Tennis and Metaphysics
JIMMY PARKER
AH, METAPHYSICS. Something recondite, abstruse, hidden, difficult to explain, esoteric, even mystical. And yet we tennis players deal with it every time we step on the court. The game befuddles us with its complexity and astounds us with its simplicity. It all comes to a head in the instant when we contact the ball – where the intangible becomes manifest. Where our intention is played out in the physical world. It’s truly where the rubber meets the road.
Beneath the surface of the physical game, which we can watch on television, there lies a complex of currents invisible to the eye. Every shot that is struck by the players we’re watching is the culmination of a process that involves a veritable plethora of factors. And in match conditions, each shot selection decision is made in fractions of a second. Yet it would be almost impossible to pin down all the factors that went into the choice of that particular shot! Was it the position of the opponent, the wind, our own confidence in a particular response, habit, the difficulty level of the incoming ball, what our coach told us before the match, our prior experience with this situation, or what? What influenced our instantaneous selection of the shot we chose? Maybe all of the above and more.
We as competitors are well aware of the daunting difficulties that all of this poses. Like life itself, it presents us with layers of paradox – relaxed intensity, unconscious consciousness, fluid exertion. Just when we think we’re beginning to make headway with certain challenges that the game confronts us with, we’re likely to have our egos served to us in a bucket. And speaking of that, what role indeed does the ego play in our growth anyway? Is it a cruel taskmaster or an impetus to achievement? Another factor that plays into the mix….
One of the things that has always drawn me into the world of sport is the way that it presents us with a microcosm. So much of what makes sport so alluring is that it reflects the world at large. Many of the same dramas that play out in our lives are there on the playing field. How else to explain why millions of fans are drawn to spend billions of dollars to vicariously experience what is happening there in the heat of competition? Hopes, tragedy, dreams, failure, disappointment, and exhilaration – the agony and the ecstasy. They’re all a part of the human tapestry, and if we look and feel closely, all of them surface in the world of sport. (Our sport in particular because it is such an individual game.)
As you have undoubtedly noticed, tennis is complex. At its highest levels, it demands almost preternatural skills. Otherworldly reflexes, coordination and speed are essential. The game provides the opportunity to exercise a multiplicity of physical skills with spontaneous creativity, and demands contributions from our mind and character. If you play for long enough, you notice that unnumbered nuances come into play. The trials and fiendish frustrations, the demand for patience, the rigors of preparing for peak performance, all give us glimpses of ourselves, for better or worse. One path to enlightenment just might involve time spent on a tennis court!
As tennis and my inner self became better acquainted over the years, I saw reflected in the game many questions that I was encountering from within. Does every thought, feeling, word, and deed have consequences? Could a simple change of attitude affect and possibly even determine outcomes? Could visualizing goals really make their attainment more likely? Does the lens through which I choose to observe the world really determine what I see? Can that lens be constructively changed? What role does our will play, and how much is already written in the book of karma? Can we both “go with the flow” and yet proactively shape our future by having a clear vision of what we truly want? Can we be fully invested in our efforts and still practice non-attachment? What impact on our spiritual development is involved here?
The experience of engaging with the game of tennis provides the crucible in which to experiment with how we can grow. Small changes and tiny adjustments ultimately yield big differences. Just maybe, our unfoldment on the court helps us to become a self in touch with more of our own potentials. There is so much work to be done in the process of our becoming the best version of ourselves! Can we actually evolve ourselves enough to treat the imposters of Triumph and Disaster just the same? What a saintly achievement that would be!
I have a feeling that tapping into these often-hidden pathways in our development is the gateway to marvelous realms. They hint at the outer boundaries of human potential. So, the way out is in – into the deeper layers of our psyches. Therein lie the keys to the kingdom.
Which happily reminds me of one of my favorite quotations from Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy that sums it all up pretty well:
“The game is a mighty teacher, always ready to lead us on. In all of that, it is a microcosm of the world’s larger discipline – in it, you glimpse the essence of what the world demands. It is a good stage for the drama of your self-discovery. As you grow in the game, you come to see the things you learn there in every other place.”