Mental Tennis: Finding The Zone

In most sports, players are obsessed with finding "the zone". It is this area in which your mind is fully focused on your task and nothing else.  As a former martial arts teacher, I liken it to fighting in which all of the sudden your opponent can't lay a hand on you but you can see and take advantage of every opportunity.  Its like you are watching a movie in which you are the hero.  The only problem with the zone is that once you realize you are in it, you cannot achieve it anymore because you have lost your focus.  What I've understood is that finding the zone has a big part in what TYPE of player you are.  So we will examine the player type as well as their zone inducers.

Forcing the Zone

Your zone is basically a deep form of meditation in which you try to find a quiet area in your mind with which to focus on things OUTSIDE of your mind.  A good way of doing this is to form a mantra to keep saying to yourself until you have found that space.  Find a saying that gives you a feeling of success and say it until you believe it.

Defensive Player

The player that runs everything down has the easiest chance of finding the zone simply because they are already thinking more about stopping you than playing well. With this sort of mentality, it is easiest to fine the zone when you set up a scenario in your mind that you are a victim and your opponent is the bad person that is trying to destroy you. 

Note: it is the very nature of a defensive player to DENY that they even play defensively.  Fortunately for them, whenever they feel stress mentally their brain creates a representative that plays defensively for them.  When that representative arrives,  The zone is there.

Aggressive Player

The player that likes to hit balls hard is ego driven.  They play so that other people and they can be impressed with the powerful shots they hit.  They are very internally driven.  Because of this, they want to use the scenario of being an unstoppable force like a tornado.  You should be shocked that the other person is out there trying to stop you.  Most of the problem that aggressive players have is that they go for winners.  This is the wrong idea.  You want to BEAT UP your opponent.

The type of Mantra you come up with needs to be one that makes your opponent into someone who is trying to make you look bad.  Try not to think about yourself because two bad misses can send you spiraling.  Focus on the destruction you cause in your strokes.  "Take that!"

All Court and Serve and Volley Player

These types of players are pretty vain in which their best playing mode is when they are just trying to show everyone how easy it is for them to be a genius.  Above all, their level of easy talent supersedes anyone else's ability.  "You might have better weapons, but I'm a genius."  Since being a genius most likely entails being awesome, all court/serve and volley players try to force it.  But being a genius means you can absorb and process lot of information very quickly, not pretend to be an aggressive player.

The type of Mantra you come up with needs to be one that makes you feel like you have a plan.  Then you would say the plan over and over until it becomes a part of your game that day.  Maybe "Attack the backhand" or "use the spin."

There are other ways to get into the zone of course.  Some sort of emotional peak like hatred of losing or love of tennis can help you find your zone.  Counting strokes helps you focus.  However if you work to become a certain type of person when you play, you can get to a point where you can activate it when you need it.

Next Tuesday :)