Book 303 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title: Tennis is a Fight of Character!

Book – Levels of the Game by John McPhee

Book Description:

This account of a tennis match played by Arthur Ashe against Clark Graebner at Forest Hills in 1968 begins with the ball rising into the air for the initial serve and ends with the final point. McPhee provides a brilliant, stroke-by-stroke description while examining the backgrounds and attitudes which have molded the players' games.

Reflection:

You know what I love most about being a lifelong tennis player, tennis is the ultimate expression of the inward Chris coming out through my play on a tennis court.

Who you are on the inside will be revealed on the court, whether you like it or not. The old saying, How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything is true and tennis is a great example.

When we step onto a court to play tennis against an opponent, it is more often a battle of character than a battle of skills in my opinion.

Here are some examples of the characters I’ve encountered on the court over the years.

You will have the calm player, the takes everything too serious player, the makes every excuse possible after each shot all match long player, the grinder, the bully player, the never complains about any call player, the overly aggressive player, the overly defensive player, the never take a risk player, the goes for too much player, the complains about every call player, the player that yells at himself out loud, the player that yells at himself in his head, the player that jokes around too much, the player that talks to much to the opponent, the player that talks to much to himself, the player that throws his racket, the player that makes bad calls on purpose, the player that plays games within games just to annoy the opponent, the creative shot maker that pulls shots out of their butt, the player that is the strategist and tries new things, and the worst of them all, the player that gives up and walks off the court when they know they are beat.

So, who is Chris Sears on a tennis court?

For most of my life, Chris Sears on a tennis court was a temperamental one-trick pony.

I had no strategy, I didn’t warm up, I didn’t study my opponents, and I didn’t take the game all that seriously. I had one weapon, my forehand. Don’t get me wrong, it was a hell of a weapon, but it was one weapon. I didn’t care who I was playing, I was going for my one shot and would try to dictate the play to my opponent. Even though I’m only 5’5, I was a pure power player. It was hit a winner or bust for me. Play fast, strike first, and hope that I can sustain that for the whole match. I adjusted my game for no one. I was either going to win or lose myself and that was it.

When I was on, I was happy go lucky, smiling, and engaging in small talk with my opponent during change overs.

When I was off, I was yelling at myself, angry, frustrated, and embarrassed that I was most likely losing to someone else that I deemed “inferior” to me skill wise.

After meeting Emilia and chasing my little lioness around from value to value for the past 3 years, the place that I most often see the biggest changes are in my tennis game.

No longer am I the player I described above, some elements remain, but that description couldn’t be further from how I would describe my game at this point.

Today, I’m a student of the game. I’m constantly learning out on the court, using my creativity and problem-solving skills in each match I play, analyzing my opponent and adjusting my game accordingly, focusing on endurance and consistency vs power, and doing my best to play with integrity and humility while enjoying the hell out of my time on the court.

I use tennis as a way to connect all of the lessons that Emilia and I are learning through our YOML journey and putting them into practice out in the real world. I think about the match beforehand, I talk to my elephant, I visualize shots, I acknowledge and address weaknesses and actively try to improve, I’m more patient (nowhere near where I want to be), and I respect my opponent and their game at all times.

Shocker, I’m way better at tennis than I’ve ever been at any point in my life as a result. My game has slowly improved these past few years and through the compound effect has reached a point where I’m unrecognizable from the player I once was.

People that I’ve played against for years as my old self literally ask me, “What changed?” after they see me play. What changed was everything…Emilia, YOML, values, and purpose. I’m not the same person I used to be and my character on the court has evolved with me, and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

I want to be like Arthur Ashe says and try to play “Mentally Tight and Physically Loose”. I want to know who I am and bring that person with me every single time I step onto the court. From there, I want to let my elephant just be an elephant for a few hours and give my rider a break.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have all kinds of bad habits that Emilia and I are working through while I’m out on the court. That will continue to be my only goal with tennis until the day I’m no longer able to play.

Question: What character traits do you want revealed to the world through your actions?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - Levels of the Game