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February 1996 Article
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Tennis Server
Top Pros (Women)
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Whether you hope to capture Wimbledon, quarterback your team to the Super-Bowl, or defeat Fred in ping-pong, there is no substitute for self-awareness. Competition is as demanding as it is exciting. Athletes and coaches make huge investments understanding and exploiting opponent weaknesses. Indeed, knowledge of the adversary is a key to success. However, many do not realize that knowledge of oneself, or self-awareness, is equally vital. Subtle variations in our attitudes and actions, prior to and during competition, profoundly affect performance. Our actions influence how we think and feel, just as our thoughts and feelings influence our behavior. Everyone has a unique way of performing best. Some thrive on high levels of arousal, while others prosper at lower levels of activation (See the September, 1995 Mental Equipment article). Similarly, confidence levels associated with maximum performance vary across individuals (See the January, 1996 article). Although specific mental states are associated with optimal performance for each individual, these states are often difficult to replicate because the athlete has not invested in self-knowledge. Unfortunately, self-ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of competitive law! How can self-awareness be increased? Here are some suggestions that will help you learn more about yourself and the factors most frequently accompanying with your best and worst performances. Following a competition:
This column is copyrighted by Dr. John Murray, all rights reserved.
Dr. John F. Murray is currently a licensed clinical psychologist and sport psychologist in Florida. In addition, he is a tennis professional (having taught tennis internationally in North America, Hawaii, Europe, Middle East), formerly certified with both USPTA and USPTR. He has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and masters degrees both in Clinical Psychology and Exercise & Sport Sciences from the University of Florida. He maintains a personal web site at http://www.johnfmurray.com/.
Questions and comments about these columns can be directed to John by using this form.
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