It was cold and dark outside. The sky was overcast - it had rained all day. I could feel the thick, humid air on my skin. There was no breeze and the air was completely still, almost tangible. Several massive trees loomed over me as I walked on the narrow path. I heard the squeaks of rubber on concrete. I felt my heart thudding in my chest. Am I ready for this? I asked myself. Why was I even nervous at the time? I was there to play a match of the sport that I loved. Nonetheless, nervousness and self doubt burned inside of me. I stepped into the string of courts with as much confidence I could muster. I proceeded to my team’s designated area on the courts. We were set up toward the back near the trees. My teammates and I had at least one hour before we had to play. This tournament was the culmination of the work put into entire season. I had practiced for hours every single day for months. Winning this match would make this tennis season one of the best ever. For this reason, we spent a great deal of time preparing ourselves. My mind was racing. What if I don’t win? …show more content…
My team and I grabbed our equipment and made our way to central gathering area. We were each assigned to a court. POP! I opened a can of tennis balls while walking to my court. The scent of fresh tennis balls hit my nose signaling the beginning of a match. The instant I began playing, my mind cleared of every thought except one of winning. All of my feelings of self doubt vanished. My years of experience and skill seized control - my movements were fluid and natural. The court was my stage and I was the lead dancer. My racket was like a wand, used it to create magic on the court. I was in my element and no one could stop me. The match was long and gruesome, but I never lost sight of victory. I put as much effort as I could muster; I never gave up, even when the odds weren’t in my favor. Eventually, this sheer determination led me to
Years of playing the game and not improving, Gawande incidentally finds himself play tennis with a young man who is a tennis couch. The young man gives Gawande a tip about keeping his feet under his body when hitting the ball. At first he is uncertain, stating, “My serve had always been the best part of my game….. With a few minutes of tinkering, he’d added at least ten miles an hour to my serve. I was serving harder than I ever had in my life” (Gawande, 2011, p.3).
The innovations in the material of the tennis racquet — the strings and the frame — have changed tennis throughout the years; thus, fundamentally changing the game by allowing players to hit with more power, spin, and racquet speed. Many star professional tennis players in the past and present use new technology to help take their game to new levels. The change from a wooden racquet to a carbon-fiber tennis racquet and the change from cow gut strings to non-gut synthetic strings have changed the way tennis is played.
...e bus and off we went. As soon as we arrived we were told that the kick off would be in ten minutes. After a quick warm up we were ready. My hands were shaking, heart pounding but I couldn’t wait to start. When the game started my nerves escaped from my head and I was focused on the match.
However, I was always an optimist and tried to convince myself that I could defeat him (Yeah right!). We approached the table and shook hands. In the few initial minutes, we warmed up, just casually rallying the ball around, but even then he was playing better tennis than I ever had. The coach then blew his whistle which concluded the warm up and signaled the commencement of the match. At this point in time, I tried to swallow all the fear and anxiety that I had and to face my opponent valiantly and courageously. The match began and before I had fully realized, he had won the first game 21-05. He had won it with the utmost ease, returning even my best shots without any struggles or even remote difficulty. I tried not to feel discouraged, saying to myself that he still had two more games to win and that I would not give in without a fight.
The gym is full of people; the stands are so full that they overflow onto the edge of the court and out the doorway. The shrieks and screeches cry out from the crowd’s cheers. The ball crashes through the net, as they jump popcorn flies. The home team hit a three-point shot; they are winning with only a few seconds left. In these few seconds, the coach looks around. He realizes why he does what he does. At this point, none of the labor, time, and effort matters. The only thing that matters is the win, seeing his team succeed; watching a team grow is unlike any other feeling. In order to understand that feeling, one first has to appreciate the game: the rules and regulations, the legends that have played and coached, the development of the game,
Quite a lot of people have witnessed a tennis game, whether in person or on TV. Although often depicted by foreigners of the game as being “an easy sport”, Tennis on the contrary, requires quite a bit of technique and skill to even begin the game. Every point in this game begins with a serve, so if anyone was to hold their own on the court, they would at least be required to begin by learning to serve. In this document, I will be explaining the different techniques and postures necessary to successfully complete a serve and hopefully ace your opponent.
