Mind Over Matter
Almost 30 years ago, a book revolutionized the way tennis was taught.  Today, the teachings of The Inner Game of Tennis are as timely as ever.

By Sean Brawley

Why is it that we play so well one day and so poorly the next?  Why do we choke during competition or miss easy shots? And why does it seem to take so long to break a bad habit and learn a new one? Back in 1974, Timothy Gallwey answered questions like these in his seminal classic “The Inner Game of Tennis,” one of the first books to deal with the mental side of learning and performance in sports. The book quickly sold hundreds of thousands of copies.  Arthur Ashe swore by it.  Billie Jean King called it her tennis bible. Today, it continues to rank as one of the best-selling tennis books.

When IGOT first came out, it turned the teaching establishment on its head by suggesting that all those technical instructions – “classic” and otherwise – given by well-intentioned coaches may not be the most effective way to teach or learn. In fact, Gallwey discovered in his lessons that his “command-and-control” teaching method was actually getting in the way of his students’ progress.  As they internalized his instructions, he observed that his students would think too much about what they were doing, judge themselves for making mistakes, and then try hard to correct the problem on the next shot. (Does this sound like you?)

“It was hard for me to admit that I could be part of the problem, but as I began to experiment by “instructing” less, I noticed my students learned more”, Gallwey recalls. Inspired by his discovery, he continued to explore and in the process discovered that the secret to gaining more control over our bodies lay in gaining at least some measure of control over our minds. Removing the inner obstacles that prevent our best tennis is the primary goal of the Inner Game player. And the first and most important mental skill to learn is how to focus.

I had the good fortune of working with Gallwey and learned some of his “tricks” while developing some of my own. In my lessons and workshops, I have found that when tennis players focus their attention on what really matters – the trajectory of the ball, the feel of their racquet, the rhythm, timing and fluidity of their swing – their minds become free of judgmental self-talk, and their learning, performance and enjoyment greatly improve. Following are four unconventional exercises that will help you focus better, learn faster and have more fun.

Bounce-Hit
Perhaps the most common instruction given in tennis is to “watch the ball.” The best-known exercise from the Inner Game, called “bounce-hit,” helps a player do just that. Here’s how it works: A player calls out loud the word “bounce” when the ball bounces on the ground and the word “hit” when he feels the ball hit his racquet. When the player becomes proficient on his own side of the court he may begin to call out the other side as well.  Saying the words out loud provides feedback for the player and coach and compels the person to watch the ball better. Focusing more intently on the ball quiets the mind, relaxes the body and provides more information about the spin, speed and direction of the ball to the computer-brain, which is then better able to calculate the movement and positioning of the body and the resultant swing.  Jack Groppel, chairman of the USTA Sport Science Committee, told me that “bounce-hit” was the single best exercise ever created for tennis, yet few players and coaches use it.  Here are some tips to get the most out of this exercise:

• Don’t worry about your performance, but focus instead on simply saying “bounce-hit.”
• To help you focus even more intently, see if you can tell whether you are early, late or on-time saying “bounce” and “hit.”  When your on-time percentage reaches 80 percent or higher, it’s time to call out the other side of the court.
• You probably won’t find the exercise as effective if you say the words in your mind and not out loud.

Contact Point
A crucial factor in playing at a higher, more consistent level is to make good contact with the ball. Many players find this easier said than done. They often hit the ball early or late or find themselves too far away or too close to the ball, which prevents them from getting a “clean” hit. This focus exercise is sure to help. Using the hip as your reference point, notice on the next series of balls whether you hit the ball in front of your hip, at your hip or behind your hip. For easier reference, let’s call in front of the hip a “1,” at the hip a “2” and behind the hip a “3.”  Noticing the numbers will help you better distinguish where you are making contact so that you can self-correct if there is a problem. Simply call out the number after every shot and watch your results naturally improve. The same scale can be used for balls too close, just right and too far away.

Clearing the Net
Show me someone who hits a lot of balls into the net and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t know where the net is! If this is your problem then this exercise is for you. On each of your shots, notice, in terms of feet, how far the ball clears the net. If you hit the ball into the net, notice how far it lands below the top of the tape. As in the previous exercises, call the numbers out loud. To make it more challenging, try to become more precise with your estimations. As you become more accurate, you should notice changes naturally take place.

Overcoming Self-Judgment
Judging ourselves when we miss a shot can ruin any tennis experience. We are all only too familiar with the negative self-talk that comes from a missed shot – even if it has come after several previously well-executed strokes. Since self-judgment predisposes us to notice what we have done wrong, the antidote is to purposefully notice what you have done right. Try this as an experiment: Whether you win the point or lose it, look out for what you did especially well. Perhaps you missed an easy overhead, but hit a superb approach shot and a good first volley. Or maybe you made the right shot selection but simply failed on the execution.  Noticing and acknowledging what you are doing well leads to a positive frame of mind and a more joyful experience. Look out for that one best “athletic” moment of the day and see if you can find it when it appears.

These instructions are anything but classic, yet they directly address the fundamentals of performance. In his current New York Times best-selling book entitled, “A Mind at a Time,” Dr. Mel Levine writes that learning how to control our attention is critical to the performance of everything we do. If that’s true, then these exercises will help you focus … on and off the court.

Sean Brawley has a unique talent for helping athletes learn and perform at their best.  He is a former top 150 ATP professional whose sports clients include the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and USC athletic teams.  He can be reached at sbrawl@aol.com.