[Monday, December 16, 2019 17:26]

Training world champion and match loser Image 1

Successfully competing in matches - how to successfully translate your good training performances into matches

We've all been there, heard it countless times after a match – from teammates, our own tennis kids, or experienced it ourselves. "I played so incredibly well in training, but in the match, absolutely nothing worked!!" Are you one of those training champions who just can't replicate their good performances in a match? Who end up completely frustrated and losing? Our coach and mental expert, Stephan Medem, explains why this happens and what you should consider in training to ultimately be successful in matches.

Why do we play brilliantly in training, but then nothing works in the match?

Sometimes it's enough to make you tear your hair out, run away, or cry. Yesterday in practice, every shot was perfect, the touch was there, everything was running like clockwork. Today in the match, you step onto the court full of motivation, warm up, feel great, and then... well, then the house of cards of the "practice champion," of "I played so brilliantly yesterday," collapses point by point, game by game. Confidence and self-belief plummet to nothing, the match is lost without ever having truly found your rhythm.

"The biggest difference between training and a match is the issue of consequence ," says Steph. In training, there's never any consequence for a missed forehand, for a double fault. You just play the next ball without a second thought, and that's it. But in a match, every mistake has a consequence – point lost, game lost, you're behind, you lose.

How can we design our training to create match-like situations?

In a match, we can only implement what we've practiced in training. Therefore, we must constantly create match-like situations in training as well. Steph has the following tips and suggestions for this:

1. Always train with maximum intensity.
Only if we consistently train with full intensity in terms of movement and concentration can we transfer that intensity to the match. Trying to perform something in a match that we haven't practiced in training simply won't work.
2. Incorporate consequences into your training.
Mistakes always have a specific consequence. For example, if I make a mistake, I have to do a certain number of push-ups, burpees, sprints, etc. Or, in stroke practice (e.g., forehand or backhand crosscourt), the player who makes a mistake has to immediately sprint to the net before play resumes. You should also do this in serve practice: don't just serve one serve after another, but set a specific success rate beforehand (e.g., 6 out of 10). If this rate isn't reached, a consequence like push-ups or other unpleasant tasks follows.
3. Practice close, match-deciding situations in match training.
Always start at 4-4 to simulate and practice the crucial set decision. Match tiebreaks are also well-suited for this.

Try incorporating these three points into your training. In the next blog post, Steph will then address the question of what you can do in a match if things aren't going as planned.