How many times have you performed a great rally in tennis, padel or pickleball just to miss "the easy one" or the "put away"? You may have said to yourself or vocalized to everyone, "How could I miss the easy one?” We have all been in this position. Many athletes will blame their hyperfocus or lack of focus in that moment. Was a lack of focus really the issue?
Nature, at that moment, was overriding the athlete’s frontal lobe, mistakenly perceiving that the ‘put away’ is what I call "the last grab.” The last grab is done with force since nature thinks there is finality to the moment. Nature wants to make sure that the prey is caught before it escapes, therefore, rushing the brain into tunnel vision. This incorrect form of focus in a recreational sport requires finesse to finish the activity.
Nature has a default setting called fight-or-flight governed by a gland called the amygdala. The sole purpose of the amygdala is survival. It will choke off the frontal lobe, needed to perform tactics and techniques. Nature’s instincts perceive that the finality of the moment means the prey is going to get away or vice versa - becoming the prey. This sudden action is what causes us to miss ‘the easy one’ and then blame ourselves.
Be aware that the finality of the situation, especially when force is involved, can cause the brain to be overridden. Nature and the amygdala have no idea that humans have recreational activities that resemble survival.
To overcome the amygdala response, it is vital to keep the head or eyes in place instead of looking at the target. Holding the eyes in place helps the brain to stay in the zone versus being pulled into a "rush” or tunnel vision which overrides the frontal brain.