[David Goldstein (2013.08.11.22:23)]
Dear Friends,
In the spirit of the Chapter 5 which we did last week, and
Chapter 6, which we are reading this week, I offer the following.
Chapter 5:
The Game of Tennis from a PCT view
Controlled VariablesPlay by the rules; Hit the balll over
the net and in the other personâs court one more time than the other person; have
fun; socialize; get exercise; follow a strategy based on the specific knowledge
about the other person.
DisturbancesThe other person returns the ball into your
side of the court annd it is not entirely possible to predict where the ball
will go. The kind of court makes a difference. The weather conditions make a
difference.
ErrorsYou hit the ball and it goes into the net or goes
outsside the bounds of the other personâs court. You mishit the ball. You hit
the ball after it bounces twice.
Behaviors/actionsHitt forehands, backhands, volleys, serves;
learn to do these things in special ways. Run to the place where the ball
lands.
Chapter 6:
Some hierarchal perceptions when hitting a forehand from the
baseline:
GripâContinental,
Eastern, Western. It used to be
taught, that the wrist should be locked after the grip is made. This involves gripping the racket tightly so
that there is no wrist bending during the stroke from beginning to end and the
hands are on the racket handle very tightly.
The tightness of the wrist joint
and fingers on the handle are lower level perceptions than the type of grip.
If there is zero tightness, the racket will fall out of the hand regardless of
the type of grip. For a given grip type, there can be different degrees of
wrist and finger tightness.
Movement of the racket to hit the ball flat, with underspin, or with topspin.
The grip is a lower level perception compared to the
movement of the racket. If we are not gripping the racket, one canât move the
racket through space. For a given type of movement, one can move the racket
through space with different grip types.
StrategiesHit where the person isnât. Hit tto the personâs
weaker side, usually the backhand. Hit
to the same place repeatedly. Hit âbehindâ? the personIf the person is moving
to the oother side of the court, expecting that this is what will happen, hit
the ball where the person is coming from.
Movement of the racket through space is a lower level than
strategies. If one does not move the racket through space, none of the
strategies can be applied. One can do any one of the strategies regardless of
how the racket is moved through space.
The general principle to decide whether a perception X is at a higher or lower level
than a perception Y seems to be: Does perceiving X depend on Y being perceived;
if so, then X is higher than Y. Or, does
perceiving Y depend on X being perceived; if so, then Y is higher than X. Can perceiving X happen without Y being perceived?
If so, than X does not depend on Y. Can
Y be perceived without X being perceived? If so, then Y does not depend on X.
This principle is useful in the clinical area. Let us
consider the following perception. X is âperceiving oneself to be honest.â? Y is
âperceiving oneself to be a moral
person.â? Can a person perceive himself/herself as honest, whether or not they perceive
himself/herself as a moral person? I
think that the answer is yes. Can a
person perceive himself/herself as moral whether or not they perceive
himself/herself as honest. I think the answer is no. This would lead to
the conclusion that being honest is at a lower level than being moral.
Higher level perceptions are more complicated than lower
level perceptions. They take a longer time to form. For example if I asked you
whether you perceive yourself as honest
versus whether you perceive yourself to be moral, which one would you answer
more quickly?