Three Things from Tennis This Week

I continue to play more and more tennis throughout the summer and after taking a 12 day break for Yellowstone, this week has involved recovery of many of my strokes.  But there was also a lot of positive lecturing from the coaches, would had just returned from coaching a big college-style national tournament for 18s.  Why does each lesson, moral, expectation and example I grasp through tennis tie ever more closely to my values in life?

1. You’re never going to walk onto the court with everything feeling good. Alex told us that.  And the best solution is to work around what’s not feeling good by exercising and empowering what does feel good.  Today in fact, I played a match, losing 7-5, 3-6, and 7-10 in the tiebreaker with a broken forehand pressure shot.  I had several well played setups which led my opponent to return some shorter, easily attackable shots which I put away into the net and out long several times.  While I was playing, I kept thinking to myself, why is my forehand not working!  It was frustrating.  My strongest, most aggressive shot, the one that I loved to win points with, the one that boosted my confidence wasn’t winning me the points I’d set it up to win.  And undoubtedly, I was forced to change my play and utilize my backhand more.  I credit that slight shift to not losing 10-0 in the tiebreaker.
2. If something’s not working, find another way to win.  There’s not one way to be successful, in a game and in life. Enough said.  
3. Find purpose in every shot.  Bryce gave us an example of finding purpose from when he was coaching Sectionals.  The number 1 player from New England was playing against another player from a different section of the US.  He lost the first set 6-0.  Bryce talked to this player and asked, what’s your purpose in each shot? With a slight adjustment to his backhand, he managed to win the next two set 6-1, 6-1, winning the match.  Every shot should be hit with some purpose, showing that the player is thinking ahead and anticipating what may happen next. I hope to have insight and purpose in everything I do. At Andover next year especially, when there is a 24 page list of clubs to choose from knowing there always seems to be a paucity of time, when there is are so many organizations I want to be a part of and courses I want to study, I know that finding a long term, ultimate goal will help me make smarter, short term decisions with purpose in the present.

The more I play tennis, the more I’m beginning to feel that tennis is an snapshot of how I act in stressful, high stake moments in my life.  Tennis exercises my ability to remain calm under those circumstances.  Tennis is life in a short, competitive period of time.  Tennis is teaching me life, as I’m seeing how strongly each stroke, each error and each moment I feel like I’m going to lose is like a mini representation of a setback or a choice I’m inevitably going to make in later years.