It's funny how things come together sometimes to bring home a lesson. Recently, my "coincidence karma" has functioned well, and information I needed has come via unusual sources.
I subscribe to a blog by a man who espouses mindfulness, among other things. His most recent post described information he'd gleaned from a book about tennis written in the 1970s. The blogger wasn't interested in tennis, but he was fascinated by Dr. Simon Ramo's premise that most of us play the "loser's game," where a win is the result of the loser's actions rather than any talented play by the winners.
Contrast that with the "winner's game" played by professionals. Their game features excellent serves, intense focus and preparation for each shot, long, spectacular rallies, and brilliant recoveries. In time, someone takes a risk and attempts a put-away shot or precisely targets a shot that's unrecoverable. At this level, winning points—rather than making mistakes—determines the outcome of the game.
I subscribe to a blog by a man who espouses mindfulness, among other things. His most recent post described information he'd gleaned from a book about tennis written in the 1970s. The blogger wasn't interested in tennis, but he was fascinated by Dr. Simon Ramo's premise that most of us play the "loser's game," where a win is the result of the loser's actions rather than any talented play by the winners.
Contrast that with the "winner's game" played by professionals. Their game features excellent serves, intense focus and preparation for each shot, long, spectacular rallies, and brilliant recoveries. In time, someone takes a risk and attempts a put-away shot or precisely targets a shot that's unrecoverable. At this level, winning points—rather than making mistakes—determines the outcome of the game.
Amateurs lose points. Professionals win points.
For the bulk of us who are not (yet) pros, Ramo insists that the key to winning is allowing our opponents to defeat themselves by making mistakes. He compiled an extensive database of points scored in actual tournaments by both professional and amateur players. Ramo found a consistent pattern: in the winner's game of professional tennis, superb offensive execution accounts for approximately 80% of the points won. Conversely, about 80% of the points in amateur loser's games are lost due to unforced errors.
Bringing this wisdom to the game of pickleball is a short hop. All of us have watched games between our amateur peers and wondered at their unnecessary mistakes. (Of course, it's always easy to be a great player while on the sideline.) Pros don't make those mistakes anymore. They've perfected their play and progressed to the point where each player is only slightly more skillful than another.
I'm assuming you're an amateur pickleball player, if you've read this far. What advice can you take away from Dr. Ramo's words?
Whether you want to win more amateur games or become a pro, your strategy should be to recognize and then eliminate the costly errors that defeat you. In the long run, doing this will benefit you far more than learning how to make that super shot down the sideline.
To learn more, pick up a copy of Dr. Simon Ramo's book, Extraordinary Tennis for the Ordinary Player. (Many libraries shelve it.) His wisdom can benefit nearly any endeavor, not just pickleball. For a shorter read, check out an article from the New York Times that gives some insight into Ramo, the man, and excerpts some the concepts from his book.
I'm assuming you're an amateur pickleball player, if you've read this far. What advice can you take away from Dr. Ramo's words?
Whether you want to win more amateur games or become a pro, your strategy should be to recognize and then eliminate the costly errors that defeat you. In the long run, doing this will benefit you far more than learning how to make that super shot down the sideline.
To learn more, pick up a copy of Dr. Simon Ramo's book, Extraordinary Tennis for the Ordinary Player. (Many libraries shelve it.) His wisdom can benefit nearly any endeavor, not just pickleball. For a shorter read, check out an article from the New York Times that gives some insight into Ramo, the man, and excerpts some the concepts from his book.
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