Heart to Hearts.  Leaning on Jesus....and your Coach
It was raining today.  So much that we clocked only an hour on court the morning.  The rest of the day was spent in simple surrender to tears from heaven.

As with all rainy days, our substitute training schedule always kicks in.  Instead of on court, we alternate our training hours between the gym, the tennis lab and sessions with our sports psychologist. 

The rain always affords respite.  Not just for tired bodies, but for the mind.  Tennis lab sessions means watching match videos and analyzing motions and movement.  It's also always nice catching our coaches off court.

This time round, it was our sports psychology session that gripped me.  We spoke for almost an astounding two hours with our Sports Psychologist---Juan Ribas.  Among the many topics discussed, one thing that really stuck with me, was listening to Fernando, my tutor, talk about trust in the coach-player relationship.

I'm going to replicate the session here in brief notes, to give you guys a peek into the entire session.  Be warned, though---thought process is in note-taking format. 

10th June 2010. 2--3.50pm
Mental Session with Juan, Sports Psychologst; and Fernando, WTA Group Coach.

Warm up: relaxation techniques.  Deep breathing through diaphragm. 

Question poised: "How do you relax?" 

Juan got us to sit against a wall, lean back, close eyes and sink into deep, slow diaphragm breathing.  Focusing on breath and subsequent sensations in the body.

"What do you feel when you are relaxed?"

Two parts:  i) Relaxation through breathing.  ii) Channeling relaxation to addressing a particularly problematic area in your game with a blank/fresh mind.

Responses from group were mental, tactical, emotional obstacles.

E.g. Natasha wants to hit the ball deeper more consistently.

Jezzie to keep it together during tight moments in the match.

Angela: wants to not give up easily once she starts losing.

Vishesh--keeping the fear of losing out during match play.

Me: simply learning how to play with more calm.  Warm up, controls, drills, matches.  In every aspect.

We also stated their corresponding desire of what we wanted to see instead. 

Juan set us to visualize yourself positive, solving, overcoming that problem.  What specific image are you seeing in your mind?

Took time learning how to breathe, learning how to relax.  Is really easier said than done.  Review from most of girls after exercise ii) was themselves "feeling better".

But question:  is feeling better necessarily a good thing?  How much should we go by feelings to address the way we play on court.  // the Bible, how as believers we are not dictated by our feelings but by the Word of God.  How do I transpose that on court?

Pegging your play to your feelings sounds so dangerous.  Is a natural thing to do, but then your play becomes susceptible to what you are feeling that day.  It should be acknowledged, but also independent.  How to push two aspects farther from correlating?

My solution: Aim for calmness instead.  If you can keep calm, regardless of how you are feeling that day, you afford yourself a certain clarity of mind to see what needs to be done. And it's easier that way.

Three Aspects of Visualization
Internal Visualization
Related to how you view yourself.  Self-perception and image.  How you feel about yourself is very much related to do with how you view yourself. 

This naturally comes into play during tough moments in your match.  How, what do you think about yourself?  (How did he say to work on this??)

External Visualization
Very useful for dealing with technical aspects of the game. 

External comes in the form of watching videos, other people play, seeing how a particular stroke is to be executed.

Creative Visualization
A more long term aspect of visualization----it hankers after what you envision for yourself in the future.  Juan kept on using the 5 year concept.  E.g. going by your current internal visualization patterns, do you see where you want to see yourself in 5 years? 

What and where do you see yourself in 5 years?  What type of player do you want to be in 5 years.

Juan kept on reiterating, "You have to see it within, before it can even begin to show on the outside."

Topic of visualization lead to topic of trust and confidence in the coach.  During tournament play, it is natural to feel nervous. 

"If you feel nervous.  She feels nervous too.  If you feel like shit that day, who knows?  Your opponent could be feeling like shit that day too."  ---Fernando.

But the point is to communicate that with your coach.  There's something special about being on tournament.  The air is different.  It's electrifying.  People are charged.  And if this is your first time, there's bound to be jitters.

Even if you feel that way, communicate that with your coach.  He is there to listen. 

"Man, Sarah.  We're not Gods, you know?  We are here to help you."---Juan, when I confessed that sometimes I find it hard to speak to Fernando because I see that he is busy and I feel shy and embarrassed (yes I really do) trying to talk to him (even though I really enjoy doing so).

Fernando also shook his head and said "Well, if it is not a good time, I need also you remind me again that you want to talk to me.!"

I felt embarrassed and shy again.  I will admit this is largely because I respect them so much, I naturally feel like I shouldn't be bothering them, particularly when they are so busy.  And I truly do feel this way.

Fernando's subsequent comment about this, though, surprised me. 

"We feel more....(he struggles to find the word.  pauses, then smiles when he finally does)...useful.  Yes, we feel more useful, when the players want to tell us these (e.g. pre-match anxiety) things.  Being at tournament is not just about getting the court and the balls and the hotel.  It's about more things."---Fernando

"Sometimes when you don't play good, it's because of other things outside the court.  And if you tell your coach, he can understand you better and help you overcome it." --Juan.

"The players are not just numbers.  You can tell in this Academy because even though it is big, everyone knows everyone's name.  We are big, but we work in small groups.  And in our groups, we have the tutor and the players, and is much better when you come and tell us things because we need know.  We want know these things."  ---Fernando.

It was startling and surprising hearing this.  I have always wanted a relationship like this with my coach, but at the same time, have always stopped short, I've realised, simply because of cultural inhibitions.  I've never gotten so close to my coach for all my badminton and tennis years.  The pedestal of respect and propriety has always been of utmost primacy.  It's strange, to think that my coach wants me to tell him how my weekend was, or if something is bothering me.

If anything, it got me walking away thinking, how blessed I am to have the coaches that I do.