2nd in a series on Effortless Effort
As a young coach I always encouraged my players to think. I would hear other coaches use phrases like: “Use your mind”; “You’re not thinking”; and, “Start focusing”. I naturally assumed these phrases were helpful. After meeting and spending time with the Linetskaya family, I became very interested in Eastern philosophy and the martial arts approach to training. I asked many questions and read many books. I wanted to know what made players act so differently from each other under competitive pressure.
The more I learned about it, the more I realized that the best performers have the ability to empty their minds, not fill their minds, when performing under pressure. This is absolutely the opposite from what I had been proposing. One day I came across this fascinating little book in the sport section of a bookstore called Zen in the Martial Arts. This book is where I first learned about mushin, a Zen expression meaning “the mind without mind”. The players I traveled with became very familiar with the word from then on.
Mushin is a state of “no-mindedness”. That is, a mind not fixed or occupied by thought or emotion and thus open to everything. Mushin is achieved when a person’s mind is free from thoughts, anger, fear or ego during battle or everyday life. There is an absence of discursive thought and judgment, so that the person is totally free to act and react towards an opponent without hesitation and without disturbance from such thoughts. At this point, a person relies not on what they think should be the next move, but rather on their trained natural reaction (or instinct) and intuition. It is not a state of relaxation to the point where you feel sleepy, however. The mind is instead working at a very high speed, but without a specific intent, plan or direction.
Some Zen masters believe that mushin is the state where a person finally understands the uselessness of techniques and becomes truly free to move. In his book, Zen in the Martial Arts, Joe Hyams claimed Bruce Lee read the following quote to him: “The mind must always be in a state of flowing, for when it stops anywhere that means the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption that is injurious to the well being of the mind”.
After learning about mushin, I started to pay more attention to what the best players and coaches were doing on the road. Before this I was never able to understand why the great coaches like Bob Brett, Heinz Gunthardt, Darren Cahill, and Severin Luthi spoke so little during practice sessions and competition. I asked Gunthardt about it while he was coaching Ana Ivanovic. Gunthardt was a very well- known coach having worked with Steffi Graf and Jennifer Capriati for years. He explained to me how important it is for a player at competitive level to be able to perform without the mind interfering. Tim Gallway, in his book Inner Game of Tennis, says players should work on quieting “Self 1” so that “Self 2” can be activated. He’s referring to the right side and left side of the brain and how we can train one side to take over when needed. The right side of the brain is the creative side, whereas the left side is the analytical and judgmental side.
Does the body indeed think? It does when you cease to interfere with its deep-seated intelligence known as instinct or intuitive physical response. Does the mind dance? It does when you free it to flow with life’s natural processes, when you loosen your tendency toward critical judgment and control.
Mushin can change a player’s ability to compete. The best way to accomplish an empty mind during competition is through rigorous training. The top pros’ training sessions are much harder than any three- set match. Vigorous training establishes good technical, tactical, mental, and physical muscle memory. Your central nervous system stores every action you program it with. In competition you need to be able to turn off outside influences and allow the muscle memory to perform without interference.
I have to admit, I’ve possibly used the word mushin hundreds of times watching my players compete. It is technically considered illegal coaching, but I considered it encouragement. Sometimes, I could actually see the player’s body language changing after hearing it. You sometimes have to be reminded to stop thinking.
When I work with younger players, coaching the parents is sometimes more challenging than coaching the kids. Parents need to know a little bit about the psychology of the game and how their actions can actually be detrimental to a player’s ability to compete. I recommend to parents to strictly play a supportive role and to leave the coaching to the coaches. Gunthardt said to me that even a single word or gesture at the wrong time from the coach can throw a player off his or her game completely. Instructions, interferences, and thinking should be done on the practice court. Competition is not the time for it. Especially during a tournament, parents need to be able to not interfere and let their child quiet the left side of their brain so the right side can do its job.
Rhythm & Flow Tennis 