I have checked the threads & couldnt find anything but mayb i missed something but my question is: - 1. How do you psych yourself up for a match to get yourself in a winning train of thought 2. What do you think during a match if anything at al. Just curious as to what other people do.
I listen to sum uplifting, fast paced music before a game to get myself into a kick-sum-butt mood. I don't think about anything while playing. In between shots, i just think about what i could do better or what my opponent is doing wrong to try and win the game.
Same here, good music before the match, better than any epo During the match I of course try to find weaknesses in the play of my opponent and select the right shots, not much more.
I just walk into a match without anything. And during a match, I just look out for what I can do to make the opponent(s) lose the point.
Before the game: Just like you guys playing music on my way to the court to psych me up and mentally visualizing the game already in my head. During the game: Just tell myself relax and keep calm.
Before the game: warm up, stroke (if possible), test my services During the game: Check for opponent's weakness and aim THERE
It's all about optimizing your state of mental arousal. If you're too high, you get anxious and nervous, which leads to poor play. If you're too low, you might miss good opportunities. However, playing at a high state of arousal is mentally draining. If you play too intensely too soon, you might burn out mentally before the end of the match. Or, you might be able to recover fully before your next match. So, you need to ration your intensity if you want to have some left when you play in the finals. Generally, I prefer to go into a match a bit on the low side. First of all, if you can handle your opponent without using much intensity, do so to save your mental energy. Secondly, I think it is much easier to raise your intensity than to lower it (e.g. relaxing during the middle of the match). I think the ability to adjust your mental arousal is a key skill for any competitive activity.