Part of reason why I love tennis so much is that it mirrors life so well. On a daily basis I’m able to teach children and adults alike important lessons that can help them improve not only their game on the court but also their outlook on life.
Just yesterday I was reminded abruptly of one of these examples. In an attempt to gain some strength and weight I’ve been lifting weights with a trainer once per week for the last 8 months or so. My natural body type is very thin and my metabolism runs like that of a humming bird to boot so gaining mass and muscle is extremely hard work for me. Of course I get very little sympathy when I talk about this “problem” and I completely understand why, but just trust me when I say that I really push myself hard in the gym for small gains bit by bit.
So yesterday I was laying on the weight bench doing work on what I’m weakest at: the bench press. Believe me when I tell you this; when I do bench press with my trainer I’m extremely uncomfortable through most of the process. I start out by lifting only the bar to warm up, 30-40 reps. After that we add enough weight that I can only push the bar up six or eight times before I can’t do it anymore with stretching in between to get my left shoulder fully loose.
Now the uncomfortable part comes. We do sets with the same amount of weight that I could only do six repetitions with before but this time my trainer assists me after I am not able to push up the weight anymore with my own strength. I struggle hard against the weight and he helps me just barely enough to allow the bar to raise slowly back up to the top. After doing this four or five times we do the reverse, he pulls the weight up for me up to the top and then I try my hardest to keep the weight up as it falls back down to my chest. When the bar gets to my chest he pulls it back up and I push my hardest against it as it falls again down to my chest.
Please understand that my muscles were maxed out after the first six pushes up towards the ceiling and my trainer just “helped” me do another six on top of that, I’m working at least twice as hard as I ever could if I were working out on my own. This is a huge struggle for my body and it’s extremely hard work, it’s an uncomfortable place to be.
Without this discomfort and effort I’d never see the gains that I want to in my strength and weight. So much of life is this way, to gain what’s valuable we have to be willing to put ourselves out there and pay a price. As the old saying goes: “No pain, no gain” right? Very few good things in life are free, things that we can just walk up and take without any kind of sacrifice.
So let me ask you this: how often are you uncomfortable with your tennis? Are you stuck in a rut with your practice sessions? Have you been doing the same drills and hitting with the same people month after month or year after year? Maybe you don’t even have practice sessions per say, but rather get togethers with your tennis pals to hit balls around and enjoy each others company.
Is there anything wrong with being comfortable or just playing tennis to have fun and enjoy yourself? No of course not, I love watching recreational players play simply for the fun of it. Everybody has different goals and aspirations on the tennis court and if yours is simply to have a good time and get a bit of exercise then that’s great.
If you’re STILL reading this blog article, however, then I’m positive that you don’t fit into that group of players. You want to play the best possible tennis that your body and mind can allow for don’t you? In that case learn to enjoy getting out of your comfort zone on the tennis court both in practice and in competition. Are your overheads the weakest part of your game? Have somebody hit lobs to you until you make 50 of them to each side of the court. Are you scared to sign up for that USTA tournament at your local tennis club because every time you’ve played on you get terribly nervous and choke? Go sign up for it! Do you hate playing certain types of players on the court? Go find some of them at get their phone numbers, start hitting with them on a regular basis. Find what challenges your game technically and mentally the most and then put yourself right smack dab in the middle of it!
If you want to continue growing as a player in this great game you have to put yourself outside of your comfort zone, it’s the only way that you’ll continue to advance at a regular pace. Another great way of doing this is to find a “trainer” for your tennis game, a certified tennis professional. Just as my physical trainer pushes my body way farther than I ever could myself a tennis pro can push your technique, mental game, and strategy to the max much easier than you could yourself. After a while what used to be uncomfortable for you will become routine and no big deal, then go out and find more things to work on!
Now get out and find what makes you uncomfortable! Work on those things and your game will improve.
