Robinson: Play in the Moment
by Jake Putnam
On the court, in any championship, Fred Robinson plays tennis in the eye of a huricane. No mater what's going on around him, he's fixed on one thing: the ball. A tough mental game and legendary concentration has lifted the former Airborne Ranger to the number one ranking in Men's senior 55 division. Fellow players say he's the Roger Federer of the senior set because of that purpose and precision. I sat down with this remarkable athlete, the conversation went something like this:
What can average players do to play more competitive matches:
Obviously fitness is a very big part of it and being steady. Play your shots and learn some patterns. When you’re in position, most people will try to beat their way out of the paper bag, instead waiting for it to get wet and walk through it. When a good player is forced he tries to go for too much instead of keeping it simple like just hitting at the opponets feet. A shot like that is percentage and an excellent way of opening up an angle on the next shot, a shot that you can put away.
Are you playing to win, or playing to win the point?
I don’t really play to win the game, I just follow the ball. What difference does it make if its 5-0 or 0-5.? I still have to hit the ball in front of me and I'm not going to hit that next ball differently. It's best to play even, play all the points the same. If you're opponet hits a winner, he made a great shot; you move on.
How important is it to get off to a good start?
Its important how you start a match, but critical how you finnish. Even if you fall behind stay in there with your head, stay focused and just play the ball. I play every ball, but just a ball at a time. When a point is over, its over, I can't carry the weight of that point into the next ball, its too heavy. Carry enough failed points and the weight of that keeps you from swinging the racquet.
Do you think a few balls ahead?
No, I play the ball. I do look for patterns on players, I look for patterns they don’t like. I go after those patterns as much as possible.
Do you have a lot of thoughts, dialogues under your breath when you play?
I don’t think when Im on the court, I play on instincts, thinking is very slow, being analytical is slow, points go by fast. Analytical players are in the past, theyre always thinking after the point, what they should have done. That doesnt give you much time to play the ball in front of you. Instincts will let you drive forward of what you are supposed to be doing at that moment. If you are in the zone you are not thinking about anything, you are simply tracking the ball and making shots.
So the best players in tennis have the worst memory?
Yes. I just want to keep coming out, I imagine a blank slate. It doesn’t matter what the score is, if you miss the ball, as soon as you miss the ball, that’s past, its only exists in your mind as a memory. You see, it doesn’t exist anymore. Again, people will carry that forward for a few points and it affects play. So dropping a ball into the net, ‘Ill
Obviously fitness is a very big part of it and being steady. Play your shots and learn some patterns. When you’re in position, most people will try to beat their way out of the paper bag, instead waiting for it to get wet and walk through it. When a good player is forced he tries to go for too much instead of keeping it simple like just hitting at the opponets feet. A shot like that is percentage and an excellent way of opening up an angle on the next shot, a shot that you can put away.
Are you playing to win, or playing to win the point?
I don’t really play to win the game, I just follow the ball. What difference does it make if its 5-0 or 0-5.? I still have to hit the ball in front of me and I'm not going to hit that next ball differently. It's best to play even, play all the points the same. If you're opponet hits a winner, he made a great shot; you move on.
How important is it to get off to a good start?
Its important how you start a match, but critical how you finnish. Even if you fall behind stay in there with your head, stay focused and just play the ball. I play every ball, but just a ball at a time. When a point is over, its over, I can't carry the weight of that point into the next ball, its too heavy. Carry enough failed points and the weight of that keeps you from swinging the racquet.
Do you think a few balls ahead?
No, I play the ball. I do look for patterns on players, I look for patterns they don’t like. I go after those patterns as much as possible.
Do you have a lot of thoughts, dialogues under your breath when you play?
I don’t think when Im on the court, I play on instincts, thinking is very slow, being analytical is slow, points go by fast. Analytical players are in the past, theyre always thinking after the point, what they should have done. That doesnt give you much time to play the ball in front of you. Instincts will let you drive forward of what you are supposed to be doing at that moment. If you are in the zone you are not thinking about anything, you are simply tracking the ball and making shots.
So the best players in tennis have the worst memory?
Yes. I just want to keep coming out, I imagine a blank slate. It doesn’t matter what the score is, if you miss the ball, as soon as you miss the ball, that’s past, its only exists in your mind as a memory. You see, it doesn’t exist anymore. Again, people will carry that forward for a few points and it affects play. So dropping a ball into the net, ‘
So if you miss you are immediately adjusting, correcting and moving on?
Thats right, So if I hit that ball into the net Im saying immediately: height, to program in my mind to hit more height next time. Then
How do you play a 30-15 or 15-30 point?
I may play differently. If its 40-love I may serve and volley and something more offensive. Again, I don’t play to win the point, I don’t play to win the games, I don’t play to win the match, I don’t play to win the tournament, I just play the ball when it comes across the net. If you're doing those other things then you're on a rollercoaster with too many ups, and too many downs. I don’t want to ride with everyone on that rollercoaster. I just want to play every ball. I focus on trying to stroke the ball as well as I can everytime I hit that ball. I don’t think there's a big point is there?
All tennis balls are equal?
They're all the same, play every ball with the same focus and the same intensity. Its like if you're getting ready to hit a freethrow in basketball, if you miss, you lose the game. That ball is not going through the hoop, because its different to you and more importantly you're not in the present tense.
Where is the zone, where is optimal performance?
Most of the players I see are either in the future or in the past, they either hit the ball and they are thinking about for the next 5 minutes that they shot themselves in the foot with the ball. If I shoot myself in the foot with the ball, it doesn’t exist anymore. I got to play the next play. If I am up 4-1, I start thinking Im going to hold serve, Im not on the court in the present anymore. Im in the future, so the only time you are on the court in is in the present. Being in the Zone is being in the present, the zone is never in the past or future. Once you get that, you need to stay in the present as much as possible. I can close to the net and have a sitter and miss, but its physically imposible to affect the next shot.
Most of the players I see are either in the future or in the past, they either hit the ball and they are thinking about for the next 5 minutes that they shot themselves in the foot with the ball. If I shoot myself in the foot with the ball, it doesn’t exist anymore. I got to play the next play. If I am up 4-1, I start thinking Im going to hold serve, Im not on the court in the present anymore. Im in the future, so the only time you are on the court in is in the present. Being in the Zone is being in the present, the zone is never in the past or future. Once you get that, you need to stay in the present as much as possible. I can close to the net and have a sitter and miss, but its physically imposible to affect the next shot.
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