Bounce, hit, <breathe> Bounce, hit, <breathe>. Some people learn to play tennis by focusing on saying “bounce” when the ball hits the court, and “hit” when they make contact with it during the stroke. Often, I have used the “bounce hit” mantra on the tennis court, either for myself to redirect my focus, or with my students to make things simpler in the learning process. It is rythmic and regulating, and it can be calming and meditative, a gateway to emptying the mind, a possible avenue to flow.
What happens at the exact moment of the hit, or the point of contact? It is an infinitesimal moment of space and stillness, before the ball explodes off the strings. Nothing, or maybe everything, happens at the point of contact. Bounce, hit, <breathe>, and then there is space, a quiet mind. If we use bounce, hit <breathe> to quiet our mind on the court, we are in essence practicing mindfulness, or creating space in the mind. Try aligning a ‘6-2-7’ conscious breath (see my former blog post about 6-2-7) with “bounce-hit-breathe.” ‘Bounce’ = inhale through the nose for 6 counts. ‘Hit’ = hold for 2 counts. ‘Breathe’ = exhale for 7 counts through the mouth.
What a helpful skill we can transfer from tennis to life! Bounce, hit <breathe> can help us face any tough competition, like even the coronavirus. Mindful space can be a key strength during competition on or off the court.
“Mind full” or “mindful”? I start all my psychology classes with a mindful moment, which allows students to internally check in with where they are. It is amazing how 60 seconds can help clear the mind, let go of the unnecessary, and bring one to the present moment. The mindful moment creates space, just like the point of contact.
Jon Kabat Zinn, a mindfulness guru and founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction, talks about resting in the point of contact. He says “by applying mindfulness at the point of contact, at the moment of contact, we can rest in the openness of pure seeing, without getting caught up in our highly conditioned, reactive and habitual thinking or in a stream of disturbance in the feeling realm, which only leads us further away.”
If we apply mindfulness at the point of contact, we can simply rest in the stillness of the space, and not get caught up in our thoughts, which may be reactive or negative. Bounce, hit, <breathe>. Absorb into the hit so that attention is still, and sink into the space, like a head sinks onto a soft, down pillow. We often say keep your head still on contact. Head still, mind still.
Bounce, hit, space. Rest in the point of contact. Sometimes this helps us play better. In tennis and in life.
In tennis, if we can achieve mindfulness at the point of contact, we might be able to free ourselves from other “mind too full” chatter, and rest only in what is, at that very moment. And, if we can rest in that one moment of contact and find space there, we can do it again. Shot after shot. Moment by moment. And, off the court, if we can string together a few ‘shots’ of mindfulness we can rest more and more in the non-conceptual, non-reactive, awareness, which makes us an even tougher opponent for anyone, or any virus to beat.
Bounce, hit, <breathe>. Space.
