“If and when we are at peace and in harmony with ourselves and our bodies, we are also in harmony with our surroundings: positive sensations produce positive attitudes.”
Communicating with the ball means internalizing some “implicit” norms regarding certain elements of the game situation—such as spatial-temporal orientation on the court, perception of trajectories, speeds, and spins—which consequently affects how you search for it and the mechanical execution of the shot.
However, this should be understood as a harmonious and dynamic ensemble of synergistic, coordinated, and combined movements. Overthinking the technical execution makes the movement mechanical and the player almost robotic, who knows what to do but cannot adapt to unpredictable and sudden situations in tennis, which require unique and timely adjustments.
Just as in communication with others, it is necessary to differentiate certain parameters, such as linguistic levels, based on the interlocutor and the context of the interpersonal exchange, similarly, considering the ball as a living entity (a life we give it while we keep it in play, making it travel from one side of the court to the other) and thus having communicative power, the adaptations required for the successful execution of a specific action plan (the correct execution of the shot) are fundamental and indicate a form of collaboration with it for the final outcome (of the single shot, a point, the entire match).
The “true” contact with the ball implies a kind of controlled smoothness, which could be described as a “retained speed”: the ball remains in contact with the strings for the time needed to ensure optimal return and placement in the opponent’s court, without hindering the speed of the shot execution.
This ability, let’s call it “retaining,” primarily comes from an advanced internal, proprioceptive awareness, developed through constant work and commitment over time aimed at refining it.
Every time you hit the ball, you give a part of yourself to it, and this affects the opponent’s response; it’s as if you are sending an “active” message (of action) that returns as another new message, and this interactive exchange continues until one of the players decides to end the communication (with the ball!).
The communicative return from the ball is achieved when it falls as and where it was intended, demonstrating the player’s ability to have transmitted the right inputs or data regarding the path it was supposed to follow.
If we are at peace and in harmony with ourselves and our bodies, we are also in harmony with our surroundings and can consciously transfer a part of ourselves into the object of our action and the specific real situation in which we want and decide to operate.
Starting from the concept of the kinetic chain—which is now frequently observed in practice—as a sequential link of all the forces (of body segments) extending from the ground to the ball to generate power according to correct biomechanics, one realizes what it means to approach our sport “from within”: experiencing and re-experiencing sensations, either disconnected or connected, of varying or similar intensity, which can gradually become a reference set useful for orienting not only in the motor learning of specific gestures (especially thanks to feedback from the musculoskeletal system and sensory organs) but also in mental attitudes and emotional management in a highly unpredictable sport like tennis.
According to Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs”—which influences the motivation or drive to act of almost all human beings—after physiological needs (hunger, sleep, etc.), there would be among others, the need for safety, followed by (in order of importance) self-esteem (confidence in oneself and one’s abilities), directly preceding and prerequisite for self-actualization.
Therefore, repeating or attempting to reproduce certain movements over time to “relive” specific sensations that generate pleasure and satisfaction could be a rather effective method for alleviating anxiety, focusing your attention and energies on constructive goals that over time could also reduce the risk and consequent fear of making mistakes.
Positive sensations produce positive attitudes.
by Lilly Raffa
(italian tennis coach)
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