Vic Braden's Mental Tennis

Book excerpt: Whether you are a tennis novice, a beginner ready for competition, a club player with an eye on the tournament trophy, or a professional stuck in a rut, Vic Braden's Mental Tennis shows you that your mind can be the single best tool to reconstruct your game. In his new breakthrough book, Vic Braden demonstrates how to improve your physical performance dramatically and develop a winning mental attitude - both on the court and off. Vic Braden is America's favorite tennis coach, recognized and respected by professionals and amateurs alike. In addition to being a licensed psychologist, he has been a major force in tennis - as a player and a teacher - since the early 1960s. In Mental Tennis, he draws upon his unique background and years of personal research - tested on thousands of his students - along with the latest technical and statistical information, and shows you how to maximize the potential of your mind to achieve peak playing skills, while boosting your confidence and enjoyment of the game. With his characteristic humor and charm, and using entertaining and instructive examples of famous players and matches, Vic Braden identifies common problems that can undermine your performance on the court, and explores their causes. He provides important psychological insights, and expert advice on how to overcome mental obstacles - such as self-doubt; lack of focus; guilt about winning; the stress that stems from a fear of losing, being humiliated, or letting down your doubles partner - and challenges you to set realistic and healthy goals for improvement. In addition to methods for long-term progress and fundamental behavior modification, Vic Braden's Mental Tennis also provides quicktriggers for immediate results; effective strategies to reverse years of bad habits; and tips on how to psych out your opponent, how to perform well under pressure, and how to maintain concentration and tune out external distracti