Improve Your Tennis 500% Overnight (not clickbait)

#1 Amazon new release for tennis book - Essential Tennis: www.amazon.com/Essential-Tenn... Order your copy today and learn from my top 38 principles for tennis success!
------------
Get your FREE membership to ET Academy and IMPROVE your game now:
Grab 15% off Diadem racquets, strings, bags and more using this discount link: diademsports.com/discount/Ess...
If I told you it was possible for your tennis game to improve 500% overnight, you'd probably laugh and call me crazy. But Ed Tseng, the peak performance expert who has helped improve my mental game, has seen it happen. Here's how it's possible...
------------
Follow this simple, free 7-Step checklist in your very next match for smarter, more effective play: essentialtennisvideos.com/win...
------------
Looking for the perfect practice partner, match play partner, or qualified coach in your local area? PlayYourCourt will send them directly to the court of your choice! This is the greatest resource on the planet for passionate players looking to maximize their improvement: www.playyourcourt.com/try/et/
------------
MORE HELPFUL LESSONS:
Why Your Forehand is WEAK
• Why Your Forehand is W...
Steal Roger’s Secret Strategy
• Steal Roger's Secret S...
World’s Most Annoying Tennis Opponent (and why they beat you)
• World’s most ANNOYING ...
Aim HERE For Easy Tennis Wins!
• Aim HERE for Easy Tenn...
Stop Standing HERE In Tennis (why you’re losing)
• Stop Standing HERE In ...
Stop Beating YOURSELF At Tennis!
• Stop Beating YOURSELF ...
Hit WINNERS Like Djokovic
• Hit WINNERS like Novak...
Bryan Brothers DON’T Cover This!
• Bryan Brothers DON'T c...
------------
FOLLOW US ONLINE:
Facebook:
/ essentialtennis
Instagram:
/ essentialtennis
iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Google Play:
play.google.com/music/m/Idphv...
Twitter:
/ essentialtennis
Stitcher:
www.stitcher.com/podcast/esse...
------------
OUR PRODUCTION GEAR:
Slow Motion Camera: amzn.to/2Lw26Dx
Analysis iPad: amzn.to/2MEeFSM
Drone: amzn.to/2okeSfg
Wireless Mics: amzn.to/2NvluT8
Vlog Camera: amzn.to/2PbivQ5
Ball Machine: amzn.to/2ofFZb6
Camera Tripod: amzn.to/2PLKPJR
Phone Tripod: amzn.to/2MENc3p
------------
Essential Tennis is worldwide leader in digital tennis improvement resources. For over a decade their coaches have been publishing video, audio, and written instruction helping millions of passionate players improve at the game they love.
With content ranging from video lessons, to the first tennis podcast ever published on iTunes, to insightful long form emails giving insight into the improvement process Essential Tennis has the guidance you need to reach your goals and break through to the next level of play.
Their coaches also provide world class in person experiences including group clinics and their exclusive, Milwaukee VIP instructional package.
For more information on lessons, digital training programs, or anything else please send an email to support AT essentialtennis DOT com.
------------
If you can read this you have an impressive scrolling game.
:-)
#tennis #mentaltoughness #improvement

[@cldavis33]

This is the truth. When a doubles partner or even ourselves coach us with an instruction like, "C'mon play better, don't miss!" the brain cannot find an action to perform that instruction or feedback. When we say, " Hit deeper, or pick your aim point", the brain can actually perform that function, and adjust if it didn't work.

[@EssentialTennis]

Thanks for your thoughts, C!

[@georgebasham2279]

One thing that did come through is that parents should back off, most tennis parents are the worst. If I ever had a doubles partner tell me "C'mon play better, don't miss!" I'd be tempted to crack his knee with my racquet and say "there, did not miss that shot, what do you have to say now?!" 😂

[@PlazaMoon]

@@georgebasham2279 had a partner like that years ago. finally told him to fuck off and have never played with a guy like that again

[@Dulakx]

My favorite advice is: Just think on something you can do good. Like low forehand. Focus on this. You stop thinking about bad stuff and thinking about your strength gives you good feelings.

[@Naomi-gr7fm]

"As soon as our thinking changes, our feelings change." 💯 I had one match in particular in college where I applied this with success. I totally bombed the first set feeling tight, being negative, and berating myself for playing poorly. I was taking a class called Personal Empowerment at the time that reminded me of this concept and I told my self at the changeover before the second set that I wouldn't react to any errors and only cheered the points I won. Got into the zone and started playing SIGNIFICANTLY better. Came back and won the second set and the tiebreaker. There's definitely times where I was on the losing end where I played a better player, but it's still valuable to actively practice through adversity no matter the outcome. I actually have a quote I keep hung on my door that says "As you think, So shall you be," which I adopted in college. Can apply it not only on the court, but in every part of your life. We can't control what happens to us or what others do, but we do have control of how we react.

