📖 Story of the Week
Winter break was right around the corner, and my brother Mikey was a redshirt freshman on the University of Minnesota Men’s Tennis Team.
At the final practice before vacation, his head coach, Dave Geatz, gave him a simple challenge for the month-long winter break:
“I want you to play 100 sets of competitive tennis over the next month.”
“You’ve got it, Coach,” my brother replied quickly—disregarding the fact that winter break only lasted 30 days. That meant averaging more than 3 full sets of tennis every single day to hit the target.
Despite the short time frame and intense physical demand, Mikey completed the challenge.
And when he returned to training at the U of M, he was a transformed player.
Not only had his ball striking and physical skills improved in every way, but his point construction showed clarity and confidence.
Patterns of play were fluid and ingrained.
Decision-making became rapid and decisive.
His ability to adapt to different opponents and game situations had elevated dramatically.
When I asked Mikey to reflect on the experience, he said:
“Completing that challenge gave me a sense of comfort and confidence with match play that always stayed with me. From that point forward, playing matches felt easy.”
🎥 You Too, YouTube?
I’m no social media guru—Colossal Tennis has a small, fledgling YouTube channel—but if I were seriously trying to grow it, I’d follow the advice of Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast.
You don’t roam YouTube long before running into Mr. Beast.
With over 419 million subscribers across his channels, he’s the most successful YouTuber on the planet.
There are countless clips where he shares his philosophy. One of the simplest and most powerful tips he offers is this:
“Upload 100 videos. Don’t judge them. Just focus on improving one thing each time.”
His belief is that through repetition and steady improvement, you’ll gain a deep understanding of content creation and emerge transformed—better equipped for the next level.
The parallel to Mikey’s 100-set challenge is striking.
The lesson: Learn by doing, and aim to get 1% better each time.
🧐 Do or Do Not, There Is No Try
These two stories illustrate the critical difference between practice and play, between theory and application.
Both are important—skills need to be refined to be effective—but how much of that refinement must happen in a controlled setting versus the competitive arena?
At what point does the practice court become a safety net, shielding you from the emotional and physical rigor of real match play?
And more to the point: Are you really a player if all you ever do is practice?
💪 This Is Why We Compete—Every Day
At Colossal Tennis, we incorporate match play every single day.
We engage in singles, doubles, and large team competitions. Players compete against opponents above, below, and at their level, mirroring the range they’ll face in USTA sectional and national events.
These match play scenarios are often guided and include special rules to enhance technical and tactical awareness, develop all-court skills, and sharpen problem-solving.
By carefully crafting this environment, we make match play a teaching partner—one that provides lessons only real competition can deliver.
This approach:
- Normalizes the act of competing
- Sharpens game flow awareness
- Builds emotional resilience under pressure
Yes, we still focus on technique and physical development. But without the “magic” of consistent competition, players will always fall short of their true potential.
That’s the brilliance of the 100-set challenge: to be a tennis player, you need to actually play.
🎾 Match Point
My challenge to you this week is simple: Learn by doing.
Instead of obsessing over perfect practice or flawless technique, engage with the activity itself. Play matches. Put yourself to the test. Let the performance teach you.
Create your own version of the 100-set challenge—on or off the court—and aim to improve by just 1% each time you show up.
The best time to start is today.
And remember: players play.
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See you next week!
