Mental Training at Tenicity
Mental training is a core part of Tenicity’s player development program. We see the tennis journey as providing an excellent opportunity for building a variety of mental skills that can benefit players both on and off the court.
Our mental training curriculum is led by Program Leader Harsh Mankad. Below are resources for mental training.
Mental Training Daily Practice by Harsh Mankad
| Time of Day | Mental Training Activity |
|---|---|
| Morning Meditation & Breathing Exercises | After waking up, do a 10-15 minute guided meditation from the Boho Beautiful Meditation Library (see their YouTube channel). After the meditation, do 10 minutes of pranayama breathing exercises. |
| Beginning of tennis practice (and during as needed) | During the first 5-10 minutes of practice, let the mind center its attention on the ball and your timing. Do the bounce-hit drill (mentioned in the book: The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey) where you say "bounce" when the ball bounces, and "hit" when you hit the ball. The drill builds focus on the ball and in the present moment. It helps us to move away from other thoughts and brings our attention to the court and task at hand. Use the bounce-hit drill whenever you need to bring the mind back to the present. The simple act of watching the ball and bringing your focus to the present will facilitate clean ball striking and good timing which improves stroke execution. |
| During tennis | In addition to making the physical effort of playing, apply yourself mentally on the court. The mental application involves being present, noticing what is going on, making adjustments or changes as you see fit. I often hear the question from players: "why is this happening?" In this situation, I encourage them to move beyond the "why" and figure out what they need to do, where are the mistakes happening, and what are the solutions. Mental application involves figuring things out, learning, trying and finding solutions to the situations, opportunities, problems and challenges being faced on the court. Practice your capacity to apply yourself mentally throughout the duration of the session. In tennis, you need this mental capacity to focus, think, and figure things out over the course of several hours such as in a 3 set or 5 set match. |
| After practice | Reflect on how your training went. What did you do well? What could have been better? Make a few notes in your journal. Try to learn something and note the insight which you can refer back to and strengthen your memory of the things you are learning on the journey. As I say to players: "each practice is an opportunity to take one step forward in your journey." Imagine how much you would learn and improve in one year if you took one step forward in each practice! |
| Do the 20 Stretch Routine | After training or matches, create the time and space to do a series of 20 stretches holding each stretch for 30 seconds. During this routine, bring the mind's attention and breathing to the muscles and parts of the body being stretched. |
| At meal times and during tasks | Try to bring your full attention to the meal. Try not to look at screens. Practice and train your mind's ability to do one task with all its attention. This is a key skill needed in tennis. When we are playing, we have to bring our full attention, focus, and concentration on the court and to the task at hand. How will we do this if for the 12 hours each day away from the court we are constantly multi-tasking and our minds are racing here and there? The mental game needs to be trained both on and off the court. Who we are off the court, we bring on the court. Develop concentration off the court by bringing your attention to the task at hand and letting go of other things competing for your attention. Do this for one task a day, then two and onwards. If you spend 10 minutes doing something with your full attention, you have gained 10 minutes of mental game training for tennis. |
| Relaxation & Recovery | At any time in the day or during breaks, take a few minutes to relax and recover. Bring your attention to your breathing watching the breath going in and out of the body. Use some deep breathing and let go of any tension, tightness, or anxiety with the out-breath. You may find some time to lay down with your eyes closed and legs elevated against a wall. Or do the Savasana yoga pose (laying on your back, eyes closed, palms up to the sky) for 10 minutes. These exercises will help to relax the body and mind. In our busy days, carving out a few minutes for recovery will have a beneficial impact on our health and mental preparation for high performance. |
| Before sleep | Try to spend 5 or more minutes in quiet sitting with eyes closed before sleeping. This practice will help relax the body and mind facilitating quality sleep and recovery. |
A note from Harsh: Much of my perspective on the mental game including learnings and teachings are inspired by my former tennis coach, Happy Bhalla.
Suggested Articles
How To Compete When Losing by Harsh Mankad
“Have Fun” – Simple Yet Powerful Advice by Harsh Mankad
Developing The Performance Mindset by Harsh Mankad
Strategies For Players To Drive Their Own Learning by Harsh Mankad
Winning The Inner Game by Sean Brawley