[@EssentialTennis]

Awesome comments, Naomi!

[@rodf9000]

Actually better to not have any emotional reaction at all, experts say, I’m not sure. I guess to practice staying emotionally neutral?

[@PlazaMoon]

Spot on! I intend to apply this thinking to my match tomorrow (can't promise I won't launch my racket towards the fence at some point though)

[@Naomi-gr7fm]

@@rodf9000 @Rod F Different strokes for different folks. If that were true, every champion would have the same personality lol. There are definitely some players that internalize all their emotions despite looking ice-cold on the outside. I find for ME that when I stay positive on good points it eases my anxiety and keeps me focused on playing to win. I sometimes then get into a zone where I have minimal reactions if I'm rolling through the match. If I give continuous reactions to errors though, it can affect my game (i.e. start playing tentative, worrying about the next error, off timing). It's counter-productive when you have to be realistic you won't play every point perfect. I'm my own hype-woman and it works for me.

[@Naomi-gr7fm]

@@PlazaMoon Let us know how it goes 🙂👍🏽

[@aiyka_music]

The moment I stopped thinking of tennis as a game of hitting winners and playing flashily to a game of hitting quality shots and forcing errors and aiming for consistency changed my game for the better! And thanks to essential tennis for that!

[@pranavsreedhar1402]

I still have no idea how I missed this video on notifications when it came out..... Ian... this is probably the most universally helpful video you have published that helps across ages and contributes the process to every field. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!

[@VPB1970]

Thank you very much. Like he said, everyone has the same problems, even those who you "know" are going to beat you in the court and who you pre-consider mental tough! Everyone is nervous. You can start a match thinking of how much "better" is your opponent, or how you "need" to improve to win. Once you start the match with that though, your simply fighting two opponents... I think this video is very, very helpful for everyone. I've been a lawyer for more than 20 year, and I say to my internees that i´m still very nervous each time I enter a court room. I play the part and I became "one" with the court once the trial starts. Its a "process" , not a rational controllable thought. I had a match last week where I played with my practice partner for a tournament. I lost the first set 1-6, and I was losing the second set 0-3, when I woke up and started to focus on me instead of him. I came around too late and lost 4-6, but I can remember the exact moment where I thought that I would just play. After the match, we were talking and he confessed that at 5-4 he was very nervous and afraid I would turn the game around, but I just wanted to do it to much and I lost it. Lesson I hope I can mentally process and learn, with the help of this insight.

[@asbestomolesto]

It happens to me that when I approach a match without thinking about winning it (because of a very strong or difficult opponent), when I approach that match as a good opportunity to learn something, to try something different, almost as it is a "training" session... well, I feel very relaxed and very often not only I win that match, but I win it without consuming all my energy and finishing totally exhausted...

[@EssentialTennis]

Love that perspective!

[@Jack-er6wi]

I’m gonna start approaching stuff like it’s just a higher-level training

[@Wben113]

Only watched first 6 minutes, have to go and do something, but all I keep thinking about is the importance of gratitude. A grateful heart is God's great motivator. If I just realize each day how lucky I am just even to be alive, what a start that is. I was always and can still be so hard on myself on the court. Bottom line is if I am just grateful for being able to physically play tennis, take in the beautiful or not beautiful day. Look at my mistakes as clues to what I am doing wrong, so that I can get better. Be kind and enjoy the company of whoever I am playing with, regardless of the level of competitiveness. Grateful I live in a country where there are tennis courts everywhere, where we have free time to play. Basicly gratitude is the key to happiness in life. Grateful for what I have, not focusing on what I don't. Peace and serenity are inside jobs, nothing outside of us can give us those things.

[@EssentialTennis]

LOVE this so much! Thank you for posting!

[@Wben113]

@@EssentialTennis thanks you Ian for the content.

[@dandalee]

This is so true, my friend. Being grateful can completely change your life. Thanks for the reminder!

[@rodf9000]

Basically playing the Inner Game of Tennis

[@farojaco]

Sounds cliché but this is totally true, cheers mate and hopefully we can enjoy the game more time

[@snipaboy86]

6 minutes in and this in my humble opinion is the best video I've seen on your channel...it's everything I say to people I do sessions on court with and more. Thanks a lot!

[@EssentialTennis]

Thank you so much, WholsKwam!

