The Tennis Tea

From Frozen to Fired Up

Your emotions are energy. Know your emotional scale, and you can redirect them instead of getting hijacked.

Your emotional scale

Where are you right now?

Tap the level you’re on. Then aim one level up. You don’t have to get to calm. You just have to get a little better.

Level 1 of 7 · below the net

Frozen

Feels like

  • fear
  • dread
  • worry
  • guilt
  • powerless

Sounds like

“Please don’t hit it to me.”

“I’m the reason we’re losing.”

Aim one level up

“Fine. Hit it to me.”

Nervous instead? “I’m not nervous. I’m EXCITED.”

Don’t aim for calm from here. It’s too far, and your body won’t buy it. Aim for a little fight.

Every point

Every point, you can move

One service game at 4-4. A double fault drops you three levels. Anger turns to frustration, a good point turns it to okay, and you keep climbing, even on a point you lose. Tap Play the game to watch it.

Swipe the chart sideways to see the whole game.

Game · Holds for 5-4 · Level 6, Calm

“Whatever happens, I’ve got me.”

The tool

The Scale Check

Name it. Aim it. Use it. Three steps, in this order, between points.

1

Name it

Where am I right now? Say it in your head. “Okay. I’m angry.”

Putting a name on a feeling turns the volume down in your brain.

2

Aim it

Tell yourself how you want to feel, one level up. “I want to feel fired up.” A little better, and still believable.

Saying it puts your RAS to work. Your brain starts noticing the proof.

3

Use it

Put that energy into the next ball. Don’t wait to feel good first.

Your emotions are fuel. Point them at the ball.

Reset

A little better

What you say to yourself on the walk back to the baseline.

Mantra

It’s all energy

Fear, anger and frustration don’t have to go away. You redirect them.

The nerves shortcut

“I’m not nervous. I’m EXCITED.”

Same racing heart, a better level. Calm is too big a jump from nerves. Excited is right there.

Climb time

How fast you climb back.

Everyone slides. At first it takes a set to recover, then a game, then a point, then just the walk back to the baseline.

Homework

After your next match

Answer these on the drive home, or text them to yourself.

  1. 1

    Where did I spend most of this match? Which level?

  2. 2

    What dropped me?

  3. 3

    How fast did I climb back?

That last answer is your climb time. Watch it shrink over the next few matches. That’s the proof this is trainable.