This edition of Mental Equipment kicks off the start of the third millennium! We began our dialogue back in the dark ages of 1995 when readers were just warming up to the notion of taking mind-body skills as seriously as physical conditioning, technique, and strategy. It's been a pleasure serving you, and learning how sports/performance psychology is personally helping you achieve your dreams. While there is no substitute for professional counseling, I encourage you to continue sharing your progress, refining your knowledge, and outlining your needs for future columns. This is your forum, a place to keep pushing the envelope of performance further along.
Send me a message and update me on your progress using this form.
Reviewing the Previous 2 Years
It's helpful to review past columns for both long-term and more immediate performance needs. You may recall that the December 1998 article "Waltzing Down Memory Lane" summarized all topics covered in the first three years of Mental Equipment. We'll review the past two years this month. Print out this article and the December 1998 article, and you've got a complete index to all 65 articles. Use selected articles to guide your training and prepare for challenges!
January 1999: Creativity
Explored what creativity is, how it is developed, and began a survey of the most creative tennis players in history.
February 1999: Australian Open
Reviewed mental observations from this grand slam event.
April 1999: Kids
Discussed the benefits of sport psychology for kids in tennis and life and shared results of the "most creative" contest.
May 1999: Senior Tennis
Provided mental tips geared toward seniors.
June 1999: Clay
Discussed the unique mental challenges and tips when playing on this dirty surface.
July 1999: Real Loss
Discussed the grieving process after a great Tennis Server friend, Bob Speed, passed away.
August 1999: Dealing with Defeat
Provided recommendations on how to cope with defeat in a gracious manner.
September 1999: The Profession of Sport Psychology
Went behind the scenes to look at the practice of sport psychology counseling in action.
October 1999: Refinement in Mental Equipment
Introduced an imagery technique to enhance awareness and gain an advantage.
November 1999: Social Obstruction
Discussed the effects of an audience on your performance.
December 1999: Worrying Smart
Examined ways of overcoming "toxic worry," and learning to worry only when necessary to improve performance.
January 2000: Eliminating Excuses
Explored the nature of excuses in performance and focused on ways to reduce ifs, ands and buts.
February 2000: Examples of Progress
Illustrated concrete examples of persons learning to do better after receiving psychological counseling focused on performance.
March 2000: Psychological Benefits of Tennis
Examined the numerous benefits associated with sports like tennis, and other physical activity.
April 2000: The Citrix Tennis Tournament
Reviewed some mental aspects of this major ATP Tour event in Delray Beach, Florida.
May 2000: The Ericcson Tennis Tournament
Reviewed some mental aspects of this major ATP Tour event in Key Biscayne, Florida.
June 2000: Exploiting the Opponent's Mental Lapses
Showed how to beat the impatient, negative and boring athlete with sport psychology techniques.
July 2000: Most Improved Awards
Highlighted winners of awards for the players who most benefited from the sport psychology and mental equipment message.
August 2000: Getting High
Described the unique thrills associated with playing tennis, and many other sports.
September 2000: The European Tour
Reviewed my 3-week performance psychology lecture tour in Europe, sponsored by Sport Magazine in Vienna, Austria, and many fine hotels.
October 2000: Staying Challenged
Showed how to remain hungry following success.
November 2000: Slump Busters
Provided tips to get out of a performance slump.
December 2000: Organization, Discipline and Effort
Reviewed these often-unseen factors, and how they seriously impact performance.
Updates
**The rights to translate Smart Tennis: How to Play and Win the Mental Game into Spanish were recently purchased by the publisher Paidotribo in Barcelona, Spain. That makes three language editions of this book now, in addition to the English original (Jossey-Bass) and the Japanese translation (Prentice Hall Japan).
**Dr. John F. Murray recently accepted the position of President-Elect for the Florida Psychological Association, Palm Beach County Chapter.
