Thinking that our backhand sucks is what our brains are designed to do.
Let me explain.
In psychology it’s called Negativity Bias.
It’s the idea that our brain prioritizes negative thoughts over positive thoughts due to evolution.
It makes sense because focusing on potential threats like dangerous animals kept us alive.
And those people passed on that gene.
So when our brain looks remembers the backhand it recalls all the crappy shots you hit last game.
And most of us have been training this part of the brain all our lives.
Think about the last time you watched a movie.
Did you immediately think about all the parts that sucked after?
And if you don’t know that our brain is designed that way, would you do anything about it?
Now you can choose to retrain your brain.
Something that can be very helpful is reminding ourselves of the things that we did well.
Because for every shot you missed, you probably made 5.
And when we start to see the good.
Our confidence naturally increases.
So here’s how to do this.
After every practice or match.
Write down 3 things you did well.
When we start to do this on a consistent basis, we change our wiring.
Bonus: Take it another step and write down 1 thing you can improve on.
This shifts the mind from what I’m doing wrong, to how can I improve.
And that’s how we become someone who finds a way.
Coach Greg
P.S. If you’re in New York Aug 30-31 and want to improve your doubles strategy, go to Tennis Tribe camp. You can use GREG50 to get a $50 discount. CLICK HERE I’m not earning commission on this, just doing it because I really believe in Will’s coaching and know this will help your game.
P.P.S. I’m on a mission. To help a 1000 players become the one that closes out the match. If you’re interested, email info@betweenthepoints.com and ask me how.
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