I haven’t touched a tennis racket in three months—I’ve been busy training Muay Thai. But today, I went back on the court and was amazed at how good I felt. The first five minutes were rough, but after that, I was loose and in rhythm. My game felt smooth.
It reminded me of days when I used to train almost every day, even studying tennis technique and taking notes. Despite being intentional, my game often felt off—my serve toss was inconsistent, and I made too many unforced errors.
In The Inner Game of Tennis, the author Timothy Gallwey talks about Self 1 and Self 2. Self 1 is the ego-mind—constantly thinking, criticizing, judging. Self 2 is the body—the one that just plays. The goal is to let Self 2 take over and quiet Self 1.
That’s exactly what happened today. After months away, I had zero expectations. I wasn’t obsessing about technique or performance. My body remembered what to do. Self 2 was in control.
Sometimes the mind gets in the way of progress. Overthinking and constant self-criticism can become obstacles. The best progress often happens when you let go, trust your training, and quiet the noise in your head.