i play 1 singles for my highschool team and have a terrible mental game

when i make 2-3 errors in arrow i lose my temper and unload on my strings (with my fist)

what is a better way to manage anger during matches other than just taking time

you gotta find some other way of taking out your anger or staying calm

whenever i make bad shots i always go back to my towel, take my time, screw with my strings, anything just to keep myself calm

gotta find wats works with you but you gotta pratice first not losing your temper

This post was edited by baboli on Sep 21 2010 06:06pm

I had the EXACT same problem 5+ years ago in high school. You should definitely read "the inner game of tennis". Changed my life.

im asking for ways to control it...
im aware that it is a problem...

like i said its different for everybody you gotta find wat helps you

got to find ways to keep yourself calm but also try lookin at a positive for everything

like i said again for example wat i do is i take my time go get my towel or i'll mess with my strings and if i'm really startin to get frustrated in a match i'll take a bathroom break during the changeover

If you don't get the book, a couple of solutions that I use are.

-messing with strings between points
-saying a phrase over and over such as "play your game" or something along those lines
-take deep breaths while counting up

or what you could do is translate your anger to your footwork, as an example. Your frustration and lack of mental patience is obviously a big problem in your game. Not just yours, but plenty of other players as well. I recommend trying to go out to a match with a goal. Something within your control(winning is something that is not in your control). You should get mad at yourself for not following through with your goal, instead of thinking about why you made that mistake or are making silly unforced errors. Does this make sense?

Whenever I got mad at myself I tried to crack a winner on the next point so i'd feel good about myself again... and if it was still going bad I listened to music at the changeover... something to get you jacked up

If you're mad at your opponent however (BS line calls and what not) I always just used to bomb my next serve right at their chest... great way to get rid of anger and if the line judge gets mad say it was an accident (look it up... perfectly legal)

Your problem is that when you loose your temper you keep thinking about these balls you lost.

What you should do is keep looking for the balls you hit and the balls you are going to hit, and stop thinking about the balls you have hit

Thats what I do I can tell I have no temper at all.

try squash