Stinking Thinking

38 days and counting...

38 days until the 30s National Indoor tournament.

Although my days have primarily been filled with training and tennis (aside from a couple of weeks where asthma decided to kick my butt), I am beginning to feel less confident.

I am often reminded to not do "stinkin' thinkin'", Dr. Phil's favorite saying when someone has bad thoughts for no good reason, but sometimes, it is so hard not to.

I lose a match to a person I shouldn't or even struggle with and win ugly against a player of lessor talent and I begin to think maybe I don't have the talent to compete for a Gold Ball. But then I will have an amazing match and I think that I can't wait for the end of April.

All of my practices are purposeful. Beforehand, goals are written down and despite results, I try very hard to stick to the plan. For example, win or lose, a goal might be to serve and volley, every opportunity I have. So at the end of a practice, when I have served and volleyed more times that Pete Sampras, himself, why am I disappointed with a set score of 3-6?

Stinking Thinking...

A goal of mine has been to hit with more pace. Too often, I don't go for shots that I make all day in practices and clinics. In matches, I am content to moonball to my opponent or push the ball back at the person who is pushing at me. So, in my first outside session of the year, when a well-intended, but very misguided, acquaintance reminded me to just get the ball back against a guy that routinely stomps me and waits for slow sitters, why did I allow myself to falter, to go away from my plan?

Stinking Thinking...

So, my goal for the next month is to be mentally tougher. When a psycho across the net from me, asks me for the millionth time whether I am sure of a call, I am going to "chill". When my opponent, who has brought her own lounge chair to the court so that her changeovers are only missing a pina colada with a little pink umbrella, I am going to "chill". When the person on the other side of the net decides to go fetch a third ball from another court before telling me my first serve is out, I am going to "chill" and then blow her away with a second serve ace!

Focus! No Stinking Thinking...

Stay tuned,

KS