Question 101: Effectiveness of ball-bouncing practice, and frustration with form

Answer

▶ 'Ball-bouncing' to enhance concentration and timing precision

Ball-bouncing is an effective practice to enhance your concentration on the ball and the precision of your timing.

It is convenient because it requires no practice partner, wall, or large space.

I hope you will continue with it.

There are two key points.

Watch the ball, and listen to the timing.

▶ Pursuing the detail of being able to see 'each individual fiber'

When watching the ball, focus on the fuzz of the felt.

Pursue the level of detail where you can see 'each individual fiber' with your own eyes.

Do not worry at all about 'trying to hit it well,' 'how to catch it in the sweet spot,' or 'how to hold the grip,' but keep your eyes sharply focused on 'each individual fiber.'

Then, you will be able to keep it going without thinking about how to hit or how to do it.

No, you will be able to keep it going because you are not thinking about how to hit or how to do it.

▶ Connecting the dots of timing to ride the rhythm of the line

And, listen to the sound of the timing.

Even with ball-bouncing, you cannot see the moment of impact, but you can hear it with your ears.

When the timing connects like a line—tap, tap, tap—a sense of rhythm emerges, and as mentioned here, you can 'get into the flow'.

And when that rhythmic sense of a line emerges, the timing as points will align again.

▶ Self-talk begins when you try to suppress it

If you continue this, what happens is that the 'self-talk' in your head that you are troubled by will settle down beautifully.

Self-talk does not settle down even if you try to suppress it.

Rather, the self-talk of 'I must suppress it!' begins.

▶ 'Solo 1000-ball rally' with ball-bouncing

Regarding your question about whether to bounce it downwards or upwards, why not try starting with 'bouncing downwards,' which is relatively easier?

'Bouncing upwards' is high difficulty, after all.

Even with Rafael Nadal's hand-eye coordination, it is 406 balls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgvdDZ7o9Ng

Try setting a goal of 1000 taps for "tapping downward."

Around the 100th tap, stability and consistency will emerge and you will begin to settle down, and once you pass 300 taps, you will enter a state of selflessness.

Around the halfway point of 500 taps, you might notice sweaty hands and fatigue in your arms.

Once you exceed 700 taps, self-talk like "I might actually do this" will creep in.

Even then, focus on the "one tap at a time" of the fuzz.

Once you pass 900 taps, tension will start to rise again, and around "982 taps," you might experience noisy self-talk like "I'm almost there!", "Just a little more!", "I can't miss now!", or "I'll have to start all over again!"

Even then, it is "one tap at a time."

▶ It becomes a strength not just by knowing the knowledge in your head, but by experiencing it with your body

The act you are performing is monotonous ball tapping, but your mental state is a roller coaster of repeated ups and downs.

This is not just about knowing it in your head, but the training is to actually use your body to experience the process of reaching 1000 taps.

Knowing it only in your head is like learning how to do squats but never actually doing the strength training.

Strength will not be cultivated.

▶ This is how "choking under pressure" is born

I compared it to a roller coaster.

It is like a microcosm of a tennis match.

Even if the act you are performing is a calm rally, consider a set point at 40-0 in a game where you are leading 5-2 in a first-to-6-games match.

Here, self-talk like "Just one more point!" or "I absolutely cannot lose this!" ignites.

Then, what often happens is that the game is turned around, and the game count becomes 5-3 in your favor.

If the opponent succeeds in holding serve in the next game, it quickly becomes 5-4.

Even if the act is a calm rally, the momentum is different between the one chasing and the one being chased.

Then, what makes you panic even more is "choking under pressure."

Even then, always return to "rotation" and "fuzz."

▶ The key to steady improvement is "order"

I suggested starting with the relatively easier "tapping downward" before the more difficult "tapping upward."

There is no need to rush at all.

Following the principle of progressive overload, and following the step-down method of Kumon, following the order (setup) is a point you want to adhere to for steady improvement.

▶ If you start boiling the pasta after adding the sauce...

It is the same as cooking.

You boil it, drain the water, put it in a bowl, and then add the pasta sauce.

It is not a good idea to start boiling after adding the sauce, then drain the water and put it in a bowl.

Boil, drain the water, put it in a bowl.

Even if you have each skill, if you get the order wrong for each step, the result will also be wrong.

▶ Even if you do it with the racket face, you will still miss the dead center

If you start with the more difficult "tapping upward," you might not reach the goal of 1000 rallies alone—it might not be impossible, but it will be difficult.

Therefore, step down.

Once you achieve 1000 taps with "tapping downward," next, repeat 1000 taps of "tapping upward" on the ball that bounces back up after hitting the ground.

If even "tapping downward" on the side frame is difficult, it is perfectly fine to step down even further and "tap downward with the racket face."
Even then, if you don't focus on the ball,
you will likely have shots that miss the dead center of the racket face because you aren't catching it in the sweet spot.
If that is the case, it goes without saying that you will miss the center in a rally where you are hitting the ball with an opponent.

Even when "tapping downward with the racket face," aim for 1000 taps, and try to increase your concentration by looking at the
"one tap at a time" of the fuzz.

