Tournaments

As my blog entry days come to an end I find that I must talk about tournaments. Its the one thing I never mentioned! The reason I am still in love with tennis is because of the people I play with and become friends with during the tournaments.  In the end, if tennis is where you find friends, you are a very lucky player.

The stress of a close match, freezing cold day, unbelievably hot day, or injury brings you closer to your team.  Its the hard aspects of the game that allow you to become friends with those who may have been you competition a few years earlier.  Most tennis players will agree that in general, tennis players look mean and ultra competitive on the court. But off the court you will find an array of players napping, throwing frisbees with other teams, and just hanging around getting to know their team and everyone around them.

So here are 5 things about tournaments that I love:
1. The competition.  You will always find someone better than you.
2. Spending the night in a different city. Though it is hard to organize, the overnight trips are the best team bonding trips.
3. Chic-fil-a in the morning.  It is a tournament tradition!
4. Playing doubles. Whether it be mixed or girls doubles, I love getting to play with a team mate.
5. The ride home.  After a long day at the tournament, we all ride home together and really bond as a team. It is the best feeling! Plus, we always stop at sonic as a tradition.

So have fun with tennis.  You will meet great friends who will love you no matter what and who will really want to help you with your tennis game.  If you are lucky enough to have a close club tennis group like I do in tennis, you will be the happiest player on the court.  And that, ladies and gentleman, is why I have The Ace in Life!

My milkshakes bring all the boys to the... court

Simply put, there are a ton of outfit choices out there for tennis players.  The sport allows for many different styles and the freedom to dress in whatever is most comfortable.  A tennis player rarely has to match anyone unless they play for a school team or wants to match a doubles partner. I love this aspect. I can just throw on a pair of shorts and random shirt and I am ready to go! However, there are always those few people who can not appropriately handle this freedom.  I am sad that improper dressing is a problem in tennis, but for many girls the chance to impress/seduce a potential mate is too strong. There has been one too many tournaments that I have had to see a girls cleavage staring me in the face or had to deal with her bottom hanging out of a ridiculously tight tennis skirt.  Let's not forget the girl who will bounce around in a super short cheerleader type skirt with just as tight bloomers underneath though! So for this blog, I am going to address what outfits girls and guys should avoid.  (Sorry but I will not be posting pictures of such bad tennis style taste. I'm sure you can imagine)

This skirt is getting a little too close to the too short side. OOPS!

Girls:
1) Super low cut shirts.
We all love them, they are cute and show off just how adorable our collarbones are.  However, when you are running around for balls I don't want a show of just how much you were endowed in the upper region of your body.  That hunk in the corner of the court may compliment you on your shirt, but he is not interested in you, he is interested in what he just got a show of bouncing around.
2) Tight skirts.
I admit, I love them.  They show just how cute our backsides are, but they are still inappropriate.  Girls who wear these usually don't know what their opponent and audience get to see while they play: butt cheek, butt cheek, bloomer, too big of stretch! bloomer, butt cheek.  There is a right way to wear the tight skirt, which first starts with not getting it skin tight, dress so your grandmother wouldn't want to disown you on sight!
3) Short skirts.
Notice that the skirts tend to be the problem.  If you can't handle the skirt PLEASE just wear some good ol' nike shorts. I promise they are just and cute and comfortable.  I really can't say much about this. It is what it is. Most people are not ok with seeing your buns every time you pass by.  If you are trying to "get yo man" by this please just go to a club where such apparel is acceptable.

Boys:
Congratulations, you have really only two choices in what to wear! You rarely are told that what you are wearing is inappropriate and if you do you probably weren't trying to impress the opposite sex.  As a male, though you have less options, people will be able to respect your outfit even if it isn't the cutest thing you have ever put on. (Girls, aren't you jealous they get it so easy!)
1) Capris.
This is more of a biased rule.  Though I love Rafael Nadal, I would be much happier with him if he would wear normal shorts.  Guys, just don't. Generally girls are not impressed by your capris, even if you are the number 1 tennis player in the world.


It is sad that clothing must be discussed but it needs to happen.  So get The Ace in Life, without flashing anyone.

I want to ace some one already!

So far in my blog we have covered the importance of having a good attitude and not being afraid to lose in the quest to better yourself in the game of tennis.  I believe your mental game in tennis is the most important when playing, however it's about time we took a break and explained a few shots! But the question is: What shots should I put in the blog?  So I will cover 3 important shots: The Ground Stroke, The Overhead, and The Serve.  These are my 3 favorite shots and I have had to practice them the most, even more than my backhand slice!!!(which is tough since I'm right handed)

The Ground Stroke: This is the base for all tennis players. Once you can hit the ball you are ready to go out and practice. For beginners this is the hardest because they are still getting used to being able to see where and when to make contact with the ball. Most players play with the continental style of holding a raquet. I find this to be the most comfortable and it lets me put the most top spin on the ball. Now, as my first tennis coach would say, "Hold the raquet like you would a bunny! Don't strangle the bunny!" You don't want to choke the neck of your raquet, you want be able to correctly hit the ball. So as you stoke, remember to hold firmly but not hard. When you make contact with the ball you want the face of your raquet (the part with the strings) to face outward toward your target. It is a common mistake for players to face the raquet upward. Just remember, the ball will go wherever you tell it to, including the sky. The follow through is also important. As you hit you want the ball to be pushed out from you, using your core. This is completed by letting your arms follow and push the ball as far as you can till the release point. This stroke takes practice but it will be your best friend!

