Mindfulness and tennis performance: A review of literature and practice

Abstract

Mindfulness practice has grown exponentially in more recent times out of two schools of thought: Eastern Bhuddist meditative practice which has been popularised by Kabat-Zinn and colleagues (Kabat-Zinn, 2003), and a Western approach developed by Langer and colleagues (Langer, 1989). Adaptations of both Eastern and Western practices have been utilised by sport psychology practitioners as an alternative to psychological skills training. There have been some practices that combine mindfulness with psychological skills training when assisting athletes in optimising performance (Baltzell, McCarthy & Greenbaum, 2014). Indeed, mindfulness is associated with positive psychology and wellbeing. The paper reviews some of the literature in the Eastern practice, the practice of mindfulness in sport environments, and will highlight some of the interventions undertaken in tennis.