The Society of Tennis Tennis is the world’s fastest growing sport today for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is the variety of opponents one can face. In examining the game of tennis, most players can be categorized into one of four groups, the talented, the rabbits, the pushers, and the blasters. These different players make the game different each time one plays. This changes each match for the better, or for the worse. The Talent is a player who is able to adapt his game to give him the best advantage against any opponent, in any weather condition, whenever needed. He can drop shot, blast, “thread the needle”, find weaknesses, and reflex volley. This player will find what works best and dismantle the game. The talent will exhaust almost any player. At the highest levels, the talent may choose to play directly into his opponent’s strength. Bill Tilden was notorious for this tactic. When asked why he attacked the other players’ strengths, his answer was, “That way, once I’ve broken him down, all he has to fall back on are his weaknesses.” The talent tends to be able to change strategies and tactics in the blink of an eye. He may, within a set, even within a point, switch from one pattern to another to keep the opponent off balance no matter the situation. The Rabbit is quick and tireless. He believes he can return any ball and becomes a “human backboard.” This player relies on his opponent’s misses, rather than on any “money shot” of his own. His strength is that while retrieving, they keep the opponent pinned to his/her own baseline. The rabbit has consistent depth and uniformly steady pace on his strokes. He just doesn’t seem to work the corners or angles the way most baseliners do. If one is playing the baseline game ... ... middle of paper ... ...y of a rabbit, but the inconsistency of the pusher. Every once in a while, a seemingly lazy player could walk onto the court and instantly become one of the talented. The other talented would work out off-season, practice off season. But this kid refuses to put forth the effort. He just doesn’t understand where he really belongs on the court. The talented are players who exude confidence. They have finesse, power, speed, and strategy. They compare to the well-rounded, athletic, and social A-student. On the other hand, the rabbits strive to be talented and model the talented’s behavior yet don’t quite reach that goal. The pushers would like to be accepted but don’t want to put forth the effort to raise his game. The blaster resembles the athletes in the school who force bluster their way through the school. These people are accepted due to their immense power.
biggest one, if a player is very good say in high school, then they will think that they are
Jimmy worked like a demon to make up for the difference. By age 8, Jimmy was skillful enough to enter into tournaments, and he made a good showing in them. Jimmy did not win his first tournament until he was in the ten-year-old competition. The losses only gave him determination and the wins only gave humbleness. Jimmy Connors, a paragon of all sorts, had an unconquerable spirit. Jimmy knew that he had to be himself out on the tennis courts if he wanted to succeed. At times in Jimmy’s career, he was known as a spoiled brat for his cocky attitude. He was often called “mouth”. He had this spirit ever since he was a young boy. Being the smaller kid of his age group, he had to have something to hold onto.
The example of an athlete is adapted to clarify this belief. If one wants to be a star athlete, then it is important for one to train properly and work hard before the event. Supposing that one does not prepare for the event, then the expectation sh...
Everyone wants to get better at something, but some want it more than others. In “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium”, the narrator wants to get better at basketball, so he wakes up everyday at 4:30 to go with his dad to his work. Everyday, the narrator would wait 3 hours in his dad’s car until the gym opened, only to sit on the bench and watch the other men play basketball. Finally, one of the best players, Dante, tells the narrator he can play but he’ll get “smoked”. However, the narrator proved him wrong. The narrator learns that if you persevere, work hard, and have confidence, your dreams may come true. In How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place
players will seem indomitable and can cause opponents to be fearful of any move. Taking many risks and using aggression is a strategy that frequently works in acquiring power. Additionally, using defense is critic...
Volleyball is one of the biggest team sports there are. It is big in the summer olympics and all around the world men and women play it every day. The game of volleyball was originally called “mintonette”, it was invented by William G. Morgan in 1895 at Springfield College in Massachusetts, they made it along with basketball. In 1957 volleyball was officially an Olympic sport, the first games were held in Tokyo 1964 and the first beach volleyball games were in 1996 Atlanta. In London 2012, USA got 12 silver medals. In the Olympics, the Soviet Union has won the most medals. The best country right now is Brazil, winning gold medals in London 2012. One of the best volleyball players from Minnesota right now is Tori Dixon who played for the Gophers
Tennis is a sport that most people don’t normally think about on a daily basis. The first thing that comes to mind is that it’s a boring sport for those in a higher class or somewhere off in the depths of France or Britain. Even so, the history of tennis is something that is quite interesting and the games involved can be profound. How did the sport of tennis come to be? Are there any variations of the sport? How has the equipment changed throughout the years? Why is tennis still around today? All of these have piqued interest at some point with a great amount of people, with the latter being the most interested question.
“The odds of a high school basketball player making it to the “next level” to play college basketball (DI, II, or III) is slim. In fact, only 3.4% of high school players go on to play college basketball. Taking it even further, only 1.2% of college basketball players go on to get drafted in the NBA” (Winters, 2016). There are two types of players in the game. There are the kids who play basketball because they are athletic, and all they are seeking to gain is the recognition and awards. They want to be known. Those players are self-centered, they do not play for the team, and generally don’t play because they love the game. These are the types of players who don’t usually go on to play at the next level. On the other hand, there are the players that absolutely dedicate their life to the game of basketball just because they love the game. That is what coaches are looking for in a player, and that is the kind of player I am striving to be.
Sports can help many at- risk youths. In order to participate in sports you need to be committed and willing to work hard. You also have to learn to respect others and accept that winning isn’t the only measure of success. Losing can build character as well. When youth participate in a sports they enjoy, they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are harmful or dangerous to themselves and others. It is for these reasons schools should strive to maintain athletic programs for their students.
The Evolution Of Tennis When most unknowing people hear the word “tennis” they think of old people hitting a ball over a net in shorts with wooden racquets, a common stereotype among today’s youth. Not many think of the image of Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, both outstanding players, violently hitting and running across the court to cover the ball. Of course, the era of wooden racquets was not too long ago. However, the truth is that the sport of tennis has greatly revolutionized due to new racquet technology, new advanced tennis balls, more spin, and stronger, taller, and fitter generations.
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.
When kids are in pressuring situations they can have two outcomes, they step up and play better or they don’t. Either way there is potential for improvement in their sport. If they step up and play well they become better in game situations. If they play poorly in a pressuring situation they can become driven to improve their skills so that the next time they can be the difference maker. As I write this my basketball team is coming off a tough loss, I had a bad game and I feel like I could have done more to contribute to the team, I think this is the feeling that drives kids to become better when they have bad games.
Tennis is played by many professionals all around the world. For professionals, such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and many others, there are four grand
Any athlete from high school to the professional ranks has most likely heard the phrase, “Hard work beats talent.” To them, this statement provides incentive to work hard, for even if their opponent is more talented than them, they can still be victorious through hard work. To some, hard work is the most important aspect of life. However, others may argue that one’s career or social status is much more important than hard work. In Bernard Malamud’s short story, The First Seven Years, the shop owner views social status as much more important than hard work. However, among the three, hard work, career, and social status, hard work is most certainly the most important.
Throughout my early childhood, I went through several different phases. I practiced an abundance of different activities such as: dance, baseball, tumbling, gymnastics, and even baton. However, none of these sports or hobbies stuck. That is, until I discovered volleyball. Never have I felt the love for something as much as I did this sport. Volleyball has had an unimaginable impact on my life in so many ways. I would not be the person I am today if not for this sport.