When you undertake a new endeavour or project such as improving an aspect of your tennis game you experience the emotional cycle of change. Mastering this change cycle is a key element in the inner game of tennis.

The four stages are described below.

Stage 1: Unrealistic optimism

You might decide to focus on one of your tennis groundstrokes to improve your overall tennis game. At first you are full of enthusiasm because you are optimistic about the outcome, an improved tennis game with more enjoyment.

This stage is often referred to as looking through rose-coloured glasses. As you set out to make the change, you are oblivious of all the obstacles and difficulties that can get in the road of reaching your goal.

Very quickly you come up against the stubbornness of past learned habits, lack of time to practice, the discomfort of doing things differently and a multitude of other impediments.

You are now confronted with the reality of your unrealistic optimism. Many people give up at this stage because they are depressed by the lack of progress. If you persist, you build your capacity to win the inner game of tennis.

Stage 2: Realistic pessimism

It does not take long for the reality of the learning task to set in. However, it requires considerable inner strength to progress from the previous stage to realistic pessimism.

This is where you confront the challenges, assess them realistically and develop a plan to overcome them. This may entail setting aside a different time for tennis practice, taking on a short stint of coaching or finding a new practice partner.

Persistence wins the day here and persistence builds your inner strength and your inner game of tennis.

Stage 3: Realistic optimism

With practice and persistence, you start to experience the reinforcement of success in improving your game. Things start to fall in place and you play a good groundstroke more often than a bad one.

You are now realistically optimistic about the outcome of your efforts to improve your tennis game.

Stage 4: Realisation

If you persist with your improvement efforts, you will achieve your goal. What seemed uncomfortable and awkward at the outset will become a natural part of your game. You will become unconsciously competent at that particular groundstroke.

You will have passed from unrealistic optimism to the realisation of your goals.

In the process you will have learnt one key aspect of the inner game of tennis. You will understand that you can develop your inner strength by mastering the emotional cycle of change.