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TennisOne Lessons 
Concentration and the Ability to Focus Happy Bhalla The mind is a mystery for athletes of all sports who compete at any level. We can train our bodies to be stronger and run for longer periods of time in practice and then know that come match time there will be no surprises. Similarly, with technique; we develop a way to hit the forehand or backhand and drill it for hours on end until it becomes second-nature. When we step up to a match, we know we can rely on those strokes that we have been hitting in practice. With strategy, it is the same; nothing changes from practice to a match, we know what we know and it becomes simply a case of application and decision-making and execution.
However, the mind can be totally relaxed and calm in practice or when playing with friends and as soon as someone suggests playing a match or as soon as the umpire says love-all, anything could and usually does happen. Why is this so? How can we train the mind and what does it need training in? What does it mean to be mentally tough or, as I like to call it, mentally aware? Is it even possible? The most obvious mental quality an individual must possess to play to his or her potential is the ability to concentrate or focus. This seems easy enough; if we concentrate ball and hit it cleanly every time it comes to us, the mental side of the game has been taken care of. Unfortunately, it is not so easy. Technique can be learned and then relied upon to be there because strokes become unconscious or automatic. Some people like to call it muscle memory, while others have difficulty accepting that the muscles have memory. Either way the strokes do not have to be learned over and over again, once grooved they remain somewhat reliable. Similarly, the physical body is a "machine" which can be trained to be fitter if you are willing to commit. Once you put in the hard work, you can rely on a certain fitness level, which will be there when you go out to compete. There is no need for any special effort during competition. The same is true of strategy and tactics, once court geometry is understood and players know the strengths and weaknesses of different shots; this understanding allows them to create combinations and choose shots that will allow them to win or stay in a point, even though there is a decision-making process in tennis that does not allow this to be a completely automatic phenomenon. You need to be present to make simple decisions based on what is happening in the match at any particular moment. The mind however is completely different. We can hone our powers of concentration and certainly this will be helpful but come match time, the ability to focus often seems beyond our control. So, can we improve our ability to focus and if so, how can this be done? Not so conventional wisdom suggests a few things. Off court, we can look at a lit candle and practice watching the flame Can we improve our ability to focus and how can this be done? Not so conventional wisdom suggests a few things. Off court, we can look at a lit candle and practice watching the flame just as the mystics have done for years or we can sit and look at a tennis ball, as Billie Jean King used to do before Wimbledon finals. It is important to note that while we are doing these things, our mind will be active and constantly moving in different directions. To really watch the flame or the ball our minds will have to fall silent. If thoughts pass, for that period of time we are not watching our object of concentration. Consequently, as we are practicing these single-pointed concentration drills, when thoughts do arise, we need to acknowledge and let them go and return to the object of focus as soon as possible. There are many other such meditation techniques that can help narrow the focus of our mind towards a single point (in tennis that would be the ball)1. as the mystics have done for years or we can sit and look at a tennis ball, as Billie Jean King used to do before Wimbledon finals, for the same result. It is important to note that while we are doing these things, our mind will be active and be constantly moving in different directions. To really watch the flame or the ball our minds will have to fall silent. If thoughts pass, for that period of time we are not watching our object of concentration. Consequently, as we are practicing this single-pointed concentration drills, when thoughts do arise we need to acknowledge and let them go and return to the object of focus as soon as possible. There are many other such meditation techniques that can help narrow the focus of our mind towards a single point (in tennis that would be the ball)1. For example, we can just sit and watch the thousands of thoughts that pass through our mind as clouds pass across the sky without identifying with the thoughts and without judgment; this will slowly quiet the mind. Similarly, there are several simple on-court techniques, that can be of tremendous help in developing one’s powers of concentration. One way would be to practice a certain shot, forehand to forehand for example, consistently over and over again (with the intention of just keeping the ball in play) and at a pace that is very comfortable for the player. It is easy for players to get bored doing this and to attempt to simply be present doing simple tasks is to train the mind in the art of being focused or concentrated. Basically this can be done by isolating any one shot and hitting it over and over again to one particular spot on the court. But will these techniques help just by themselves? Do they go to the root of the problem? Are they the most efficient way to fulfill your athletic potential? Regardless of how we prepare off or on the court, once we step onto the court to compete there is nothing automatic about the mind. One moment, you can be relaxed, calm and confident and the next tense, nervous, fearful, angry or frustrated. And there does seem to be a connection between prevailing emotional states and the ability to concentrate or focus. The key to understanding why this focus is lost is by becoming more aware of the concept of time. Time Is Only Present
