You may have perfected your training regime, got all the right players together, and created your ultimate winning tactics which will inevitably bring you glory, riches, women, and all that other good stuff. But sometimes things can and will go wrong and your team’s morale might be crushed into a tiny scrap yard-like cube. And this is where truly great managers are made as it can completely turn the tide of a game with one motivational and inspirational speech; just look at how Liverpool turned around a 3-0 deficit in the Champions’ League final!

Men’s best successes come after their disappointments

This first quote is presented by Henry Beecher who was a famous doctor and was instrumental in creating the federal rules on human experimentation and the ethical uses of medicine. While not really related to sport, his quote is something which can really turn around a team who are down at half-time.

This quote presents your team with something to look forward to and urges them to avoid dwelling on their disappointments, which can be fatal to any game. Part of motivating your team after a bad period is to try and make them forget about that bad period in order to reset their minds to how they were at the start of the game.

He who hesitates is lost

This famous proverb has endured long throughout history and has served many people well, and now it’s your turn to utilise it for your team. This can lift any team if there has been a barren period where your team has refused to any risks or they are behind because of their failure to take any risks.

While you always want to tell your team not to take any rash decisions based on stupidity, you also want to make sure that they take calculated risks immediately because that’s how great men were created. Look at Messi, Pele, Ronaldo, or any of the other great footballers throughout history; when they go on a run and take on four or five players they are taking a risk. Remember, if your team hesitates then they are lost, the game is lost, and maybe even the tournament is lost.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm

Our next quote comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson who was an American poet, essay writer, and lecturer. He also wasn’t related to sports, but his quote is true as when one is upset, sad, or down, very little is completed. However when one is enthusiastic it creates a kind of ecstasy which drives us and directs us towards our goal.

Every artist was once an amateur

Another quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, this is designed to be used after a defeat in order to lift your team up again. Defeats can be very demotivating and it’s important to not only be able to win a game through motivation but also to be able to pick your team up after a defeat because defeats are inevitable in the end.

As anybody in the UK will already know, sadly we’re not the best in the world at producing tennis players. But we live in hope that one day somebody will rise up from the ashes of Britain’s tennis dignity and become the world number 1. And that could be you.

All of these tips are designed to apply for hobbyists and full-time professionals alike.

Study the Best

To know what you should do first you should monitor some of the best tennis players in the world. Study their technique, their movement, how they pace themselves in big games, and then apply it to your game.

Tennis players which you should study, preferably in person, include Rafael Nadal and Rodger Federer. We haven’t included Andy Murray here because we want you to become better by learning from the best in the world, in other words tennis players who tend to actually win!

Serving Suggestion

A key part of tennis is the serve. The best tennis players know how to hit it as hard as possible while still keeping it in the court. When most tennis players attempt to hit it as hard as they can, though, then they end up hitting it into the crowd.

Go to the tennis court by yourself and start serving on your own. Work on how to increase your velocity while still keeping it within the bounds of the court. If you want to get fancy then try adding a little spin to your serve too.

Confidence

The thing that holds many people back from winning is the fact that they have no confidence. If the world number one came up to them and asked them for a game then their immediate thought would be that they have no chance of beating them. While this would probably be true, it’s still the wrong way to think about it!

Build a winning mentality for every game and every tennis event is so important so that you won’t be afraid of taking on any player. When you have reached a level where you can be beaten and have no issue coming back for more then you are Andy Murray. And when you have reached the level of Andy Murray you can work on your technique and become the best!

Tennis Challenge

The only way to get better is to take people on who can beat you. This might sound silly as losing is no fun, but you will never become a better tennis player if you decide to take on a random ten year old kid at the park every time.

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The noughties has seen a remarkable change in how football is played and how the system is run. World football organisations have struggled to control the rampant spending from  clubs and referees are under more scrutiny than ever before. But, regardless of controversy, we have discovered managers whose names will be remembered for decades to come.

Read on to find out our top 5 football managers of the noughties.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United)

In the twilight of 2011, Sir Alex marked 25 years in charge of Manchester United. Arguably it was the noughties which truly made him who he was though because he not only won everything there was to win, but he did it multiple times. This man’s ability to build and transition teams while still winning trophies makes him one of the most unique managers around. It’s just a shame he couldn’t pass his winning ways on to his offspring!

2. Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)

Arsene Wenger may not have got off to the best start in this decade, but the fact that he still holds his job is a testament to how much respect he has amongst both the board and the fans. As the creator of the infamous team of “invincibles” and the man who nurtured such creative talent like Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas he did all this without spending millions and millions of pounds like so many other clubs have been forced to.

3. Jose Mourinho (Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid)

With two European Cups and countless other trophies, this is probably the most well-known football manager on the planet. His ability to transition between multiple different styles of football and still win puts him among the greatest managers in history. If any young manager wants to know anything about managerial mind games then they should certainly study Mourinho because arguably he is up there with powerhouses like Sir Alex Ferguson.

4. Pep Guardiola (Barcelona)

Mr. Guardiola is an interesting case because many people argue that he has only won so many trophies because all the pieces were already in place prior to him arriving. This is true, but you can’t win all of those European Cups and a sextuple if you are a bad manager; even if you have all the pieces in place to start with.

5. Carlo Ancelotti (Juventus, AC Milan and Chelsea)

Italian football has slipped under the radar during the noughties, but Carlo Ancelotti has still stayed successful regardless. Reaching three Champions League finals, and winning two, he has also obtained various domestic trophies in both Italy and England which certainly makes him one of the most successful managers of the noughties; even if Ruskie Roman Abramovich did sack him for only winning TWO trophies.

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