Introduction

In a previous post on the power of pausing, I wrote about our tendency to rush, to react, and to respond. However, at times, a small pause, the wise hesitancy to take a breath, enables a better outcome. Unless an innate talent, the ability to understand and do this takes time and practice.

Patience is an Ally

Recently, I had a chance to talk with Nathalie Tauziat, a former top three tennis player in the world and a Wimbledon finalist.[1] When coaching younger players, Nathalie noted how girls are in a hurry to learn. “Girls think you have a lesson and it’s better. No. It takes [hitting] lots of balls and time. Then you build up… There are no shortcuts.”

In our conversation, Tauziat emphasized the importance of developing “smooth” tennis strokes. If the rhythm and timing are there, and if you are looking at the ball (“Don’t forget to look at the ball!”), then your kinetic chain will be in order and the contact point and power can take care of themselves. Doing this on court and in matches takes the patience required to hit lots of tennis balls in practice and on your own.

Brad Gilbert, in his 1993 tennis book Winning Ugly – one I reviewed previously – reminded tennis players to “Recognize that patience is a great ally…” This is true on court during matchplay and off court while training.

Slow is Smooth

In an article for the November/December 2012 issue of Military Review, the professional journal of the U.S. Army, Lieutenant Colonel Troy Busby used the phrase “smooth is fast” in an article about managing security transitions. He explained:

“Smooth execution requires at first seemingly slow methodical learning and repetition, then as proficiency and skills develop, it becomes mistake-free, fluid motion.”

In other words, rushing leads to mistakes. My high school football coach used to tell us, “Be quick, but don’t rush. There’s a difference.” When learning skills, slow down enough to perform each movement correctly and smoothly. As you become more efficient, you gain speed. In the military, this applies directly to handling weapons, close-quarters combat, and clearing rooms.

Conclusion

We have a lot of power over how we develop skills and understanding. We may choose not to believe that, or to exercise that power, but we do have it. If things aren’t going as planned or as hoped, then we should feel compelled to change our approach. Jim Rohn said, “The great challenge of life is to control the process of our own thinking.”

The process of developing skills grows on mountains of errors and imperfections. The path to improvement requires the patience to do multitudes of slow, deliberate repetitions. Eventually, these will evolve into smooth techniques, efficient maneuvers, and effective operations. And you will be fast.

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[1] Nathalie graciously gave one of my daughters and me a ride to the airport following a tennis tournament in Montreal. Merci beaucoup!