Tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature.

Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days. Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it’s all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point. It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It’s our choice.

From Open: An Autobiography by Agassi, Andre.

One metric used in Tennis, that I like a lot, is Unforced Errors. A shot is considered an unforced error when the opponent wins that point without returning the ball (like if it hits the net or goes out of the court). The opponent wins the point without making any effort.

Any coach will tell you that it’s the worst way to lose a point. If you are going to lose a point, might as well make the opponent sweat for it, they’d say.

Likewise, in life, unforced errors are the mistakes that we choose to make rather than those we make under pressure. By the very definition, these are the errors that are easy to avoid.

A few examples of unforced errors most of us make regularly.

• Choosing to eat way more than the body needs
• Choosing to not ask for help when stuck
• Not investing enough on self-learning or up-skilling yourself.
• Doing things because everyone else is doing it (peer pressure) rather than doing because we like it.
• Choosing to live beyond our means and be stuck in debt.

Not surprisingly, it’s the metric that has the closest correlation with the chances of winning. Like Munger says, avoiding stupidity is easier than seeking brilliance. It’s probably much easier to avoid unforced errors, then looking for the winning shots.

Both in Tennis, and in life - reduce unforced errors.

Best,
Kaddy

On Making Strengths Productive

Why Do The Giants Lose?