JAK'S MONTHLY ESSAY SERIES: Achieving Your Personal Best
Get your JuJu on
Yes, you actually have magical powers relative to your existing game right now! We all do to one degree or another. It’s your own special brand of “Juju” – a term sometimes used in sports to refer to an athlete having it all working at a high level, i.e. he/she had their juju on.
But that’s only going to happen if you first tap into this potential magic physically. In tennis match play that especially means not standing around in between points aimlessly in a static state of match disconnection…”leaving the building” as the expression goes.
You’ll be dead in the water, unfocused, and unprepared to play the next point. Weak body language. Bodies in motion get going very quickly with an accompanying stimulated, alert mind. Bodies at rest are very s-l-o-w to get going with approaching balls potentially already traveling 30,40,50, 60 feet before you get your boots on. Asleep at the wheel.
Did you realize that the vast majority of the time spent on-court is actually in-between points? That time must be well spent to remain engaged all the time.
Maintaining motion after a point ends, while waiting for the start of the next, is key in staying truly connected to the action that’s about to begin again, over and over, all match long. An in between point choreography if you will.
This means pacing back and forth, tiger in the cage, in your positioned area and then ramping it up, energizing in place once the point is about to start. Even servers utilize this on tour currently. Think Bryan brothers generally – not sure what that reference is? Go to YouTube and watch the Bryan Brothers energize between points.
All this is particularly relevant in doubles - versus singles - where you might go an entire game with your partner serving without connecting with a single ball. Nonetheless, you’re keen and ideally ready to go in the event you do get one.
Also, a few minutes prior to your match start time it’s never a bad idea to get pre-energized by going for a slow, brief jog (around a court’s inside perimeter will do nicely) to get both your core body temperature and your heart rate up to be physically ready to play and also automatically more focused on the task at hand.
Finally, avoid watching teammates play points on an adjoining court when in between your points. Don’t be looking to see who’s in the stands. Pick at your strings like the pros to stay focused on the task at hand and in the moment on your match on your court.
Engage!
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