Mind operates from the past. It accumulates knowledge, but all that knowledge is old and while it can certainly be repeated for intellectual amusement, it will often not be helpful on the tennis court because every ball you face is totally new in the realm of time and space. The information the brain accesses from the past is useful in producing the same strokes and recognizing how the ball is going to bounce when hit a certain way, etc., but the conscious mind cannot be in the past or in the future if you are to make clean contact with the ball. If you made clean contact with the ball a few seconds ago that information or acquired skill cannot help you make clean contact now in this moment. You will have to be present again in order for that to happen. Past and future although traditionally considered a part of time are really not. Is there an existential reality to something that has already happened or something that may or may not happen in the future? Time is moment to moment, it is not fixed; it cannot be relied upon. The present is undependable, it is not unconscious like actions can be; instead, it is spontaneous and unpredictable. So if you want to be in tune with time or if you want to be present, you need to be conscious. You need to be there and you cannot just be there for a particular moment and not for the next, you basically need to be herenow the entire time the ball is in play and especially when you are about to hit the ball. This is why execution is all mental because in order to execute you need to be present. The conscious mind; however, operates only in the past or future. Consequently, if you are present, there can be no conscious thought; if there is conscious thought, there can be no mind. This is the real difficulty of the mind in trying to play tennis and this is why it is the most difficult component to train. The zone state, that elusive state that defies rational explanation, is this state that happens when the conscious mind is silent. It has actually nothing to do with the sport one is playing, it has everything to do with the individual and unless we realize this, many talented and physically gifted athletes will be unable to compete to their potential. So, how can we make the conscious mind silent? We have already talked about training the mind to be focused; the above mentioned techniques will work to some extent, but let us look a little closer at the art of concentration. For me the best definition of concentration is the absence of external stimuli. When we look at a movie screen, we don’t go on saying to ourselves, "watch the screen" or "focus." Why is that? The reason is simply because the movie holds our attention, we are absorbed by the movie, but in tennis we are not absorbed by the ball. We are focused on winning the point or the match and so the ball and even the process of playing is only of incidental interest. If our goal was simply to hit the ball, our execution would improve considerably, but our goal is to win or play well and this focus on the result or outcome makes it harder for us to stay present, which is from where peak athletic performance happens. Staying focused or concentrated becomes difficult for most players because their mind is too focused on result: the mind is actively scheming, planning, hoping, and dreaming of winning the point or the match. It is the external stimulus that prevents us from being focused. In other words, to become more focused we would simply need to remove the external stimuli. The external stimuli are this planning, dreaming, and scheming. Once this is dropped, looking at the ball becomes easy because it is easy if that is all we want to do. Why is the external stimuli there in the first place? It exists because we mistakenly believe that the real value of playing lies in the winning when that is simply not true. If we understood that the value lies in the playing then it would automatically become much easier to focus. To focus better is not about acquiring a skill, but more about dropping false ideas that make concentrating impossible. How can we do this? The external stimuli can only be dropped through increased awareness and understanding of what is important and what is not. Our dreams, goals, and ambitions exist because we think their realization will transform our lives in some real sense; however, when we understand that this is a false assumption, the dream will drop all by itself and once it drops, we will become more present and as we become more present we will begin to see the ball more clearly. As this happens, we will automatically start playing much better. It seems and is simple, but not so easy! 1. I Like To Call It A Soft Focus Because Although The Main Focus May Be The Ball, There Is Also An Awareness Of Some Other Things, Such As One’s Own Court Position, The Opponent’s Position And Where On The Court The Ball Is Bouncing To Name A Few.
He can be reached at: happybhalla@hotmail.com or www.wholistictennis.com |
Happy Bhalla has a Masters Degree in Philosophy and Religion and has been teaching tennis for over 30 years. He has written two books and many articles over the past 10 years on the role of the mind in both the learning process and in the competitive experience.