Let them feel the weight of your presence
Hopefully, if you read my prior blog you have taken my advice on one thing: “Most people prefer the status quo for comfort reasons. I challenge you…to take some aspect or two of your life (on the court or off) to a new level: Your physical condition? Your mental game? Your technical prowess or shore up some weakness that are easily exploited?”
I focused on the mental game last time and how important it is and how most people agree but don’t do much about it. That is, knowing it is 70-80 percent of the game some will say, they don’t spend the proportionate amount of time on it but a disproportionate amount of time on the technical, etc. Accordingly, here are two of my “coach’s sayings” I have used over the years with all my players (NCAA turn pro, top NCAA players, and club players): “Let them feel the weight of your presence” and “If you leave room for excuses, that is all you will have after you lost the match, excuses.” (The latter one I will discuss next time—just getting you thinking about it).
First, “let them feel the weight of your presence” is basically saying that the way you compete, the manner in which you carry yourself and your physical position on the court (taking time away, making them pay for short balls, etc.) should be oppressive. You should carry yourself in a way that no matter how the point turns out your opponent feels or senses, that you are not going away, that you cannot be emotionally shaken, and that you are a force to reckoned with.
At all levels this can be achieved. It is all relative. Let me give some examples. Jim Loehr mentions these in four stages–great competitors do this naturally. I will mention just one. Your body posture is huge. Never give negative body posture. After each point have a positive physical response. Keep your shoulders up, racquet in your non-dominant hand, and walk with confidence. NEVER down talk yourself but ONLY give yourself positive messages. E.g. “Make it!” or “Make ‘em play.” Not “I can’t hit a backhand to save my life.” You can’t even think that one! It is okay to “pat yourself on the back” by saying to yourself, even in a low voice “that’s it,” “that’s the shot,” or “come on!” Being obnoxious about it might pump up your opponent so keep it directed to yourself.
Another example is not playing loose shots. Yes we all have “brain lapses” but the truly mentally tough realize it, control, it and get back to work. A perfect example of this not being managed properly by someone that normally is very tough is James Blake when he lost to Gonzalez at the Australian Open a few years back. Up 4-1 in the second set 40-0 up serving he runs back and hits a “tweener”—a shot between the legs. I told those in the room that that one shot may just cost him the match. Why? It wasn’t just the shot, but why he hit it, not understanding the severity of the moment. Even at that level. Sure enough, Blake lost the next five straight games after losing not only that “tweener” shot but the next 6 or so points too. He had completely lost the momentum. Why was the “tweener” a problem? He was not sending the message that “I own you.” He wasn’t being workman like. By “checking out” on a point like that, he is presuming (a big mistake) that he can win the next few points. His presumption cost him. Sure he could have lost the point had he run it down and hit a lob or set up properly for a passing shot. But that is entirely different! This is why I preach tenacity at all times, squashing opponents as much as possible. This was Jimmy Conners’ mentality: “Kick ‘em while they are down” to put it bluntly. You can still be nice and a good sport while doing it. ☺ And if you don’t have a huge lead, you have NO business playing loose or cutesy for sure. And even if you do, mentally tough athletes don’t waver anyway (Conners, Sampras, Federer, Nadal, Agassi, Chang, Nalbandian, Edberg, Rafter, Navratalova, King, Hingis (later years and now, etc)
Let ‘er Rip