Archive for the ‘Mental Toughness’ Category
Injuries are not fun. They can sideline you from training for long time. The two kinds of injuries are acute and overuse injuries. Acute injuries happen when you fall, twist, or break something, or somebody or something hits you. Acute injuries are easy to notice, because they hurt, swell, or bleed, and you need an immediate medical attention. The other type of injuries is an overuse injury, sometimes called stress injury. They develop over time with many traumas and they “sneak” on you. The overuse injuries can happen from doing too much, too soon, to fast, too hard, too intense, or too “something” that your body is not conditioned for. You start feeling a little irritation or pain that you tend to ignore with words “no pain, no gain” or “it’s part of the process,” and eventually you may get some swelling, inflammation or daily pains and aches.
The best approach to prevent overuse injuries is by being physically fit, evenly flexible and strong in both left and right side of your body, strong in your core, and having good balance. You need to train smart with proper periodization, eat healthy nutrition, and eliminate as much stress as possible. Additionally, you need to use good quality equipment and shoes. That is a lot to think about, especially if you also work, have family and other obligation.
Where do you start? The core and hips are the most important part of your athletic body. You use your core and hips in any athletic movement to transfer the forces between the lower and upper body. Any imbalances in your core or hips will cause uneven forces on other muscle groups and joints, and over time create overuse injuries. Therefore, a good start in your physical well-being and injury-free training is to look at your hips. You want to keep the hips balanced and equally strong and flexible on both sides.
The lopsided nature of tennis and our lifestyle creates small imbalances in our hips that are hard to spot, unless you search for them. The open-stance forehand, close-stance backhand, serving (one side only), driving your car (using your right leg most of the time), and many more daily activities that we do, support the developing imbalances. The most common problem in your hips is rotational misalignment — one hip is rotated forward, the other backward. This very common condition can create many other symptoms, such as piriformis syndrome (often mistaken for “sciatica”), pain in the patella (front of the knee), plantar fasciitis (pain on the bottom of foot/heel), excessive foot pronation, groin strain, IT band syndrome, and hamstring strain.
How do you know if your pelvis is misaligned? Compare your left and right side and see if it is harder to balance on one side, if one side is weaker, more painful, tighter, or stiffer. If any of this is true, your pelvis may be rotated. Another test is to lie on your back on the floor, bring your knees to your chest, and then slowly stretch them straight. Have a friend observe if you have one leg longer than then the other leg. In about 80-85% of the right-handed tennis players, if there is a pelvic rotation, the right leg is longer than the left leg. While you are on the floor on your back with straight legs, have your friend check if your hipbones are level. Often, the right hipbone will appear lower than the left one. Similar check can be performed from the back, when you lie on your stomach and your friend checks the level of your hipbones. Most often, the right hipbone appears to be higher than the left one, if the pelvis is rotated.
This rotation of your hips can happen during the aggressive movements on the tennis court or in the intense training sessions, where the many muscles of the hips are pulling in different directions. If you have imbalances in strength or flexibility in these muscle groups, then the forces are even more uneven. If you find the hip misalignment subject interesting, you can find more in Wolf Schamberger’s book “The Malalignment Syndrome: Implications for Medicine and Sports.”
Isometric exercise to self-correct your hip misalignment
1) Lie on your back with straight legs.
2) Lift your right leg, bend your knee, and hook your hands behind your knee.
3) Push your right leg away from your chest into your hands that are resisting the pull. Use about 30% of your power and hold the position for 6 seconds, then put your right leg down on the floor.
4) Lift your left leg, bend your knee, and place your hands on the top of your left thigh.
5) Pull your left knee at 30% of your power toward your chest and against your hands. Hold for 6 seconds, then switch sides again.
6) Repeat 6 times on each side.
If your pelvis has been rotated for long time and the muscles are very shortened, this self-correction exercise may not help you. You should consult with a sport physical therapist or other skilled specialist. If your condition is light, you will benefit from this quick isometric exercise. Learn how to recognize the imbalances early, so you can help yourself on your own, without getting too much pain and subsequent need of professional help.
Remember that you must work on strengthening your core regularly to keep it fit and strong. After each training or tennis session, perform a thorough stretching routine. If your body has more aches and imbalances, you need to set some time aside for a good self-myofascial release routine to get rid of the pesky painful trigger points.
