Winning Ugly - Mental Warfare in Tennis

Zusatztext " Winning Ugly is a totally new approach to getting more out of your tennis game. I wish it had been around when I was learning how to play." Informationen zum Autor Brad Gilbert is considered by experts to be among the world's foremost tennis analysts. A former ?Giant Killer? on the ATP Tour, his acute observations are now heard worldwide on ESPN. Gilbert has coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray among others. He lives in San Rafael, California, with his wife, Kim, and three children, Zach, Julian, and Zoe. Visit his website at BradGilbertTennis.com. Steve Jamison collaborated with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden on the national bestseller Wooden on Leadership. He lives in San Francisco, California. Visit his website at SteveJamison.com. Klappentext Brad Gilbert has become one of the world's greatest tennis players by "winning ugly"--analyzing and capitalizing on an opponent's weakness. Now Gilbert shows how to think better--and win more often--on the court. "Winning Ugly is great. These are pro tactics that will improve a recreational player's game fast".--Pete Sampras. Chapter 1 Mental Preparation: The Pre-Match Advantage Turning Pro: Young and Innocent One of the first lessons I learned when I turned pro in 1982 was how much of an edge could be gained before the match even got started. It became obvious to me that for the best players in the world their match had begun a long time before the first serve. They came ready to play and wanted to grab me by the throat as soon as they could. As a member of the tennis teams at Foothill Junior College and Pepperdine, I liked to just show up and play. I'd settle into the match mentally and physically during the first set. A lot of times I could get away with it because my opponent was doing it too. Do you approach your matches the same way? On tour this wasn't such a good idea. The slow start didn't work against McEnroe, Lendl, Connors, and some of the veterans. By the time I got settled into some of those matches, the match was already over. One time I started out by losing the first sixteen points of the match. It was over so fast I almost didn't need to take a shower afterwards. Brutal -- I was learning the hard way. The top players came expecting to have me for lunch, and they'd been thinking about taking that first bite since they found out I was on the menu. Four or five games to work up an appetite? They arrived ready to eat. The main course? Glazed Gilbert. Being down a couple of breaks early, with no rhythm, no plan, no continuity, put me at too great a disadvantage. I was clobbered regularly by the smart guys on tour. They knew something I didn't. Start Your Match Before It Begins What I discovered by looking, listening, and losing was simple. The guys making money out there started honing in on their target (me, for example) before the target was even in sight. The smart ones were consciously and subconsciously reviewing information about the opponent ahead of them as soon as they knew who that player was. The process began hours before the match. The smart players wanted to seek and seize advantage as early as possible. And they wanted to do it in as many ways as possible. For them, one of the big opportunies was good mental preparation. And that means early mental preparation. When Does Your Warm-up Begin? Let me tell you when the warm-up doesn't begin. It doesn't begin when you arrive on the court. It may for your opponent, but it shouldn't for you. A smart player starts to prepare for the match on the way to the match, or even before. The warm-up should continue on into the locker room and out onto the court. The warm-up begins with your brain. Your mind is usually the last part of you to get activated (if it gets activated at all). Players stret...

List of contents

Contents

Preface: Winning Ugly?

McEnroe: A Master Loses Ugly

I THE EARLY EDGE:

The Match Begins Before the Match Begins

1. Mental Preparation: The Pre-Match Advantage

2. Tools of the Trade: How Equipment Can Help You Win

3. Stretching for Success

4. The Microwave Warm-up: Defrost Your Strokes Quick

5. Four "Nervebusters": Overcoming Pre-Match Nervousness

6. Start Smart: Grabbing the Early Lead

II PLAYING SMART:

Finding a Way to Win

7. The Key to Victory

8. Destroying Your Opponent's Game Plan

9. The Seven Hidden Ad Points

10. The Player's Pit Stop: Stroke Repair

11. Learning From the Legends

III MIND GAMES, PSYCHING, AND GAMESMANSHIP: Tales From the Tour

12. The Masters of Rage: Connors and McEnroe

13. Lendl's Lethal Weapon

14. Agassi: Breaking the Speed Limit

15. How to Handle Hooking

16. A Million-Dollar Match: War With Wheaton

17. Tournament Tough All the Time

18. The Road to Number One

19. Andre Agassi on "Winning Ugly"

About the author

Brad Gilbert is considered by experts to be among the world’s foremost tennis analysts. A former “Giant Killer” on the ATP Tour, his acute observations are now heard worldwide on ESPN.  Gilbert has coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray among others. He lives in San Rafael, California, with his wife, Kim, and three children, Zach, Julian, and Zoe. Visit his website at BradGilbertTennis.com.

Steve Jamison collaborated with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden on the national bestseller Wooden on Leadership. He lives in San Francisco, California. Visit his website at SteveJamison.com.

Summary

He's been called the best in the world at the mental game of tennis. Brad Gilbert's strokes may not be pretty, but looks aren't everything. He has beaten the Tour's biggest names - all by playing his ugly game. Now in WINNING UGLY Gilbert teaches recreational players how to win more often without necessarily even changing their strokes. The key to success, he says, is to become a better thinking player - to recognize, analyze and capitalize. That means outthinking your opponents before, during and much after a match; forcing him or her to play your game. WINNING UGLY is an invaluable combat manual for the court, and its tips include some real gems. Ultimately, WINNING UGLY will help you beat players who have been beating you.

Product details

• Authors: Brad Gilbert, Steve Jamison
• Publisher: Fireside Uk
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 03.02.1994
• EAN: 9780671884000
• ISBN: 978-0-671-88400-0
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 215 mm x 15 mm
• Subject: Guides > Sport > Ball sport