Quickly Going Slow

I've never felt like a very fast guy. Physiology aside, I've never felt like I react efficiently to fast-moving situations. From sports to dance to video games, when things start moving quickly I can't keep up. It's not that I can't move fast enough, it's more like I feel as if I can't control my movements fast enough.

Since we started playing ping pong during breaks at work, though, I'm learning to move differently. In tennis and Aikido, I never had problems, but I think that was because I knew those things. The motions were comfortable and, more importantly, engraved in muscle memory. Not so with ping pong, though. It's fast-paced and unfamiliar.

What I've learned, though, is that if I try to rush and move quickly, most of my motion is useless and erratic. If I force myself to relax and move slowly (or at least what seems slowly in the moment), though, then my movements are much more efficient and effective. Not only that, but I feel like the play itself moves more slowly so that I have time to think as well.

None of this is a huge surprise, of course, but it's nice to actually experience it.

Not to mention that it translates directly into more wins against my coworkers. :-)