074. I will never worry about the yips for the rest of my life - W.Y.
Dear Mr. Yoshida,
Thank you for your continued support.
I recently experienced my first tournament since purchasing the Tennis Zero text in January.
First of all, I was happy to see progress in that there were almost no yips-like outbursts.
(When an outburst did occur occasionally, the ball definitely disappeared. I was able to notice that, too.)
By meeting you, Mr. Yoshida of Tennis Zero, I have learned the true way to enjoy tennis. I am sincerely grateful.
I don't think I will ever worry about the yips for the rest of my life.
Now, I have a question: during a "match in a tournament," regardless of whether my play is going well or not, I sometimes fall into a state where I am "not enjoying it" or "cannot get rid of distracting thoughts."
If someone were to say that's just how it is in a real match, that might be true.
Sometimes it ends without me being able to control it (regardless of the match's outcome), but since emotions and concentration are unconscious, there is nothing I can do about it.
What should my mindset or way of thinking be when that happens?
It would be nice if I could just let it go, thinking, "Some days are like this," but...
Is the only thing I can consciously do to watch the spin of the ball?
I would appreciate your advice.
*A brief comment from Tennis Zero
▶ The reason why a "sense of weakness" is formed
As you say,letting it go by thinking "some days are like this" is very effective if you can do itI believe.
If you don't let it go and instead obsess over "trying to do something about it!", it becomes easier for that to become fixed in your brain, so the memory of things not going well can stick, which might lead to the formation of a sense of weakness.
A sense of weakness is something thatcan be formed by one big home run out that you messed upwhile on the other hand, as you continue not to let it go, your fixation accumulates little by little, andbefore you know it, you have "become weak at it"in some cases (I think the yips are more likely to be caused by "one big mistake"). Also, in human relationships, there are shocks that make you dislike someone instantly, and cases where you gradually become bad with them.)
In the long run, if you don't dwell on that match, the memory of the weakness won't be fixed, soyou can recover immediatelybut despite that, there are many cases where dwelling on it delays that recovery and leads to a slump.
▶ Is it really "cock-a-doodle-doo"?
If you dwell on it, the memory will inevitably be strongly fixed, soyou will no longer be able to receive new information coming in from right in front of you as it is.
To explain how you become unable to receive things as they are when a memory is fixed, for example,how do you remember the sound of a rooster crowing?
If it is the commonly said "cock-a-doodle-doo," the sound will only ever be heard as "some kind of cock-a-doodle-doo."
Even though there might be ways of hearing it like"cook-a-doodle-doo"as in America.
Or, even though it should be a similar sound, they say it becomes"cocorico"in France, and"kikiriki"in Spain.
In reality, "completely different ways of hearing it" exist.
However, when the brain is dragged by the memory of "cock-a-doodle-doo,"it processes it as something already known and neglects listening (related article "The brain loves 'omission'").
This is a "state of not being able to concentrate."
▶ You cannot concentrate because you are caught in the "curse of memory"
I have digressed significantly.
Even if you don't let it go and dwell on it, and even if things go well, you will then engrave the memory of it going well, and the next time you play a match, you will think, "That time it was like this," "It was like that," andyou will be caught in past memory information again.
And now, you will not be able to receive the new information coming in from right in front of you as it is.
In other words, if you dwell on it, whether it goes well or not, it will become painful.
What is important in tennis is"now."
It is to receive the ball information right in front of you now, as it is (related article "What is important is not 'sending' but 'receiving'").
This is nothing other than "concentration."
Not "that time" in the past, not "sometime" in the future, butconcentration to receive the ball information "now" and "right in front of you"is important for playing well.
When you aremade to believe by memorythat it must be "cock-a-doodle-doo," listening becomes very neglected.
▶ Is having a fixation "noble"?
When people say "I have a fixation" or "I have a preference," it might give the impression that it is somehow noble, butthere is a fear that you will not be able to concentrate on the information right in front of you nowand because you are so fixated, your attention is inevitably stolen away to that, and you cannot concentrate on the ball (related article "What if you are fixated on 'the taste of fixation'?").
It is not just for peace of mind; it is better to treat "the past as something that no longer exists."
You might mistakenly think that "remembering it will improve performance," but the past is no longer reality, it cannot be changed, and for the reasons above, it will lower your performance anyway.
If you can fully understand this mechanism,it should become easier to let it go, shouldn't it?
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
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