Tennis - The Mindfulness Way

Much has been written about the importance of the mental side for athletic performance, particularly at the higher levels of competition, but at any level of playing, the mind comes into play. It is self-evident that when one is relaxed, content and focused, performance is good to brilliant, shots flow easily and it feels great!  Also, we notice that when one feels tension, anxiety, doubt, anger and frustration, performance isn’t so good and the accompanying feeling is also awful to miserable. For peak performance, we need to be relaxed but alert for the challenge of a match. So how do we do it?

Mindfulness – What is it? It is a way of paying attention without judgment to your experience as it happens. When you are mindful, you are not thinking about your experience, you are simply experiencing. Call it mindfulness or call it awareness, being present, in the moment, zone, flow, or call it nothing at all. It doesn’t really matter what you call that state, it is our natural state. When we are present we are at peace with ourselves and our situation. Even in the midst of training and competing. Although competition brings up certain thoughts and feelings, which aren’t present when we train. Everyone I ask can attest to that This shall be discussed in more detail in a later article.

So when we bring our attention to the body or breath, or to the activity you are engaging in, we enter a place of inner silence.  Observing our thoughts and feelings creates some space, some distance, we can respond better, rather than reacting. Research has shown, that how we use our brains – and particularly what we pay attention to and practise repeatedly – actually gets hardwired into the brain. We know this through modern brain imaging technology. Over time with mindful practise, we become more aware of our inner and outer states and so not get tangled up in any thoughts based on future and past.

The zone and flow states – When we are mindful we learn to accept whatever is going on in our minds, as well as externally. When we notice at times thoughts enter the mind and these can pull us out of flow States, especially when the thoughts are intense or critical and we react to them. Simply bringing a gentle, non judgemental reminder, returning our attention to the task at hand, can get us back into the flow. This frees us to feel more and think less and therefore play to our potential. Developing mindfulness skills will increase the likelihood of entering the flow state and thus play in the zone more often.

Becoming a tennis player is a journey….. be here now in the present moment and get right into it, whatever the challenges are presented!