EMPTY THE MIND TO CLEANSE REACTION TIME - WAYS TO ACHIEVE "THE ZONE"

               Of course, there are no easy matches in the London
ATP World Tour finals this week. It's the 
top 8 men players in the world, and these guys 
don't give anybody an easy win.
      At this level, when you see lapses of concentration,
the loss of presence of mind usually won't last longer
than one or two games.

       Wawrinka is now playing Ferrer. Ferrer has just won
the Paris tournament, but has yet to win a match
here in London.

        About the backhand. It is the accepted wisdom
nowadays that it's better to have a two handed
backhand than a single-handed backhand. This is not
always true. There are major exceptions to this
so-called rule.
        IF YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT UPPER BODY 
STRENGTH, it can be better to have a single-handed
backhand. You can get a better angle on the
ball with a one arm motion than you can with
a two-handed motion.  
        Watch the snap Wawrinka gets on his backhand
often, and how he opens his arms and his chest as he
hits such shots - you'll see what I mean.

        People point at Nadal's two-handed backhand.
But of course, Nadal is an exception. Nadal was
originally right handed but Uncle Tony got
him playing with his left hand when Rafa was
very young...So Nadal's two-handed backhand is
really Nadal using his natural right-handed 
strength and orientation. That's why his "backhand"
is so good. It's not really a backhand.

        Now it's the Ferrer-Wawrinka match. I had
assumed Wawrinka would win it.
        But you can never count Ferrer out with
his incredible athleticism, stamina and determination.
Ferrer's taken the first set. I'd forgotten: Ferrer beat
Nadal last week in Paris.  So all bets are off.
        I shouldn't  be surprised when Ferrer
takes the next set.
        Ferrer uses his intense almost continuous
running to amp him up into the correct mental
state.

        When any of these top eight players gets
"IN THE ZONE",; any one of these
guys can beat any of the others.
         Though Nadal has just clinched the
#1 world ranking with his second match victory
this week, and at this time he seems to be
about the hardest man to beat.
         Djokovic is also playing brilliantly and
likely wants his #1 ranking back.
         

         Getting "in the zone" is what this blog
is all about.
          There are specific ways to do it, ways
to get there... But we are really entering
into the area of meditative techniques.
          There is such a thing as meditation
in action. That's part of what the dervishes
are all about.
          There are also yogic techniques
that apply.
           It's not a method you can use just
anywhere - I try not to get into too
deep a meditative state on my bicycle, 
for example.
           But tennis is a game well-suited
for meditation in action. I'll have to
get a better phrase for this discipline -
the "Art of Ecstasy" comes to mind, but this
is not a phrase that I have invented.
           Getting "in the zone" is a good
phrase. You know you're 'there', when
there are no thoughts in your mind,
just a intense, burning attention to
every movement you see across the net.

          Runners know  about "the zone".
In fact, a combination of the feeling
that you have when the endorphins start
to click  in - plus that sense of utter
concentration that comes with hard
breathing and strong exercise -
this is why many distance runners run.
Also, more casual runners who run
just for  exercise and  health,
who are not necessarily racing a stopwatch,
they know about "the zone" also.
         
           Let's face it, this moment of the
intense concentration of a mind
that is fully aware is a delight!
The game is to find the joy at
the core of things, without being
burdened with an endless train of 
thought.
           Full concentrated awareness
without content, while in the midst
of focused activity - this is the joy
of sports! But I must say, tennis
is particularly relevant  to this
kind of awareness, this joy of the
zone.
           There is a lot of empty
space in tennis. The situation
you are facing is more cosmic
than cluttered.
            Across the area in which
you play is a net full of holes - more
empty space! And an opponent some
distance away... firing balls in your
direction at high rates of speed.
             And you are running and reacting
in a court that is exactly big enough
to challenge even the best athelete.
The area and size of the tennis court
is a work of art, almost a work of genius.
          Any larger, and nobody would be able to
make it to the lines. Any smaller area
between the lines, and the challenge would
start to disappear - the elegance of the
strokes would become constricted.
          Tennis is the enemy of the enslaved,
monkey-like mind.

