Own Brain Bingo

Congratulations to Karolina Pliskova on her Foro Italico title in Rome, despite having a mysterious virus in her bloodstream. I’m really hoping she recovers fully from the virus and it doesn’t reoccur. We don’t want to lose her on the tour! Sadly Lucie Safarova is retiring after the French Open as a result of mysterious viruses over the last few years that doctors struggle to understand and treat. I’m hoping she has a great time at the French Open!

I don’t watch men’s tennis but I couldn’t help but notice Nadal winning the Foro Italico and making history while at it – 34^th Masters 1000 title! Wow! Congratulations to Nadal – hoping he wins the French Open!

I also want to congratulate Petra Kvitova on her Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (trophy plus car!) win in Stuttgart. She seemed extremely pleased that she won it without her coaches present at that tournament. They were left behind in the Czech Republic. This made me wonder if own brain bingo coaching is the way to go! Halep is a great example of this. She is down as not having a full-time coach yet is currently at number 3 in the world and playing consistently well.

Own brain bingo was a favourite expression of my first cello teacher. She would always tell us – “own brain bingo!” which meant - think for yourself! That stuck with me because it sounded like a fun game. I was still only 5-6yrs old but I learnt to apply it to everything. I still do.

How do you play own brain bingo tennis?  

On-court and off-court the main question is: Is what I’m doing making sense?

This applies to all aspects of a tennis life in different ways:

Does my tournament schedule make sense?

Eg am I being efficient in the way I’m planning my tournament schedule so I am healthy, not overly jetlagged, have a good chance of amassing ranking points, preparing my body sufficiently for surface changes between seasons to prevent injury, am I scheduling in rest, sleep, recovery, rehab as well as fun activities that are undemanding physically, like going to the cinema?  

Does my nutritional intake and hydration make sense?

Eg making the food and drink proportional to my body’s needs eg height, muscle mass, water retention, build, weight. Am I protecting my immune system (eg through diet, sleep, nutrition, stress management) by strengthening it without over boosting it? 

Does my off-court fitness training make sense?

Eg is what I’m doing off-court supporting my tennis on-court, of direct use in matches or just general exercise? Are the types of movement building the relevant muscles, coordination, speed and movement patterns I need on-court? How does my body react to my off-court training? Do I notice a visible improvement? Do certain movements trigger more pain / feel uncomfortable? Am I in the right position to execute the activity? Is my body well aligned to prevent injury?

Does my gym work make sense?

A minefield! There are a lot of factors to consider. Eg is the equipment the right size, height, weight for my frame? Is it too light or too heavy for me at the moment eg post injury, post-surgery, pre- or post rehab, during a niggling strain, or a pre-existing condition etc. Do I need to incrementally increase the weight of the equipment before attempting the activity so that I lift it safely? Do I need to do other related exercises first to build up my body before attempting it? Am I in the correct position and not kinking my joints and alignment eg back, knees? Am I lifting it in a technically correct way to ensure I don’t cause injury to myself? Do I notice certain weaknesses I need to address before repeatedly performing some activities?

Does my pre-match routine make sense?

Eg do I have a very set routine or a looser one? Should I adjust it or repeat exactly the same things? How much and when do I need to eat and drink? When do I go to bed the night before? Should I have a nap pre-match? How do I adjust it for rain delays?

Do my match tactics make sense?

Eg am I so focused on my game that I keep making the same mistake when my opponent gives me a particular shot? Should I be more aware of my opponent and what they are doing? Am I too aware of my opponent? Do my pre-match tactic plans work and fit the mid-match situation I find myself in? Should I use the on-court coaching system and if so, when? Should I rely on myself only even if it doesn’t always work out? Do I learn more if I coach myself?  

Does my match style make sense?

Eg do I slip into a defensive style of play when ahead or behind in a match? Am I aggressive enough? Am I closing out matches in a way which helps me win? When do I get most stressed out in a match and why? Is my match pattern of play helping me win or letting my opponents into the match? Am I finding a way to get rhythm in the match or letting my opponent build up a rhythm, making them play better against me?   

Does my tennis technique make sense?

Eg are there technical improvements I can make to make me play better eg reduce unforced errors, increase 1^st serve percentage, be more accurate on wide-angled shots, return serve better, run more efficiently to out wide balls, increase stamina, make my footwork more efficient/effective, am I transferring my body weight into the shot, am I in awkward positions too often and what can I do about it? Is my body well aligned and on balance to make me stronger so I prevent injury and hit harder? Am I slowing my racquet head speed so losing momentum on my shots and hitting less hard? Could I hit my shots/serve harder if I tweaked my technique? What is my contact point when hitting the ball and how often is it in the sweet spot? Am I using the right technique and footwork for this surface? How much friction does this court have and how should I adjust my footwork accordingly? Do I have the right traction on my soles and is my footwear designed specifically for this surface? Am I using the spins that work best on this court surface and can I execute them at will when needed? How can I become more accurate? How should I change grip so I don’t mis-hit and make unforced errors?

Does my post-match recuperation make sense?

Are ice baths such a good idea? Am I rehydrating myself enough? Am I eating the right food afterwards to help recovery? Am I resting/sleeping enough to speed up healing and recovery?  

Do I tailor what I do to suit my body and needs?

Does it suit my medical history, frame, height, size, muscle mass etc or is it general advice which may be better suited for a different body?

Do my injuries, diagnoses, rehab, treatment make sense?

Do I notice a correlation between doing certain activities and getting certain pains/injuries? Could I do things differently to get the same results without the pain etc? Does my injury or illness diagnosis fit my symptoms? Is my rehab strengthening the injured area efficiently and in a way which will prevent an injury reoccurring? Am I overriding my instincts and playing when feeling unwell or injured? Could I make my condition significantly worse by playing? Should I take that risk?  

Does my match and pre-match training psychology make sense?

Eg am I psyching myself up correctly for a match, win or lose? Am I so psyched up to win that I’m emotionally draining myself too much when I lose? Is my psychology giving me energy or accidentally exhausting me? Am I positive enough during a match? Am I putting too much or too little pressure on myself to win or play well? Should I treat all matches (rounds, wins, loses) in the same way to prevent an emotional rollercoaster side-effect?

Do I use the same psychology between tennis and daily life?

Eg what are the similarities and differences? If my approach is too different, is it making it harder for me to maintain the best psychological mind set for tennis? Is it too similar meaning I don’t psych myself up properly for a match?

Does my down-time between tournaments make sense?

Eg am I gearing up or winding down properly between tournaments? Do I just keep going in the same way all year round or do I give myself breaks? Are my off-court interests exhausting me physically so I’m too tired to work intensely or have stamina in my next tournament? Are my off-court interests making me slightly lose focus so I’m struggling to get in-the-zone fast enough in matches?

Do I uncritically rely on others?

This can be generalized to: Does the general advice I’m receiving make sense?

Eg am I too passive and carrying out instructions without questioning whether they are working for me? Am I dismissing my own instincts, thoughts, ideas which may be relevant so introducing error? Eg I notice the small of my back isn’t straight and dips inwards when bending down and lifting a weight/barbell and it doesn’t feel entirely comfortable but I assume the fault is with me not being strong enough, heroic amounts of repetition will solve it rather than stopping and going away to learn about the exercise to make adjustments before reattempting it – own brain bingo!

The list and examples are not exhaustive but I shall return to them from time to time, as and when, to discuss them further.

Looking forward to the French Open! Good luck to everyone! (Vamos Nadal!)