Superstitions

Superstitions sometimes can be silly (say that three times fast), and sometimes clearly pointless to all that are outsiders, but in reality, especially sports reality, superstitions are not only harmless, but typically accomplish positive results. Superstitions can alleviate stress and unnecessary nervousness, and can place a player into a specific "game time" mindset. They can also help players cope with things that are clearly out of their control, but can be harmful if a player focuses on that thing. Say, for example, a player that I know that turns his cap sideways to cope with the element of the sun. While the cap may shield a little of the sun, he has somehow decided that by turning his cap sideways he is thus impervious to the sun and all of its powers. Say, if he forgot his hat, he would talk about nothing but how the sun was bothering him.

I can tell you that I had tons of superstitions growing up playing tennis, and they carried through into college tennis. Some of them are fairly common, like eating the same thing eat morning if I continue winning, or eating something completely different the next morning if I lost the day before. I had my lucky dresses and skirts and racquets and teddy bears. Some of them were weird; I bounce (and still do) the ball plus two of the number of the ball. Don't ask how this happened, or where it came from, because I have no idea. I wouldn't step on the lines of the court between points.

After sharing my goofiness with some fellow coaches, some shared their superstitions with me. Coach Nick taps his racquet against the fence gently twice between points. Coach Aaron would wash the same socks, shirt, and shorts for the next day's match if he won the day before. Everyone has their little quirks, and these quirks are perfectly normal. If you don't notice, you should realize that these quirks sometimes carry over to life off of the court as well, like the typical don't-go-under-ladders or oh-no-there-is-a-black-cat superstitions. As long as these superstitions don't get out of control, they actually can help a tennis player on (and off) the court. Our brains are very smart and figure out ways to cope with nervousness and things that are out of our control, and superstitions are one way of doing that!