I’ve written about a huge insight I had about the importance of positive self talk while I was on the tennis court, but believe it or not, I think this thing I realized just the other day while playing is even more significant.
Craig and I were playing for only about ten minutes and I felt completely and utterly frustrated and defeated. To the point of almost crying. I told him I did not understand how I could play so well for days and days of practice and then suddenly look like I had barely ever picked up a racket (probably an exaggeration but not by as much as I would like).
He knew not to say a lot — or really anything. Platitudes can make me just melt down, and anything resembling even decent advice when I’m in that mindset, well, it just makes things worse. He knows I have to work it out myself.
I tried the positive self talk but it wasn’t helping as much this time. A little but it wasn’t turning my game around.
Then I remembered seeing something about watching only the ball.
You might think, Christine! Weren’t you watching the ball!?!?!?
And duh. Yes, of course I was, but “watch only the ball” is actually different.
I keep my eye on the ball. I’ve been taught that since I was little. Basic. But I realized I am also at the same time, watching the other player, watching my own self in my mind, watching the court. That’s a lot of watching. That’s too many focal points.
So I WATCHED ONLY THE BALL.
Suddenly it was like there was nothing else there to see. Everything else just kinda blurred.
From the moment the ball hit Craig’s racket, that was it.
Only. The. Ball.
INSTANTLY my game changed. It felt almost mystical. Zen like.
And it is, right?
This is the practice. Because after a couple of super focused ONLY the ball rallies, I could tell my focus would try — out of habit — to include all those other things. I would have to force myself to go back to ONLY the ball.
Each time I lost that, I started making mistakes. Each time I got back to that level of extreme focus, I was hitting wonderfully.
And of course, tennis — like dance — like anything that we dive deeply into and explore ourselves through — is a metaphor for the rest of our lives.
Watch ONLY the ball.
Where do you need that in your life?