Do First Then Think Later

When it comes to developing your skills in any area or field, I recommend the "Do first then think later" method as it provides two advantages. One is that you're actually doing something without hesitating to do so, and a sense of accomplishment is attained regardless of how well you did. Two is that you become comfortable with not doing things well from the start, which will build courage to try many new things in the future.

When I was in dentistry, our Faculty made us do things right away without much demonstration and a rather brief explanation. It was quite obvious that all of us were not only baffled but felt greatly uncomfortable especially because all of us competitive students didn't like to do things without certainty. The Faculty persistently used this tactic and kept throwing us into practical situations where we were frankly only equipped with self-doubt rather than skill or proficiency. Some of us resented this way of things, but very soon most of us realized why this had been the way.

The Faculty knew very well that a practical field like dentistry involves battling self-doubt and finding solutions in tricky situations not only to immensely grow our practical skills in a short period of time, but also to get us used to not always feeling "ready" for everything. And later on, I could clearly see that I had become a lot more proficient with the practical skills than if I had instead waited until I was "ready" to jump into practicals.

DO FIRST, AND THINK AS YOU GO!

This very notion also applies in tennis as well. Instead of spending hours and hours solely trying to understand the physics behind a good swing, actually get out on the courts and play games with others. You will for certain suck at first and you will allow lots of losses, but you are one step closer to developing a shot you want. Be aggressive and be confident with what you think is right in the moment, and don't doubt or second-guess yourself.