The following is a transcript of part three of the Game Changers Webinar.
Billy:
Wanna take a second and segue over to Kalindi because, you know, obviously OnCourt OffCourt, all this started from Tennis. And then came in the Pickleball. And a really big push these days, too, for OnCourt OffCourt has been in the Wellness area.
And that’s why I love what you guys do, it’s really for the whole person, the whole player. You know, that’s what being a game changer is really all about. It’s not just the technique and the training aid and those things. That is the mental health aspect, wellness; all those things.
And Kalindi, I know this is something that’s very near and dear to you. And would you mind sharing just- real quickly, about what OnCourt OffCourt’s doing from a wellness perspective, and I believe they have maybe even an exercise or something that we can walk through right here to kind of, you know, give an example of that mental health wellness.
Kalindi:
I mean as Joe is talking about these stories with the kinesthetic aids, I mean I kept almost interjecting and saying, “yeah, I mean that’s exactly what we’re doing on the, you know, with the off-court piece.”
And I’ve done many different mindfulness trainings and yoga trainings and, you know, it’s all about getting out of our head, which you get thinking and anxiety. And that’s also how you know if you’ve ever had the experience in a tennis match or pickleball match or just any sport or life, like “I’m getting tight and choking.”
That’s when it’s the mind, you know, taking over, and we’re not feeling, we’re not flowing. So it’s like that’s yeah I feel like the OnCourt OffCourt name had some you know predestination there and foreshadowing; our OffCourt Wellness line more since it’s, you know, exactly as you said, Billy. It’s about the whole player, the whole coach, making sure that they’re taking care of themselves, on and off the court.
And yeah, I was, you know, a competitive tennis player for many years as a junior, saw that my body had injuries, learned the hard way of how to take care of myself better. And we’ve had different full-on webinars and discussions around that so I, won’t, bore everybody by talking for like an hour nonstop on that but yeah. Just briefly wanted to share an easy mindfulness exercise that can be done really anytime.
It’s a great one to do before you get out onto the court. Whether it’s for practice or a match, it can be done first thing in the morning before that and really, it’s just a good basic check-in with the body and the breath to see how you’re doing. And you know the more you practice bringing yourself back to the present moment, the easier it’s going to be to translate that in any situation, whether you’re trying to relax on a forehand because you’ll notice, ‘Oh, I’m starting to do that thing again where I’m getting tight, and I’m over thinking,” and you can sometimes it’s enough just to recognize, the recognition is the first step.
Because what happens? To most people, it’s at the end of the day, the week, the month, year – and they just feel so stressed. But where does that stress come from? Where’s the root cause? And the more you notice it, in the moment, like, “Oh, I’m feeling some anxiety here. Oh, I’m feeling that here. You know what, let me take a couple of minutes. Let me slow down, Let me breathe.”
The more you can be in the present moment, that’s what, you know, leads to happier coaches, players, and people.
If you guys are willing, I’ll take you through it. It’ll just take like a minute or so.
This can of course be extended longer. But I’ll just give a little bit of a taste, and it’s basically a check-in with the breath and with our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in the body. So, a good way to recognize what’s going on and be able to release some tension. Go ahead and get comfy wherever you’re sitting, maybe shake out your arms and legs a little bit.
Let out a nice deep, full exhale. And then allow that inhaled breath to arise naturally if it feels comfortable. You can close your eyes or just take a soft, unfocused gaze in front of you.
How you take your practice from here is completely up to you. If you’re serious about your overall wellness, you’ll want to check out the rest of our Game Changers Webinar right here
Kalindi Dinoffer is trained in multiple aspects of mindfulness in life and in sports, sharing on her blog MindfulKalindi.com. She is also certified to teach yoga, fitness, reiki, and MFR. Kalindi also serves as VP marketing at OnCourtOffCourt.com, a leading supplier of tennis, pickleball, fitness and yoga training aids and equipment and has been published in Tennis industry Magazine and Pickleball Magazine, and has conducted workshops at conferences around the world. In her spare time, Kalindi plays tennis, pickleball and table tennis and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and biking and cross country skiing in the winter.
