It's not about being elite. I know a ton of guys in the bodybuilding community, and they basically say "if I don't think I'm going to WIN, I'm not even going to start."
So now it's been three years since they've stepped on the stage. That's a ton of wasted time for a "bodybuilder".
I don't get that way of thinking.
When I compete in sports, I compete to have fun, make friends, and compete to NOT GET LAST PLACE. This isn't my passion, it's my fun man-outlet. Let the maniacs have first place.
> It's not about being elite. I know a ton of guys in the bodybuilding community, and they basically say "if I don't think I'm going to WIN, I'm not even going to start."
Yeah, this is a trap. I actually enjoy the training, as long as I'm seeing some progress.
> When I compete in sports, I compete to have fun, make friends, and compete to NOT GET LAST PLACE.
I'm not interested in the social aspect at all, for better or worse. In part this is because I've seen social / club players fail to improve because of bad habits they pick up and reinforce during social play. My parents spent a bunch of money on training, but I also picked up a lot of bad habits due to incorrect technique from parental coaching.
I should say that for me the sweetest moment is after hitting an ace, a winner, or running down a ball I didn't think I could get. It's not necessarily about the win, but about the perfect shot, the sweet feeling of it, the sound of it, the smell of the ball, etc. So, that's definitely something I can still enjoy.
I spent some time this fall solo-practicing against a ball-machine and watching Roger Federer videos on Youtube. My backhand is better than it's been at any point in my development.
I think it's important to aim for excellence, not just competence, because I see many players' development limited by basically not taking the sport seriously.
But of course, what ever makes you happy. My cruel task-master is that excellence makes me happy.
So overall, very positive. The core of the regret is more like -- huh, if I had realized how to study / train systematically ten-twenty years ago I could be on a different trajectory.
It's not about being elite. I know a ton of guys in the bodybuilding community, and they basically say "if I don't think I'm going to WIN, I'm not even going to start."
So now it's been three years since they've stepped on the stage. That's a ton of wasted time for a "bodybuilder".
I don't get that way of thinking.
When I compete in sports, I compete to have fun, make friends, and compete to NOT GET LAST PLACE. This isn't my passion, it's my fun man-outlet. Let the maniacs have first place.