[@senorzed6483]

This was a great video again! I really love when you touch on subjects that you can't find anywhere else; Mental toughness and sometimes even certain tactics are talked very little, doesn't matter whether it's online or local coaches; Please keep making videos on the Mental side and also maybe talk a little on certain less talked tactics like how to read your opponent and what they're gonna do and how to break down their strategies during the match ♥ Appreciate you a lot Ian 😉

[@Primeaux182]

Love it :) That's really great advice! During playing, I took on this perspective about just giving space for new thoughts to arrive and to not focus on my negative thinking. Beforehand I often judged myself for mistakes and bad shots and became tighter like Ed shared. The last few times, I focused more and more on the next shot/paint and its more enjoyable to play and I don't lose unnecessary points because I'm still in my head judging my performance. Thank you, Ian and Ed!

[@tennislearning3859]

If your ever lazy to do something, just begin the task and once its done you will be proud of yourself, I have put this in practice lots of times and all it does is motivate me to continue training and follow my dreams. To reach the top you have to continue working hard no matter the circumstances.

[@EssentialTennis]

There's a lot of power in taking action no matter how you feel!

[@rikh78]

MEP is the master of this, mental toughness in spades and knows his own game to a tee.

[@EssentialTennis]

Totally agree!

[@georgebasham2279]

🙄

[@daroemer]

A+ for identifying the problem (duh) and for elaborating on the why. D for not giving any advice on what to do instead. "Just do it" and "don't focus on things that make you play bad" doesn't quite hack it.

[@PlazaMoon]

I've played really well in some matches where I expected to lose. My opponent might have been higher rated or had a reputation etc. Anyway, what happened was, I didn't put pressure on myself or load the situation with expectation, or that my tennis deserved a win. I fell into a loose state and regarded the match as a kind of practice. I already had an internal conversation where I convinced myself that if I lost, there would be no real consequence. I'm not saying this attitude will always get a victory, but if you take the fear of losing out of the equation, you play better.

[@PlazaMoon]

actually. not quite a loose state; but looser!

[@tiesthijsthejs]

Aaaah now I get it. Just need to rewatch this video daily for 7 years. All it takes is about 2555 days of doing this simple thing is telling myself all the static in my mind is just normal and to just keep going. (Sorry for the hint of sarcasm - it’s because Ed sounds like a salesman (500% overnight) and Ian casually dropping he’s been practicing this for several years instead, in order to progress. But honestly though, this mantra sounds like a great addition to mindfulness practices.)

[@christopherlowe4129]

I really needed this and appreciate it tremendously. Thank you Ian.

[@ChristineSutherland]

Need to add a bit more. Knee-jerk "feelings" precede those unhelpful thoughts and are conditioned or learned on an unconscious level. If you extinguish the conditioned response through disruption of the reconsolidation phase of the conditioned response (classical conditioning theory), you can quickly eliminate the feeling and there is then nothing to kick off the negative behaviour - you automatically get the space to perceive other options and make better decisions. If people want a free resource to achieve that, happy to provide it.

[@yoshikay8787]

Not gon lie. The mental portion has gotten the best of me. So much so, I actually reduced the amount of matches I played.

[@EssentialTennis]

Hope this video was helpful, Yoshi!

[@yoshikay8787]

@@EssentialTennis Watched this twice already, and am saving.

[@thedraconiangaming9097]

That Pete Sampras example just relaxed me. Thank you. I've a match tomorrow.

[@Tennis_longivity]

Very valuable advice!

[@dandalee]

I noticed that when I play practice matches with a friend, I play so much better because I welcome the challenge of working on something for match play. When I can capture that feeling during an actual match, things seem to work out pretty well. It's when we focus so much on the outcome that things fall apart. It's incredibly difficult maintaining focus on the present point.

[@EssentialTennis]

Thanks for your comment, Daniel!

[@alhadiboukr4825]

Thank you Ian for this video. It is very informative

[@EssentialTennis]

You're very welcome!

[@mollywilde]

I’m just going to keep it simple and say… this video is really really helpful!

[@EliJolleyBridge]

I've been watching a lot of Dill Plays videos and I think he is good at this. Always stays positive and pumped up.

[@39thstreetmedia]

Any word on if/when this will be available??

[@thomaspate9328]

Very insightful and relatable 💪🧠💪

[@EssentialTennis]

Great to hear, Thomas! I love Ed's approach to the mental game.

[@irfankeskin9688]

This is what mental toughness is all about! Thanks Ian. 🤗

[@EssentialTennis]

❤️🙏

[@thestuff8023]

Ian, please invite MEP to a virtual interview to share with us regarding his mental mindset to win even tactical stategy. Tennis is a mental game. 💪🎾🎾

[@EssentialTennis]

Awesome idea!

[@georgebasham2279]

"The force is strong with this one"

[@alexandern4140]

The toughest for me is turning off the part of my brain that tells me to "just get the ball in the court" and "don't make a mistake" i.e. the fear of overhitting. If I can "let go" of the fear of playing what my brain thinks is a high risk shot I would feel more freedom to play my natural game and hit the ball with more confidence i.e. full belief that accelerating through the ball in a carefree manner is always the right thing to do, rather than overthinking and trying to calibrate the shot and power level according to the importance of the point.

