Regular as Clockwork
by: Mark Winship @ In Touch Tennis

Ok I have a question for you…

What do John McEnroe's shirt sleeves, Greg Rusedski's towel, and Andre Agassi's racket strings have in common?

The answer? They all form part of each players pre-point ritual of course! Ok so what am I going on about? Well, if you watch any of the top players very carefully you will notice that they each have a set procedure that they go through in between each point. This might involve towelling down, straightening their racket strings, or jumping up and down in preparation for the next point. This is known as a ritual because it is something that they do religiously before every point, regardless of whether they are winning or losing.

Good players will make use of the full 20 seconds rest between points. They use this time to clear their heads and relax and then to plan their strategy for the next point. It is important to be aware that the things we do in between points send out signals to our opponents, telling them exactly how we are feeling: otherwise known as body language. Just think about how you feel when you see your opponent hanging their head and slinging their racket across the court! This is why our ritual should consist of a series of positive actions that we perform in the same way regardless of whether we have won or lost the previous point. In this way our opponent will not be able to draw any clues as to how we are feeling.

Let me hit you with an interesting example. Recently, a pupil of mine told me that he'd heard that it was a good idea to call the score out clearly between every point as a sign of positive body language. I told him that I thought that this was a great idea. During that session we played some points. He played a great first game and called out the score enthusiastically before every point. However, it was then my turn to win a few points on the trot, which lead to me breaking his serve to go 2-1 up. All of a sudden he began to call the score out to his shoelaces in a sulky, mumbling voice that told me everything I needed to know about how my opponent was feeling! So a great example of how an aspect of positive body language had quickly become a perfect barometer of this lad's mental state- clear for everyone to see!

You might feel a bit self-conscious the first time that you try to put together a ritual of your own. But stick with it and choose a sequence that feels comfortable. Your ritual should feel safe: like home, and something that you can fall back on regardless of what has happened in the point. Also have a look down the other end of the court. What signals can you pick up from your opponents? Being aware of how other players might be looking at you and how you act will really open your eyes to the virtues of having a solid ritual to go through.

Here are some examples of what you can use to fill those 20 seconds in-between points:

· Look at and straighten you strings as a way of focussing your attention while you plan the next point (a very popular one!)

· Have an imaginary zone at the back of the court where you go to relax and clear your head. Do not allow yourself to leave this zone again until you are completely composed and ready to play the next point

· Regulate your breathing

· Have a positive mistake management routine. You might want to shadow the correct stroke and then turn your back on it

· Jump up and down on the spot and slap your thigh to motivate and activate yourself in preparation for the next point (and to strike the fear of god into your opponent!)