Visualization has many uses for improving tennis performance, and in this episode, Brian and Josh review how visualization can aid and train better decision making on the court. Listen in for tips on how to create visualization plans and scripts that you can use for your game. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com . If you ha...
Sep 01, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the connection between a tennis players behavior and their performance. This conversation started with a quote from Frank Slootman, "Performance is something that we will give more time; behavior we wont. And thats because behavior is a choice, not a skill set. The co-hosts discussed whether they believe that behavior is ultimately a choice, and talked about how tennis players can prioritize controlling the aspects of performance that theyre able to c...
Aug 24, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the benefits of optimism for tennis players. The co-hosts start by defining the differences between optimism and pessimism, and also outline misconceptions surrounding these concepts. Topics reviewed include the performance benefits of optimism within a match, the benefits of being optimistic about ones overall training and development, and the connection between trusting the process and choosing to maintain a realistic yet optimistic outlook. Tennis IQ Pa...
Aug 16, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss what tennis players can do when they feel that they're doing all the right things, but not getting the results that they desire. This could be occurring for a number of reasons, but often tennis players need to embrace that their results can at times lag behind the progress that theyre making. Topics discussed include the importance of patience, the impact of trust and belief, and the benefit of tracking process goals to measure progress over time. Ten...
Aug 08, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. On the womens side Marketa Vondrousova defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4, and on the mens side Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 16, 76 (6), 61, 36, 64. The co-hosts review various sport psychology themes relating to the champions and finalists including resilience, self-belief, emotional control, and consistency. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership To learn more about Josh and Brian&...
Aug 01, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh interviewed Dan McCain. Dan is an author and a former college coach and director who now serves as the Head Coach and Tennis Director at Cape Henry Racquet Club in Virginia Beach, VA. Dan has published six books on tennis on topics such as raising a champion, goal-setting, movement fundamentals, tactics, and strategy. As a player he had a stand out career as a junior winning USTA gold and silver balls on his way to playing collegiate tennis at University of Michig...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep 141•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss developing a process to reflect on and learn from matches. The co-hosts review various questions that tennis players can answer after their matches in order to process and learn from each match experience. These questions and exercises can be completed individually, or with a coach or parent. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to...
Jul 11, 2023•41 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss quiet eye theory and gaze control as a means of helping players perform better physically and mentally. The discussion was based on three research studies (below) and the co-hosts reviewed practical applications of these concepts for tennis players. Research studies and videos mentioned: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233599263_Gaze_Control_DURING_the_hitting_phase_in_Tennis_a_Preliminary_Study https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2...
Jul 03, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh review a research article entitled Building A Psychological Profile of Olympic Medalists and World Champions by Robert M. Nideffer, Ph.D., Jeffrey Bond, Alberto Cei, and Umberto Manili. The co-hosts discuss the research findings about the difference between athletes who have won multiple championships and those who were single championship winners, and then consider these findings in the context of professional tennis players. Additionally, they address how all te...
Jun 25, 2023•47 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the 2023 French Open. On the womens side Iga witek defeated Karolna Muchov 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to win the womens singles championship, and on the mens side Novak Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5. The co-hosts review various sport psychology themes relating to the champions including the locker room power of witek and Djokovic, as well as their confidence, resilience, and ability to lock in and focus during the biggest moments. Tennis IQ Patreon Pag...
Jun 17, 2023•45 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the various challenges of changing surfaces. In a comparable way to how professional players change surfaces throughout the tournament season, non-professional adult and junior players have to handle similar situations. Examples of these sorts of changes include switching from hard courts to clay courts (or vice versa), playing on a grass court for the first time, or playing outdoors after getting accustomed to playing indoors in recent months. The co-host...
Jun 11, 2023•44 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh answer a listener question about creating an episode that can be listened to prior to matches. The co-hosts discussed how tennis players can be clear about their reasons for playing the sport, and find ways to remind themselves of their why and their motivation for playing tennis prior to matches. Additionally, they discussed how tennis players can use various mental tools before playing in a match including utilizing types of visualization, reviewing their planne...
Jun 02, 2023•55 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the difficulties faced in finishing sets and matches. The co-hosts examine why these moments in matches are so mentally challenging for tennis players. Additionally, they review mental tools that tennis players can utilize to handle these moments better when they come up. Topics of discussion include how preparing for these moments ahead of time can be beneficial, the importance of visualization, and how players can use breathing, progressive muscle relaxa...
May 25, 2023•47 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh examine how tennis players can utilize rules for making better decisions during matches. The co-hosts discuss ways that tennis players can simplify their decision making process by developing rules regarding shot selection. This rules-based approach can be used for choosing directionals based on movement and court position, for when a player steps into the court for an approach shot, and also for pressure situations such as deuce points, ad points, and during tieb...
May 19, 2023•44 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss how tennis players can embrace and accept uncertainty. Uncertainty is an inevitability in tennis and in life, and the co-hosts review strategies and tools that tennis players can utilize in their matches and practices to handle uncertainty in better ways. Examples of uncertainty include uncertainty about how well youll play in a match, uncertainty of the level of your opponent, and uncertainty about the final outcome of the match. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: h...
