Not a drug pusher, but a tennis pusher. I admit it. I've never considered myself a pusher but after reading the description of what a pusher is, I really think I am. I feel bad about it, but should I? I've been made to feel bad about it.
I started playing tennis when I was in 9th grade just for fun. I played all kinds of sports but never tennis so I wanted to try it. I would hit around w/ some other friends who played all kinds of other sports but not tennis. I really liked it and then played for my high school in 11th and 12th grade. Then I didn't play again for another 18 years or so. I moved from the Northeast to FL a few years ago and got back into the sport. I have been playing in local flex leagues ever since and just love the sport and the 1 on 1 competition. I just turned 39 and tennis keeps me relatively fit.
I used to always try and kill the ball during matches and either had losing seasons, middle of the road, and sometimes a winning season. But things changed for me last season. I moved from the Tampa area to Orlando several months ago and joined a local flex league here a quarter into the season. The only way to get in was take the place of an injured player who bailed out. I took over his record which was 0-3...w/ very lopsided losses. My very first match I lost to a pusher...although in my mind, I never put pusher together with him for some reason...but he was. I won the first set 6-3. It's best out of 3 and thought I was on my way to winning the 2nd set when the guy just wouldn't miss. He didn't have any power to hurt me but he had good skills in terms of knowing where to hit the ball, how to hit it, and frustrating me. I lost the next two sets and the match. I was very frustrated and thought great, I just started and I'm already 0-4...this season is over. This player was very nice and kept telling me that he knows I'm better than him and that he felt lucky he got me the first match when I was rusty. (looking back, I don't believe that now but did at the time...he was a good player)
Anyway, something happened in that match...I started playing like that guy but not conciously. I won the next 14 matches straight, including 3 in the playoffs and 1 this season. I haven't lost a match since that first one. I noticed that what I was doing was not just mindlessly trying to smash every single ball, but take off some of the power (not all the time) and use placement, spins, angles, and anything to win. I get a thrill from smashing the ball but I get more of a thrill from winning. If I can get the win with some smashes mixed in here and there...the better. In the playoffs, I played a really arrogant guy who threw a temper tantrum and said the most f'd up stuff to me even DURING the match at the end...
I started playing tennis when I was in 9th grade just for fun. I played all kinds of sports but never tennis so I wanted to try it. I would hit around w/ some other friends who played all kinds of other sports but not tennis. I really liked it and then played for my high school in 11th and 12th grade. Then I didn't play again for another 18 years or so. I moved from the Northeast to FL a few years ago and got back into the sport. I have been playing in local flex leagues ever since and just love the sport and the 1 on 1 competition. I just turned 39 and tennis keeps me relatively fit.
I used to always try and kill the ball during matches and either had losing seasons, middle of the road, and sometimes a winning season. But things changed for me last season. I moved from the Tampa area to Orlando several months ago and joined a local flex league here a quarter into the season. The only way to get in was take the place of an injured player who bailed out. I took over his record which was 0-3...w/ very lopsided losses. My very first match I lost to a pusher...although in my mind, I never put pusher together with him for some reason...but he was. I won the first set 6-3. It's best out of 3 and thought I was on my way to winning the 2nd set when the guy just wouldn't miss. He didn't have any power to hurt me but he had good skills in terms of knowing where to hit the ball, how to hit it, and frustrating me. I lost the next two sets and the match. I was very frustrated and thought great, I just started and I'm already 0-4...this season is over. This player was very nice and kept telling me that he knows I'm better than him and that he felt lucky he got me the first match when I was rusty. (looking back, I don't believe that now but did at the time...he was a good player)
Anyway, something happened in that match...I started playing like that guy but not conciously. I won the next 14 matches straight, including 3 in the playoffs and 1 this season. I haven't lost a match since that first one. I noticed that what I was doing was not just mindlessly trying to smash every single ball, but take off some of the power (not all the time) and use placement, spins, angles, and anything to win. I get a thrill from smashing the ball but I get more of a thrill from winning. If I can get the win with some smashes mixed in here and there...the better. In the playoffs, I played a really arrogant guy who threw a temper tantrum and said the most f'd up stuff to me even DURING the match at the end...