Become a “mental monster” with the help of the book “Mental Strength in Tennis” by Philipp Heger

Mental training is absolutely “IN” - also as part of the tennis training cosmos. Regardless of whether you are a professional or amateur athlete - each of us knows it all too well. The head doesn't cooperate, the arm becomes heavy, the legs don't work. You miss balls that always come in training, you feel pressure or even fear, and you let your aggression run free on the pitch. And in the end you often leave the pitch with a defeat that you can't come to terms with. If all of this sounds very familiar to you and you want to organize and improve your mental tennis, the book "Mental Strength in Tennis" by Philipp Heger from the Neuer Sportverlag publishing house is highly recommended. Because the book gives you a multi-layered insight into it complex mental cosmos , provides wonderful examples from everyday tennis in which you will recognize yourself and gives you numerous solutions and concrete exercises on how you can better achieve your best performance on the court.

Mental strength is evident even before training or the match

In the first part of the book, the author shows how important mental preparation for a match can be and why the start of the match is so mentally important for every player. All known statistics show that there is a high probability (between 78-90 percent) that the player who wins the first set will win the match.

The following chapters cover a wide range of topics that lead to mental strength. Specific recommendations for action follow at the end of each chapter. This is how the training world champion learns how he should change his training in order to simulate competition situations during training.  

Some of the chapters have quite provocative titles. For example, Chapter 6: “How do I cheat properly”. Admittedly, I was a bit confused at first when reading it. But this topic is also part of the mosaic of mental strength. How do you deal with unfair opponents without losing your composure, the thread and ultimately the game? Here the author gives lots of practical examples and training exercises that allow you to practice dealing with contentious situations in concrete terms.

Rituals, routines, tension and relaxation, concentration, body language - all particles of the complex mental cosmos

Of course, a chapter on rituals and routines not be missing from a mental guide. Neither does it. From a large number of different examples, you will certainly find a few routines that you can incorporate into your game and thus create more peace.

Mentally strong players usually manage to find right mix of tension and relaxation Anything but easy, but it can be practiced and learned, even if there is no patent recipe for it. But the author's tips for less tension and more tension are definitely helpful. The chapter on concentration shows practical exercises that can improve your general ability to concentrate (not just) on the tennis court.

that your body language shows your inner self to the outside world. Nevertheless, a chapter is dedicated in detail to how you can become more aware of your own body language and influence it positively.

Match tiebreaks and big points - the supreme mental discipline?

The match tiebreak described in great detail. No wonder, because it is often said that mentally stronger players win more match tiebreaks. Auto investigates these and other match tiebreak theses and partially refutes them using very specific figures and facts. This will certainly take away the fear of a match tiebreak for many of you. The final tips on what to look out for before and during a match tiebreak can really lead to victory.

The chapters in which the so-called “momentum” and the big points in a match are described are also interesting. Everyone knows that the game can change completely within a match, sometimes this happens several times. Simply being aware of this can help everyone mentally and lead to more calmness. Your own behavior at Big Points can also be changed and trained.

Of flow and yips - of heaven and hell

When it comes to mental skills on the tennis court, the topic of flow cannot be missed, i.e. the state of absolute concentration and lightness in which everything succeeds and everything comes easily. As a reader, you will also find many examples on this complex topic that can help you get into the flow - at least for a certain period of time. Strategies on how to get out of the “vicious circle” on a day when nothing is going well, i.e. you are in anti-flow, are not missing.

Many people know it, but don't know what to call it. Professionals like Sara Errani also have it when serving: so-called yips,  muscle twitches , which cause the ball toss to go completely wrong during the serve - again and again. In the author's opinion, these yips are mainly due to mental reasons. The first approaches to curbing the Yips are given here.

Mental training is a school of life

Much of what the book deals with mental strength in tennis can be applied 1:1 to actually all areas of life. That's the author's statement, which I absolutely agree with. In this respect, the book offers valuable tips and tricks, not just for tennis, on how to penetrate the complex "overall construct" of mental strength and work on it in different areas. Setting out to work on your own mental strength is a school for life . And the book can be an introduction and help to you.

Who is writing there? About the author

Philipp Heger is a DTB B trainer and VDT state-certified tennis instructor and has now taken up the topic of “Mental Strength in Tennis” with his debut work “Tactics in Tennis”. As a reader you notice that Philipp works at the grassroots level and knows very well what goes on in the head of an amateur athlete but also of an ambitious tournament player. Last but not least, he knows only too well from his own experience as an active major league player how important the mental area is.

Who is this book suitable for?

• Tournament and team players, regardless of age and skill level, will find an introduction and concrete help here.
• Tennis coaches who want to continue their training in the mental area. 
• Tennis parents who worry about the mental abilities of their tennis offspring.
• And ultimately also for all hobby players who are interested in the area of ​​mental training.

My very personal conclusion

In tennis, the topic of mental strength has gained incredible momentum in recent years. Many professional, junior and amateur tennis players seek advice from mental trainers. Rightly so - at least in the vast majority of cases. I would more than question whether people under 10 need a mental trainer. But in general it is important to deal with the mental aspects and not just practice the technical, tactical and athletic aspects of the game of tennis.

If you want to take the first steps in the mental area or read good summary of such a complex topic I like the many very concrete practical examples that best describe certain mental areas. The numerous tips and exercises are also helpful. However, if you are already deeper into the “mental issue”, you will be missing more concrete, deeper solutions at one point or another.

The most important information about the book