Andy Murray was able to finally break the stranglehold of Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal and win his first slam at the 2012 US Open. Afterwards Murray talked about working with Coach Ivan Lendl's former sport psychologist.
BBC article on Murray using sport psychologist
Have you been on the fence about using sport psychology, mental toughness or mental skills training? Please read the article. I think it will push you off the fence and ready to jump in to sport psychology.
Murray felt that the sport psychologist helped him more off the court than on the court. This is not unusual. Players need different things. Some players need to learn to slow down on court, take some deep breaths, and develop a between points routine. Other players are dealing with more off the court that affects them on the court. A qualified sport psychology consultant will be able to help the player determine what is most crucial to work on over time.
Often tennis players need that "3rd party" to listen to and counsel them. The sport psychology consultant is not involved in the daily pushing it takes to become a skilled tennis player thus removing all of the history and emotion that exists in the parent-player and player-coach relationships. So, players feel free to speak their mind without punishment or judgment.
Importantly, a qualified sport psychology consultant will have the ability to you identify core concerns and, more importantly, clear ways to improve your mental game. The consultant will offer practical strategies for being mentally tough and/or help you deal with "stuff" on and off the court. It may be just changing the way you see things or developing coping strategies to handle the things that are out of your control.
If you are looking to take that next big step in your tennis game, like Andy Murray did in 2012, then you need to do something differently or better than you were before. Using a sport psychology consultant help you find the edge. And, if that does not fit in your budget or you are not quite ready to meet with a consultant then take advantage of the resources on this site, as well as other good books, videos, and articles. It will give you an edge in 2013.
Thank you. I appreciate the kind comments. I will do my best to continue the posts but more importantly quality posts that are informative and challenge readers.
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