Tennis Improvement Note 117. Tennis Zero Version: 'Practice of Not Reacting' (Learning from Jannik Sinner)

▶ If you don't practice, you will 'react'

The bestseller introduced Practice of Not Reacting (written by Ryushun Kusanagi, published by KADOKAWA/Chukei Publishing).

This means that if you don't practice, you will 'react'.

The book is introduced in this way.

The 'reaction' discussed here is, of course, not the so-called 'quick physical reaction,' but a mental reaction.

▶ Saying 'Whoa!' when a ball is about to go long

For example, don't you ever say 'Whoa!' the moment you hit a ball that looks like it's going to go long?

You are reacting.

Some players even say it out loud.

At this moment, are you actually seeing the spin, fuzz, or seams (joints) of the ball you just hit? The answer is'no, you are not'.

The reason is that you are reacting with a 'Whoa!'.

The occurrence of time when you are not seeing the ball becomes a problem for playing tennis well.

▶ 'Practice of Not Reacting' leads to stable play

Or, when you send a sitter to your opponent and they get into a good hitting position and swing their racket, the moment you think 'Oh no!', you are likely 'not seeing' the ball.

Through the practice of not letting your mind 'react' to these 'Whoa!' or 'Oh no!' moments, you will lead to stable play.

▶ Mental reactions trigger incorrect physical reactions

And mental reactions, in turn, trigger incorrect physical reactions.

If you hit a ball that looks like it's going long and think 'Whoa!', your body might flinch, and if the ball actually stays in and play continues, you will be caught off guard.

Or, if you send a sitter to your opponent and think 'Oh no!', you might end up backing away before the opponent even hits the ball.

This is the problem where the synchronization with the ball is broken and beginners/intermediates 'move too early'.

Of course, if you are pushed to the sidelines and there is an open space, and it looks like a smash is about to be hit there, you might start running before the opponent hits it.

However, to play tennis well, the principle is to 'react' after the opponent hits.

Otherwise, you might end up moving incorrectly and getting wrong-footed as shown in the video, and it also causes the synchronization with the ball to be broken.

https://youtu.be/1EXEJ7H-RnY

▶ It's not something you can do just by trying to 'play calmly'

Even if you don't say it out loud, don't you ever react with 'Whoa!' or 'Oh no!'?

It is not something you can do just by trying to 'play calmly'.

If you 'consciously' try to play calmly, you will stop seeing the ball again.

The 'practice of not reacting' also maintains a stable mentality in daily life.

It is achieved through 'concentration'.

▶ Not reacting with a 'self-axis'

For example, why not try the 'practice of not reacting' when someone talks to you from the side while you are working?

While the balance between self and others depends on the situation in social life, there are many people who lean toward an 'other-axis' because they care about what others think.

If you live with a self-axis, you can ignore it even if someone talks to you, and in the first place, if you were concentrating on your work, you wouldn't even hear the 'voice' of the person talking to you.

You become free from the eyes of others.

▶ Reacting has a 'negative impact' on play

Or, even if something happens that might disturb your emotions, it's not just about 'not showing it on your face (even though you are irritated inside)', but 'non-reaction' where you think 'that doesn't irritate me' or 'I don't even care'.

Reacting is a type of defense instinct, like 'I don't want to make the same mistake again' or 'I don't want to be beaten by my opponent'.

So, reacting is not necessarily bad.

However, if it has a negative impact on your play, it will lead to a disadvantage.

That is why professional tennis players continue to play with a 'non-reaction' of 'that doesn't irritate me' or 'I don't even care' calmly, without flinching every time (no matter what happens), even if they make a mistake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Ly_euFeiM

Tennis Zero version of 'Practice of Not Reacting' learning from Jannik Sinner.

Not just keeping quiet, but may 'Whoa!' or 'Oh no!' also disappear from your mind.

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