A Physically & Psychologically Healthier Way to Live, Learn, & Play
Beyond Competition

Mission Statement

The mission of Effortless Tennis is multidimensional.

• First, we are committed to helping people learn how to play this wonderful game of tennis.
• Secondly, we want to help people learn how to achieve that elusive state of being “in the zone.”
• Lastly and most importantly, we want to bring about major positive change on this planet by demonstrating that there is a viable alternative to the current highly competitive games of tennis and life. The evidence is clear that in a non-competitive based system players learn better, retain more information, have lower stress levels, higher self-esteem, better productivity, increased empathy, higher levels of performance, and lots more fun. Competence before competition works.

For the past 50 years I have been appalled by man’s inhumanity to man—and to everything else on the planet. I have been working to figure out what the problem is; there had to be some common denominator that linked everything together. From extensive research in the areas of history, psychology, philosophy, learning theory, and life, what I discovered is that the problem lies in the underlying structure of our society. We live in a system based on competition which, over many millennia, has mutated into a “dog eat dog” mentality. Each generation, just to keep up, has to be more competitive than the last. It is out of control and something needs to be done.

Competition may stimulate striving for excellence, excitement, and improvement, but it also stimulates overly-aggressive behavior as well as fear, anxiety, and uncertainty through physical, mental, and emotional intimidation. Competition also de-stabilizes self-esteem, tacitly encourages cheating, and if all that weren’t bad enough, it limits a person’s potential.

Competition is so much a part of our lives that I know what I am saying is controversial. Competition is many people’s reason for living. Learn the skills, then if you want to compete that’s fine, because you will know what you are doing. My goal is not to be right about this, but to help people attain their full potential. We must take a serious look at our competitive system and see all of what it brings out—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Until we change to a paradigm based on cooperation, no significant changes will take place: if we think they will, we are fooling ourselves. It’s time for real change. We need to establish societal goals that work toward providing adequate food, housing, health care, education, and a clean environment for everyone on the planet. If these become our goals, most of our social ills will disappear before our eyes. We can do it.