A Guide To Flow In Tennis

What is Flow exactly?

Flow is a certain state of mind, when you are feeling strong, you are not afraid of failure; you have the feeling that you enjoy, every shot goes automatically, and you keep winning points.

9 COMPONENTS OF FLOW

1. Challenge-skill balance

2. Merging of action and awareness

3. Clear goals

4. Clear feedback

5. Concentration on the task

6. Feeling of control

7. Loss of self-consciousness

8. Transformation of time

9. Flow experience

1. Challenge-skill balance

It’s all about subjective skills!

You must have the feeling that you’re good enough to face the challenge.

When you want to develop yourself every time, it’s important to learn how to create a new challenge. When your challenge is a little higher than your level, then you are on your way to Flow and you’ll experience optimal quality and satisfaction.

When the challenge is too low for you, it’s boring. When the challenge is too high for you, you have fear.

The tennis player must learn how to create new challenges when he’s bored or when he has fear. The player can change his challenge and show his unique skills.

Don’t focus on trying to avoid failure but focus on the possibilities of the challenge.

Fear of failure > scared of challenge > not raising your level.

Fun in tennis > improve your achievements > appearance of Flow > raising your level

2. Merging of action and awareness

This happens only with positive subjective skills. You’re focused on your task.

Good preparation gives you self-confidence and brings you closer to Flow. The preparation is good when everything goes automatic during the match. You don’t have to think anymore and you are one with your task. 

3. Clear goals

In advance, knowing exactly what to do to achieve your goal.

In advance, there’s already confidence in a good achievement.

4. Clear feedback

Feedback of your body (kinetic awareness, feeling)

Feedback from outside:

– opponent

– coach               

– audience

– venue

– material (racket)

5. Concentration on the task

Action-thinking, don’t focus on a result but focus on your task. This gives less pressure, and the better you do your task the better the result.

To be successful on the highest level, it’s necessary that you can raise your level above your normal level.

Positive self-talk is important, avoid negative self-talk.

Focus on your task and don’t focus on the result.

6. Feeling of control

Feeling that you are unbeatable.

That causes you to have no fear of failure, you have the feeling that you can face the challenge.

7. Loss of self-consciousness

Because you have no worries anymore about yourself, you can focus on the match.

You don't have to worry anymore about how other people look at you; you have no doubts and you're in control.

8. Transformation of time

Flow gives you a transformation of time.

Time seems to go faster or slower than in reality.

Running to reach a drop shot, time seems to be longer during Flow (slow-motion).

Long exciting match, time seems to be shorter during Flow.

9. Flow experience

Flow gives so much satisfaction and Flow is such a boost, that you maintain playing matches trying to come back into the Flow.

THE PRESENT: A ROAD TO FLOW

Flow depends on the focus on the present, the tennis player is totally into tennis. The most important thing of being into the Flow is concentration on the agreed tactics.

The past: a road to nothing

You can’t get back to the past.

If you still trying this, your current performance (present) will be bad.

The future: a road under construction

Thinking in the future prevents thinking in the present, your current performance (present) will be bad.

Return to the right path

When you’re focused on the present, everything seems to be very easy. The reason is that intentions and evaluations are no part of your thoughts, and the only thing that you are aware of is the present.

MEANING OF GOALS

Goals are necessary to lead us the way, but reaching your goal doesn’t have to give you the ultimate satisfaction.

The journey (present) is the most important, not the destination. (future)

When you have reached an excellent achievement, afterward you have often an empty feeling. Especially when the tournament victory or the high ranking was your goal (destination), instead of the quality of the road to that tournament/high ranking. (journey)

Thanks to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi for the inspiration and guidelines!