Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Camilo Villegas was the leader of the 2008 Fedex Cup points, an achievement that some would say qualified him to be the number one golfer in the world that year. He recently appeared on The Golf Channel in a playing lesson with his brother and a TGC analyst. One of the features of the playing lesson was a discussion of his putting routine. He shared a very unique mental preparation technique that he uses before a putt, especially on pressure putts. He said that he remembers and visualizes key putts that he has made under pressure and especially those that he has hit particularly pure. He will not putt until he has run a few of those through his mind. He may even close his eyes to help him remember and see those putts in his mind before putting.
In golf, every shot is taken with the ball sitting stationary. In tennis, the serve is the only shot hit with a stationary ball and a long time to prepare prior to striking the ball. All other shots are reactionary with little time to think. The serve is also the most important shot in tennis. What a great opportunity to take a little time, plan the serve strategy, remember great serves like it in the past, remember the feeling of a pure strike in the sweet spot, and mentally visualize the serve you want to hit. If you need a visual model, remember what the serves of your favorite player look like. This is especially important on pressure points, when fear and negative thoughts are most likely to creep in.
There's no such thing as an empty mind. In any situation, either positive or negative thoughts will be active. The best way to avoid negative thoughts is to fill your mind so full with positive thoughts that there is no room for anything else.
This will take practice, just like any other aspect of tennis. Just like your strokes get grooved, your thoughts get grooved for better or worse. Practice the positive!
Think good thoughts!
Prayer
Dear Lord, please help me in tennis and in life to think about pure, noble, lovely, admirable, and excellent things - especially in the most important situations!
