Angst or Happiness?

 I've been told not to put a rhetorical question in a title.  So, if it bothers you, I know I done bad...

In a conversation with Ramin, we discussed why people try to hit low percentage shots.  

I would call this going for winners, but Ramin broadens it out to hitting the shot which wins rarely, but when it wins, it's a joy to behold.

I'll use Ramin's example of players he knows who coming from racquetball will try to drive all shots.  This includes shots that cannot go in as they are too low when hit.  And they do it a lot.  

Ramin's view is that they take on this shot because similar shots worked in the past and there is reward from having made them.  Thus when the next occasion comes up and the shot looks about the same, they whack it.  Ramin suggests that the pleasure from past shots overwhelms the expectation that the shot is impossible.  There is an intellectual disconnect and the whack mode comes out to play.

I take a different view of this.  I'd suggest that the fear of hitting bad dinks, blocks the dink mode and let's the whack mode happen.  I think it's fear and not past happiness that is driving this.

Let's look at some more items along these lines.  You are approaching the line and you get a ball that's up a bit.  You whack it and hit it into the net rather than just dinking to a backhand, getting to the net, and getting ready for a return.  I see this a lot and in my own game.  I'm more likely to hit the ball too hard, rather than to play the long game.  In this case, I can see that there is more pleasure in a whack than a dink.  But pleasure delayed is pleasure enhanced, so I'm trying to be more dinking than whacking on such shots.

As I've matured, I've found much pleasure in a longer rally with more difficult shots that don't rely on speed.  For example hitting an awkward shot to a back hand, or pushing a ball behind an opponent.  And, of course, punishing players who like to hit on the run or don't come up to the kitchen when they should.