Importance of Body Language in Tennis
We know that our minds affect our bodies. However, the opposite is also true: our bodies affect our minds. There are two key hormones when it comes to feeling powerful: there is testosterone, the dominance hormone; and there is cortisol, which is the stress hormone. Your body posture and facial expressions send signals to your brain to release these hormones into your blood stream, which affect how you feel and, therefore, how you act.
Changing your body language can change the way you perceive yourself. Therefore, you can improve your performance by improving your body language.
how is your body language when you play?
Notice the following professional matches, in terms of the players’ negative and positive body language.
Negative body language:
Naomi Osaka’s 3rd round match during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics: She was knocked out in the 3rd round. She was the 2nd seed playing against the 42nd seed, Markéta Vondroušová. Display of the following negative body language signals during the match and how it could have contributed her loss:
• Head hanging/mumbling • Shoulders down • Slouching • Sulking
From the start of the match, after every miss, she displayed negative body language. The commentator even mentioned this during the match. The negative body language probably sent negative messages to her brain. Her negative body language also sent a message to her opponent, which probably helped her opponent’s mindset improve.
Positive body language:
In the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals between Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev.
Both players display positive body language. In fact, if you watch both players in-between points, you will be unable to tell which player won or lost the previous point. Notice the following positive body language signals of both players throughout the match:
• Head up • Shoulders up • Controlled breathing • Relaxed arms • Minimal outward emotion (but a strong fighting spirit burning just below the surface)
4 STEPS TO OVERCOME NEGATIVE BODY LANGUAGE
STEP 1: ASSESSMENT STEP 2: BODY LANGUAGE AWARENESS STEP 3: NEW BEHAVIOR/PATTERN STEP 4: EXERCISE
STEP 1: ASSESSMENT
• Monitor your body language during a competition. Have someone video record you (as players often don’t realize they are exhibiting negative body language). Record during a match, particularly in-between points. • The video recording serves as evidence.
STEP 2: BODY LANGUAGE AWARENESS
Do a body language audit…
• What behaviors are creating the negative body language?
• Pay attention to what triggers led to negative body language. Was it a bad shot? Did you feel you played poorly? Was it the score? Was it the spectators?
STEP 3: NEW BEHAVIOR/PATTERN
• Pick something on the court that you can focus on after the point. This could be a towel, a court sign, the back fence, etc.
• The focal point on the court is to remind you to “flush out” the negative body language, and to stay composed and get your positive “game face” on.
• Once you have done the above, use an affirmation/self-talk to help stay in the present. Some examples of affirmations include:
‘I can do it,’ ‘I believe in me,’ ‘I am ready,’ ‘I am all in,’ ‘I belong here,’ ‘My game, my way,’ ‘I am here and now,’
STEP 4: EXERCISE: NO NEGATIVE REACTIONS
• Play practice singles or doubles sets or matches with the idea of NO NEGATIVE REACTIONS.
• If there is a negative reaction by a player or team, that player or team loses a point (or game).
