Relationship to Something New

I've been thinking about the excitement and expectation that beginning tennis players bring with them. Fiances, who want to join their partner on the court and new mothers, who want to join their husband and baby boy out there one day, have this palpable enthusiasm for making something happen. Relationship, of one sort or another, tops the list of motivations for many tennis players.

Then there is another aspect of starting something new that doesn't necessarily correlate with all those hopes and dreams I just mentioned: skill. Sure, the last couple of weeks might seem to prove me wrong here. The ability level of my new beginning players has seemed off the charts as far as focus, coordination and improvement. A six year old, with only three lessons under his belt, hit his target (one tennis ball placed on top of a triangle of balls - not a big target) on two occasions, from over twenty feet away. A woman that had, more or less, never picked up a racket before almost knocked me over when she took to the concept of smacking a two handed backhand. These feats seem to argue that a high level of motivation means that a student will also lead to a high level of achievement. After all, that little boy really did want to impress his mother, big brother and sister out there with him that day. And, that Mom, motivated to play with her own family was, coincidentally, playing on the court next to a family of three about the same ages as her own. So, desire and motivation equals success, right?

Let me explain my understanding with a short story. I'm out in the backyard, motivated by our little girl on the way. Our first child is due in November and we need a refinished dresser to use as a changing table. I am beyond excited to welcome my baby into the world, but this venture of staining a dresser is a first time thing for me. The can I picked up is both a stain and a lacquer finish in one. It explains, right on the label, all I need to do is apply this stuff on top of the old finish and that is it, I'm done. So, I've got my air compressor, spray gun, mask and everything else out in the middle of the day, during the hottest part of the summer, in Houston. Amy had done this many times, but these fumes are just no good for her pregnant condition. I've got a feeling that I'm some sort of hero braving the elements in order to provide my family with some much needed furniture, and in a cost effective way at that. But this was my first time, and I just didn't anticipate, well ... I'll let you imagine the results. The short story is I ended up learning the difference between 3M brand and dollar store sandpaper. If you've never refinished a dresser, like me, what I'm saying is I goofed it up the first time around. Now our end product is sitting in the nursery, and I'm very proud of it. However, the enthusiasm factor didn't really trump my skill level in this case.

There are so many factors to learning a new skill set and, by definition, these skills are a whole new set of skills. I believe it's true, the way you play at one thing is sort of a reflection of the way you work with another. What we do in life and how we do it certainly carries over a bit from one thing to the next. But, it is also true that without some humility and patience, I never would have finished that dresser. Enjoyment and enthusiasm may be number one, but patience and perspective, and that huge list of things that also comes with experiencing a craft for yourself, are also important ingredients for a successful game.

I really do enjoy meditating on the success of tennis students and I don't mind writing about it a bit as well. Since I try to post something in here every month or two I figured it was about time. Hopefully, someone will gather something from this. At the least, I'm continuing to reflect on where my tennis players are coming from and how I can feed their need to play. What a game it is to play!