          Like in the martial arts, the player
is in a situation where any thought at all
impedes reaction times.
           Intense concentrated awaresness
without content, aided by pain-killing endorphins
fed with the energy of a fully functioning 
cardiovascular system - this is the joy of 
the game! And tennis is the game of life!
          
       


                                   

                                      (C)2013 by William G. Milne
                                          All rights reserved.

ROUND ROBIN LONDON, 2013: WAWRINKA- NADAL MATCH

           Wawrinka has sufficient upper body strength
not to be intimidated by Nadal.And it shows -
the fact thefact that he is not intimidated
      Yet he has never taken a set from Nadal.
This is curious in that they have fought through
many extended tiebreakers.
         The fact that Wawrinka, for periods of
time during his mental lapses, still hits series
of shots into the net - indicates that Nadal
still has Wawrinka psyched out to some extent.
But Stan has nearly turned the corner on that
psych-out, and it's exciting to see him on the
edge of victory.
          He's got the shots and the strength
to beat Nadal... he just needs a little
tune up in the psychology of the game.
          He's so close to winning he can
taste it, and so can everybody else in the
audience - that huge tennis stadium in London,
everyone can sense how close their match
really is.
          I'd rather see a Nadal/Wawrinka
match than any other match between players in the
top ten.
          You really don't know what you're
going to get, but you're going to see
a fantastic variety of shots.

           It's important to remember that Stan
was Federer's hitting partner for years.That's
got to help his consistency and mental acuity.

BIG DAY IN BELGRADE - BEST SERVER AGAINST BEST RETURNER?------------------plus-----------------------PSYCHOLOGY OF TENNIS IN THE DEEP NORTH

         Whatever happens today, as the Canadian
plays the Serb, there will be a lot of sprinting,
sudden stops, heavy breathing... Determination
and courage will be all.

       I don`t know what`s in the water in Serbia.
Roanic is firmly Canadian, but he was born in
Montenegro.
         Djokovic also was born in Montenegro.
         This is a big day for Serbia, and
deservedly so! 

         It`s a big day for Canada, too! Canada
has not been in the Davis Cup semi-finals
since the early days of the twentieth century.

          Surprisingly enough, there`s a large
Canadian crowd cheering their man on
in the Belgrade arena.
          Balance and superior groundstrokes
won the day for Djokovic. Plus the judicious
use of the topspin lob over the ten foot height and
reach of the Canadian.
          Milos showed real game and courage
and was never defeated in spirit. And you have
to admire grace in defeat.
           After all tennis is a game. We`re not
killing chickens here. Fun and a sense of play
and grace under pressure - this is what it`s
all about.         

          

                      CANADIAN TENNIS IN THE DEEP NORTH

           These Canadians aren`t as quiet
as we`re used to. Is the country going through
some kind of identity change? What happened to
the polite, self-effacing pesonality
we all were used to?
        This crowd is making some real noise.
         
        Frankly, the old personality type was getting
a little tiresome, anyway. And none too exciting.

        In a country which has basically two seasons -
(1) the freeze your ass off season - where you never
see a woman`s body for about seven months of
the year, unless you light a hot fire someplace;
(2) the get your ass bitten off season, when the flies
come to life and start to feed, making that
chattering, humming sound...
          It was inevitable that someone was going to
start to shout sometime!       


    

 

NO NEGATIVE SELF-TALK! DON`T KEEP JUDGING YOUR STROKES...

THE TENNIS PSYCHOLOGIST 
                              
   title (C)2013 by William G. Milne
___________________________________________

            Please excuse legal matter above.  I posted this
blog and almost immediately lost the title, then regained it.
____________________________________________________

            
            BATTLE MATCH : 

             
             Despite the fact that they did not have a huge
audience, I was moved by the intensity of the crowd and players at the Raonic vs Gasquet match. It was a five
set high-intensity battle, fought with the utmost
determination and skill to the end by both players.
              The crowd was as excited as the players. And
even if the audience was highly partisan, there was something about the feel of this confrontation
that most modern matches seem to be lacking.
             
