Rare Greatness
This is the first of a series of sayings by yours truly, Coach Clark. I picked this one first as it encapsulates much of what I as a coach desire for and look for in others. It is the thing that separates the mediocre from the great. It is what can give perspective for some when things get “sideways” as some call it. Years ago I wanted to sum up what it takes to do something or be somebody that is above the fray, that sets one apart, and plainly and simply says, “This is what we as a team or you as a competitor is all about.”
Rare Greatness comes at a steep price
Mediocrity is abundant and cheap
Rare Greatness.
I ask my players and younger students what is meant by rare. They usually get the concept but if they really get it then they understand how unique rare is and to be rare it takes something special. Sounds redundant right? Well, words these days are so misused they often are sentenced to a death of overuse and familiarity that we often lose the impact. Digging back to Noah Webster (1983 version I have), rare is unusually excellent, valuable to a degree seldom found. This does not describe the effort and vision most competitors, students, or your average person has; that is why most people are average in most areas (we all have gifts or abilities just bursting at the seams to be honed). I ask my players then to be rare. But rare in what sense? Their greatness. Do they strive to greatness, do they have the mindset that what they do is rare, great, a cut above the rest? I ask my players if someone were to watch them practice would those observing be inspired so see my players’ work ethic, their team unity and accountability, their fight, persistence, and execution, etc. If not, what is the disconnect? If so, what do they do about it and how do they daily attain it and develop it? That comes at a steep price.
Steep Price.
Steep price is a relative concept for most. Some think they are sacrificing so much and consider their effort to be “off the charts.” This is our job as coaches in part: to help with a reality check, to get players to do things they would not necessarily do to get them to a place they never thought they could be. Coaches (parents, teachers, pastors, et al) are to provide a vision, inspire their charges to give their best (another blog discussion coming soon) at a level far above what they think is high. Rare Greatness is necessarily accompanied by effort that comes at a steep price. Steep is hard to clime. Steep is tiring. Steep means we fall down or slide down sometimes but have to get back up and keep climbing. It is painful and draining at times. But rare greatness loves that challenge. And those who do not yet love that challenge, if they have rare greatness in their future, they will learn to love that process at a higher level. The price is costly. People will spend countless amounts of time and resources to purchase a car, a TV, another cell phone when the one they have works just fine, etc. Those things pass and need upgrading. But to give all you have (to spend countless amounts of time and resources) to achieve something that no one can ever talk from you is priceless. It comes at a steep price. You are changed. You have deep character, grit, persistence and see truly difficult times in a proper light. The steep price is the process of getting better and that bleeds into every area of life, not just tennis but their professional life, academics, their relationships, their charity, etc.
Mediocrity
Meaningful synonyms for mediocrity are uninspired and unexceptional. It is average at best, poor quality, etc. So in short, it takes very little effort, vision or energy to reach mediocrity. If you were to pick a “spokesperson” for mediocrity it would be Garfield the cat for whom lifting one eyelid from his stupor would sum up his daily exercise regiment. Mediocre is manifest in not giving one’s best all the time. A player does not have to play their best all the time but should give their best all the time. Mediocrity does not rise to that level. Mediocrity expects results without effort. Mediocrity expects reward and entitlement without the delayed gratification. Mediocrity is showing up to practice late, not being prepared for matches or practice with respect to having eaten properly, or having your equipment ready. Mediocre is what most people do in any given area. That is why it is average, not inspiring. The origin of the word is “somewhat rugged or mountainous” (medius + ocris) as opposed to amazing peaks and awe inspiring mountain ranges. We all know what looking at an amazingly spectacular mountain range is like, often jaw dropping. Compare that to a hill of dirt in an abandoned lot. That is not very inspiring.
Abundant and Cheap
This mediocre status is abundant, like air and water. I am mediocre in skeet shooting and that is probably giving me too much credit (I don’t think I have hit a clay pigeon yet). But that is probably ninety-nine percent of the population. Now that is abundant. And how much practice have I spent in skeet shooting? None. So that is cheap. No cost to me, no skill set gained. And that is okay because skeet shooting is not my passion nor do I invest any time in it. So mediocrity is abundant and cheap. I tell my team and other students this is exemplified to some degree (though not all cases) when some students who take an exam without studying, earn a low great (yes earn it, not given to them) only to say “no big deal, I didn’t study anyway.” That is mediocrity. That student did not want to expend “rare greatness energy” that comes at a steep price only to not do well. That is too painful. Mediocrity does not cost us much, it is cheap.
So how does this look in tennis?
Rare greatness can be at any level be it recreational, high school, collegiate, or professional. The level is not the issue though Federer is arguably the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) and hence THE RAREST of them all. But that is for others to debate. The point is this. For whichever setting you or your players are in, do they understand and act upon that understanding that to be great in their arena, their level, that it really does come at a steep price? Do they realize that the extra time on court, the extra conditioning, the intense focus during practice and the love of the process of getting better has to happen over and over and over. And over. Did I say over and over? They have to realize, and be encouraged to realize, that even if they do not see gains today, this week, or this month, and that they still might have lost to Fred or Susie at Neigbhorhood High tennis team their winning will eventually come around if they have a long run vision and stick to the proper process. Rare greatness comes at a steep price. It is working on your serve and volley when you are not very good at it and lose a lot of points in practice. It is working on running up to short balls to work on your chip approach on the full sprint and then get balanced to make a volley, over and over until you are really gassed. It is hard, often mundane and repetitive work. But Rare Greatness does come at a steep price. This persistence of mind is what is known as Grit. I will talk about that in the next blog.
Let ‘er Rip
Steve