When I was the formidable age of 14, I decided to join the world of sports to elevate my status, especially with the lady folk. This decision led me to the wonderful world of tennis. The loner sport.
Not knowing the road ahead, I galloped to practice with a smile on my face and dreams of winning Wimbledon sporting a luscious man-bun. Just like my hero, Roger Federer.
My first tennis coach approached all of us newbies and taught us how to hold the racquet, what topspin was, and sent us on our way. Although his instruction over the years had little value, he gave us some great insight before we marched to different courts.
-Just keep the ball in play.
We arrived at our courts and quickly forgot all the instructions given to us before. The only advice we followed was to keep the ball in the court. We decided to do that by any means necessary.
We’d poke and prod at the ball to make it over the net and inside the dreaded white lines. The first day was pretty memorable for how atrocious we were, but we all had so much fun. After a 2 hour practice, I was feeling less like Federer and more like Borat. Confused at where I was with short shorts and a stupid grin on my face.
After several years of playing, I developed a great serve, some decent topspin shots and an effective slice to save my ass from time to time. I also got some better racquets and felt cool in my short shorts and sweatbands.
How does this relate to social media?
In social media, it’s important to ‘keep the ball in play’. Many of us, including myself, feel like it’s a golf tournament. As if we need to walk over to the tee, take some practice swings, and try to get a small ball in the hole in 4 or less shots for it to be good. Ask anyone. It hardly ever goes the way you think it will.
You just have to keep the ball in play with some good shots. Do your best and hit whatever balls come back at you. The reason the majority of people hop on social media is to feel good and have a good time. Play with them.
This means you need to:
Post regularly
Respond to comments
Engage on other’s posts
Be genuine
Practice and learn each platform
Here are some ways you can make your ‘game’ better, featuring a few of your favorite players.
Don’t throw fits
There are some iconic moments in tennis for how angry people get when things don’t go their way. Don’t pull a John McEnroe and lose your mind. All that will do is hurt you in the end and nobody wants to play with someone like that.
If you don’t get the amount of comments you want or see something on social media that upsets you, it’s ok. There will be another point. Don’t lose your mind, scream at everyone, and smash your ‘racquet’. Reset and serve up again.
Technique matters
Poking and prodding the ball was fun at first, but as you can imagine, it’s hard to win without any applicable skills. Taking lessons helps you hit more successful shots and makes the game that much more exciting. You’ll also continue to build on the myriad of tools in your tacklebox to approach different problems with creative solutions. You can’t use a forehand groundstroke for everything, even though the great Federer may disagree.
Take the time to learn different platforms. You’ll start to figure out which comes easier and which takes a little more work. It’s worth the time to make the adjustments and know which to use for when.
Get some decent gear
It’s ok to not have the best racquet stepping onto the court. Few people will notice what you’re playing with as they’re usually focused on themselves. I will say that you should get the best equipment (you can afford ;) )as it does make a difference. A Walmart racquet will never come close to a Wilson Pro Staff 97 and you will instantly feel the difference. Consider getting a used racquet off ebay. It’s a great option and more affordable.
If you can’t afford the new iPhone, there are tons of other options. Get a used camera or phone off of ebay or FB marketplace. Sometimes gear is like those annoying college books professors make you buy. You know the books. The ones that your professor tells you you can get the old one version, because they just moved the one section in the one chapter somewhere else.
The iPhone 11 is fine. You don’t need the 12.
You’ll notice the difference in gear if you feel that’s holding you back. Most of the time it’s not, but little upgrades make a huge difference.
Most importantly, have fun.
Social media is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to bring you closer to people you love or people with similar interests. It’s not always going to be perfect, just like a tennis match. Just like Serena Williams said, "I don't like to lose -- at anything -- yet I've grown most not from victories, but setbacks."
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