On The Firing Line
By J.P. O’Connor
Mental and Emotional Skills: Part 61 of a Series
Mental and emotional skills may be learned just as certainly as Physical and Technical skills. This is a classic reprint and was originally published in 2001 as Number Eight in the series.
Many years ago, I had the
distinct pleasure and privi- lege to meet and chat one- on-one with Arthur Ashe. He was the fi rst black athlete in professional tennis and devoted his later life to nu- merous causes. Some say the pinnacle of his tennis career was in 1975 when he defeated Jimmy Connors for the championship at Wim- bledon. Others say it was his spectacular win in the U.S. Open in 1968 – as an ama- teur. Since 1997, the U.S. Open championship fi nals are played in a stadium that bears his name. He was very well-read, thoughtful, ar- ticulate and an international ambassador for his sport and country. A model of decorum, his demeanor on and off the court was above reproach. He said that some of the keys to his success were the mental and emotional skills that he had learned. He fi rmly believed that these skills could be taught just as certainly as physical and technical skills. Because of his race, he
developed in the sport un- der constant scrutiny. As such, he was taught at an early age by his father and his fi rst coach to always maintain his composure. For
“Arthur Ashe” by Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo - National Archief Fotocollectie Anefo Item number 927-7839. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 nl via Wikimedia Commons
eight summers - starting at the age of 10 - he saw a sign on the wall that read: “Those whom the gods wish to de- stroy, they fi rst make mad.” He also came to understand that he could learn from his mistakes and rattle his op- ponents at the same time. He embodied the concept of our sport’s “Eights are your friend.” “[Dr. Johnson] instructed
Arthur and his other young charges to … smile at their mistakes. Ashe still does. It drives teeth-gritting, racket- throwing opponents to dis- traction. “They think I must
be goofy,” Arthur says.” [Sports Illustrated, 1966] Ashe learned his ten-
nis lessons – and his life lessons – under a system of strict discipline. And he thrived in such a system. He knew that to excel he had to learn and work hard. “He was taught some
basic strokes by a young player named, magnifi cent- ly, Ron Charity. What Arthur received from his father wasn’t quite encourage- ment. Call it surveillance. Once, having thrown his racket in frustration, Arthur heard the screen door slam
and looked up to see his fa- ther bearing down on him. He has yet to throw his sec- ond racket. Ashe never chafed un-
der his father’s rules or un- der those of his coach, Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Jr., of Lynchburg, Va., who took him in during summers after Arthur was 10, adding him to a stable of young black play- ers. Johnson insisted that in tournaments his boys play any shot that was an inch or two outside the line as if it were in. Johnson shaped much more than Ashe’s game.” [Sports Illustrated,
July 2015 | USA Shooting News
49
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