Win the Moment

“Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come.”—Serena Williams

I want to win the moment … this is something I often say to my players at the collegiate level. Serena Williams did the work and her record speaks for itself. Not only does she win, but she wins every moment. The way she carries herself on the court, the way she trains and the way she goes about her business contributes to her championship legacy. That credo, and using Serena as an example, can carry over to your everyday social game, your competitive game and in life.

Win the moment at practice. I arrive at practice several minutes before we are to begin. What I usually find is that players are sitting and waiting. That moment for exceeding expectation has come and gone for them to start practicing before my arrival. The players lost out on the best beginning of practice. I am speaking often to my players about raising the bar in everything they do. If you are doing one thing a certain way one day, be prepared to not have it work the next day. The one thing you can count on in life is that change is constant. You can win at change by being flexible. Win the walk up the stairs, win the way you treat others and win at work today by doing the best job possible. The things you can win at are endless.

Someone reading this might possibly say, “Coach Mitchel is obsessed with winning every match.” Truth be told, I am as competitive as the next person, but what I mean is simple … treat each moment like it is your last moment on Earth. In tennis, this equates to hitting every shot like your life depends on it. Win the moment on the tennis court by being more determined than your opponent. That might just get you a victory or it might not. However, what the win at the moment guarantees is a much better chance of winning the point than had you not approached the preceding moments with the “win at now” philosophy.

If I was to play Roger Federer tomorrow, it’s a foregone conclusion that I am going to lose and lose badly, probably not even win a point. That’s the adversity I am facing when I see him on the other side of the net. However, winning at the moment would be what I did to prepare to play him. Did I study film or find some flaw that would allow me to maybe just maybe win a point? Therefore, I won a preparation session. If I did not win that elusive point, I still have a victory to show for it, I won at my preparation. Raising the bar and winning the many moments of practice with collegiate players begins Sunday night or Monday morning before a week of practice. I map out everything the players can expect during the week complete with a few surprises along the way. Those players who have played high school tennis, where the team generally plays second fiddle to a football or basketball team, now see that they matter. The student/athlete is better prepared and I/we just won that week of practice.

Much of my job as a collegiate coach involves meeting potential student athletes who possibly want to play tennis and attend college at SUNY Oneonta. In the privacy of their own home, that potential student athlete comes up with pros and cons of why they should or should not attend SUNY Oneonta. I cannot control their final decision, but if I want the player to join our team, I know I have to win at the influence I impose on them more so than the other coach who may also want that prospect. I can control that, and since I embarked on this campaign of winning moments, the statistics of getting the players I want to attend SUNY Oneonta have taken a drastic swing in my favor. I won the recruiting game and it’s very controllable.

The players arrive to the match, they get out of the van and I am looking at clean shaven, groomed men and women with identical ponytails. In perfect choreographed movements, they stretch as a group. In perfect sequence, they hit their cross-courts and volleys in five minutes of incremental time. The players from the other squad look over and watch. Our team has just won the warm-ups. 

We walk out for introductions in size order and/or doubles team standing together with a distinct cheer when announced. We just won the introductions. As a tennis coach, I cannot control the outcome of the match, that is in the players hands and their opponents may just be better. However, there is not one excuse to control what you can as you prepare for a tennis match or life’s daily battles.

Those who are recreational players just want to relish in their game without the pressure of competition getting in the way of tennis playing pleasure. My question is this: Why do you keep score? If you are keeping score, you must be putting some value on your effort with the hope of perhaps winning. For a brief moment, maybe only lasting a few seconds in your social game, you enjoy the moment of victory. So if that’s the case, you are enjoying victory just a tad more than defeat.

Next week, here is how it should go. Get to the club five minutes earlier than usual. You have now won your arrival time. Jog briskly up the stairs into the facility rather than the lazy walk up. You now just won the warm-up. Say hello and acknowledge the staff at the establishment where you play. Be that customer who does not bring toxins with you and a sense of entitlement just because you have the affordability to play … human decency is human decency. You now just won at being a better person by respecting your fellow human beings. I promise that worker will have you branded as a different kind of person and you will, in all likelihood, receive great customer service. You won at being a better customer. The employee should already know they are there to provide a service, but putting positive vibes out in the world has made you a winner by simply being a better human being.

The poem “Man in the Glass” by Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr. ends with this excerpt:

“You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years

And get pats on the back as you pass

But your final reward will be heartache and tears

If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.”

I know what that means in life, but my players also know that poem when they may try fooling me with their independent training sessions. My reply to them is if you cheat the “Man in the Glass,” you are not winning.

Today, finish your match and then do something you may have not done before that leaves your friends, colleagues and tennis opponents thinking of you in the best way possible. When they hear your name and the thoughts that are conjured, is that something you are proud of or are you lacking? Win the moment as you depart. What you leave in your wake after the handshake of a match will be what’s left, at least until the next time you play. Win at tomorrow.