Your comfort zone feels safe but that doesn’t mean it’s correct or helpful on the tennis court. For a long time, I was a solid baseliner and I felt confident playing without coming to the net. As I worked my way up the competitive junior tennis landscape, I began encountering players who kept the ball in the court with the same frequency and intensity. I lost my edge over my competitors and matches leaned heavily on battles of grit rather than skill and grit. I needed to develop new tools to compliment my solid baseline skills so I could establish an upper hand on the court.
However, instead of embracing change, I held on to what I knew for years. My development slowed down and I went from winning most tournaments to losing in the quarters or early rounds. This regression took place because I didn’t want to take risks. I prioritized safety and comfort over the uncertainty that comes with learning new tricks. I received plenty of good advice on what to work on but never accepted that I needed to go through the feeling of insecurity to reach the next level. I stubbornly held on to the way I was so I can feel good about myself and my game. In the short term, I got my satisfaction but, in the long run, I knew I was hurting myself.
I eventually embraced coming to the net when I started playing Division I college tennis. As part of a tennis team that relies on the doubles point to secure a lead, we spent at least half our practice sessions working on our net game. I had no choice but to go along. I went from being only comfortable at the baseline to feeling good playing from any part of the court. In the second year, my game began to flourish and I won nearly every match. I was finally able to claim that I played all-court tennis. This could have happened sooner had I opened my mind to learning new things.
A cause of my closed mind was fear. I was afraid of working on my weaknesses because learning something new meant I was going to experience failure. We should realize that most of our learning inhibitions stem from fear of failure. We can learn new skills just as well as anybody else. Our paths to obtaining new knowledge may be different and unique, but what stops us from learning when there is an opportunity is generally the same state of mind.
The beauty about developing new skills is that you add to the totality of your abilities. You get good at handling a greater variety of challenges over time as you work on new things. In my example, I needed to work on stepping in and approaching to the net. It wouldn’t have replaced my baseline game. Rather, it became an addition to my game and made a better tennis player. The best part about opening yourself to learning new things in tennis is that you will have an easier time doing the same for other aspects of your life.