Mental fitness for tennis
By: Simon Grieve
Added: 01/04/09

Mental Skills Drills

By Paul Dent And Keith Reynolds


Teach It     Train It     Test It

The three phrases of a mental fitness training programme
 
 
Teach It

Before players can be taught, they must be  ‘motivated to learn’. This is the education phase. It is the time when the goal is explored and meaning attached to it, with the benefits and consequences brought to life for the player. This ‘ah-ha’ moment will help sell the want or need to change, because the player recognises what’s in it for him so that he becomes really, one might say, emotionally  engaged in his own learning.

Train It

This is the stage when the skill is to be practised and hopefully acquired.  It is the time to focus upon the processes of the skills that are to be learned. Practice is the most important factor in acquiring skill and we need to do much more than we think. This stage is often the least developed.

Test it
  
Measuring effectiveness — this is the stage when the skills are integrated into competition to test their ability to withstand the pressures of competition.
Remember this! Competition is reality. It tells the truth. It tells you about the effectiveness of your practice.