             
           Stan the Man:

       Now that Federer is less intent on defending his
number 1 ranking and is fading from the spotlight
somewhat,  Stan Wawrinka, Roger`s long time
hitting partner seems to have unconsciously received
permission to step forward into the noon
of his own day.
         In his match with Djokovic, I noticed Stan
using 3 or 4 shots  strategy, thinking ahead, using
plays that are chess-like.
 Obviously, he`s learned a lot from Federer, 
and he`s a pretty smart
cookie, himself.

         I spent years playing tennis and also years
doing sitting, using one meditative technique
or another - allowing the river of the mind to
clear itself, without wrenching, without trying:
just allowing the river to clear on its own,
becoming unroiled, unmuddied.
         Not GRASPING after old memories
or loves, but seeing the beauty of each past
event without attempts of possessing...
          Do NOT try to FORCE thoughts from
your mind -  a dark space, empty of movement
is not the goal.
          The goal is a burning window with
nothing inside...a window that allows
quick movements and reflexes... a burning
that consumes all thoughts
           Your running and hitting will
create the burning.
 
         The twelth century mystic, Meister
Eckhart has an expression: 

"THE MORE WE HAVE, THE LESS WE OWN."

           This thought can be applied to tennis. 
The objectiveis to clear the mind of extraneous 
thoughts,without using strong-armed tactics.
            Watch the river flow in the window of your
 mind, allow all thoughts and worries
to pass. You might have a problem
with your mortgage, but thinking about it
when you`re hitting the ball is not going to
help your tennis game.
             Once you`ve been running hard, the
endorphin-filled boiling silence of your focus,
this is all you need.
              You can`t think as you`re hitting
your backhand - unless you`re just a beginner
and you must remember your form -
recent instructions from your teacher.

               This is important - do not think,
do not try for something other than what
you`re doing, and this ESPECIALLY
don`t judge yourself; don`t put yourself down, berate
yourself mentally in your mind.
               Thinking, "That was a bad
backhand - that last shot...." this quickly
becomes, "I have a bad backhand. I can`t
do a backhand.` These are deadly thoughts.
               Think this way and you WILL
have a bad backhand.

                Judging yourself harshly without
forgiveness is often a life problem. And
such negative self-talk not only becomes
depression.  It IS depression
                That and repressed anger
can really mess you up and create tension,
and when you`re tense, you simply can`t
react fast enough at the net.
                                                     Cheers! Enjoy.

ALLOW SOME SPACE IN YOUR GAME - SEE THE BALLS AS PLANETS!

              The U.S. Open is just about to wind up for the season, 2013
          
          The five set marathon match between Wawrinka and Djokovic was one of the best tennis contests I have ever seen. It had a real sense of
battle which is what tennis is all about - confronting your inner demons
and winning - first defeating self-doubt, and then beating a highly skilled opponent.
          Stan the Man has come a long way. He`s no longer defeating himself with endless shots into the net, or forehand blasts long.
Stan has the best backhand in the game, and one of the most beautiful ones.

As a great guy said to me one time; THE ONLY SIN IS SELF-DOUBT.
This is certainly true of tennis.

         The aim of the game and the name of the game is
getting into THE ZONE...Winning is secondary to this aim.

          If you can whack those balls around with slices
and topspin, while running and feeling the endorphins
click in - well, you`re half way there.

          When I`m really into it, I start thinking of the balls
 almost as planets.... and I while blasting them up and out and in all directions... AND  keeping them within the lines
 I start to feel I`m part of the Cosmos, which of course I am,
and so are you!

          By imagining the balls as planets, you get a sense of
space into your game... and the balls also seem to grow larger, when you have that sense of space.... something beyond the competition....when you forget about winning or losing, you can see better, you have more fun, and you can really focus on the ball.