Advantage: Nerd

What constitutes being a nerd?

A)    Having a 4.0 GPA

B)     Going to the library three days a week, even without the delicious task of completing a research paper

C)    Staying home on a Friday night to play Scrabble with your friends

D)    Swapping a TV show for the Pickwick Papers

E)     All of the above

Being a nerd has many advantages. Certainly in the classroom, nerds strive for straight A’s and always complete their homework assignments in a timely manner. The occasional nerd will sometimes go above and beyond the assignment and include portions of their own research when turning in homework. Nerds often have their noses in books. In my opinion, nerds are also knowledgeable on various subjects. They aren’t strictly “nerdy” about one specific area or topic. They indulge in everything and yearn to learn!

What does this have to do with tennis, you ask? Being a nerd has many advantages on the tennis court as well as off. Think about the best tennis players. Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf were students of the game. They didn’t get to the top or reach their tennis peak by neglecting their “studies”. Sampras learned to hit a one handed backhand because it would make him a more intelligent and efficient tennis player. He learned from the best coaches in the industry and maintained his focus throughout his career. Graf was a versatile player on clay, grass and hard court surfaces. She did her homework by spending hours before her matches warming up and stretching in preparation of her task.

Intelligence in a tennis player is too often overlooked. Tennis is a physical game. Perhaps more importantly and primarily, tennis is a mental game. The mind is involved strategically in reaching the next level for every player. Tennis nerds know all about the industry. They can tell you which racquet to buy if power is your goal, or if control is your desire. Tennis nerds know which racquets are head-light or head-heavy. They know the difference between a backhand topspin and a flat backhand. They can feel the difference. With intelligence comes a keen sense of intuition. Scholars are so familiar with their studies they can often dispute any argument to the contrary.

Intelligence alone does not make you a winner. Students who study the most do not always go home with the best report cards. Similarly, tennis players who know every move in the book or read Tennis Magazine religiously, are not always at the top of the ladder. One must have the mental capacity to apply their knowledge. Tennis players must possess the talent to apply their knowledge of the game during a match. Talent is the precursor. Intelligence adds to strengthen that talent. So, not ALL nerds have the advantage. But it would be a crying shame to not be a tennis nerd if you really loved the game.

I think a real nerd is someone who writes about being a nerd. Hmm…

“Baby you’re so smart, you know you could have been a schoolbook”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCtVLo7VA-k

Depth

“We could have had it all rolling in the deep…think of me in the depths of your despair”

Depth is a purposeful action in tennis. It’s a place on the court you’re trying to reach in order to outmaneuver or outwit your opponent. Coaches often say, “lob deep” or “hit deeper shots to the baseline”. Depth, in this case, is positive. Deep drives are well-hidden. They’re meaningful. It takes concentration to master a deep lob when a menacing opponent is swaying their racquet at the net.  In tennis, it’s usually the deep shots that are the most challenging to both place and return.  

Life is abundant with examples of depth, having both positive and negative connotations.

Take a deep breath. How do you feel? Deep breaths allow us to buy time and relax when we’re stressed out or angry. Depth is fulfilling.

Are you in deep trouble? Depth is a challenge. A mistake. A change you endure.

Have you ever seen someone in deep thought? What does that look like? The person is usually centered on something very specific. Nothing else matters to them. That kind of depth is equivalent to concentration. Depth is reflective.

What does it mean to be deeply in love? Certainly, nobody has ever been shallowly in love with someone. Depth has meaning and intensity. It has layers. It develops.

Deep is sometimes an adjective used to describe a color. Deep purple or deep blue. These are profound, rich hues. They are not mild, but severe colors.

Depth has many meanings, depending on the context. There is one commonality: depth is a challenge. It’s more than scratching the surface. You can’t reach depth too easily. People don’t just get themselves in deep trouble overnight or fall deeply in love within minutes (despite what the movies have you believe). Depth is a level you achieve, usually by overcoming, enduring and sacrificing. I remember in high school it took me several months to perfect the deep lob. My paltry pats to midcourt were useful at times, but I watched in wonderment as my opponents would always at least lay a racquet on those lobs. I had a hard time adjusting my stroke to achieve depth. I needed to bend my knees more and angle my racquet instead of keeping the face flat against the ball. It took several weeks of practice and failing during matches. I sacrificed points in order to practice my adjusted lob stroke. When I finally learned to hit deeper, arching lobs, I noticed how few of my opponents could decently return them. I had achieved depth, a purposeful and meaningful action. Depth can be rewarding, especially when it occurs in the context of the tennis court.

Don’t hit too deep, however, or your shot will land out of bounds. Even depth has its limits.

“You had my heart inside your hand and you played it to the beat”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRUkdQa6Is

Of Importance

“It feels so good in a dream I know in life it’s just gotta be”

When I was nine, I used to sings songs by the Mickey Mouse Club band, The Party. I dreamed of some boy singing to me. It seemed of relative vast importance to have a boyfriend. After all, most of my girl friends were already talking about having them. We used to sit around at lunch and rank who we thought were the cutest boys in school. We could only get away with this nonsense because we were silly schoolgirls. Really we hadn’t the slightest clue what we were talking about or what was truly important.

What is most important in your life? Is it your family? Does fame rank as your top priority? Is faith central to your life? Perhaps it’s a combination of many facets. Our priorities shift during each stage of our lives, but I would guess there are a few “of importance” aspects that carry a heavier load than others. Reflecting on your priorities is not an exercise in futility. Rather, it’s a great way to understand the life around you.

In tennis, it’s easy to say everybody weighs different aspects of their game on different scales of importance. Some players swear by their serve or impeccable footwork; others rely most on their stellar forehand down-the-lines or attacking serve and volley style. Many players think it’s their speed and quickness to net that crushes opponents. These concrete examples are all tennis necessities. More abstractly, what characteristics of the game matter the most? What characteristics of your personality matter most in life?

Tennis players win by being accurate. Winners place their shots where their opponents cannot successfully make returns. Accuracy ranks, but is it of most importance? What about consistency? It’s important in tennis not to yield to your opponent’s weakness. If you are a consistently hard hitter who faces a loopy lobber, do you remain consistent? Do you flake out and play to your opponent’s style? Consistency is the key to tennis in my opinion. You can be the swiftest player on the court or have the best backhand stroke. Your accuracy may be so top-notch it defies logic. Even so, the best tennis players, the players who win the most, are consistent. That’s not to say those same players are predictable. They are anything but predictable because they are so consistent. What a fascinating paradox.

In life, I argue sensibility is of importance. Sensible people make good decisions, remain calm under pressure and often generate positive results that benefit others. Sensibility is the accuracy of tennis. It’s not as important as consistency. Consistent personalities succeed. If you’re lucky enough to have this vital quality, you probably know what you want in life. You do what you have to do to get there. In other words, you’re goal-oriented and well-adjusted. Just as in tennis the player who is most consistent prevails, consistent people always know their part. So whether you rank family, fame or faith as your chief concern, make a consistent effort to reflect on what is most important. Then ask yourself why. Why does it matter? A consistent tennis player would ask questions.

Maybe schoolgirl crushes have meaning after all. You have to start somewhere…

“I’m trying to say I wanna be your number one”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1PaOziQrzc