The Mustang Journal – What Tennis and Courtrooms Taught Me About Stillness

There’s a moment right before you strike the ball in tennis—or deliver a point in court—where everything holds still. Not quiet. Not calm. Still.

Your mind is alert. Your body is ready. But there’s a pause—a beat between the preparation and the action. And if you skip that moment, rush through it, or let nerves fill it, the shot falls apart. The argument unravels. You lose your rhythm.

I used to think being good meant moving fast—outworking, out-talking, out-hustling everyone around me. But over time, I realized the real power was in the pause. The controlled breath before the serve. The deliberate silence after a question in court. The space where the other side doesn’t know what you’re thinking—but you do.

Stillness is not the absence of movement. It’s the command of it.

Tennis taught me that. So did law. Both demand presence. Both punish panic. And both reward the person who knows when to act—and when to wait.

So whether I’m standing behind the baseline or standing in front of a judge, I carry that principle with me:

Don’t fill the silence. Feel it. Then move with purpose.

Sidebar

The Power of Silence in Negotiation & Courtroom Advocacy

In both litigation and real estate negotiation, silence is a tool—not a gap. Attorneys often use a well-timed pause after a question or proposal to force the other side to fill the void, reveal uncertainty, or offer more than they intended. Whether you’re cross-examining a witness or waiting on a seller’s counteroffer, the principle is the same:

Don’t rush to speak. Let the silence work for you.

Stillness isn’t weakness. It’s strategy.