Forgetting The Score And Thinking Too Much
Tomaz, I enjoyed reading your manuals and newsletters.
Your description of the psychology of understanding tennis is especially insightful in the tradition of “The Inner Game” which I read years ago.
I play doubles two or three times a week at a 4.0 level. I’m an average player, in not bad condition for my age.
I enjoy the game overall and the pursuit of playing well. I am competitive.
My question sounds silly but I’m serious. I sometimes forget the score. When I’m serving its sometimes a problem and sometimes its embarrassing.
I don’t think it just due to getting old because I remember being this way since my 40’s. I’m 60 now.
Of course you can say that everybody forgets now and then. But my nows and thens are more often than most people.
People don’t mind telling me, of course, so its not a major problem. I might be cheating myself out of points or games sometimes. But I wonder what you think.
My question is, should I be concerned? Is it an indication of an attention problem?
If I go a little further into analyzing it myself, I would say my whole analytical mind is not able to function at my “normal” level during heavy exercise.
In other words when I’m exerting myself physically, I might not be able to be mentally as analytical as I would while I’m sitting at work for example.
After a fatiguing point my head can be totally empty - “mind blown”.
Normally when playing tennis I think I am “in the present moment” and I’m super aware of how my body feels and how I want to play the next point and what the other player is doing.
Maybe I’m doing too much with my thinking. Maybe there’s little room left in my head for the score. How do know if I’m thinking too much during playing doubles?
Thanks for the feedback and your questions. Your first question is about forgetting the score:
1. My question is, should I be concerned? Is it an indication of an attention problem?
As you said, we all forget the score sometimes, I’ve even seen it once or twice on ATP / WTA.
If you keep forgetting the score, then these are some possible reasons:
- you analyze the game too much during points - technical or tactical part
- you are under a lot of stress - worrying, doubting, being afraid
- you may think too much about you or your opponent - which is related to above points
Maybe you also don’t adjust your tactics to the score in the game.
There are two approaches and I recommend both: either play every point with 100% effort and best tactics that you can - in that case, forgetting the score is easy.
Or adjust your tactics to the score - you play differently at 30:0 than at 40:40. In that case you know exactly what is the score.
All these cases already give you clues and solutions to what you need to do.
The simplest solution is to say the score quietly to yourself after each point. Don’t say it only in your mind but just loud enough to hear yourself.
2. After a fatiguing point my head can be totally empty - “mind blown”.
Yes, that’s what happens normally. I have experienced this before and I also know this from the practice that I do with players.
If I keep the drill very intensive for a while and players start getting tired, then they cannot follow my instructions anymore - especially 10-12 year old players.
Your main goal would be to get fit enough so that this doesn’t happen. Second, you can also try to rest and get enough oxygen in the short break between points to get back to “normal” thinking state.
3. How do know if I’m thinking too much during playing doubles?
Hmm, this is a tricky one. 
In my opinion, you can have only one or two goals - tactics for the next point like:
- first serve to the backhand and volley consistently
- return short cross and close in
- exploit weaker forehand volley of opponent
- lob as soon as I can
- beware of the lob after first deep volley
- if my partner serves to the body I poach
- this point I return aggressively
- this point I return with high percentage
- …
So these are just short pointers and ideas what to do next. They also depend on your main strategy in doubles.
As you can see there is not a lot of thinking. You can analyze more in the changeover but when you are on court, keep it simple.
If you want to dig deeper into this subject, then head over to the excellent site of Kathy Krajco - Operation Doubles.
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