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Research suggests that to perform to our best we should switch off our thoughts completely and let our actions become automatic. This is all very well in theory but NOT thinking is easier said than done. The fact is that players do talk do think. What is the key here is that thoughts affect feelings, and these feelings can ultimately affect behaviour - or in the case of a player - performance. The key to cognitive control is self-talk. Whenever you think about something you are in essence talking to yourself. When self-talk is positive it is a powerful tool to enhance performance. But all too often self-talk is negative and destructive. Think back to your own performances - how often have you been distracted by negative thoughts or let nagging doubts enter your mind at a vital moment? If you learn to control you self-talk to banish doubts and negative thoughts then you will be on your way to that optimal performance.

The first step in controlling your self-talk is to be aware of the thoughts you are having. This can be done simply by recalling past good and bad performances and listing the thoughts and feelings that you had. This process can be facilitated by using the skill of visualisation to recreate the performance.

For those who feel that they cannot rely on memory, a self-talk log is the answer. Keep a diary of the thoughts as soon as possible after they occur. Once you become aware of the self-defeating thoughts you can learn how to deal with them.

A technique know as thought-stopping is an effective way of combating negative thoughts. When you have a negative thought it can be stopped or interrupted by the use of a trigger. The trigger can be a word like "Stop" or an action such as taking a breath, pulling up your socks or looking at racket strings. Once the negative thought is stopped it is vital that it is replaced with a more constructive one. If you fail to replace the thought chances are it will immediately come back. If you replace it with a positive or task related thought not only are you blocking the negative thought you are using your self-talk to build confidence.

It is useful to have a positive thought prepared in advance so you do not have to come up with one on the spot, particularly when you are feeling negative. Go back to you self-talk log and for every negative thought write a preferred, self enhancing statement next to it. This will only work if you believe the positive statement.

In some instances you may have to build a case against each negative thought. This is known as 'countering' and is an essential part of the thought stopping process. To gather your evidence for countering go back to the positive times when your performance went well. Remember to focus on the positives take control of your thoughts and your performance.