Tennis IQ Podcast

In this episode, Josh interviews Brian about his start in tennis, how he transitioned careers to sport psychology, and how he approaches working with clients. For more on Brian, visit https://performancextra.com/brian-lomax/

In this episode, Brian interviews Josh about his background and philosophy as a sport psychology professional. Josh is the founder and sport psychology coach of Tiebreaker Psych, which provides sport psychology coaching to athletes of all sports, ages, and levels. For more information on Tiebreaker Psych visit TiebreakerPsych.com.

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the “Performance Equation” inspired by Tim Gallwey: Actual Performance = Potential - Interference. Tim Gallwey, the author of The Inner Game of Tennis as well as a number of other books, has used this equation to explain the detrimental impact that interference has on performance. This conversation covered the harmful impact of different types of distractions including self-judgment, expectations, and visual/auditory distractions. To conclude, Brian and Josh reviewed some ways to reduce interference and learn to focus on what is important. Links mentioned in this episode:  https://youtu.be/ieb1lmm9xHk To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis, email us at TennisIQPodcast@gmail.com or use the hashtag #tennisIQ on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Spotify, Apple, Google, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes!

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the recently released Netflix documentary on Mardy Fish "Untold: Breaking Point".  This documentary tells the story of Mardy Fish's rise to the highest level of the ATP Tour which included a high-ranking of #7 in the world and an appearance at the prestigious 2011 ATP World Tour Finals. The co-hosts discuss Mardy's challenges with mental health and severe anxiety disorder that ultimately led Mardy to put his career on pause for several years. They also review how Mardy overcame these challenges and has used his platform and position as U.S. Davis Cup captain to help the next generation learn from his story. This conversation also considers what "toughness" really is, and how this concept is often misunderstood by athletes, coaches, parents, and the media.   Untold: Breaking Point - https://www.netflix.com/title/81026434 To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis, email us at TennisIQPodcast@gmail.com or use the hashtag #tennisIQ on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Spotify, Apple, Google, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes!  

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the topic of full focus. The ability to fully focus during tennis matches is often cited as a critical factor to success, however many tennis players struggle to maintain their focus in high-pressure moments and throughout the duration of a tennis match. The co-hosts described the importance of focusing on what can be controlled, and focusing on the present moment rather than on the past or future. Furthermore, they discussed how athletes ought to focus on their long-term development process rather than getting too caught up in individual results. To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis, email us at TennisIQPodcast@gmail.com or use the hashtag #tennisIQ on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Spotify, Apple, Google, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes!

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss how tennis players can learn to enjoy the stress of competition. The co-hosts talk about the need to embrace the “battle” in competition, and ultimately enjoy it. Additionally, they consider how winning and playing in close matches can make an athlete a better competitor over time. Lastly, the topic of viewing your tennis game as a life project and focusing on the improvement process instead of on results can lead to more enjoyment over time is reviewed. To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis, email us at TennisIQPodcast@gmail.com or use the hashtag #tennisIQ on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Spotify, Apple, Google, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes!

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss tennis performance in various team settings such as adult teams, college teams, and high school teams. Within these teams, it is important to develop a team identity so that motivation and resiliency can be improved. Captains and team leaders play a pivotal role in the development of a cycle of leadership that can create a positive and autonomous culture. Lastly, Brian and Josh review how team goals can be constructed and how they can be linked with the team’s identity and vision. To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis, email us at TennisIQPodcast@gmail.com or use the hashtag #tennisIQ on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Spotify, Apple, Google, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes!

David Sammel is a world prominent tennis coach based in the UK who has coached dozens of professional players and international junior players. He’s also the author of the book Locker Room Power and the founder of Mindset College.   Through this conversation, you will learn what Locker Room Power is, how to develop it, and how to apply it in competition. This includes the concept of mentally unsettling the opponent and using courage as a virtue.  Locker Room Power: Building an Athlete's Mind https://www.amazon.com/dp/1080758585   US listeners - Audio version of Locker Room Power: https://www.audible.com/pd/B092L4K5V4  UK listeners - Audio version of Locker Room Power: https://adbl.co/3nCJZAD  Mindset College: https://www.mindsetcollege.co.uk

This episode includes a brief discussion on the yips in tennis. The yips has been described as “a sudden and unexplained loss of ability to execute certain skills in experienced athletes”, and though it happens most typically to golfers as they putt, it can happen to tennis players as well.  The remainder of the conversation discussed serving and double faults. Brian and Josh emphasized the importance of resetting and putting the previous point behind you in order to have the best possible mindset for the following point.    This article explains some of the same research discussed in this episode: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/sep/27/how-emma-raducanu-prevents-one-mistake-from-leading-to-another?CMP=Share  To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis, email us at TennisIQPodcast@gmail.com or use the hashtag #tennisIQ on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Spotify, Apple, Google, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes!

Josh and Brian review some of the bigger stories from the 2021 US Open through the lens of sport psychology. First, they discuss Emma Raducanu’s victory over Leylah Fernandez in the women's final and the circumstances that led to the unexpected success of each finalist. The guys also discuss Daniil Medvedev’s first Grand Slam triumph, and how he was able to stop Novak Djokovic from completing a calendar year Grand Slam and winning major title number 21. To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis, email us at TennisIQPodcast@gmail.com or use the hashtag #tennisIQ​​​​​​​​​ on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Spotify, Apple, Google, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes!