The Pendulum Experiment
How thoughts affect our body
We can do a couple of simple experiments and see the effect of thoughts on our body. First, you need a small, light pendulum. You can make one by using a paper clip and a sewing thread or a string. Just put the thread through the clip and have around 15cm of the thread left. Hold the thread with two fingers, lean on the table with your elbow and center the clip so that it's almost still. Now IMAGINE the clip moving from left to right without consciously moving the hand. Just imagine and watch. The better your imagination, the sooner the pendulum will start to swing left and right without you being conscious of your movement. You can make circles, imagine that it stops or anything you like. Now imagine you're playing a tennis match and you have a "sitter"; while preparing and hitting the ball there's a thought in your head:"I'm going to miss again!". What do you think happens? You probably miss. And when you return back to practice - do you work on your forehand beacuse it's still not "good enough" and "lets you down" or do you work on keeping the mind silent during the stroke? There is an even more powerful demonstration with the pendulum. Center the pendulum with your hand and your thoughts and "tell" the pendulum with your mind NOT to move left and right. Just keep telling it: don't go left and right, just please don't move left and right, no, no, not left and right, ... What happens?
Another mind - body connection example is a lemon story. Imagine a lemon in your hand. Feel the texture and the weight of it. Put it on the table and imagine cutting it with a knife. Take one of the slices and take a good bite into it.If you feel your mouth fill with saliva, then your imagination is vivid enough and that is how your body reacts to it. Hopefully you have by now realized the power of our thoughts and that we must take them very seriously - especially if they don't serve us the way they should. It is very important that you are aware of your thinking and consciously change thoughts if you discover that your mind is full of negative ones. Thoughts influence our body and movements in both a conscious and subconscious way. Sometimes you can feel the tension in your body which is based on your worrying thoughts. And sometimes you cannot feel anything, but your shots land just outside of the court. Negative thinking can affect that. Did you know that 1 degree change of your racquet face results in 40 cm difference of where your ball lands? Negative thoughts are undoubtedly capable of changing your racquet face for a degree or two just the same as they can move the pendulum around. Take care of your thinking and you'll witness an incredible improvement of your game. Back from Pendulum Experiment to Tennis Psychology
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