Tennis Improvement Memo 199: "It's okay to fall a lot"—The "mechanism of improvement" shown by Mai Asada's words

"It's okay to fall a lot. That's how you get better."
These were the words Mai Asada said to a young girl trying skating for the first time.
The "mechanism" where you grow by taking on challenges without fearing mistakes applies not only to figure skating but also to improving at tennis.

▶For every mistake, your body learns the "correct answer"

An 11-year-old girl, who had been left with a disability on her right side due to a cerebral hemorrhage at age four, tried skating for the first time.

When she stood on the rink for practice, these were the very first words former figure skater Mai Asada said to her.

"It's okay to fall a lot. That's how you get better."

As I will mention later, there are not many tennis coaches who will say, "It's okay to make lots of mistakes" when you first stand on the court.

▶When did mistakes become "bad"?

Generally, we are told, "Don't make mistakes."

And we acquire the value system that mistakes are bad things.

That is why we feel guilty when we make a mistake.

However, you cannot learn how not to make mistakes without accumulating the experience of making them.

If you don't fall, you won't learn the skill of riding a bicycle.

When you were born, you didn't think that mistakes were bad.

▶Avoiding mistakes leads to a negative loop

Once you adopt the value system that "you must not make mistakes," you tend to fall into a loop of "making a mistake" -> "feeling guilty" -> "becoming inhibited" -> "making even more mistakes."

On the other hand, what is the reality?

"It's okay to fall a lot. That's how you get better."

You fall many times when you first ride a bicycle, too.

But as you try again and again, you become able to ride.

The change that happens when you become able to ride is instantaneous.

And once a skill is acquired, it is never lost.

In order to acquire such momentary changes—.

▶ The brain learns from trial and error

Tennis improvement is the same.

At the beginner stage, there are many movement options, and the brain's neural circuits for when and how to move the body are not yet organized.

That is why you repeat both successes and mistakes in similar situations.

On the other hand, advanced players have organized the necessary movements through trial and error experiences.

Appropriate reactions to the ball emerge unconsciously.

How can one acquire such skills?.

▶ For the brain, mistakes are "materials" for efficient movement

Behind skill acquisition is motor learning by the cerebellum.

The cerebellum plays the role of selecting and refining more appropriate movements from the various trials and errors experienced.

In other words, mistakes are not just failures, but "materials" for acquiring better movements.

This brain plasticity is not lost even as an adult (Related article: The brain is built to "change later").

Therefore, even late beginners can experience a momentary change where they suddenly get it if they follow the "theory" described below (Related article: How can adults get as good as "junior players"?).

▶ Until the brain maze turns into the "shortest route"

I call this process the "Amidakuji (Ghost Leg) Theory" so that it can be remembered easily.

What is that?

What does that mean???

The initial Amidakuji has many horizontal bars, and you don't know where you will end up.

Mistakes also become frequent.

This is the brain circuit of a tennis beginner.

However, through repeated trial and error, unnecessary horizontal bars are removed, and an efficient path to the destination becomes visible.

It is a straight line to the winning ticket (Related article: "4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4" vs. "32 wrinkles!").

▶Let's have your brain run on a "beaten path"

Improvement in sports, including tennis, follows this mechanism.

By experiencing mistakes, information such as "this movement, balance, or timing is inappropriate" is accumulated, and the neural circuits in the brain are organized into simpler and more stable paths.

And by repeating those movements, balance, and timing, the circuits become stronger.

This is a change that happens unconsciously.

▶People who don't improve at tennis even after repeating mistakes

However, even if you make mistakes on purpose, your athletic ability won't improve, right?

That is because the movement, balance, and timing become conscious (Related article: Being conscious makes it "forced").

"But I don't make mistakes on purpose, I make a lot of mistakes, but I don't get better..."

People like that aren't making mistakes on purpose, but they are "reacting" to their mistakes.

Because they think "Oh no" or "Darn it," they increase their guilt and get trapped in that loop (Related article: "Practice not reacting" accelerates improvement).

▶"Not feeling down" is not about suppressing emotions

It can be expressed as a "mentality of not feeling down even when you make a mistake," but this does not mean denying the feeling of being down itself.

When you are in a situation where you can feel down if you want to, feeling down is "being yourself" (Related article: True "toughness" is gentle).

However, the reason we feel down when we make a mistake is because we think "mistakes are bad" or "things you shouldn't do," and in reality "It's okay to fall down a lot. If you do, you'll get better"—.

If that is the case, you won't naturally feel down without having to force yourself to suppress your feelings.

▶When coaches get angry at mistakes, students' play becomes "safe"

We tend to seek only ways not to make mistakes.

Even now, in the field of coaching, there is a trend of getting angry or blaming students who make mistakes (Related article: You can win because you don't get angry—The "new power of coaching" shown by Koryo High School's mid-tournament withdrawal and Naomi Masuko).

In order not to be scolded, they become a "goody-two-shoes".

As a result, your play becomes increasingly inhibited and passive.

▶How to become someone who improves quickly and to a high level

Instead, to stop making mistakes, you must accept them.

The reason why seemingly carefree, "natural" people sometimes improve faster and to a higher level is because of this (Related article: The true nature of Kei Nishikori's dexterity was his "vector of consciousness"—Words from Tatsuma Ito).

The difference between those who improve and those who don't, even when doing the same practice, is not talent or sense.

It is how you handle mistakes.

They likely weren't taught from a young age that mistakes are bad.

If you don't react with things like "Oh no" or "Darn it," you can continue to focus on the ball.

You could also say that because you are focused on the ball, you don't react with things like "Oh no" or "Darn it."

Such players go on to acquire bold and aggressive play.

▼Information on "Tennis Base Method: A Theory of Improvement Without Fixing Your Form"

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