On unnecessary pain and difficulty

I recently had a chance to play some beach volleyball, which I haven’t done much since I played in college. In telling a friend about it, he said, “I bet your arms hurt.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because of how it always hurts my wrists from the ball hitting on the bone.”

“Ahh. You were never taught how to pass or bump properly. This is a common problem. See, you need to rotate your wrists outward until they lie flat next to each other. Then you contact the ball with the flesh of your forearm rather than with the bones. Not only does that way hurt a lot less, but it also makes it possible to pass the ball accurately.”

“Oh, really? Why is that?” he asked.

“Because when you do it your way, it’s like trying to carom a ball perfectly off two hard rails. Every millimeter can make a tremendous difference in the result. But if you do it my way, you’re working with a flat surface that cushions the ball and controls it far more easily.”

“That does seem easier. I’ll have to try it sometime,” he answered.

It’s fascinating how life is full of things that are both far harder and far more painful only because no one ever taught us how to do them the right way.

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