Sound familiar? You are leading 4:2. Then the wind turns, a net cord costs you the break, and at 30:40 your opponent calls a close ball out. At the changeover you are annoyed about everything at once. Three games later it is 4:5. The problem was not the wind. The problem was where your energy went.
That is exactly what the circle of control is for. It is the first tool in the Mental Journal by Tennis Schweiz, and it is surprisingly simple: you sort what you can influence from what you cannot. Then you put your energy where it has an effect.
What is the circle of control?
The circle of control divides everything that occupies you in tennis into three areas:
- Inner circle: What you control yourself. Your attitude, your effort, your preparation and your reaction to what happens.
- Middle circle: What you can influence but not decide alone. The course of the match, the pace of the rallies, the mood in the team.
- Outer circle: What is out of your hands. Weather, surface, your opponent’s form on the day, line calls on the other side and the score from earlier.
The idea is old. Almost 2000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Epictetus already distinguished between what is in our power and what is not. On court this means: being annoyed about the wind is understandable. What moves you forward is the question of what you can do now.
Why annoyance costs you points
Your attention is limited. The brain can only really concentrate on a few things at once. Every thought about the net cord is missing for the next ball. That is why a match often feels, after a disputed point, as if you were playing with the handbrake on.
I know this well. I play ambitiously myself and am working towards an R3 ranking. The matches I lose in my head rarely start with a bad shot. They start with a thought about something I cannot change.
How to use the circle of control in a match
Between two points there is no time for theory. So the circle of control fits into three short steps:
- Name it: Tell yourself in one word what is bothering you. “Wind”. “Net cord”. “Call”.
- Sort it: Ask yourself whether it lies inside or outside.
- Act: Choose the next step in the inner circle, for example “higher over the net, middle of the court”.
The line to remember is: Play the ball, not the wind. The more often you use it, the faster you find your way back into the match after an annoyance.
Your if-then sentence for the outer circle
The circle of control works even better when you decide on your reaction in advance. Psychology calls this an if-then plan. If you know beforehand “If this happens, then I will do that”, you react faster and more reliably at the decisive moment.
- Think of something from the outer circle that regularly throws you off in a match.
- Decide how you will react when it happens.
- Write it down as a single sentence and read it before your next match.
Three examples from club tennis:
- “If the wind turns, I play with more margin from the lines.”
- “If a close ball is called against me, I take one long breath out and walk to the baseline.”
- “If my opponent is having a dream day, I make the rallies longer and play more to the backhand.”
The circle of control in everyday life
The tool also works off the court. An exam, a delayed train, a meeting that goes differently from planned: there are things in the outer circle everywhere. The psychologist Richard Lazarus described stress as the result of judging a situation as threatening and our own options as too small. If you see clearly what you can influence, you judge your options more realistically.
As a coach, I see again and again how much energy goes into things nobody can change. A small exercise helps. Take something that is on your mind right now. Sort the individual parts into the three circles. Then choose one step from the inner circle and take it within 24 hours.
The circle bet for your next practice
Something to try: in your next practice, count how often you get annoyed about something from the outer circle. Remember the number or make a mark on your notepad each time. Bet yourself that it will be smaller in the practice after that. It sounds trivial, but it works: what you count, you notice sooner.
Frequently asked questions about the circle of control
Am I still allowed to get annoyed during a match?
Yes. Annoyance is a signal and shows you what your mind is stuck on. What matters is how long you stay in it. With the circle of control, that time gets shorter.
What belongs in the middle circle?
Everything you help to shape but do not decide alone. In doubles, for example, the mood in the team or the tactics. Energy is well spent here, but with realistic expectations.
Does the circle of control also work for children and teenagers?
Yes. The picture of the three circles is simple and can be filled with your own examples. Anyone who has tried it once soon notices how much energy has been flowing into the outer circle.
How to practise the circle of control with the Mental Journal
The circle of control is the tool of the first week in the Mental Journal by Tennis Schweiz. The book stays with you for 91 days, with one page and about five minutes of practice each day. In the first week you take an honest look at where you stand and sort your last match into the three circles. After that you set yourself a goal in the inner circle and write your if-then sentence. On the seventh day there is a weekly review and a short knowledge check.
You can read how to find your way into the match after nerves beforehand in the post Nervous before a match? Use the energy. You will find more posts under All Kopfsache posts.