We then proceeded to our first game stipulation was the Half Court Challenge. Every participant got three attempts at a chance to make a half court shot. Surprisingly, no one had made a shot but the atmosphere from the participants was very enjoyable to be around. Participants were cheering each other on, laughing at their own attempts and were overall having a good time. Our second game was 4 on 4 basketball half court game.
As we all know, America is a nation of sports enthusiasts. Most Americans participate is some kind of sporting event, either as a spectator or as a competitor. In the pantheon of great American sports, there is one that stands out. It has been called the great American pastime. Yes, that great sport known as tennis. Tennis requires a mastery of many skills to be able to play competitively, but the primary skill needed to win in tennis is the serve. The serve is the primary offensive weapon used I tennis, because it is the only time when a player gets to put a ball into play. The player controls the speed, the placement, and the spin of the ball. With proper procedure, the serve can win many points and games for the server. The technique I will demonstrate is used by most professional ten...
Players that do not see the floor as much as others, but have a good attitude and support those playing, will benefit further down the road in their lives. In the eyes of a coach and elite athletes, victory is key. Swish! As the ball coursed through the net to send the team to victory, the crowd was on their feet applauding and celebrating the hard work of the athletes on the floor. Later that night, as fans are exiting the quieting gym, the question is thought, “What would have happened if coach had played someone different? What if someone else had been depended upon to take that
During sectionals, our county’s championships, we were seeded against the second best doubles team in the area. Due to this essay’s prompt, you already know that this is no Hail Mary match or heartwarming underdog tale, but rather a story of failure. We lost the entire match in less than half an hour. But the whole time, I remember laughing, bonding with my teammate, and just enjoying myself. I learned that I’m not always going to be the best at everything or the winner of the match, but that doesn’t mean that I should stop trying or stop enjoying myself. Losing that match didn’t take away from all of the hours of hard work that we had put in to get there, and it sure didn’t make our efforts any less
Sweat, aching muscles, and green spread out before me. I’d been practicing, I went hard and did my best to improve in every possible aspect. I worked not only on my form, my precision, and my power, but also on my mind; my mental game. I had to tell myself I could do it, I had to be confident in myself, no reassurance from others. I was told I had no chance, how could I win. I was expected to lose, and I thought I would.
Hearing the loud “thump” as the ball hits the racket is extremely satisfying, especially if your life now revolves around this fast-paced and exhilarating sport. Tennis is an outdoor game played by two individuals or pairs of players on a clay or grass court that’s divided by a low net. Each game is played with tennis rackets and small, yellow elastic balls. Tennis was first introduced in Wales and the United Kingdom in 1873 by “Major Walter Wingfield” (tennistheme.com). While most sports are easy to pick up, tennis takes extreme dedication to learn how to play the game, to perfect the amount of technique it takes, as well as its great impact on one’s personal life.
My love for tennis blossomed at the young age of eleven. During middle school my peers knew me as the boy who was remarkably talented at tennis and I savored that title. Butterflies floated throughout my youthful body whenever someone complimented me. As the years passed, my dad nurtured me into a top player. Before I knew it high school arrived and it was time to compete at a higher level. My excitement was out of this world, but I knew my dad could no longer push me forward and my future was up to me. However, the ego I developed over the years blocked what lie in front of me. I wasn’t looking at the bigger picture; the hard work demanded of me, teamwork, and the motivation to reach an ultimate goal. Throughout my four years of participating
Shouts can be heard everywhere on and off the court. On the court, teammates shout to one another, ordering sets and spikes, working hard for the next point. Off the court, kids celebrate the well-constructed plays of others and claim rights to the next match. At the end of each game, winners run swiftly to the adjacent beach for a swim, while losers meander sullenly to a drinking fountain housed under an elevated shelter. It is only seconds before new games begin, and the cycle begins again.
...e ball bouncing off my racquet, the thrill of a great hit, it made me love tennis. My mind stopped wandering as Jon hit the ball back. Accidently, instead of hitting the ball with my racquet, my free hand catches it. Jon laughs.