Focus and Slow Down

Now it is at the height of summer and I play quite a bit tennis around this time of the year, and usually this is when I make some progress with my game -- when you hit a lot balls, you will figure something out. A couple years back I was working on my footwork, especially the split steps, which I still consciously practice a lot -- far from perfect or automatic. Last year saw improvements among spacing -- making sure I have enough space to swing out toward the ball and never get jammed.

This year's focus is on timing. And this is really fun to work on -- for one thing you can say good tennis is all about timing, but more importantly this is so intimately related to my everyday practice. First of all we need to recognize that it takes time to time the ball well because your brain needs time to calculate and anticipate the ball flight trajectory, and in doing so it needs to process a lot information about the incoming ball: direction, speed, and spin. All these calculations get us first in a good hitting position, and also to start the initial part of the swing -- that's actually the first part of timing the ball. Then when the ball gets closer to the body, the second part of timing takes place, and this is the most crucial part of your stroke. Now the calculation is almost exclusively on the speed of the ball, i.e., your brain is just figuring out how much time the ball will travel before it enters your strike zone, and you adjust the size of your swing accordingly: if it's a slow ball, you can have a big takeback and have a big swing at the ball; and for a fast ball, you cut down your takeback and just move forward to meet the ball in the strike zone.

Of course it's always easier said than done, but still you need a right mental model to start with, and with practice, over time, it will become a second nature to you. The key elements of this mental process is as follows:

• Early tracking the ball is vital, since you will need time to get into the right hitting position and start the initial swing. This is the slow part of the timing and you have to slow down for this. You can never rush that part.
• The second part of the swing is the most important part, but ironically it's the easier part of the swing: you've already done the hard work, just either release your racket to hit the slow ball or reach with your racket to meet the fast ball.
• The number one obstacle to good tennis is rushing: you rush to get to the ball before you even have a good landing with balance after split step; you rush to hit the ball before you have a good initial swing; you rush to pull your head up to see the result instead of keeping your head still during the stroke. All those rushing reflects the lack of confidence in yourself -- you fear you will not have enough time. But the truth is that for most shots you really have plenty time to get to the ball, set it up, and swing at it. You just need to trust yourself and trust your stokes.
• The number two obstacle to good tennis is the lack of focus -- you forget to always to keep your eyes on the ball. Again it's easier said than done, and any serious tennis player can attest that mental concentration is probably the hardest thing in tennis. But that's exactly why we need to practice all the time, to get over your tendency to be distracted: distracted by the result of your own shot, distracted by the unnecessary fear you get when you see a fast flying ball at you, distracted by the urge to finish off an easy ball.
• Just like spiritual practice, the real fruits take long time to come by. Be patient, and just practice. Slow down your swing, with confidence, and without fear.