Should you strive for perseverance or the killer instinct?

Without the killer instinct can perseverance get you far?

I believe it can.

Perseverance is tangible; the killer instinct less so.

Then there is the question of skill.

What good is perseverance or the killer instinct without the right skills?

Here’s an example of what I consider perseverance.

It’s not just about squash and tennis.

I have lost more matches than I care to remember, after leading 2-0. I blame it on fitness. That’s my excuse for lacking the ability to put away games when I am ahead.

Or, like I would like to think: not needing it badly enough.

It’s a Kawhi Leonard vs. Steph Curry kind of thing.

I remind myself that it happens to the best of us. Roger Federer’s loss at the Wimbledon finals is still fresh in our minds.

I am inspired when Bianca Andreescu claws her way up from being the number 152 in women’s tennis to win the US Open.

But then, was that due to her skill, killer instinct, or, her perseverance?

Do you need the killer instinct to succeed in sports, or, life in general?

The online Oxford Dictionary defines killer instinct as “a ruthless determination to succeed or win.” There is scant regard as to whether it hurts others.

Should you pursue your goals irrespective of the how?

Can someone be coached to develop the killer instinct?

Apparently, it can be done. This post from Swimming World, titled “Five Practical Ways to Develop a Killer Instinct,” is unrelated to tennis or squash but deals with the same subject.

If you are wondering where you stand, try asking yourself these questions.

Have you won more matches than you have lost, after being up by two games?

Have you won more matches than you have lost, after being down by two games?

When you play squash against weaker players, do you try to beat them 11:0?

Are you a player whom people prefer to play when there is a referee around?

If your opponent at the club inadvertently makes a bad line call, do you make a scene?

If your tennis partner makes a bad line call, do you keep quiet?

Would you hit your opponent with the squash ball to get a point?

Would you hit your opponent with an overhead tennis shot to make sure that the ball does not come back?

If you are out of breath, would you make an excuse to delay the game?

I am not a psychologist, but, if you answered “yes” to five or more questions above, you might be doing fine on the killer instinct front.

And, my inability to close out matches may have more to do with opponents’ skills and perseverance than my lack of the killer instinct.