 The Overhead: This is probably the most athletic shot in tennis, it demands respect and lots of practice.  The easiest way to describe how to do this shot is as a lob come up over your head, move backward (position yourself sideways) and hit the ball high, drilling down into your opponents court.  It is important to stay sideways and follow the ball with your free hand to avoid a nasty spill or the humiliation of wiffing (completely missing the ball for those of you who don't play tennis).  If you don't feel that you can do this shot it is usually best is you just run back to hit a ground stroke.  However, this is a deadly shot and will allow you to easily close a point if you can do it successfully.

 The Serve: The serve is my personal favorite. It determines the point in my style of the game and it can determine if my opponent sees me as a threat. There are many different types of serves including slice, flat, and the dreaded kick serve.  But we will stick with a normal slice serve.  When serving remember to hold your raquet like you would a volley, this allows for the slice to happen.  The toss should be slightly in front of your body but straight up above the head of your raquet at its highest point.  You will make contact with the ball above your head at the highest point before your raquet begins to drop again. Don't try to drive the ball into the opposite court, this will end with the ball going into the net! Trust gravity to work and focus on hitting the ball correctly.  When you get the motion down correctly and feel comfortable you can add in the power of your legs to really drive that ball and catch your opponent off guard.  Trust me, its the best feeling to take a deep breath, toss the ball, bend the legs to store up energy and power, and release all the power you have on that little ball and ace your opponent on match point! With practice and a little time you too can get this ace down, The Ace in Life.

Enjoy losing!

I would first like to congratulate Nadal on his win at the U.S. Open, and the Trinity Club Tennis Team on doing a terrific job at the San Marcos tournament this weekend.  These dedicated players have truly succeeded due to their dedication to tennis and the hard work they put in to it.  Also congratulations to those who lost.  The courage it takes to keep trying in the face of defeat is immense.  It is not hard to keep trying when you are winning, but when you are sure you will lose it is hard to convince yourself to keep on trying. 

Permission granted by Emily S. 

© all rights reserved

 

This is true in everyday life as well as tennis.  When things don’t quite go your way it is tempting to just quit and sulk about not having immediate success or getting your way.  But when you quit trying your very best you set yourself up for failure.  Even if you become complacent in your abilities you set yourself up for failure.  Just because you can win at the level you are at right now does not mean that there isn’t someone better out there to beat you.  During the summer I took tennis lessons from Coach Jerry Ticer.  He is hard on his players and works on every aspect of the game.  Even though he is a great coach he could not get the girl in the lesson after mine to play anyone who was as good, or better than her.  She was so afraid of losing that she allowed herself to become worse over time because she would not venture out to play someone she might lose to.  Not being afraid to lose is important in tennis; without some loses there will never be a true victory.  You can play beginner players all you want but in the end you are not doing anything for yourself.  You are simply feeding your ego and becoming a stepping stone for the players who are actually willing to stretch themselves to become better. So enjoy losing! You are stretching yourself to become better and you will reap the benifits of your work.  And then, you will get The Ace in Life!

Attitude that allows you to ace

At Trinity University many students find that tennis is a big part of their lives and tennis at Trinity is a truly special sport. My name is Colleen Collins and I am an officer in Trinity’s Club Tennis Organization. Club Tennis is for players who cannot, or do not want to play for Trinity’s Varsity Tennis team but still want to get out and play. We have many out of town tournaments that are a ton of fun, the most popular being the Brownsville tournament. Tennis has always been a big part of my life and continuing to follow this passion has led me to meet some really great friends and continue to work on my game. This year I tried out for the Varsity team and though I did not make it, it reminded me of a very important aspect of tennis. Attitude is everything. I don’t mean acting like you think you are “all that and a bag of chips” but having the right attitude while you are playing.

Confidence in your ability and remembering why you love tennis could be the deciding factor in your ability to win a match or if you lose. In the past when I lost sight of why I loved tennis or thought I wasn’t a good player, I would usually lose to girls who I would normally have won against. My attitude was the deciding factor in what the outcome of the game would be. If you are confident in your abilities then any shot in tennis is possible. A good example of this is Roger FedererCan you name one time when Federer hasn’t played well? Can you name one time when you have seen him not looking confident in his ability? Can you name one person consistently better than him in this point in time? If you answered yes to any of these, I hope you are kidding or can give a good example. The point is, Federer knows he is a great player. He exudes confidence in his game and knows the shots he can make. Though most of us are not Federer we can see from this pro that confidence and love of the game can empower you to win against most any opponent. Attitude is the most important thing a player can work on in their game. Once confident and in love with your sport, you will be able to harness the drive to excel in any shot you put your mind to. I know that once I reestablished my love of tennis I was able to hit more aggressively than ever before and hit an awesome kick serve. And that serve made me feel like I hit The Ace in Life


Tennis by MCC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.