chapter some time ago however I believe it has merit.