[@saeidm4884]

So true

[@MostLikedComment123]

all about trust I suggest you read this pdf

[@Hurry19671]

Great message! for tennis and for whole success in life. What is strange, it seems to me that almost everyone knows it but still we are incapable of DOING IT! The problem is that there are situations where we are getting nervous, frustrated, cant handle the pressure. Yes it is great to say focus on the helpful things and do it. and have the right positive attitude aso... But in real life this goes deeper. Still you are you. Some people are able to be top on the mental game and others never get it. Thats a fact too! 》》Above all mental tricks +you need a lot of self confidence (can only be earned by successes before) +you need big balls! (If you cant stand the heat get out of the kichen!") But still I believe in the message: keep on always trying and magic will happen!

[@EssentialTennis]

Thanks for your thoughts, Harald!

[@thenaturalyogi5934]

It's been a year since I started tennis and in the last 3 days I've lost a match one day but felt great anyway because I got good shots against a more experienced opponent, then the next day was a bad service day, then today another good practice haha I feel like no matter what my level is now I feel like I've increased because I feel an evolution in my outlook in tennis. ❤😂

[@SportSkillWonder]

great dialogue and ideas !

[@sarperaman8121]

I'm a beginner and I was once 6-0 down in a tie-break. I took a deep breath and said to myself, if he can get 6 consecutive points, I can too. I won the tie-breaker 10-8 and the match. I'm using this technique when I'm stuck. Sometimes it works, sometimes don't. I'm a long time tennis watcher, but never knew that this game was so mental until I started to play.

[@coolAbdule]

I was out of the zone yesterday, i felt that i was better than most of the people that i was playing against and i would have been, but i had a bad attitude, (it was a clinic)" and i was cocky, and told myself "why am I in this group" and got out of the zone, and got annoyed, and half assed all of the points. and ended up being one of the worst ones there, the only other thing that was holding be back, was trying out virtual reality tennis, which i thought was helping me, little did i know it was hurting me because i got used to the little controller that i was using, i had to relearn everything and that was a big challenge for me, but by the end of it i was hitting much better, but, i wasn't playing as good as i could because of my attitude, i must keep that up, to move up, and that it what im going to do from now on.

[@aninjame]

Wooooow. I dont think i will improve 500% but i feel so much stronger and confident implementing these thought patterns.

[@baby16gurl9]

I’ve been playing for 10 months. I play about 12 hours a week. I’m think about cutting down to 8-9. I played in a 4.0 league today, I was good the first set, but I was work. Down after that. 10 point tie breaker the first set wore me down, physically and mentally. It was also really hot, and I was just drained, Mental to me is more important because I have my strokes down, it’s my nerves that really get to me

[@EssentialTennis]

Wow, that's a LOT of tennis!

[@baby16gurl9]

@@EssentialTennis I know. My coach told me yesterday that I have had 6 years of tennis in 10 months. I have two coaches. I’m what you call nutz. Don’t even get me started on the bill, which I pay for before my husband looks at the bill, lol 😆

[@fingersm]

Its amazing how with every passing year you will be able to look back and see how much better you have become and how much u really didn't know. This will be the case for every year u play if you are able to improve. Most players certainly do not

[@baby16gurl9]

@@fingersm For someone who until July 5 2020, has never touched a tennis racket, looking back the 10 months, I have excelled so much in learning this sport. With each lesson I take from my coaches, I try to make sure I remember what they say because I’m forking out thousands each month. I don’t want my money to go to waste, plus also, I love this sport.

[@kuruptgt]

Did Ian hire a sports psychology before his match with MEP?

[@EssentialTennis]

Maybe...

[@Invesre]

Ian boosted by 500%! Ben has no chance now! ;p

[@ddwarren26]

I've posted on other videos about this... these guys have been prepping for MEP for...e....ver.... imagine just showing up to the court against Ben... makes advice like this even more invaluable.

[@boontatt5813]

Could be after his match with MEP. Badly traumatized.

[@greggy4383]

Amazing

[@clintonsmurf6496]

I think it's also important to recognize what you did wrong when a shot goes awry. Some have no clue and just keep repeating it. Now if you do know why something went wrong then that's great. Instead of punishing yourself over the error, reward yourself for recognizing what you missed. And when you get a ball you dont like, such as some high loopy spin ball to the backhand that most dont like to hit...you have reframe things like this is the ball I want (to practice). I cant get enough of these I want more.

