The power of storytelling – Examples of negative and positive storytelling
09/22/2010 | Written by: uspta
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The power of storytelling – Examples of negative and positive storytelling
Description:
Master Professional Jim Loehr provides examples of both negative and positive storytelling, and discusses the importance of the story a player creates around a match.
Tip:
As humans and athletes, we talk to ourselves every day. This self-talk, which creates a “story” can be either positive or negative, consciously or subconsciously. However, most of us do not realize that the stories we tell ourselves reflect the path on which we are going to walk. More important than what is about to happen, what is happening or what did happen is the story we create around the event.
As players we also tell tennis stories on and off the tennis court. We tell ourselves a story before, during and after the match. What is critical is that we understand the difference between good and bad storytelling and that in order to reach our best potential we need to tell ourselves the right story. It is easy for players to tell stories that will make them feel nervous, negative, unfocused and unsure of themselves before or while they compete. What is challenging is to create the story that will enable them to enter their ideal performance state even when facing the most difficult competitive situations. If you got nervous, angry, negative or gave up, you have the wrong story going. If you remained energized, confident, positive and calm your story worked for you.
As a coach, it is important for you to help instill the right mentality and positive values in your players. TennisResources.com offers a number of one-on-one video interviews featuring some of the world’s most accomplished tennis-teaching professionals speaking on the mental aspect of tennis and its importance to a player’s game. To access these resources, visit www.tennisresources.com and enter the word “mental” into the Quick Search field. If you select the Advanced search, click on “Mental” under the “General Performance Components” category.
New content is added to the site every week, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to access this valuable library of tennis education. Members who sign up for a premium membership have access to all of the exclusive materials found within the search engine. Visit www.tennisresources.com and register today!