▶ Be much, much kinder to yourself!

Since we are flesh-and-blood humans, it is natural that our condition changes depending on the day, our physical condition, and our mood.

Instead of setting high goals and being strict with yourself, be much, much kinder to yourself!

Lower the hurdle.

It is often said.

When you can't get motivated to study, try just "opening your notebook."

Then, you might start to get interested in the words that jump out at you, and as you look them up, you will find that momentum has built up and you have started studying.

If you make the first step as small as possible, you won't get the order wrong, you will get motivated, and I think you will be able to progress, and move forward.

▶ "1, 2, 3, 4" is a keen observation

Regarding your other question about "serve returns."

To conclude, your observation is correct.

If you read "The Ultimate Tennis Improvement Method," you can utilize it for your own tennis, from why "1, 2, 3, 4" is so effective, how to increase its precision, to efforts to calm self-talk and rhythm matching to demonstrate concentration.

▶ The sorrow of Galileo Galilei, who proved the "heliocentric theory"

The issue of the advisor constantly nitpicking about form.

If you look at the current state of tennis instruction, it might be difficult to demand an immediate stop.

Whether it is correct or not is another matter, but after all, it is“common sense”.

Galileo Galilei, who was found guilty for proving the “heliocentric theory” that Copernicus had discovered (but did not publish for fear of oppression),muttered, “And yet it moves” (“E pur si muove”), and was judged.

▶ This is exactly when “self-affirmation” comes into play

Form instruction is the“geocentric theory” that currently has an overwhelming number of supporters.

Of course, it is only natural as a human to feel “frustrated” by form instruction from an advisor; you are trying to concentrate, but you are interrupted every time, so that frustration builds up.

However, as a practical matter, your tennis performance will likely drop if you do that.

This is exactly when“self-affirmation” comes into play.

▶ “High level of affirmation for others = High level of self-affirmation”

Why self-affirmation when you are frustrated by the advisor's advice?

If you think that way, please remember the following equation.

“High level of affirmation for others = High level of self-affirmation”

It is a directly proportional correlation, isn't it?

In other words, through the respect of affirming the advisor (accepting them as they are), you affirm yourself and can remain free from frustration.

I understand the feeling of wanting to interrupt and say, “Wait a minute!”

Even though Tennis Zero has criticized conventional tennis instruction so much, you might think at this point,“Is affirming the advisor a betrayal by accepting form instruction?”.

And I keenly feel that this is wherethe biggest point where self-affirmation is easily misunderstood lies.

▶ The advisor has lived their life as the advisor

You are not accepting “form instruction.”

You are accepting “the advisor as they are.”

What is the difference between the two?

In the process of living their life, the advisor had some circumstances that forced them to believe that “you will improve if you fix your form.”

Whether the advisor was taught that way through their own club activities as a student, or read a tennis technical manual when they became the tennis club advisor, even if we don't know the details,there was a history that led them to believe it.

Also, it is not rare that the advisor is not necessarily an experienced competitor in the sport of the club they are in charge of.

When I visited the staff room in junior high school, I felta shock when I found a book titled “Introduction to Soccer” on the desk.

Setting that aside, even if we don't know the details, there was a history that led them to believe it.

You affirm and accept that “as they are.”

That is something that“could not be helped.”
Because there was certainly an era when most people believed that “the stars in the sky are moving.”

Even now, many players and instructors
believe that “you will improve if you fix your form,” so there was no room for the advisor to doubt it.
Even so, it is certainly frustrating to have it forced upon you, but for a “person who believes it,” the circumstances that make them have to do so are understandable.

▶ A rational tactic to avoid hindering your own improvement

The advisor is not forcing form correction to harass you, but is giving instruction out of concern for your improvement.

In such situations, I often say,“Hate the sin, not the sinner.”
Form instruction is indeed a “sin” (because it makes a player's tennis life unhappy) if I may say so, but if you hate the “person” who teaches it,
it is a correlation of “negation of others = negation of self,” so it significantly damages your self-affirmation. Affirming the advisor does not mean

that you approve of form instruction. It is by no means “to correct the advisor,” but a

rational tactic to not hinder your own improvement in order to carry out a strategy for living a happy tennis life.

▶ “Trying to change others” is a complete violation of territory

Also, “trying to change others” by saying it is “to correct the advisor” is a complete violation of territory.

It is violent disrespect, anda boomerang of “negation of others = negation of self” will come back too strongly, so I want you to be very careful.

▶ The power to overturn common sense

Of course, instead of denying them by saying, “You are wrong!”, if you could(honestly and straightforwardly) honestly reply, “I think that is different!”, that might be possible in a commercial “coach and student” relationship, but since club activities are not recreation but based on education to guide people's hearts, considering the position of “advisor and member,” and also depending on your usual relationship, I would like you tocalmly assess what is the best course of action.

Lastly, your success will be the power tooverturn the common sense of the past.

Blooming high school students, do not wither.

I am rooting for you.

Tips for immediate tennis improvement TENNIS ZERO
(Tennis Zero)
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