Mental Strategies in Tennis: Give Yourself Permission to Make Mistakes

Welcome to the show, Mental Strategies from the Game of Tennis. In today’s episode, we will look at one of the mental strategies. Very simply, it is: Give yourself permission to make mistakes.

In the video you are watching, you see great players like Federer and Nadal missing easy balls. Importantly, notice their reactions when these players have missed their shots. They do not get overly frustrated, but instead accept their errors in a light-hearted manner.

Even the greatest tennis players can miss easy balls, because we are all human and never perfect. Knowing this fact, you should therefore give yourself permission to make mistakes - both on the tennis court and off the tennis court.

On the tennis court, accept that you are going to miss balls or hit them out no matter how you choose to play. So do not be afraid to hit through your balls and do not be tentative. 

Go for the winning shot if you have the opportunity. Do not hold back your shots because you are afraid to make an error. It’s ok if you miss the ball.

Off the tennis court, in your everyday life, accept the fact that you are going to make mistakes in whatever you do as well. When you can accept that you will inevitably make errors or fail, you will no longer be afraid to try new things and learn. 

It’s downtime for many of us during this lockdown period. If there’s something new you would like to do, please do not let the fear of failure hold you back. You do not have to get it right the first time - you will get another shot to play.

Remember you are not perfect so give yourself permission to make mistakes. I hope you will find this mental strategy useful. Stay safe and see you all soon.