If you find this article helpful for your athletic performance, remember that you have friends that may be in pain too… Help your friends by sharing this article with them. Lets hope that they won’t thank you by beating you on the tennis court next time because they feel so great.
New Product on Mental Toughness
Have you lost matches that you clearly should win, or you thought you would win? What happened? What is happening to Rafa’s mental toughness now when he lost a number of times to players he is not used to losing? The mental game is so important, yet we don’t pay enough attention to it. I’ve had a good conversation with the mental game expert David Breslow. David has 25 years experience in the tennis business, 13 as a competitive player, Director of Mental Toughness at the USTA National Tennis Center (site of the U.S. Open) Ivan Lendl’s Grand Slam Tennis, National Junior Reebok Training Center and Teaching Professional. In addition, for the last 20 years, he has been a Mental Game Performance Coach helping tennis players of all levels around the world and teaches them how to think, feel and do things better when they play.
David’s has developed many products, with his newest one called, “Match-Tough: Practice Great and Play Even Better!” It directly answers the most often asked question: “How do I take my practice game into competition?” What separates David from the majority are his insights and conversation. Without any psychological rhetoric or the need for the usual quick-fix tips (“be confident, positive and make sure your body language is strong”), David takes you on an active journey that includes exercises after each module that will blow you away. It’s incredible how these simple, yet transforming insights can help you become clearer, more confident and see yourself and the game through new eyes—and these changes begin immediately in module 1.
The “Match Tough” product is an online audio/video slide presentation (about 2.5 hours) in 4 timely delivered modules that will change your view of the mental game forever. It includes a 30+ page study guide and 7 other bonuses to add to your learning. The price is affordable. If you are interested in improving your competitive toughness, grab your “Match Touch” here. Get strong, get flexible, get tough!
Other good articles to consider reading if you want to improve your tennis fitness:
Kettlebell training for tennis players – basic kettlebell swing (great for cardio, core and leg strength)
Kettlebell workout video for inspiration (explosive power is very important for tennis players)
Stiff-legged deadlift for strong hamstrings (very important for tennis players, as our hamstrings are often weaker than the quadriceps, causing injuries, tightness and slowness on the court)
David Ranney (www.maxtennis.com) is the expert on playing the mental game of tennis. He has been studying the mental game for over 25 years. I have recently met David and participated in his mental seminars (read about his free offer here) and he has a lot of great information and knowledge to offer. If you live in California, Washington or Oregon, you should check out what David has to offer. See some of his irresistible offers and contact him for more information. David wrote a book called “Tennis: Play the Mental Game” , a great practical guide how to improve your mental fitness (and thus your tennis game).
Just as much as I work on applying David’s ideas into my tennis game, David is applying the fitness and health advice outlined in my “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it” book to his body… (I trust he does!!! 
) He has kindly reviewed my book and shared the following with his students and readers.
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Tennis Mini Lessons by David Ranney
From my way of thinking, there are 4 major areas that you need to be proficient in to play tennis well. They are, in no particular order.
- Physical Stroke Production
- Physical Fitness
- Mental Fitness
- Strategy
As you know, I deal with your Mental Fitness and now you can get your physical fitness in order.
When I was in California in November, I met an outstanding tennis fitness guru. Her name is Suzanna McGee. She has just recently written a book on tennis fitness that I believe all of you should have, read, and then do.
The name of her book is:
“Tennis Fitness for the Love of it”
A Mindful Approach to Fitness for Injury-free Tennis
This 178 page book with over 80 photographs will teach you how to listen to your body and how to understand what your body is telling you. Take care of the imbalances that have been created by the uneven nature of tennis and your lifestyle, and correct them before they will cause a more serious overuse injury. The book will teach you the simple techniques how to take care of your body, so you can play injury-free tennis for the rest of your life.
You can order her book by going to this web site. http://www.tennisfitnesslove.com/store/
Suzanna has generously offered to give you a 20% discount not only on her book but on any of “Her Stuff!” Just use the Discount Code: DAVID20OFF
Check out her “Static Stretching For Injury Prevention” e-Book (39 pages) for only only $2.99. You can use the Discount code: DAVID20OFF for this also.
This discount will only be available for the month of February so check out Suzanna’s stuff and order it now. You won’t be sorry.
Her web site: http://www.tennisfitnesslove.com/ is the best site to discover how to improve your tennis fitness to become a better tennis player and how to play injury free for the rest of your life.
