New Me!

I've been thinking about competition all wrong. For years I work at sportsmanship, techniques, and perfection when all along I should have thought about Winning! How could I thought of the game any other way when I grew up hearing, 'it's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.' I believed it and I believed I was superior for it. And I wondered why it felt so bad to lose, but yet feel I'm the better player. I finally gets it. It clicked in my head finally that I needed to play with my heart in it, with feelings, and a desire to win. I got it from reading 'Open' Andre Agassi's autobiography. He enjoyed winning. He liked thrashing his opponent. He felt good doing it. I realized finally that I would enjoy not merely beating my opponents not just winning, but thrashing them, make them be afraid. I started to work on different shots this week. Instead of trying to hit drives up and down the wall as precisely as I can, I started practicing smashing cross court volleys into the nick. It FEELS great! I have never experienced that euphoria before. It was a primal aggression. As soon as I see the ball coming I smash it. I don't wait until the ball comes to my reach to strike it. I reach out to smash it. That's truly playing aggressively. I had no idea what it meant. I just thought aggressiveness was a clinical description of playing in quick tempo; taking time away from your opponent by hitting the ball earlier. But I realize it is also the selection of the shot - shooting for the nick from the T, making your opponent dive and lunge. That's what being aggressive is all about; making your opponent fear you. I get it now. I started playing my new shot right away against Keith H. in a box match. He's been giving me trouble ever since he came to the club two years ago. I never get more than 4 points from him. I lost this match, but not before taking him to 3 tiebreaks in 4 games and having game point in two games and converting one of them. During the whole match I was smashing winners from the T and making him off footed and demoralized. He's a tough fighter though and with confidence built up over a couple of years of beating me soundly he carried the day. I felt so damn good from playing aggressively that I even liked the sound of hitting the tin. I can tell it makes him cringe and then sighs relief. That's how it feels to be aggressive and I LOVE it. I vow I will never play conservatively again. Forget about Richard's clinical lessons. I'm going for the kill.