Know how to play, but know how to win

Why is winning not merely an expression of playing? The idea that winning is more than playing your game, but picking and choosing that part of your game which is effective against your particular opponent, started to crystalize in my mind. As it were, I came upon this realization playing and beating two collegiate players who most probably are 3.0. Their similarity of play to my own spurred me to think about my choice of shots. Unlike playing tougher opponents who force me to play harder and more physical, I remained calm enough to think about which shots to play against Stanford and Wesleyan. It was certainly proof that playing club guys is dreadful indeed. Club players are characteristically one dimensional. That is to say a typical club player does one thing really well. Jeff's thing is drop shot. Playing against Jeff means keeping the ball away from the front half of the court where he lays his mean drop. To beat Jeff, I would have to repeatedly hit my calm drives that penetrate the back court. That's not to say this is a winning formula against all competitions. You have to feel him / her out and decide on which shots will win the match.