14 Nov 2014 15:36
Making It a Habit through Mental Practice
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 FeedBack ( 0) Here’s that key element for effective mental practice that I promised last issue. When you practice pickleball in your mind you must be in an altered state of mind -- a state where the subconscious is dominate, not the conscious mind. An altered state of mind is natural and you go in and out of it every day; you just aren’t aware of it. Scientists call it the "alpha" state; athletes call it the "zone;" we call it "daydreaming".
There are many ways to get into alpha. Here’s the most common: sit in a comfortable chair and let your body relax. Relax one muscle at a time starting from head to toe (or toe to head, it makes no difference.) It might help to imagine a wave of light flowing down your body as you relax each muscle. Pretend this wave has the magical ability to totally relax your muscles, all your muscles including those involuntary muscles controlled by your subconscious. Did you catch the word "let?" Let your muscles relax; muscles can’t be forced to relax.
If imagining a magic wave of light sounds silly, here’s another bit of mental wisdom: Your subconscious mind is illogical and immature. So imagining silly images makes a stronger impression on your subconscious than using logical, sensible ones. Now that you are physically and mentally relaxed and in a dreamy state, see yourself executing an ideal drop shot from the service line. See yourself returning drop shots from all positions on the court. Each time you hit the ball, it drops in your opponent’s kitchen. See and feel your feet moving to get into the best position before you swing. Feel your leg muscles as you bend your knees to hit low balls. Picture making each shot over and over -- always perfect. See it, feel it, hear it and delight in the emotion connected with hitting precise shots. Emotion, the electro-chemical power in your subconscious, makes this process more effective. Repeat this scenario with each stroke -- serve, return, drop shot, dink, volley, lob, smash and overhead.
Athletes at all levels use guided imagery. Pitchers see themselves in their mind’s eye throwing the ball to an exact spot. Golfers see themselves making a perfect swing and picture the ball landing on the green near the pin. Skiers map the fastest way down a slalom course and imagine making perfect turns through each gate. Pickleball players envision deep serves, dazzling drop shots and blazing put-aways. Try it. And soon it will become habit!
Reprinted on Winning Pickleball from USAPA Newsletter. Original source: Harry Carpenter's 'Pickleball: The Mental Side'; see Resources side panel.
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14 Nov 2014 15:01
SaddleBrooke Ranch Clubs "Headline" feed open for business
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FeedBack ( 0) Welcome to the SaddleBrooke Ranch Clubs "Headline" feed, where you can expect to find any news going on with any of the participating organizations that they care to issue to this feed. If you click the title of an item in this feed, you will open the item in the feed where this item was originally posted.
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