Values

I hope this metaphor helps you navigate the treacherous territory between winning and developing.

Imagine you have been stuck in the woods for two weeks and stumble out on the verge of starvation. Your value for self-preservation is at full power. You see a basket of food that is not yours. Your value for not stealing rises too. Steal and live, or not steal and risk dying? That is a value conflict.

I will leave your choice in the woods to you - and move to tennis.

Two values destined to collide

1. Winning - results, ranking, reputation, the scoreboard
2. Developing - implementing change, growing new skills, long-term ceiling

If you implement new things you have not perfected, you will often win less in the short term - and the winning value screams.

If you only do what already works, you never grow - and the development value dies quietly.

How this shows up in juniors (and adults)

Top juniors get used to winning and reputation. The pain of losing early in an event they won last year makes them abandon new skills mid-match and revert to the old. It may work that day. At 18 they can wake up without transition skills, without a great serve, without slice, without continental-grip tools.

The reverse player always goes for the perfect new forehand, always experiments, and chronically underperforms on the wins ledger.

Harmony: choose the purpose

I believe in harmony, not permanent sacrifice of either value. Develop the ability to make a clear choice:

• This tournament: survival, grit, competing. Whatever I must do, I will do.
• That tournament: transition is primary. Winning is not the focus this week.
• This practice match: second-serve patterns only - live with the score.

Being able to choose the purpose of each match or block - so both values get strengthened over time - eventually marries the two. You learn to win with the new stuff.

Related: Perspective on Tournaments and Self-Improvement.