Imagine yourself being in the middle of a competitive match, and your opponent
starts to insult you in between sets. When you go out to play the next set, you are so upset
from the comments that your opponent made you can’t even focus. You are unsure whether
or not to address the comment, try to deliver a witty comeback, or whether or not to
respond at all. One comment has completely thrown off your game. Trash talking is
common in sports and has likely been going on as long as people have been competing.
Trash talking can seem appealing or even fun. However, trash talking is ultimately
unnecessary.
When you have confidence in your abilities as a tennis player, there is no need to
respond to or even talk trash yourself. Tennis legend, John McEnroe, was quoted saying,
“I’ll let the racquet do the talking.” Nothing that you or the people you are competing
against can say will speak louder than competing well. When players choose to talk trash
they are either looking to engage the crowd or trying to get an edge over their opponents.
First, as an athlete, you should not be concerned about the match from a fan’s perspective
whatsoever. You are an athlete and your only concern is to compete.
Furthermore, when you are competing, your concern should not be about trying to
get an advantage over your opponent. Actually, you should not be overly concerned with
what your opponent is doing at all. If you can recall the predator-prey mindset, only the
prey animals are concerned with the actions of others. The predators are solely focused on
what they are doing. When you focus on your own abilities as an athlete, you no longer
have to focus on trying to get an edge over your opponent, nor do you have to respond to any insults or trash talk from your opponents. All you have to do is keep the mindset of a
predator and play your best match!
starts to insult you in between sets. When you go out to play the next set, you are so upset
from the comments that your opponent made you can’t even focus. You are unsure whether
or not to address the comment, try to deliver a witty comeback, or whether or not to
respond at all. One comment has completely thrown off your game. Trash talking is
common in sports and has likely been going on as long as people have been competing.
Trash talking can seem appealing or even fun. However, trash talking is ultimately
unnecessary.
When you have confidence in your abilities as a tennis player, there is no need to
respond to or even talk trash yourself. Tennis legend, John McEnroe, was quoted saying,
“I’ll let the racquet do the talking.” Nothing that you or the people you are competing
against can say will speak louder than competing well. When players choose to talk trash
they are either looking to engage the crowd or trying to get an edge over their opponents.
First, as an athlete, you should not be concerned about the match from a fan’s perspective
whatsoever. You are an athlete and your only concern is to compete.
Furthermore, when you are competing, your concern should not be about trying to
get an advantage over your opponent. Actually, you should not be overly concerned with
what your opponent is doing at all. If you can recall the predator-prey mindset, only the
prey animals are concerned with the actions of others. The predators are solely focused on
what they are doing. When you focus on your own abilities as an athlete, you no longer
have to focus on trying to get an edge over your opponent, nor do you have to respond to any insults or trash talk from your opponents. All you have to do is keep the mindset of a
predator and play your best match!