WHY SHOULD YOU START PLAYING TENNIS?
Ever thought about learning tennis but haven’t for some reason? This article focuses on why you should learn tennis if you haven’t already and what the benefits are of learning the sport. Tennis is a sport which can be enjoyed by people of all age groups regardless of your ability or athletic prowess. Tennis is a sport for everyone to enjoy and Tennis Australia is all about inclusion and getting more and more people into tennis. Tennis is also really good for your overall physical and mental health. Studies show that people who participate in tennis about three times a week at a reasonable level of intensity cut their risk of death in half. Tennis also requires a lot of tactical thinking and alertness which are good for stimulating the brain of young kids as it may generate new connections between nerves of the brain and promote a lifetime of continuing brain development. Let’s now look into 7 main reasons why you should start playing tennis:
1. LEARN HOW TO SUCCEED
If you can’t adapt to your opponent, improve your game, develop weapons, and think strategically, you will stagnate. Guess what? This is exactly what happens in life. Everyone must challenge themselves, whether it be on the tennis court or in their careers. Stagnation and complacency are an insult to the abilities that you were given when you were born and the multitude of opportunities presented to you throughout your lifetime. Tennis will teach you to use your brain and a wide array of skills and shots to win. There will always be better players than you, but the fun thing about tennis is when you put the work in, you can improve your game, and move up in skill level.
2. HEALTH BENEFITS
Every sport has health benefits; however, tennis offers more health benefits than any other sport. Tennis requires endurance, agility, speed, balance, hand-eye coordination and numerous other skills to succeed. It’s quite evident by this that if you play tennis, it will be one hell of a workout! The average person burns around 600 calories per-hour playing singles. Running from corner to corner and swinging a racquet a few hundred times will get you in shape. As well as physical, the mental demands of tennis keep the brain engaged which is extremely important as one gets older. Not to mention, winning matches and playing well can be extremely good for a person’s mental state and attitude.
3. MENTAL FORTITUDE
There are a lot of things tennis players have to deal with in a match besides their opponent’s skill level. Wind, heat, sun, a nasty opponent, the crowd, injuries, expectations, pressure on big points, money and bad line calls are a few things that come to mind. If you can’t deal with those things, then you won’t win many matches. Tennis players have to learn to ignore the things they can’t control, and take command of the things they can control. Tennis is a wonderful platform for developing your mental strength. This will be useful in real life scenarios as well, as many people often face various obstacles and tennis provides a good platform to help cope with such issues.
4. DEALING WITH LOSSES
Heard of the term you win some, you lose some? This is extremely prevalent in tennis as well as real life. You can’t always win. Losing a match can be tough on a player’s psyche. Yet it is how the person deals with the loss that determines his or her success later on. Playing tennis will teach a person how to bounce back from tough circumstances. The key is to analyze how you were defeated, the weaknesses and strengths of you and your opponent, and how you will improve upon your weaknesses in the future.
5. LEARN TO PLAN
Another skill that must be developed when playing tennis is planning. There is a lot of planning required, from figuring out your practice routine and scheduling tournaments, to charting out a timeframe for fixing your technique on a stroke. Without a plan, tennis players will never improve. This is another great skill to learn from tennis because it is directly applicable to your success in life. Set goals and make plans that will achieve them.
6. SOCIAL CONNECTIONS AND NETWORKING
You can meet a lot of great people playing tennis. Whether you play in the highest-level tournaments, Night Tennis leagues, or at the local club, you will have a chance to meet a diverse range of people. Individuals who enjoy playing tennis like you. This may lead to life long friendships and professional connections that can help out with business.
7. TENNIS IS A LIFETIME SPORT
You can play tennis your entire life, yes, your entire life. There are tournaments for people of all ages right up to 75+. Provided you stay injury free, you can play tennis as long as you want. It is indeed a long-term sport to get into.
So, what are you waiting for? Go buy a tennis racket and get started! Tennis is the best individual sport to get into and something that you can play all your life!