Your degree of engagement and alignment in doing what you want to do is the single most important determinant of your success in reaching your goals.
Your mind, feelings, and actions will deliver based on where you put your attention, so mastering your internal state is fundamental to achieving the results you want.
If you ruminate over mistakes, your attention goes there. Focus on not wanting to miss while trying to make all your shots, and you’ll simply oscillate between struggle and brief elation on the tennis court. That might seem normal because, when we watch some players, struggle appears to be part of the game. But tennis isn’t supposed to be a struggle—nothing is. Struggle arises only from internal resistance and forcing things.
A powerful way to master internal alignment with your desired outcomes is to visualize when you’re not playing tennis. Science shows that your mind and body treat every imagined act as if it were real—cool superpower, eh?
So relax, close your eyes, and feel yourself hitting the shots you want—in the first person. Picture yourself executing strokes that used to challenge you and feel yourself doing them exactly as you intend.
There are no limits to what you can visualize. If you can imagine yourself doing it, then go for it.
At first this practice may feel difficult, but only because you haven’t done it consistently. You can go back and revise any scenario in your imagination. As long as you give it your full attention, you’re doing it right. Eventually, visualizing yourself doing the things you want will become second nature, and your on-court game will reflect it.
Visualize daily, and you’ll train yourself to always see a clear path to success.