The Unathletic Athlete

Have I mentioned that I love tennis?

Even though I am a pretty decent player, I don’t consider myself an athlete, which people find confusing. How can you play tennis and not be an athlete? That makes no sense.

Well, when you say it out loud it doesn’t! That’s why you go to therapy. Because the mere act of saying something out loud helps you realize that some long-held belief has no logical basis whatsoever.

I know this doesn’t make any sense, but here’s my reasoning. When I was in gym class, I would be one of the last people picked for a team. Granted, you don’t pick tennis players for pick up games, but that’s a defining childhood memory for a lot of people. Admittedly, in high school I was Honorable Mention in tennis 2 out of the 3 years I played, so one could argue that I was good back then, if my thinking were logical.

The other reason I don’t believe it when people say I’m a good athlete is because I’m in my 30’s and most of the people I play with are in their 50’s. I guess people my age are usually juggling work and kids and all that and don’t have time to play tennis until their kids are older.

Anyhoo, compared to someone who is 20 years older than me, it seems like I can jump high and run fast and never miss and have good reflexes. Wait. Actually, maybe those last 2 skills don’t have to do with being young. Seems like my argument for non-athleticism is falling apart here.

Actually, come to think of it, I have won tournaments, matches in leagues, and have been told that people hate playing against me because of my lob and my spin. And that they try not to hit to me because I get everything back.

Man! Those voices in your head do everything they can to make you not believe what is obviously true about yourself. It’s like a dictatorship in there.

Nevertheless, there are certain things I believe an athlete should be able to do:

• They should be able to catch a ball with their non-dominant hand. All of the tennis players who were once softball players can do this.
• They should be able throw a tennis ball over the fence and onto the court when they are fetching a ball for a player on the court.
• They should have an NTRP rating of at least a 4.0 or higher.
• They should be able to play multiple sports.

Admittedly, there is some evidence that disputes the validity of my criteria:

• Tennis does not require being able to catch or throw the ball without the aid of a racket.
• There are players at the 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 levels that win national championships.
• Michael Jordan was not a very good baseball player. I don’t think he was that good at golf, either.
• When Michael Jordan was in high school, he didn’t make the basketball team.
• Even athletes vary in how “athletic” they are.

The problem is, feelings don’t have to be logical, so reason isn’t always useful in changing my mind (see Positive and Negative Feedback post). In cases like this, I often tell clients that sometimes believing in yourself requires a leap of faith.

So I’m working on my jumping ability, and it’s getting better. Maybe I’m an athlete after all.