The Serve
I was around 15 years old when I was finally able to return it.
Even though hand-held radar guns weren’t readily available in 1974, I’m comfortable estimating that my dad’s serve hurled toward me at 90 mph. Maybe more, since most tennis serves by professionals consistently reach 100 mph+.
Note : took place in 2012 by Sam Groth, of Australia. It was clocked at 163.7 mph. Whoosh! the fastest recorded tennis serve
I started playing tennis when I was around 9 years old. I only attempted tennis because of my dad’s history with the game. Specifically…
When was in high school, he and his partner were the #2 doubles team in Ohio. The team of Jerry and Jerry.
As in my dad, Jerry Libava, and his partner and best friend, Jerry Kraig. It must of been amazing to watch them in action.
So one warm summer morning, my dad took me to the local tennis courts and started teaching me the basics.
The backhand. The forehand. The serve. It was fun. Frustrating at times, but I liked it.
A few weeks later, after much more time on the court, he did it. He served the ball to me at full force. Would you like to guess at what happened next?
My Life Flashed Before Me
Maybe that was a touch dramatic. But two things happened simultaneously.
The first thing that happened was I was scared out of my wits. Why?
Because there’s nothing quite like seeing a green tennis ball coming at you at 90+ miles an hour when you have zero experience hitting it back.
As in, movement-wise, nothing happened with my arm, my hand, or my tennis racquet. My body froze.
Basically, by the time my brain told me to move my racquet toward the semi-fuzzy, hot green missile headed my way, it was over. The ball hit the fence behind me before any of the muscles in my arm moved. That’s how fast my dad’s serve was.
Dad Was One Hell Of A Tennis Player
I remember my dad telling me that if I wanted to become a better tennis player, I had to find guys my age who were better than me. Heck, that was easy!
Danny Miller and I were friends, and I knew he played tennis. And we’re still friends today. But here’s the thing.
The High School Tennis Team
World-renowned? Absolutely not. But there were 6 tennis courts, a coach and a team. So I decided to try out for the team.
Because there was no actual tennis playing going on.
But not half-mile runs on hard surfaces. Or sprinting. But I angrily hung in there, because I loved playing tennis.
I think I lasted a week. Two weeks tops. I never made it to tryouts. Now here comes the important part.
But I didn’t want to do the work required to excel at it.
Like running, which at the time, made no sense to me.
After all, how could I ever get better at tennis if I’m running more than practicing my swing and my soon-to-be 108 mph killer serve? Right?
Little did I know ( at 16 ), that to play tennis at a higher level, one had to be in excellent shape. And that meant running and calisthenics. Endurance and strength . Two crucial things all successful tennis players have.
Not sticking to it…not putting the work in to make the team and be a better tennis player bothers me to this day. It’s one of my biggest regrets. But there’s something else.
Tennis Is A Mental Game Too
Not only do you need to be in great shape to excel at tennis, your head needs to be right. And if you’ve never played tennis, it’s kind of hard to explain. But I’ll try.
Let’s say you’ve been serving well. You’re on your game, and you feel like you have the advantage. Especially since your opponent is having a tough time returning it.
A. You take your aggravation out on the racquet. This causes you to hit the ball too hard or completely miss shots.
Each serve and each return are so pressure filled you either overcompensate by hitting the ball too hard, or you get too cautious, and you hit the ball too soft. Which lands the ball right smack in the middle of the net. And so on. Until you lose the set. And the match. I did that a lot.
That’s because I wasn’t mentally tough enough to brush off the occasional double fault or a shot that went way wide. And I didn’t stick around long enough to learn how to deal with the abundance of negative self talk that can happen to any tennis player.
On Learning And Having A Mentor
As I’ve learned, to be good in business, you need to be and stay on top of your mental game. Kind of like tennis. And it’s one I’ve managed to stay on top of for most of my career.
The best example is how good I’ve been at sales. Which wasn’t easy to master at first. Why?
And it was his mentorship, along with my willingness to learn how to be the best, that helped propel me to the top of my game at the automotive franchise I was employed at.
Namely, I was the top salesperson for several years running. And damn right it felt good.
I had a few good years as a franchise broker too. :) That’s selling 101.
In it’s simplest terms, sales is a game of serving and returning.
You serve your proposal as best you can, and then you return with answers to your client’s objections quickly and correctly.
You do it well, and bingo! A sale.
But if you don’t do it well…no sale happens.
So I practiced. Again and again. Like crazy.
I observed my boss in action. I was constantly in his office, learning the art of the sale.
I was willing to do what it took to succeed. Plus there wasn’t any running involved.
Finally, I still sell these days. I’m just not a hammer like I used to be. I guess I’m a bit more artful and strategic in the way I approach making a sale.
For one, I don’t chase people around.
Instead, I let my reputation and my knowledge of franchising do the work of attracting the right clients. And those clients generally come to me.
That’s because they’ve watched and learned from my videos . They’ve read several of my articles. They’ve “ heard “ of me. And they’ve heard about me. There’s something else. And it’s something I learned from my dad.
It’s a good thing I listened.
I Don’t Play Much Tennis These Days
The reason I don’t play a lot of tennis now is twofold.
First off, I don’t know a lot of tennis players.
The second reason is I’ve become lazy. I’m not as motivated these days.
Could I find some tennis players if I wanted to?
Sure. Heck, there are a dozen tennis courts less than a mile away.
I guess I don’t want to play badly enough.
Hey-at least I was finally able to return my dad’s serve. A couple of times my shot even went in.
I miss playing tennis with my dad.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
