Are You Aroused? — SS #33

Get your head out of the gutter—we’re talking about tennis here.

Anyway, I hope you’ll excuse that less-than-professional introduction.

Have you ever played a match where you felt completely flat, out of energy, or almost like you were half asleep?

Perhaps you had gotten out of a jacuzzi only 45 mins prior to a match?

Yes, I’ve actually done this during an away junior tennis tournament trip. We thought the day had been called off due to rain. So all of us kids decided to hop into a hot tub when we got back to the hotel.

All of a sudden there was our coach telling us that we had to be back on court in 45 minutes, and that the rain had abated.

After having the hot tub almost melt my body, it was incredibly hard to get myself going again. I was too calm and completely lacking intensity.

How about on the flip side?

Have you been so pumped up before a match that it made it difficult to actually perform? Maybe someone gave you a long, pre-match routine of jogging, sprinting, and banded work?

Instead of feeling moderately prepared for your match, you ended up starting incredibly jittery, unable to shift your focus to the ball, and with volts of nervous energy rushing through your body?

Imagine Rafael Nadal doing his jumps and hops and sprints multiplied by 10x.

In both of these scenarios, your arousal was off. Not just off, but in an inappropriate zone for you to function your best. So in today’s issue, we’re diving into what Sports Psychology has to say about arousal (again, the academic term), different models for thinking about your arousal, and then we’ll also cover how to apply this information so that you’re prepared to perform your best along with a list of uppers and downers that help lift or stabilize your arousal.

Before we dive in, I’m curious, how many of you tried to apply the information I gave you in last week’s issue on routines?

What is Arousal?

You need to understand what we are speaking about when we’re talking about arousal. This refers to the amount of intensity and energy that you feel and can generally be seen on a scale from deep sleep on one side to hyper-aware on the other.

For our purposes, we are concerned with how arousal impacts our ability to perform. Now that you have a simple understanding, let’s dive in.

(As a note, making charts for you would have taken a few more hours; unfortunately, I did not have time this week, so I have taken them off various other websites.)

Drive Theory

Drive theory (Hull, 1940; Spence & Spence, 1966) was one of the earliest models that proposed a relationship between arousal and performance. It proposes a linear relationship between the two; the more aroused an athlete or performer is, the better their performance.

Now, I’m sure you can see how simplistic this is… it might apply in some instances to sports like weightlifting or sprinting, which rely heavily on physical output.

But his conception can be problematic for a sport like tennis, where we value precision, timing, and decision-making. For us tennis players, more arousal isn’t always better—and that’s where more nuanced models come in.

Yerkes-Dodson Performance Arousal Curve (Inverted U)

This is one of the most famous—and oldest—proposed models of the relationship arousal has on performance. Chances are, you will have seen iterations of this curve before in some shape or form.

The Yerkes-Dodson (1908) offers a more realistic expectation of arousal and performance and is represented by the inverted U.

• Too low: flat, lacking motivation.

• Optimal: engaged, focused, energized.

• Too high: Anxious, jittery, unable to focus.

The model advises us to find this middle ground in arousal. Think back to the examples I started this newsletter with: using the jacuzzi made me tired, sluggish, and too sleepy to perform my best. On the other hand, a way too intense, pumped-up, and intense warm up can make you over-aroused.

In terms of application for tennis, here are some additional factors for you to consider and what I recommend to players. When you’re serving, you generally want to be a little less aroused and in control. Simply because of the nature of the service game, that you’re in control and you start the point, and you don’t have to react immediately, it’s probably best to lower your arousal slightly.

And when you’re returning? Well, think about it. If someone is blasting 115mph serves… do you think you need to be a little bit more aroused or a little less? A little bit more.!

Individualized Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)

While the Yerkes-Dodson curve is useful and widely applied, there is a more specialized model that doesn’t assume that everyone has the same “sweet spot.” First proposed by Hanin (1980), the Individualized Zones of Optimal Functioning recognizes that ideal arousal levels are highly personal.

So your optimal level of arousal might be different than another athlete’s. Any examples come to mind? For me it’s that of Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal. Federer seems to operate and play his best while cool and composed while someone like Nadal is a little more fiery and pumped up.

Keep this in mind for yourself as well. Where you fall on this model could be completely different from other athletes

Find Your Own IZOF

So with all of this information, I’m sure you’re curious about finding your own IZOF. How can you do this? Well, you’re going to have to do some instrospection.

• Reflect: Think back on a series of matches where you played your best. Were you cool, calm, and composed? Or were you fired up and intense? (There is a anxiety element to all of this that we’ll get to towards the end of this newsletter by the way which can also heavily impact your performance).

• Experiment: Try out different pre-match routines and pay attention to the impact that they have on your performance. 

• Track It: Keep a journal. Write a small note on where you were arousal-wise and compare it to your performance. Are you starting to see any patterns that work for you?

Uppers and Downers for Your Arousal

Are you fascinated by arousal and trying to see how it can positively impact your performance? Check out the table I’ve made for you below. The “Uppers” column gives you handy ways to get you more engaged and aroused, while the “Downers” column gives you actionable ways to calm yourself before your tennis matches.

Anxiety — Cognitive and Somatic (Physical)

For today’s newsletter, I focused specifically on arousal. But anxiety definitely factors in, and, in fact, they are both quite impactful on performance. If you want to find out how anxiety also plays into all of this, I’ll leave the link for you below:

Why You Choke (Spotify).

Why You Choke (Apple Podcasts).

Remember This

Arousal management isn’t just about staying calm or getting pumped—it’s about finding the right balance for you. Whether you’re naturally high-energy or more relaxed, learning to recognize and adjust your arousal levels can make a huge difference in your performance. Start experimenting with uppers, downers, and anxiety management techniques to discover what works for you. Over time, you’ll build a reliable routine that keeps you in your Individualized Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF).

I hope you found this valuable! And if you need guidance with your tennis, I’m here to help.

References

Hanin, Y.L. (1980). A cognitive model of anxiety in sports. In W.F. Straub (Ed.), Sport psychology: An analysis of athlete behavior (pp. 236–249). Ithaca. NY: Mouvement.

Spence J.T., & Spence, K.W. (1966). The motivational components of manifest anxiety: Drive and drive stimuli. In C.D. Spielberger (Ed.), Anxiety and behavior (pp. 291–326). New York, NY: Academic Press.

Yerkes, R.M., & Dodson, J.D. (1908). Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist, 35, 151–175.

Disclaimer: I am not an Association of Applied Sports Psychology CMPC, certified sports psychology practitioner, nor am I a licensed mental health counselor, PsyD, or clinical PhD. I am pursuing a master’s in sports, exercise, and performance psychology, and I am a sports psychology practitioner-in-training. I have over 20 years of experience in tennis, including playing, coaching collegiately and with professional players, along with club management experience as a director of programs. I am certified by the Professional Tennis Registry and am a member of Tennis Australia. My aim is to bring the best information to tennis players around the world so that you can apply it for long-term improvement—but sometimes I will make mistakes. If this is your area of research or expertise, and you feel I’ve misunderstood something, please get in touch with me and if required I will happily issue a correction.