MATCHPLAY - MENTAL FOCUS

                         Mental Focus

Well I must say everyone at one time or another, or on a daily basis gets nervous about one thing or another. It could be going to the doctor, or a big test of some sort, or going on a blind date.  There a lot of things that can be said about certain situations in life, that have the nerves tingling and the blood pressure rising.  The biggest reason for nerves,  basically comes from the expectations of these situations.  If your mind is set on dreading certain  situations and are fearing the worse, it will basically come to pass.  Thinking your going to lose a match before it starts, is a powerful thought, for it to actually happen.  What your doing in this situation is handicapping yourself.  If things are not going right in your match, and the fear of losing, sets in, you are almost planning your future!  Another thought you can have,is that you are not prepared, a thought that does not bring any positive motivation to any situation.  Lets address this particular  thought , about not being prepared, or your not being a good enough player.  When you play a match, either in a tournament , or in a club, right then and there you are the best you can be at that moment.  So if this is true, you can only  play the best you know how, especially if getting better is your goal. This way of thinking is the way you learn and acquire more knowledge about your game, winning or losing.  You don't reach a high level at table tennis by winning, its actually the other.  My personal saying to myself, and others is, when playing the game, " Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn."  Which would you rather do, play the best you can and come up short, or play with thought your going to lose and regret you didn't play your best?   Every match you play, you will gain some knowledge whether winning or losing a match.

 What produces distractions in a match?  If you focus on your match alone,  you will have no distractions.  But if you focus on who is watching you play, or listening to things around you ect....  What it is, for the most part, is paying too much attention to things that are not about your match. The reason for being nervous, is about most of what I had just mentioned. Now maybe you can realize why, when you practice or play with friends,  your level of play then is not the same as when match time comes.  Your skill level at the time of your match is set, so there should be no worries. You cannot play above your skill level, but you can implement it, the best way you can. Either winning or losing, you learn what you could do and what you couldn't do in the match. So with this in mind, in the end, you gain knowledge either way.  The great Jimmy Conners has a famous quote, in which he puts in perspective, his effort to win, and his thoughts about losing, to him losing, really never happens. He is asked about his loss.

" I ran out of time, finding a way to win"

- Jimmy Connors