Tennis teaches many valuable life lessons. It’s a game which encourages people to be competitive, passionate, dedicated and athletic. Whether young or old, people of all ages seem to enjoy the thrill of tennis.
What are Some of the Life Lessons Taught by Tennis?
For starters, when you first take up tennis you’re not automatically a pro. You will miss the ball. Your swing will not be perfected. If you play a game, you’re going to lose– it’s inevitable. Yet, you can and will improve the more you do it. This is true in life for many things, whether it’s tennis or learning a language, driving a car, or doing laundry. The first few attempts are going to be challenging and may not turn out the exact way you would hope they do… and that’s okay. Tennis is the kind of sport that teaches a person that life is about the process. Over time, with determination, persistence, practice and passion, there’s a good chance your tennis game will improve to the point where you look like you know what you’re doing. Learning tennis is a process that takes time. In life, learning takes time.
Next, tennis can, for some, become a true passion. Have you ever met a tennis player who loves the sport so much that they seem to live and breathe tennis? They have a tennis bumper sticker on their car. They wear tennis gear to the mall. They’ve been to the U.S. Open and can name at least ten famous tennis players– and give you their stats. That’s the kind of passion that helps bring people alive. In life, it’s important to be passionate about something, and tennis is something perfectly suited to be passionate about. As a bonus, people like to be around people who are passionate about things, whether it’s sports, music, history or other subjects.
Tennis can help build friendships and enhance a person’s “social network.” In life, people need one another. No man is an island. Indeed, people live healthier and happier lives when they have friends they can count on to be there for them, whether it’s for a friendly game of tennis or for a shoulder to cry on when their parent dies. Tennis brings people together and is a social sport. While it allows a person to excel individually on the court, many times games are played with “doubles,” so you’ve got someone else on your team helping you.
Teamwork is something that tennis helps teach people. It’s often two people versus two people and so players learn about “give and take.” Sometimes they’re the star. Other times the spotlight is on their partner. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose. The goal, of course, is to win games, but in the end, it’s typically the joy of just playing the game that truly matters to people.
Life is competitive. Tennis players desire to win games and that’s not a bad thing. Tennis matches can get pretty intense. After all, people have trained and practiced and given their all to try and win against their competitor(s). Sure, tennis can be played “just for fun,” but it has evolved into a serious sport where millions of dollars in prize money and endorsements are available.
Tennis Appeals to All Skill Levels
The nice thing about tennis is you get what you put into it. If you just want it to be a leisurely good time with friends and family, without competition and money involved, that’ll work. You control how far you want to get “into” the sport. Some desire to be world famous– and they become that. Others want to play the game for regular exercise. And there are plenty who just like being outdoors, hitting the ball around, for recreational purposes. In life, we choose how much effort we want to put into our pursuits.
Tennis helps people develop critical thinking skills. When there’s a ball coming at you, how are you going to react? Are you going to move into the correct position to hit it back? Tennis requires a person to think– they think about their moves all the time. A person needs to always be on high alert while on the court. One cannot be a lazy tennis player. Life requires that people are ever-present, involved, noticing things around them, and reacting all the time. Life makes us think, just like tennis does, too.
Unlike football, which can be brutally violent, tennis is a safer sport to play. Rather than take anger out on other people, a tennis player can channel their rage, frustration and/or anger into hitting a ball. Tennis, like life, can involve moments of intense pressure. When things become difficult, tennis players have to perform under pressure. How will they do so? Ideally, tennis players will play the game with good sportsmanship, integrity and strength.
Finally, to sum up, tennis is a great sport because it gets the body moving, the mind thinking, and, best of all, it’s fun. In life there are many depressing things happening all the time, so thank God for fun stuff like tennis.
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