Remember our experiment from Part 1?
We had two equal groups of untrained wine drinkers and they all tasted a particular wine.
While one group wrote a description of the wine, the other group did a crossword.
Okay. I’m not saying you should have a few glasses before a game.
What I am saying is if you know what helps you be better at Wine Tasting – and why – you’ll know what sort of practice and training to do so you get the best results in a game.
Let’s look at an experiment to show you what we mean.[1]
We’ve all experienced it.
You’ve got a thundering and relentless forehand when you’re practising. But when you’re playing a real game, it disappears.
But what’s this? It comes back when you’re practising again.
What’s going on? And what can you do about it?
What can champions do that you can’t? Well, there’s probably plenty of things. But there’s one particular thing they do and you don’t – at least don’t do as often and as well.
It’s they get ‘in the zone’ or have a ‘flow experience’.
So would you like to get ‘in the zone’?
Want to return serve like Roger Federer? Is this even possible? Or has Federer just got a natural talent.
If it’s natural talent, you’re probably out of luck if you didn’t receive a good share of return-of-serve genes.
But is it really your genes or is it something else that’s holding you back from being the champion you deserve to be?
Want to be a champion table tennis player? Or at least someone who can throw their weight around at their local club?
Well, the starting point is to get yourself a classically correct technique.
So how do you get it?
Don Bradman advised young cricketers to ‘keep their eye on the ball.’ And a long line of cricketing giants such as Geoff Boycott, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer have also said it.
But there’s a problem.
The Don couldn’t do it. And neither could Boycott, Hayden and Langer.