(Coach’s note: This is one of my favorite posts because it attacks the essence of excellence in anything, not just racquetball.)
This one is hard for all tournament players to take. It is bitter medicine but a pill that must be swallowed.
When you work hard and train hard and really focus on getting better you will win. At least that is the conventional thinking. However, it does not always work that way. More often than not it goes like this; you work hard and you change your game. You train like a maniac and do all the right things. You eat sprouts and live on the “cleanse” and inhale spark. And you lose.
What’s fair about that? Nothing. Why does this happen? Sometimes it is the level of competition. As you move up the chain opponents do not roll over because you work hard but rather they fight harder to beat you. Here is how it really goes in my experience.
You work hard and you work harder; you lose. You come back and work hard again on that area of your game that cost you that loss. You lose again. Back to the court you go and work and work and then, when you least expect it to happen, you have a break through. You begin to win. That is how it really works.
Not like the old Rocky movie where he hires Mick and in three months almost beats Apollo Creed, but more like at least three years to four to build a good champion!
Remember that victory can be an imposter. Sometimes athletes win when they are not prepared to. What follows is a tragic downturn. Consistent winning means consistent working on your game!