Your Tennis and the London Olympics 2012
With the Olympics in full flow just a couple of miles from me I was wondering what your thoughts were so far as we head into the athletics (which for many people is what the Olympics is all about).
Anyway, I was wondering if you had realised that you were missing a trick if you were just sitting back & watching the events unfold.
Have you ever thought about the qualities behind success in these events & how you can use them to make you a better tennis player?
Yes, there have been many events so far that could have shown you many of the qualities that you need to bring into your tennis if you want to bring your level up……..Let’s look at 5 of them.
1. SWIMMING: This is about rhythm (think Federer). How much rhythm do you have in your game and more importantly where & why does it break down?
2. SHOW JUMPING: This is all about power (think Nadal). Not the power of the rider, but the riders ability to use the power of the horse……..How well do you use the power in your game? If you’re trying to hard to generate the power you are the horse & not the rider……Not Great!!
3. FENCING: This is about flair & strategy. How much flair do you have & how well do you use strategy in your game? Without a degree of flair, your game can be one dimensional & if you don’t employ strategy because you think your strokes will be enough then you are in BIG trouble.
4. CROSS COUNTRY: This is all about perseverance & persistance in changing conditions (think Djokovic throughout his amazing run of wins last year). How well do you cope when you have to constantly adjust to differing terrain……sometimes playing with a lead, sometimes playing from behind, sometimes being rushed, sometimes being slowed down? Tennis matches are often just like this – how well do you cope when things are constantly changing and you just need to keep going?
5. SHOOTING: This is about precision. The ability to quieten the mind & hit the target. How often have we seen Federer or Sampras take aim & hit the target with their serve on a big point or series of big points? How well are you able to hit the targets on the court when you need to do it & do it by relaxing & executing?
Let me know with a comment (below) if this helped you and if there any more sports you can think of that we can use for inspiration for our tennis.
Do Yourself a favour, make the most of the Olympics by looking into what really makes these sportspeople special & think about how it can help your tennis.