[@georgebasham2279]

When I miss a shot I tend to restroke it afterward the way I think I SHOULD have done it, with a full follow through or windshield wipering the ball better, etc. It's really quick and without thinking, I HOPE it does not annoy my opponent. 🙂

[@paulczerner3286]

Feeling or emotion in an actor would help their performance. On the tennis court, it would help your "drama", but it won't necessarily get your W. You need to feel a certain way on the tennis court to play well. And believe it or not, a lack of emotion is also a type of feeling, or way of sensing your situation.

[@pencilcheck]

Another way to think about it tightness that seem to work for me is that you blame your opponent for your tightness and it is rightly so as that means your opponent is doing their job to stop you from steamrolling. Therefore all you need to do is change tactics and do the reverse instead

[@buckyphillips6732]

Tennis is a sport of a lifetime. This video will help keep the interest in a great sport of a lifetime.

[@batatavoadora1895]

i realy need to improve overnight because i will have a tournament tomorrow llol

[@mehtabsinghcheema8356]

Yes exactly, but the mental game is also the hardest part to control.

[@EssentialTennis]

Maybe it doesn't have to be 🙂

[@andrewlee5853]

Does Ed work with high performance Juniors? Sounds like it.

[@EssentialTennis]

Absolutely!

[@wannolumpkiin6659]

Ian, love your channel and the videos with Ben are great. That being said I think you and your crew "think" way too much about winning and losing. I love playing guys like Ben. Guys like Ben reveal your game's weakness and what you should be working on. And really unless there is something significant at stake, it's all just practice.

[@hsy2448]

Yeah I need this, first high school season and I’m playing varsity I’ve tanked the second set too many times 😭.

[@EssentialTennis]

Hope this was a big help!

[@scarymojo5809]

Varsity can really be hard. I played jv for all my 4 years and it sucked trust me bro. Jv tennis for life!!! Much love broski!!!!!

[@tuckerslaw]

I really want to win my club champs, lost in the final last time in final set breaker 10-8. I can see if I really think it's the be all and end all I know that it might get to me.......

[@EssentialTennis]

You can bounce back, tuckers! Congrats on getting so close!

[@Jack-er6wi]

I KNOW this is true. Gah, I get so heated/ short-fused and then I’m just done. Need to work on this most for sure

[@frankojudoka]

Why would I get nervous when I am doing tennis social? It's not like I was in the final of a tennis tournament. But I get nervous, and so do my opponents. 😂

[@mitchlc425]

The reason why it is impossible to play at your best all of the time is the following (which by the way I learned from you, Ian): On some days you play great, other days poorly but on most days you just play your average game, not great but not too bad either. The very definition of average is what happens on most days. If you were to play great every time, that will become your new average and by that happening, you are raising the bar on your performance. There will still be days of lower performance, days of higher performance and still, most days will be just average.

[@DamianSheesh]

So, in other words, to quote Kunu - "Too slow, do less. No, you're still doing too much. Do less. Do less. Well, you gotta do more than that. Do it, feel it. Yeahhh, well no that wasn't quite it. Let's go surfing."

[@marcelocoip7275]

Before viewing this video I only do 40% of first serves, now 2 balls are coming to my opponent.

[@jlook6070]

I feel most people are held back by themselves or their coach. They're trying to play another game style that doesn't suit them. And possibly holding back their aggression in shot selection due to fear, or insistence of the coach.

[@tuckerslaw]

I see so many players who berate themselves when they miss a shot, but never even do a fist pump when they do a great shot. Not my hero Wannabe Pro who uses a catch phrase that we all know when he blasts the ball down the line for a winner.......

[@EssentialTennis]

😆

[@jakeheap7197]

Great discussion. Empty your mind. But, 500% overnight? I don't think I'll be a USTA 20.0 tomorrow. :-)

[@ChristineSutherland]

I actually bought Ed's book and threw it out as a load of surface pap (sorry, I was really irritated that I'd bought it). He probably needs to rewrite it because this interview was 1000% better than the book.

[@shadow_the_wanderer]

I get pretty annoyed, but I'm doing my best to just keep going mostly in tennis so honestly I'm just going to keep working on my self and keep going at it

[@walterhayley7252]

"Serenity Now!"

[@PlazaMoon]

not clickbait? i clicked in less than a second.

[@Photoshop729]

You mean I shouldn’t fixate on making up for one lost set and three lost games with one big swing?

[@maxhiga7089]

This is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, useful in tennis as well as with mental health.

[@nikkana7178]

So I’m going from a 4.5 to a 22.5 by tomorrow... right? ;)

[@EssentialTennis]

#MATH

[@whatanangle4739]

#MATHS

[@hsy2448]

🐐

[@johnmerrill5633]

Just play with intensity, but loose. Go for your shots but don’t overhit. Don’t think about the win, but find a way to win. Serenity now.

