Visualizing the game

Your brain distinguishes less sharply between a vividly imagined movement and one you actually perform than you might think. When you picture a stroke precisely, you activate patterns in the brain similar to the real stroke. You can put this ability to use — in training and directly in the match.

Imagery means running a movement or situation through your head before you carry it out. Before a match you can imagine serving safely, calmly getting through a long rally, handling yourself in a tight set. The more vivid, the better: see the court in front of you, feel the racket, hear the moment of contact.

Imagery also helps in the middle of a match. Before you serve, you briefly see the trajectory you want to hit — flat, long, into the backhand corner. This short inner preview aligns your movement before you even begin it.

A ski jumper stands at the top of the bar and runs the jump through their head before pushing off — every curve, every movement. This inner dress rehearsal makes the real jump safer. In the same way you picture your stroke before you play it.

Imagery doesn't replace practice, but it reinforces it. A few minutes of deliberate imagery before a match, or a short preview before the serve, cost little and have a noticeable effect.

Before your next match, take two minutes and vividly imagine yourself playing well: a safe serve, a rally calmly seen through, a tight set handled with composure. Use as many senses as you can — sight, feel, sound. Then practice the short preview during the match: before you serve, see for a moment the trajectory you want to hit. Watch whether your serve follows the image.