I've been thinking a lot lately about on-court tennis behavior. Seems like, much similar to regular everyday interaction, many folks, probably including myself, seem to have very colorful responses to anger. One duty that I do not enjoy as a coach is the enforcing of the ITA point-penalty system.
Tennis is certainly a fun game but can also be a very frustrating game. Seemingly, in addition, the better one gets, the more frustrating the game becomes. Who knows why...
However, that being said, it seems like everything in life is creating frustration. I mean, holy bacon lettuce and tomato, just the other day I encountered an angry motorist who showed me their middle finger as a result of their own driving error. I had some nerve not recklessly running a red light so that the finger-displayer in the car behind me could also do the same. Now, perhaps the road-rager was feverishly on his way to the hospital with his pregnant wife (although I didn't see anyone else in his car) or was trying to escape a chasing member of some organized crime faction or had his gas pedal accidentally stuck to the floor. In any case, I didn't deserve or earn the dreaded middle finger display I don't think. So why did I get the gesture?
I often wonder why it is so satisfying to launch a tennis racquet into a net or fence or to smash the frame onto the court surface breaking it into many smaller pieces or to shout curse words as loud as possible in a language of one's choice, often in more than one. The problem here is not simply that we play a "gentleman's game" but also that the ITA, which is the governing body of college tennis, as well as all other governing bodies, forbid such behavior. Nevertheless, the behavior continues for sure. As an aside, I must say however, that I still laugh out loud when I think about the time 20 years ago when I was playing a match at the somewhat pretentious Bronxville Field Club and my opponent and friend, George MacGovern, launched his Wilson Pro Staff out of the back courts and into a high branched tree, never to return to the ground. Who knows, it may still be in that tree serving as some some sort of nest for a tennis-loving squirrel or bird.
What makes me chuckle is how most players guilty of violating said code are always surprised and regularly upset to have the code of conduct enforced. What comes after enforcement, which is usually done reluctantly by most coaches or officials and especially me, is the list of justifications that is similar in length to a toddlers Christmas list:
1. "Everybody else is doing it."
2. "It slipped out of my hand."
3. "I have Tourette Syndrome."
4. "I said "ship" or "truck" or..."
Too bad we can't all just yell out the phrase "curse words" like former Clipper of the 1970's Paul Schulze who is also the father of former Clipper of the 2000's Josh Schulze. Incidentally, Josh didn't really take after his dad in this area.
I often remember instances while I was in school (which seemed like forever), when I would remark to a friend that a given teacher gave me a "B" or "D" or some other grade. In reality, 99% of the time, the teacher did not "give me" said grade but I received the grade that I achieved or earned. (I say 99% because there was that time when an absent-minded math teacher at a small Lutheran college in Bronxville, NY with a great tennis team, lost my independent study, take-home exam and failed me...which was later reversed by the way, but I digress...) This is quite the same as the enforcing of the tennis code of conduct. Players "earn" their penalty, coaches or officials don't "give" it to them.
Of course the best case scenario would be to avoid these inappropriate responses to frustration and anger. Much easier said than done though.
Truth be told, I was no angel on the court. My players would say that I still am not. I guess I just accept responsibility for things a little better these days. I hope that my current players figure this out a littler earlier than I did.
Nuff said...
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