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| courtesy Head Tennis |
I have had tennis coaches say this, when you enter match play, play like you do in practice! How so often we hesitate in our actions when it really counts, and then what?
Hesitation equals defeat; can you imagine Olympic 2012 gymnasts Ally or Gabby if they hesitated a millisecond? And Jordyn, her eyes so glued to the balance beam, so practiced to the mat, what happened to offput her overall performance to disqualify for the all-around final, world champion at that?
I have been in tennis matches where I have personally hesitated, thinking too much and holding back my game for some reason or another, playing defensively. Not the way to go!
Tennis partners have done this as well, opponents, too, even at the higher levels. I think this very act of hesitation boils down to either a lack of confidence, or even too much confidence, you know you can do the task, you have done it so many times before, so what happens then? It is that fine line between knowing and the unknown, that gray area between what we know and making it real in the very the next millisecond.
Wow, what stress competition is! What a head trip! Regardless of the unknown which we cannot predict, we can measure our successes through developing a confidence level through consistency. All the while understanding that what we have can be taken away, sometimes life has other plans for us.
But what we do have is the gift of training, this is a goal and something we can do. Embrace it! And be happy wherever you are on the spectrum of competition.
Be resolute and have trust in your training, because, quite simply enough, you have worked hard and you know your training is correct.
This is what you do have, and life's vagaries come what may.
In words from Father Henri Martin Didon, Paris 1894, "Citius, Altius, Fortius," Faster, Higher, Stronger- the Olympic motto! ☀
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