Rhythm & Flow Tennis

3rd in a series on Effortless Effort

Water is soft and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome what is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft, is strong. Most of us really believe that if we try hard, our efforts will be rewarded. I used to encourage my players to “try more”.  Yet, when I studied the best performers in elite competition, it always seemed like they weren’t trying that hard at all. Their efforts seemed effortless.

While traveling, I started to notice a definite distinction between the players that played stressed (mostly caused by overly involved coaches and/or parents) and players that played relaxed and free (mostly encouraged by less instructions and/or non-interfering parents).  Because coaches, parents, and players shared the same hotels and transportation, it was easy to study these groups of people. I noticed that a lot of the tension was created, not only during competition, but also off the court. I can write a book about all the drama that goes on off court. I named one group “the actors” and the other group “the reactors”.

The “actors” were more aware of everything going on around them. They were definitely more independent and self-responsible. They looked relaxed and confident. I noticed during competition the “actors” were able to improvise under pressure and they were able to anticipate very well. The “reactors” were very unaware of their environment and dependent on instructions. They always looked stressed out and blamed everything and everybody else when things didn’t go their way. They had little sense of self-responsibility. I also noticed they lacked the ability to improvise and anticipate during competition.

One year at Wimbledon, a rain delay forced us to practice indoors. We were assigned a court next to Roger Federer and Tommy Haas. I watched them train for an hour. They were both very impressive, but, after an hour of intense training, Federer looked like he could easily train for a few more. He barely broke a sweat yet never gave up on a single shot or point played. At first I thought Roger Federer was just trying to have some fun since it was raining and he had nothing else to do. He didn’t seem to try very hard at all. Then I realized how intense the training really was. His level of relaxation had nothing to do with the level of intensity. He was so relaxed and effortless that it seemed he wasn’t trying.

The ancient Japanese art of aikido teaches us that the less resistance you create, the more efficient and effective your action. By trying too hard, you actually create enormous tension, stress, and anxiety that impede performance. Try to do some pushups with your arms tensed, then do a few with your muscles relaxed. That difference you feel is similar to the difference between trying too hard and playing relaxed and free. As you compete or perform, relax. Don’t force your muscles. Let them yield, not harden.

The Taoist paradox “soft is strong” was followed religiously by Bud Winter, coach of many prominent Olympic athletes. He developed what he called the “ninety percent law”. This says that running or performing at ninety percent effort stimulates relaxation and results in faster movement, more strength, sharper vision, less fatigue, and an improved sense of well-being. A relaxed body-mind is a common characteristic of all great athletes in all sports. Their optimal performance occurs when their physical, mental, and emotional selves are relaxed and working harmoniously together prior to, and during, a performance.

Even nature survives better under the “soft is strong” rule. We relocated years ago from South Carolina to Florida. A few weeks earlier a massive hurricane had hit south Florida. The first thing I noticed was the trees. All the bigger, rigid trees were gone. The younger supple trees had survived. The softer approach should be applied to your tennis and your life in general. Experiment with it and see how your results also go from soft to strong.