May 11, 2023•45 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss why the concept of acceptance is necessary within a tennis players development, and during matches. They review situations in a tennis players career when acceptance of ones progress or current level can be helpful. Additionally, the benefits of accepting the uncertainty of results is examined, as well as accepting that errors will take place, making it easier to process mistakes and move on from them. TEDx Talk by Eric Butorac - Dont Dream Big - https://y...
May 03, 2023•39 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss perfectionism in tennis. Due to the individual nature of the sport as well as the demands and time requirements of tennis, it is a sport that tends to attract people with perfectionist qualities. The co-hosts review the benefits of perfectionism, including work ethic and potential for high achievement, but also provide strategies for tennis players, coaches, and parents to combat the negative aspects of perfectionism. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.pa...
Apr 27, 2023•45 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the benefits of consistency in tennis. Oftentimes, consistency is brought up in reference to players being able to make as many shots in a row as possible, however this is only a part of the concept of consistency in tennis. The co-hosts review other aspects of playing consistently, including how to consistently play aggressively, and successfully implement your patterns and tactics. Lastly, they discuss how consistent effort and intensity over time leads ...
Apr 18, 2023•55 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the philosophical concept of suffering and how it applies to persevering and focus in a match. The more that players understand they must suffer through the ups and downs of a match, the more ready they will be when a moment of opportunity arrives. Additionally, the hosts review how taking responsibility for your own game and performance leads to greater results over time rather than looking for excuses. Mentioned within the episode: Ep. 26 - The Power of ...
Apr 11, 2023•47 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast Carrie Jackson is a performance and mental training expert, a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, and the author of On Top of Your Game: Mental Skills to Maximize Your Athletic Performance. Her insights have been featured in multiple media outlets including Runners World, Outside Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, and Huffington Post to name a few. She is one of the worlds foremost authorities on the mental and emotional challenges of recovering from inju...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss how discipline with good habits tend to decreases over time. The co-hosts review why this can happen to players, and suggest mindsets and mental tools that players can utilize to try to address this. Approaches discussed included journaling, self-talk, and utilizing a long-term development plan to track your progress. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport ps...
Mar 28, 2023•41 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast We are very excited to announce a new model of support for the Tennis IQ Podcast through Patreon along with some great benefits! Fan level - $3 per month Supporter level - $7 per month Champion level - $20 per month This support for the podcast is month-to-month and you can end your support at any time. The Fan level will have access to all episode transcripts starting in April of 2023. The Supporter level will have access to all transcripts, access to the quarterly book club on Zoom beginning i...
Mar 24, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss how tennis players can excel in tryout situations. These tryouts could include evaluations for high school, college, or club teams, and the experience can be similar to the increased pressures felt during important moments in matches. Topics examined include the impact of comparisons with other players, how to use breathing techniques and progressive muscle relaxation to release physical tension, and ways to keep things in perspective by focusing on long-t...
Mar 19, 2023•57 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the psychological differences between practice and playing competitive matches. Often, players will report that they have a tougher time playing as well during matches as they do during practices, and the co-hosts consider reasons for that, and suggest tactics and mindsets that players can use during matches to help them perform better. Additionally, they talk about differences in intensity and effort between practice and matches, and review how players ca...
Mar 13, 2023•46 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss developing body awareness via relaxation training. Many tennis players experience physical tightness while playing in matches and struggle to release the tension in their bodies. The co-hosts review strategies that tennis players can utilize to increase their relaxation and awareness in order to raise their chances of performing well. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds...
Mar 05, 2023•46 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh review Break Point, a recent documentary series on Netflix about the ATP and WTA tours. The co-hosts discussed multiple sport psychology themes that emerged throughout the series. These themes included the importance of building an effective team around a player, dealing with expectations, the importance of mental toughness on the professional tours, and locker room power - the intimidating presence of top players on tour. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patre...
Feb 26, 2023•37 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh answer a recent listener question about playing in the back draws of tournaments. The co-hosts discuss some of the main factors that cause players to withdraw from back draw and consolation matches. Additionally, they reviewed mindsets that tennis players can utilize before consolation matches as well as strategies and mental tools like self-talk and visualization that can be utilized during consolation matches. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tenn...
Feb 19, 2023•37 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss strategies that tennis players can utilize when theyre playing while tired or in pain. Strategies discussed include visualization methods, utilizing self-talk techniques, and planning out your response to various situations that could take place involving fatigue and pain. Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and...
Feb 10, 2023•52 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the 2023 Australian Open. Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win the women's singles championship while Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsisipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to win the men's singles championship. The co-hosts reviewed various sport psychology themes from the fortnight, and talked about how the finalists, champions, and a few other notable players exhibited certain mental qualities that helped them achieve success in the 2023 ...
Jan 30, 2023•51 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the idea of approaching situations with a beginner's mind. This concept was discussed in depth in the book Zen and The Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel and involves an individual adopting the mindset of a beginner who is approaching an activity for the first time - with fresh eyes and without preconceived notions and biases. By adopting this mindset, tennis players can prioritize their learning rather than fixating on their results, be more accepting of mi...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast 
