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TennisOne Lessons 
Relaxation Happy Bhalla To focus on the ball while playing tennis seems like such a simple task, but the reality is that it is an extremely difficult skill that most players struggle to develop. Many players and coaches fail even to recognize the tremendous value of this "simple" task and therefore little time is spent practicing the skill because little is known about how to develop it. There is often much at stake and the ball being struck in or out can sometimes be decided by a couple of inches. Winning and losing are often divided by a thin thread; knowing this makes swinging freely extremely difficult at times. There also exists false bravado, which is an effort to fight the fear and doubt that is already present by trying to swing out freely and playing relaxed without actually being relaxed. We cannot fake being relaxed, we either are or we are not. The question is, is it possible to be totally relaxed when so much is at stake? The inability to relax lies in our reasons for playing tennis; deeper still, at the root, it goes to how we feel about ourselves and our inability to love and accept ourselves just as we are. The unpopular answer, if one truly wishes to find the secret to relaxation, is to examine one’s life and one’s self with a microscope and an open, enquiring mind. I say unpopular, because this is not the quick-fix that everyone is looking for. Most people want certain outer changes without changing the inner and this is fundamentally impossible when it comes to the mind. Behavior follows consciousness and consciousness is transformed through raising awareness and this takes time and effort, but can be extremely life-transforming both on and off the court. But are there many players or coaches out there who see the value in taking this long and potentially arduous journey of self-exploration just to be a better tennis player? I doubt it, unless they truly understand the link between the mind and being a better tennis player and a happier individual. That is the first step, that recognition of a connection. The second hurdle to be traversed is the understanding that the mind is the mind and although it has everything to do with tennis and competing well, it also transcends tennis. In the words of a wise man, ‘Wherever you go, there you are!” The fear-based emotions that reveal themselves on the tennis court will exist in every other aspect of your life. So, if one wishes to work on the mind and discover a way to relax, we cannot be limited to the tennis court.
The ability to relax and play freely will not happen by simply hitting more forehands and backhands! Improving technique will not help a player execute the shots he "knows" how to hit (because he hits them in practice) in a competitive situation. Technique has a place, but understanding the way the mind works is an essential part of the jig saw puzzle. The teaching industry knows a great deal more about technique, strategy, and fitness then it does about the mind. There seems to be no cause for being relaxed; it is our natural state of being. There is nothing we have to do to be relaxed; on the contrary, it seems easier to be relaxed when we are not-doing. It seems clear that although relaxation is without cause, there is definitely a cause for the state of being which is not relaxed. The truth is that we are causing the fear and tension we feel and once we understand that reality and start bringing some awareness to it then we will see that the tension slowly starts disappearing and what is left when we stop causing it in our lives is a relaxed state of being. Oftentimes, this fear is created by a false set of beliefs we have and it is only through deep exploration and examination of these beliefs that we will be able to see the false as the false. As soon as we see the false for what it is, it falls away all by itself; because it never was real in the first place. What are these false beliefs? The mother of all false beliefs surrounds the understanding, or lack thereof, of the relationship between success and happiness. Most people, both on and off the court, pursue success in a single-minded manner that borders on obsession. This creates tremendous misery in the individual because they are doing something not because there is joy in that doing, but in order to fulfill a desire (maybe theirs or maybe some else’s), which they think will be of value somewhere in the future. It also, in some cases, may result in a measure of success, but of what value is that success if the pursuit of that success was in pain and unhappiness. If climbing the mountain makes one miserable then of what value is arriving at the summit and throwing one’s arms up in glory for a few seconds. And please keep in mind, by definition only a small minority of the climbers can reach the summit, by far the greater majority never make it that far. Of course, at that moment there is some exhilaration and joy, but it is extremely short-lived. That type of high lasts only for a short time and needs to be fed constantly to remain alive.
This is the root of the false belief: that this reaching the summit or fulfilling one’s goal will completely transform our life and make everything wonderful and oneself deliriously happy for ever and ever. If we did not have this belief, would most individuals put in the time and effort required to achieve success in the competitive world of sports? The truth is that success does not guarantee happiness. The pursuit of success may give us a sense of purpose or fill the emptiness and loneliness we may feel without such direction, but it will not bring us the ultimate prize. The irony is that this usually becomes clear only after we achieve this success. Please do not misunderstand me, facing challenges and difficulties can be a wonderful experience and great fun, but the motivation to embark on such journeys needs to be one of love and total absorption with the process, as opposed to one predicated on the fear rooted in wanting recognition, fame, and glory from the outcome. So, if you are ready to begin the journey, let us start with question -- why are you playing tennis?
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.