Stage 5 — Weekend Assignment: Notice Before You Judge

Stage Title: Weekend Assignment — Notice Before You Judge

Estimated Time: 5 minutes (plus weekend practice)

What You’ll Learn:

• How to practice awareness without self-criticism

• One simple weekend exercise to build self-awareness

Core Lesson (Weekend Assignment):

This weekend, during practice, a match, or even just thinking about tennis, notice one emotional reaction.

You might notice:

• Frustration after a missed shot

• Nervousness before playing someone new

• Doubt when you are down in the score

• Anger after a bad call

• Pressure when someone is watching

When you notice it, do not say:

• “I shouldn’t feel this way”

•”I’m so weak for getting nervous”

• “Here we go again, I always do this”

Instead, just say to yourself: “Oh, there is frustration.” “Oh, there are nerves.” “Oh, there is doubt.”

That is it. Notice. Name. Do not judge.

This is the foundation of self-awareness.

Apply It This Weekend:

Find one moment this weekend — on court or off — where you notice an emotion. Write it down afterward: “This weekend, I noticed _. I felt _. I did not judge it. I just named it.”