[@HPontara1]

you know...what made me better on the mental side was being merciful with me. That means understanding that most of the time I will commit stupid mistakes even if I am trying to avoid it and training to avoid it. So this just keep me going and works well. The only rule you need to follow when doing that is being honest. U cant fake it that u are ok to yourself. This takes training

[@EssentialTennis]

Love that mindset!

[@anastati6501]

I’m gonna try and tell you guys

[@chubun6631]

You may want to read this article www.outsideonline.com/2422466/fatigue-resistance-research . I think what we refer to as toughness is basically fatigue resistance, both physical and mental fatigues. For physical fatigue I would do things like running a few miles before playing a match, jumping ropes till I can barely stand before practicing serves, etc. But how do one trains for mental fatigues? You can't fake nervousness or frustration. Telling yourselves it's just a game of no consequences won't work. I know what my Zen master would say, but any other ideas how to train for it?

[@CoachAdrian]

Thanks for the article link. The answer to your question is amplification. You amplify your nervousness or frustration/anger to an even higher level. Channel that amplified emotion into the effort and strategy of winning the next point. This is how you gain mastery of your emotions instead of your emotions mastering you. You can practice anything related to mental toughness by doing "mental reps." For instance, when you practice ad serves on your own, imagine you are trying to serve at break point. You can "up the stakes" by imagining you're down set point, match point, or there are spectators heckling you. Whatever scenario that makes you anxious. Of course, the best way to practice mental toughness is done in actual matches, but doing mental reps is a great way to prepare.

[@chubun6631]

@@CoachAdrian My Zen master would disagree with your method. Fighting waves will only make more waves, anchor yourself instead. It's futile to fight emotion with emotion. You will only get more emotional. Anchor your mind on a simple thought so your emotions have nowhere to cling on. Focus on the ball, even try to read the letters and number on it, then swing like you have thousands of times. Focus, son. Focus on one simple thing, son.

[@CoachAdrian]

@@chubun6631 Your Zen master may disagree with me, but what about you? Maybe, I didn't make myself clear. I do not want you to "fight" emotions nor do I want you to fight emotion with an emotion. I'm a proponent of accepting emotion, and further embracing that emotion by amplifying it to the highest degree. The problem with many tennis players is the avoidance of emotion, thinking that playing like cold emotionless robots on the court will lead to a success. That is far from the case. And what fun is that? We are human beings and we are emotional. We play this sport because of love, excitement, curiosity, thrill, and other reasons that are likely emotional. Why deny the supposedly "negative" feelings that go with it as well - nervousness, anxiety, fear, anger? Let's embrace it all.

[@chubun6631]

@@CoachAdrian I believe Zen will someday be my salvation. I remember my Zen master showed me a video of a lady match in the French open, one of the player (round face latin lady last name Viscario or something like that back in early 2000) slipped and fell flat on her stomach, but while on the ground she still tracking the ball with her eyes. He said, that's a Zen moment there, son. There will always be waves and some will pull you under. But don't let go of your anchor, so when thing calm down, you know where you are and ready to do what you want to do. 'Keep your eyes on the ball' is very Zen if you think about it. You live the moment. You don't look where you expect the ball to go (ie the future). Unfortunately, I'm borderline ADHD (that's why all the zen stuff), the kind of player that jumping up and down, screaming and stuff. Zen is not something I can naturally do. I hope there is a more natural fit out there. Amplifying is probably not it. I'll be like a kid the day after Halloween hyped up with sugar.

[@georgebasham2279]

@@chubun6631 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario

[@georgebasham2279]

I think I'll have my wife watch this, I REALLY want to grasp this life-altering information but not clear to me what points he is trying to make, she won't care and maybe can enlighten me.

[@johnfarison6082]

There’s wasted motion in our strokes, and wasted emotion on the court. I’ve observed this is myself and others. Interesting subject but there’s no such thing as “improving 500%” in mental toughness. A tennis coach friend of mine used to wear a tee-shirt; “Tennis isn’t a matter of life or death- It’s more important than that!”

[@atrem7942]

I didn't know this was the issue in this topic my comment on why Ben wins, this is what I meant.

[@michaelk82109]

Has anyone read The Inner Game of Tennis?

[@architennis]

I'm re-reading it now (thirty years after the first time). The part about playing matches is about treating tennis as a moving meditation. Being non-judgemental-saying to yourself, "that ball went wide" and then forgetting about it vs "I always mess up." Great book!

[@CoachAdrian]

Yes! Favorite quote in the book - “ Today I play every point to win. It’s simple and it’s good. I don’t worry about winning or losing the match, but whether or not I am making the maximum effort during every point because I realize that that is where the true value lies.”

[@EssentialTennis]

Absolutely!