The tennis fitness articles on her web site are not just an instruction of different exercises. They are educational. They are meant to help you to develop an awareness of your body and mind. You will master how to hear what your body is telling you, and as a result you will be able to prevent injuries before they even happen. You will be able to improve what your body needs the most at the moment. Start reading with an open mind, start learning and become a master of your tennis fitness.
Want to learn more about Suzanna? Read on.
Suzanna McGee
As an experienced athletic trainer, fitness expert, tennis teacher and competitive tennis player, Suzanna possesses the tremendous ability to inspire you with her teaching and writings to be the best that you can be. Her passion for writing and educating people has resulted in a book on tennis fitness, which is currently being published. Suzanna speaks six languages and has two master’s degrees in computer science.
Suzanna has been an athlete since age of eleven. She has been a skier for twenty years in Czechoslovakia and Sweden, and a drug-free bodybuilder for seven years, earning the title Ms. Natural Olympia. Currently she has been fully committed and passionate about tennis, trying to find the “magic potion” for ageless competitive tennis through tennis fitness.
Suzanna’s special training style that combines many different techniques of training, healing, and injury prevention, brings a lot of success and great results to anybody who learns how to master it. Suzanna is residing in Venice Beach, California.
Now that you know all about Suzanna, go here http://www.tennisfitnesslove.com/store/ and buy her book. Be sure to use the Discount Code: DAVID20OFF. You won’t be sorry and you will be doing your body a big favor.
Click to buy on Amazon.com
To make sure that you are completely satisfied with your decision to buy “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it”, you can view sample material from the book in the resources below. Enjoy the viewing.
Amazon’s Search Inside Feature
Sample Chapter 13 — Calf Myofascial Relase
Tags: tennis fitness
I am glad to announce, that the book “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it. A Mindful Approach to Fitness for Injury-free Tennis” that many have been so impatiently waiting for, is available on Amazon.com for $14.95. Get your copy here now! For bulk orders, please contact me.
To all the tennis players of any age and skill level, who always strive for improvement and who never stop believing that the impossible is possible, and who know that there are no limits to growth and performance other than the human mind.
It is Never Too Late to Become Functional, Fit and Healthy
It is possible to play pain-free tennis for the rest of your life. One of the prerequisites is improving your fitness. However, it is not just any fitness. It needs to be mindful, purposeful, and perfectly suited for you. Nobody can tell you what is perfectly suited for you, only your body can. Listen to it because it will ask for what it needs. In your pursuit for maximum fitness and tennis performance, you need to be aware, patient, and disciplined.
Carry this little book with you always and reread the chapters often. Each time you will discover something new. Learn to understand your body. Every exercise you do should be performed with the goal of increasing awareness of your body, and gradually building a new relationship with it. Learn how to free up the tightness and how to balance your strengths. The less pain you experience, the healthier and more functional you are, and the more your energy will increase. Treat the moments of stretching and myofascial release as time for meditation, relaxation, and introspection.
Create daily routines that fit your lifestyle and treat them as essential for your fitness, well-being, and tennis performance. Think of your health and fitness in the long term. Be patient and disciplined in applying the new ways of exercising and treating your body. Remember that even modest effort applied over the long term will bring excellent results. Therefore, do not postpone your fitness until tomorrow and start today, even if it is just a little bit. Treat your body with respect and love. Treat the fitness as one of the necessary elements of your tennis game. Become fit for tennis and you will become fit for life, and tennis will be in your life forever. Practice your tennis fitness, for the love of it.
Promise yourself:
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind;
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet;
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them;
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true;
To think only the best, work for only the best, and expect only the best;
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own;
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future;
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile;
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others;
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble;
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds;
To be a soul of Love, to think the thought of Love, to speak the word of Love, live the life of Love and so be well and happy.
Most people are used to exercise the body, but how about exercising the brain to become a better and tougher tennis player? When you play a tennis match, you notice if your opponent is left handed or right handed. However, do you ever think if your opponent is right brained or left brained? It is harder to see but if you know what to look for, you can see that the playing styles are different. The two brain halves are very similar to looks but very different in function. It is well known that the left half generally controls the right side of the body, and vice versa. But the two halves also control different types of thinking – the left side is associated with the analytical thinking, while the right side is associated with the intuitive or creative aspect.
