I've been playing a good amount of tennis since I started taking lessons again in February. I've had the opportunity to play points and rallies against a lot of people and one thing I've been trying to improve on is hitting winners. Or better yet, when not to hit them.

In tennis, a winner is essentially a shot that wins a player the point; the other player can't return it. Winners can come in different varieties like drop shots or super fast shots down the court, all very tactical. When I'm playing for a point and I feel like I see an opportunity to hit a winner, I've learned that it doesn't work out a lot. Sometimes I'll hit with too much force and the ball goes out, sometimes I angle my racket too low and end up hitting the ball into the net, sometimes I don't put enough power on the ball and the opponent hits a winner on me. Whatever variation there is for fumbling a winner, I've probably unintentionally tried it. (I should also point out my poor execution on attempting these winners probably doesn't help me either.)

It's definitely hard to realize it in the moment but not every shot needs to be a winner. Just because the opponent is leaving some empty room on the court doesn't mean it's an automatic winner if the ball goes there. Sometimes the best course of action is keeping the ball in play and setting up for another opportunity to strike at later on. Live to see another hit in the rally.

I feel like there's a life lesson or two in here somewhere; something along the lines of taking what the opponent gives you, not trying to do too much in one go, waiting for a better/high-percentage opportunity. Something like that?