[@pakchu2]

If you have a legitimately good game but don't play well during matches, have someone (gf, friend, coach) watch your match. - you'll be surprised as to how well you play. Do that enough times, and you'll adapt to play matches as best as you can. There's your 500% overnight improvement

[@ethanpatrick6466]

My friend always play better when girls walk by the court Xd

[@tepsi87]

That has the exact opposite effect on me. Especially with my dad. He always had the habit to do a face palm when I made a mistake he considered "easy". To this day, I FEEL the wait for that reaction and obviously I make more easy mistakes, because I get afraid of them. Girlfriend? Almost as bad. It puts the extra amount of wanting to show, but the outcome is too much trying and not succeeding. What works, is a "coachy" person if it is just your teammate pushing and pumping believe in you... To sum up, I play considerably worse in matches than in training, lol. Haven't been able to fix it yet sadly.

[@EssentialTennis]

@@tepsi87 Thank you for making the point I was going to. "Tips" or "tricks" that live on the surface like "have your girlfriend watch" might work awesome sometimes for some players but do the exact opposite for others. The only way to perform your best consistently is to understand what's happening beneath the surface.

[@pakchu2]

​@@EssentialTennis I don't think it's a "trick that lives on the surface." I find that players who possess sufficient technique, footwork, etc but struggle during matches do so because they hesitate to give it their all. Having someone (yes, preferably a positive person) observe you playing holds you accountable to your best, and eventually you adapt to do so without outside help. At any rate, you're not going to change this overnight in your head at the advice of some self help guru.

[@mutantdonkey]

I'm gonna go walk my dog.

[@EssentialTennis]

😆💪

[@NamesAreRandom]

In my experience to play well my brain needs something to focus on all the time. It also needs to be something I can visualise (i.e. a mental picture), and something slightly abstract works best. A favourite is "flow" - visualise I am like water flowing around the court, with flowing strokes. If am I at the net and my partner is serving I might visualize I am a wall, nothing is going past me. Hence I just need to find the right concepts to help my game. Btw visualising you are Roger Federer doesn't work!

[@johnhhh3591]

Interesting content from Ian and Ed. But I'll have to disagree with some of the central points, based on the science of emotional spiking. Humans can't redirect or refocus their brains if they perceive an imminent threat! It's why depressed people constantly ruminate, and really can't "think positive" or "move on." You can do the work to not draw toxic conclusions from your struggles, as Ed suggests, but human spiking to novelty or to imminent threat has nothing to do with the comparatively slow thoughts in your grey matter. Alarm reactions come through the much quicker white matter, and are near-instantaneous. So, emotional spikes are natural (as Ed emphasizes) and commonly the changes in your blood chemistry last up to twenty minutes (!), so if you're gentle with trying to refocus that's fine. But if you're stressed by a killer serve that you can't find an answer for, or by someone else's winning strategy, your brain won't be able to put it down! (It wouldn't be adaptive to not have all your focus on an imminent stressor, like a foul ball baseball heading for your head, for example). So "take it easy" if you can--good advice. But better than a blanket "overestimating cognition" would be an approach that honors natural human reactivity--humans spike to novelty or to an unsolved problem, every time, regardless of thoughts. And my view is that most attention should be put into understanding what makes you spike (most commonly the unknown, and "mistakes" and reflexive shame) and then just letting yourself feel it for as long as the tail of the spike lasts. If you've got some perfectionism, and most tennis players have a bunch, struggles will keep you spiking! If you try to imply that you can easily refocus or shorten up the tails of your spikes with your cognition, you're on-court struggles and your natural focus on them could create a downward spiral of failure to control the uncontrollable! So I don't think the answer can be easy, like simple refocusing or changing your headspace. In addition to being emotionally aware, you'll also need to be aware of your historical shame programming about mistakes, which is what usually gives long tails to your spikes. If you don't believe me, recall the last time your serve wasn't working and all the rest of your game also went flat. Simply natural.

[@georgebasham2279]

Great points. Try suffering from panic disorder your whole life, taking anti-depressants, doing deep breathing, meditation, getting counseling and trying everything under the sun, nothing really helping all that much and then listen to the advice "clear your head and don't worry". OK ... yeah ... so simple, gee why did I not think of that? That "said" I do believe neuroplasticity is a real thing and we can reprogram ourselves with the right tools and training, I'm being optimistic than even as old as I am there is still hope LOL.

[@johnhhh3591]

@@georgebasham2279 Sorry, neuroplasticity? Not for major stressors. Wanna unlearn your "survival spikes?" Hope? Just maybe honor your history? Certain things make you spike high, just like tennis players. So re: "mistakes," neuroplasticity is probably irrelevant for triggers created out of childhood trauma--if scared to death or big shame. Repeated and scary! You learned well! So most of the solution is tracking your spikes and learning how to be nice to yourself about them... Um, I think. Especially on the tennis court!

