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The hard-hitting, erratic, net-rushing player is a person of impulse. There is no real system to his/her game, no understanding of your game. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an interesting type of character.

The really dangerous player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court at the command of an ever-alert mind. This/her is the player to learn from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A player who has an answer to every query you present him in your game. He is the most subtle opponent in the world of tennis. He is from the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of slavish determination that fixes his/her mind on one plan and sticks to it, bitterly, fiercely fighting to the bitter end, with no thought of changing his gameplan.

This is the player whose psychology is rather simple to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, because he never permits himself to think about anything but his game. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the determination of Johnston.

Choose your sort from your own mental processes, and then plan your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are on the same level as regards stroke, strength and equipment, the determining factor in any game is the mental viewpoint. Luck, so-called, is usually just grasping the psychological value of a break in the game, and turning it to your own account. We hear a lot about the “shots he has made.” Few realize the importance of the “shots he has missed.”

The science of missing shots is just as vital as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a return that is killed by your opponent. Allow me to tell you why. A player drives you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and having reached it, you drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is surprised and put off his stride, realizing that your shot could just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to attempt it again and he will not take the risk next time. He will try to play the ball, and may fall into error. You have thus stolen some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his/her chance of error, all because of a miss.

However, if you had just tapped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt increasingly confident of your inability to get the ball out of his/her reach, while you would only have been winded for no reason.

Let’s just say that you had made that shot down the sideline. It was an apparently impossible get. First it amounts to TWO points, in that it stole one away from your opponent that should have been his/her and gave you one that you ought never to have had. Second it also upsets your opponent, because he thinks that he has thrown away a big opportunity.

The psychology of a tennis match is very interesting, but readily understood. Both men start with equal chances. Once one player establishes a real lead, his/her confidence goes up, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental viewpoint becomes weaker. The sole aim of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thus maintaining his/her confidence.

If the second player draws even or draws ahead, the inevitable reaction occurs with an even greater contrast in psychology. There is the natural confidence of the leader, but coupled with the great stimulus of having turned a seemingly inevitable defeat into a probable victory. The reverse is the case of the other player, who is apt to lose confidence and play worse. The collapse of his game plan soon follows.

So you may wonder, what is in a dog’s name? Just what does it matter what your female dog’s name is? The answer is a fair bit, because your dog’s name defines him or her in the eyes of your friends, especially if you have a small dog. What small dogs lack in stature they can make up for in attitude. For small dogs, being cute will get them everywhere. But what is a cute dog without a cute dog name?

Cute dog names are really meant for female dogs. Abby, for example is a very cute dog name. When you put that together with an image, you probably see a little Westie or a Labrador pup running around a lawn in your mind’s eye. Other cute female dog names are Beauty, Becky and Princess. All of these cute dog names seem to embody a bundle of fur that has a sweet nature and just loves cuddles. They all allude to a cute appearance and a very joyful dog owning experience.

However, there seems to be rather few cute dog names available for male dogs. This may be because it detracts from the masculine image that male dogs are supposed to have. Still, there are some male cute dog names out there. Bobby, Casper, Patch and Spot are all cute male dog names that have the same effect as the female ones do. However, you do have to ensure that you have the right kind of male dog to give a cute dog name to, because if you get it wrong, he will sound ridiculous.

Cute dog names can be very appropriate for male and female members alike of certain breeds and can help to develop a lovable personality, because of the affection it will be shown. But be warned, you do not want to leave your dog open to ridicule so choose when to use cute dog names very carefully.

Whilst dogs are very intelligent animals, they cant process the same amount of information that we can. Therefore, dog names should never be more than two syllables. If they are more than that, it is very rare that a dog will actually respond. Max, Sam, Lady, Molly and the like are excellent dog names because they are short and the syllables are hard. They easily respond to those dog names and it can improve your chances of training them successfully.

Moreover, dogs names (can|should help them shape an identity of their own. Common names dont allow them to do that, so finding a simple but unusual name can help their characters a great deal without hurting their ability to respond to a command.

I am willing to bet money that most dog owners do not consider the factors outlined above when thinking of dog names for a new pet. Instead, dog names are chosen at random, but it is worth putting a bit more thought into it, for your dogs sake if nothing else.

Tennis psychology is only understanding the make-up of your opponent’s mind and gauging the effect of your own strategy on his/her mental viewpoint and also understanding the mental effects resulting from the various external causes on your own mind.

Nevertheless, it is also true that you no one can be a successful psychologist of others without first understanding his own psychology. So, you have to study the effect on yourself of the same thing occurring under different conditions. This is because people react differently in different moods and under different conditions.

You have to realize the effect on your game of the ensuing annoyance, pleasure, bewilderment, or whatever other form your reaction is. Does it improve your prowess? If so, try for it, but never give it to your opponent. Does it deprive you of concentration? If so, either remove the reason, but if that isn’t possible, try to ignore it.

Once you have accurately assessed your own reaction to conditions, observe your opponents in order to determine their characters. Like temperaments react similarly, and you may judge men of your own type by yourself. Different characters you must seek to compare with people whose reactions you know.

Someone who can regulate his/her own mental processes runs an excellent chance of reading those of another for the mind works along definite lines of thought and can be examined. One can only control one’s own mental processes after carefully examining them.

A steady, phlegmatic baseline player is rarely a keen thinker. If he was he would not stay on the baseline. The physical appearance of a player is usually a fairly clear indicator of his/her sort of mind. The stolid, easy-going player, who usually advocates the baseline game, does so because he hates to stir up his/her torpid mind to work out a safe strategy of getting to the net.

Then there is the other kind of baseline player, who would prefer to remain on the back of the court while directing an attack intending to disrupt up your game. He is a much more dangerous player and a deep, keen thinking opponent. He achieves his/her results by changing his/her length and direction and worrying you with the variance of his/her game. This player is a good psychologist.

The first sort of tennis player mentioned above simply hits the ball without much thought about what he is actually up to, while the latter always has a solid, thought-out plan and sticks to it.