July 15, 2024 - The Power of a Stare

This really could mean two things. Some players try to unsettle their opponents by staring at them between points or when about to serve. I’ve never been able to decide whether this is proper gamesmanship or poor sportsmanship. You decide.

But there’s a more important stare, and that’s the one that allows you to regain or keep focus. There are a lot of distractions in a match, both external and internal. External is all the things going on around you – spectators, the opponent, the umpire, noises, lights, the background, and so on. Internal is more important – that’s your internal emotions and thoughts. Nervousness or a lack of focus are two of your biggest enemies.

So, how does a stare help this? Some players, including me, make a habit of sometimes during a match just stopping and staring at something for 5-10 seconds. Pick out something in the distance or nearby, it doesn’t matter. Stare at it while clearing your mind of all thoughts. Breathe deeply. Then, after those 5-10 seconds, focus on the match.

You’ll be amazed at how this helps controlling nerves and focus. And at least one top player I know of combined all of this, sometimes staring at his opponent for those 5-10 seconds, especially when about to serve – and using it to clear his mind and focus while sometimes so disconcerting his opponent that the opponent lost his!