“Much of sport is a Sisyphean effort of pushing the boulder of competition as far up the hill of resistance and adversity as one can go, only to see it fall back down the hill to be pushed again another day, regardless of whether one becomes a champion or not. It may be that the eagerness to push and the earnestness with which one pushes is what truly makes one a winner.”
A Pickleball Gospel
by Purple Jesus (Max Manthou)
Max Manthou, or “Purple Jesus” as he’s more commonly known, is a professional pickleball player who wrote a book from his thesis on the harmony of competition and cooperation in sport. This quote from the book caught my eye.
“I’m so bad at this. Why do I suck so much today? I should just quit. I’m like a beginner. Why can’t I get this? What did I do wrong?” I hear these words from my teenage son more frequently than I like when practicing pickleball with him. Do I like them? Of course not! And, if truth be told, I would prefer my son to always think positively, commit 100% to every practice, and be the perfect student of the sport.
But that’s not real life; Max points this out in his quote. As we improve, we will still fail and must continue working toward improvement, whether as athletes or coaches.
Based on my son’s comments, you’d think he hates pickleball, that he really is a terrible player, and should quit. And he did once, for a few months. But he gets back up after falling back down the hill. “When can we go and train?” I’m asked pretty much daily.
“That was a good shot. I like that one. That felt pretty good. I’m getting better at that. I thought I did pretty well in practice.” These are also words I hear from my son. It’s not always negative.
While I hate the negative vocalization of his feelings, more than once, I’ve offered to cancel practice, to let him quit, and to walk away. At times, he’s told me he wants to on the ride home from a particularly frustrating practice or game. Then, usually, within an hour or two, he comes and finds me. “When can we next train?” Resistance and adversity lead to progress, and as Manthou said, “It may be that the eagerness to push and the earnestness with which one pushes is what truly makes one a winner.”
Ask Yourself
Am I okay with letting my athletes fail, understanding it can lead to progress?
Am I okay with failing, and do I understand that this is part of sport and competition?
Am I patient with athletes who tend to think too negatively? How do I counter those thoughts, whether verbalized or not?