[@georgebasham2279]

@@johnhhh3591 Understand where you are coming from, very insightful and I largely agree as I certainly ruminate about past traumas. A big part of mindfulness is forgiving yourself (and others) and wrapping yourself in a "healing bubble" so to speak that works for you. I do think you can train yourself to accept the belief that serving at match point at the local club is not the same as a sabre tooth tiger bearing down on you ... maybe. Hell, all I know is I don't know much of anything after reading about 100 self help books! 😂

[@johnhhh3591]

@@georgebasham2279 Dude, I think of it like this: the human capacity to contain emotion and not do something wierd is about the size of a thimble. Tiny. Sure, your grey matter is all about your beliefs. But you're a smart dude. For sure. Sorry to belabor, but the emotion generated by serving at match point in a big situation is not about your self-talk, but about your experience. You can only calm down through similar experience, and, I think, acknowledging your emotion quite accurately. It's anxiety! Your body spikes no matter what you're saying to yourself--less so with experience! That's why "macho copers" like Zverev or Nick Kyrgios (I assume) always crash under pressure, because they deny the massive anxiety and the feeling of the adrenaline release under pressure. Then they finally crash, regardless of their "gifts" when they need to close out a match and deal with the big time emotion.

[@georgebasham2279]

Hmmm ... so acknowledge and embrace the truth of the physical and psychological manifestations that are taking place rather than suppressing it ... I like what you are asserting.

[@donaldtregonning450]

I am

[@ivanambreus3021]

Can you also upload a video: improve your service 500% Overnight (not clickbait) video or I have an even better name for it: " Serve like John Isner Overnight (if you buy now you also get: Grow a few inches overnight) (not clickbait) SupeMegaWeOnlySpeakTheTruthComboPack" videos.

[@hiqpandorasbox9970]

Bruh

[@EssentialTennis]

Bruuuuh!

[@chriseads7133]

ugh, this was not one of my favorites. I don't know who this guy is. I'm not sure why he's an authority on tennis. 4 minutes in and there's a "drag out" process to the talk that makes me feel like I'm being sold something. Ironically, I'm giving up.

[@xawee7254]

Soo basically, don't think of anything, play the game.. don't focus on anything? Just have fun? Hmm....How do we just "have fun?" Do we get mad at ourselves if we dont have fun? Update: I actually tried this and it WORKS! I'm still learning and wondering best way to clear your mind Like should I think of a waterfall or empty it? Either way I focused on just removing and accepting thoughts in my head between points and I learned much better then normally! - Side note though it was mentally exhausting to constantly keep my mind clear

[@EssentialTennis]

No, that's not what's being said here, Milo. It isn't possible to "not think of anything". Thoughts are always coming and going whether we want them to or not. I think the key is being deliberate about which thoughts we give energy/attention to and which ones we don't.

[@rodf9000]

Just play the ball, use hit, bounce , hit works super well for that

[@paulczerner3286]

@@rodf9000 for me it's usually hit bounce hit bouncehit.

[@rodf9000]

@@paulczerner3286 whatever it takes, 😂

[@kevinforward3249]

Not clickbait???

[@fayenana]

It is a Buddhism

[@johnmerrill5633]

Play with intensity and focus but stay loose. Whatever. I quit tennis (jk)

[@yakzivz1104]

sorry but i didnt enjoy this that much; however, you always put out great content. this was not concrete enough to improve tennis results. i was expecting something far more tangeable than this considering the title

[@jimkuz0]

Yikes, way oversold, this makes maybe 10 or 20% difference, no way 500% 👎🏻

[@Dedalus11973]

What a bunch of useless words. 15 minutes of absolute hot air. smh.

[@googlereviewer1944]

This entire channel has turned into low quality clickbait particularly with those ridiculously hyped mep pusher match series.

[@ivanambreus3021]

How do you know if something is clickbait? Just read the title and think as if you have a brain in your head. Improve Your Tennis 500% Overnight (not clickbait) 🤣🤣🤣 Can someone please record himself so I can see with my eyes only one single person (male or female) that had 500% improvement overnight? Please man show the world your research to prove your claim: Improve Your Tennis 500% Overnight (not clickbait) 🤣🤣🤣 I just can't stop laughing. This must be one of the dumbest claims ever like those fat loss commercials: Drink this magic pill and you will wake up looking like a supermodel. Thank you, man I haven't laughed this much, I think you just cured my depression. Improve Your Tennis 500% Overnight (not clickbait) 🤣🤣🤣

[@JanitorIsBack]

it is click bait because you can not compute performance as a percentage

[@joshbrown6728]

shut up

[@EssentialTennis]

😆

[@georgebasham2279]

I'm 500% sure you are wrong.

[@oliverhancin477]

This was 100% click bait😂

[@TesseractPleiadesOrion]

"500%"? A bit err... unscientific. 😄