Tennis is an immensely popular sport that is played on a court and involves two players hitting a ball across a net to each other. It’s a great way to stay active, but it can offer much more than just a physical workout. In this article, we’ll be exploring the life-enhancing benefits of playing tennis.
Benefits of Playing Tennis
Tennis can offer a range of awesome benefits that help you get the most out of life. Here are some of the main advantages of tennis:
Physical Fitness
Tennis is a full-body sport so it will keep you fit through vigorous running, explosive side-to-side motions, and short sprints. The constant movement around the court also serves as great cardiovascular exercise and increases muscle strength in the legs, arms, and core.
Mental Sharpness
Playing tennis is a great way to exercise the brain and keep your mental sharpness at its best. This is because it requires you to use strategy, plan ahead, concentrate, and focus on the task at hand – all of which helps keep your mind active. Furthermore, it requires you to use hand-eye coordination and visual acuity (depth perception, movement tracking, and reaction time) to hit the ball correctly.
Social Interaction
Playing tennis is also a great way to meet new people and form connections while having fun. You can form friendships with other people while playing doubles, or you can engage in some healthy competition and take on a rival in singles. There are various tournaments, leagues, and ladders where you can test your skills against other players and make some friendly connections along the way.
Enhanced Confidence
Tennis is a great way to boost your confidence. When you master elements of the game, such as the technique, footwork, and strategy, you gain a sense of achievement and accomplishment. This can further be combined with the competitive side of the sport, whereby you can measure your success against other players – and ultimately make yourself stronger mentally.
Skill Development
Playing tennis can help you develop and refine a range of important skills. A few of the notable ones include problem-solving, concentration, interpersonal skills, team building skills, and strategy. These can all be applied to non-sporting situations, meaning tennis isn’t only useful for the court, but in many other areas of life as well.
Mental Health
Tennis is a great way to combat stress and improve mental health, due to the range of physical and mental benefits discussed herein. It can avert depression while providing a sense of calmness and relaxation. Furthermore, it can provide a boost to your endorphins and serotonin levels, reducing anxiety and promoting a better sleep cycle.
Benefits for Kids
Children can benefit tremendously from playing tennis. This is due to it being both a physical and a mental game which helps children to stay active while also learning how to strategize, socialize, and use hand-eye coordination.
Tennis can help kids to improve self-confidence, focus, and patience, which can help them in other aspects of their life. Research has also shown that it can improve academic performance, cognitive skills, and emotional management.
Equipment Requirements
One of the great advantages of tennis is that it requires minimal equipment – so it’s relatively cheap and simple to start playing. The essential items you’ll need to get going include a racquet, tennis balls, and a court. Let’s have a closer look at each one:
Racquets
The racquet you need will depend on your experience level, hand size, and playing style. You can purchase racquets for under £30, or for much more for custom-level gear. It’s also possible to rent a racquet at some courts – so opt for this if you’re unsure what to buy.
Tennis Balls
Tennis balls don’t need to be expensive and you can purchase a can of three balls for around £3-£5. Alternatively, if you’re playing with a tennis ball machine, you’ll just need to make sure you have enough balls to keep going.
Courts
Courts can either be going for public use or you can rent or own a personal court. Keep in mind that a ‘hardcourt’ will typically provide the best experience, although there are other types of court surfaces such as grass, clay, and artificial turf.
How to Play Tennis
Now that we’ve discussed the important equipment requirements and benefits of tennis, let’s look at how to play the game.
Objective
The aim of the game is to hit the ball over the net and into your opponent’s court, while also making sure they can’t return it. Players take turns hitting the ball and receive a point each time they successfully land the ball within their opponent’s court.
Scoring
Scoring goes as follows:
- Love (unofficial)
-15
-30
-40 - Game (Player has reached 4 points)
If the players have 3 points each, the score goes to ’40-40’, otherwise known as ‘deuce’. The winner of the match is determined by who has 2 or more points ahead or gains his/her fourth point first.
Serving
When it’s your turn to serve, you must hold and toss the ball with one hand and hit it with the other. The ball must land within the box of your opponent’s court. If not, the point will go to your opponent.
Return
Your opponent must return the ball over the net and within the confines of the court. If both players miss a return (on either side of the net) it is called a ‘let’ and the point must be replayed.
Common Techniques
Most beginners should focus on developing their stroke technique. If you look up forehand and backhand strokes, combined with how to hit a volley, you’ll be well on your way to mastering the basics.
As we’ve looked at, tennis is an amazing sport that offers plenty of life-enhancing benefits. It’s a fun way to stay fit, increase your mental sharpness, engage with new people, and build skills for life. The equipment, rules, and technique are relatively easy to learn, so it’s an accessible sport open to everyone – and all can benefit from adding it to their lifestyle.