1. 1st4sport Level 3 Certificate in Coaching Tennis
Mental Skills – 5Cs

2. The 5 ‘C’ Player Confidence Control Concentration Communication
Commitment
The 5 ‘C’
Player

3. What coaches are helping to develop
Tennis Life skills
Self-starter
Team Player
Confident Communicator
Great Character
Leadership
Communication
Initiative
Self-Discipline
Self-Reflection
Character
Performance skills
The Champions Attitude
Laser Beam Focus
Nerves of Steel
Confident Competitor
Commitment to excellence
Concentration
Control
Confidence
Resilience
Assertiveness

4. COMMUNICATION Communication is not a choice
Quality of interpersonal skills to help develop effective working relationships with others
‘I want ...’ vs ‘I would like ...’
No matter what you do or don’t do , you are sending signals; you are intervening in the situation and therefore need to be mindful of that reality.

5. COMMITMENT Quality of Motivation driving a player’s intentions/actions
Essential factors: Competence, Autonomy, Relatedness
Motivation = Importance x Confidence
Difference between motivation and commitment.
Motivation is a feeling based on emotion.
Unrealistic to 'feel motivated' every day.
Commitment does not depend on feelings.
Commitment means following a plan even if you don't feel like it that day.
For example a surgeon can't say halfway through an operation, I just don't feel motivated to finish this, so I'll stop this.' Motivation doesn't matter; it is commitment that counts.'
‘Could’ instead of ‘should’
‘You should do some training on sunday’ might produce thoughts of being controlled therefore evoking feelings of resistance, guilt or compliance none of which are helpful emotions.
‘You could do some training on sunday’ is a suggestion and invites reflection and a sense of choice.

6. Quality of player’s belief in achieving a task/goal
CONFIDENCE
Quality of player’s belief in achieving a task/goal
Confidence emerges from the courage to commit to the Process
Essential factors:
4 sources of confidence in descending order of impact.
Performance Accomplishments - Performances, Outcomes, Improving
Processes
Vicarious Experience - “If he/she can do it, I can do it.”
Verbal Persuasion - self-talk, coach and significant other praise/support
Emotional Arousal

7. CONCENTRATION
Concentration is nothing more than focusing attention on a particular task/process and holding it there – “tuning in” what’s relevant and “tuning out” what’s irrelevant.
Playing well requires a “here and now” focus. By sharpening your awareness of whether you are performing in the “here and now” context or whether your focus is future of past oriented can be helpful. Consistently focusing on past or future events during play interferes with performance.Circle of attention1. Me and my task so simple but so hard to get there????2. Environment3. Comparisons4.Outcomes winning and losing5. Consequences of outcome6. Questions of meaning why am I doing this here?
Essential factors:Knowing what critical factors to attend to (what to focus on/think about?).
Concentration is the interval training of the mental skills world and not steady state running as it is about focus - refocus
What do I want to consistently hammer home?The Present and The Process

8. Quality of thoughts and feelings driving a player’s intentions/actions
CONTROL
Quality of thoughts and feelings driving a player’s intentions/actions
Essential factors: Acceptance of the ‘tennis territory’
Emotional control (and concentration) is about helping players to anticipate when their emotions might appear both before and within the match and having a plan ready to regain control
Help players talk about and understand the range of feelings and emotions that they experience before competition, in competition and specifically after certain events have occurred (e.g. after a mistake; incorrect/unfair decision; after losing).