I’ve been playing tennis since seventh grade, and while walking onto the court for the first time in the summer leading up to my sophomore year, I had never been more petrified. I knew from the moment summer started, that the tennis season was going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to overcome in my fifteen years of overcoming adversity. As soon as the nets went up in the spring I started preparing for the tennis season ahead. It seemed that no matter how much I practiced, I would never be ready for the task at hand. Although it was an exhausting undertaking, I knew that if I put everything I had into my game, I’d be able to prevail. During the tennis season I learned essential life lessons including: always believing in myself and always …show more content…
One example was our match against Buffalo. When we saw our opposing teams lineup I came to the realization that I would be playing a foreign exchange student who was a senior. My nerves intensified as I grasped what I had just realized. My opponent didn’t speak much english which made communication slightly difficult, but we figured it out. I didn’t have a scouting report on my opponent so I had to adjust as I was playing. This match was without a doubt the most humiliating and excruciating match that I have ever played. She was hands down the best player that I have ever had the privilege of playing. She flew to all of the balls and could easily place her shots in order to expose my weaknesses. I found myself in shock as I staggered in attempt to keep up with her fast pace. Playing a exceedingingly good player like her was certainly a good learning experience for me, and an endeavor that I strived to overcome. On the contrary to what happened in Buffalo, our match against Big Lake was definitely memorable. During my freshman year I had played a girl named Ashley at 3rd singles and I lost 0-6, 0-6. So when it came to the Big Lake match, I had to face her again, except this time we were both playing 1st singles. Based on her body language I could tell that she believed it would be an effortless match. This immediately made me want to prove her wrong, so I did just that. We went through 3 excruciating sets and I ultimately won 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. This match taught me that although not everyone will always believe in me, as long as I believe in myself, I could do
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.
I felt depleted, I thought that I had finally gotten the hang of my emotions on the court. In return she stated, “Mistakes will always happen, you can't ignore them, but you also can't get caught up in them. I know it is hard, but you have to learn because that is how you get better in sports if you want to continue playing.” This thought whirled around my head for the following months; if I wanted to really excel in volleyball I had to finally fix my attitude, for the better.
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.
The obstacle I had to confront a problem my freshman year in high school. I entered into orchestra class to learn the basics of playing violin. I use to play before, but I forgot how it was played. Our teacher gave us a book to read called the “The Inner Game of Tennis.” Told us to look through it and find the deeper mean towards the book. I found it interesting that he gave us a book of tennis theme. The thing we should focus on is the position of our finger patterns and note names.
The ball comes speeding over the net and slams down onto the face of the court landing just beyond the base line, the line running along the back of the court. I had called her winning point... "out." As I turned towards her, I could see the anger building in her eyes. We walked towards each other, and with only the net separating us, she began to confront me. She argued that, as she saw it, the ball was obviously in and that we should replay the point. I wanted this game as much as she did and we were both standing strong. I finally decided that there was no use in fighting. We had to resolve this argument between ourselves because there were no line judges to decide for us. We decided to replay the point and she won. I tried to convince myself that there would be times when a call would be questionable and that I should try not to point fingers. I still went home discouraged that night because I knew that the call I had made was fair.
Being experienced to being a member of the tennis team has prepared me and made me realize the importance of never giving up when times are rough and caring for others during difficult times. I know these techniques will indeed come in handy with life and furthermore lead me to my goal.
When the clock struck three, everyone was ecstatic because school was out for fall break, but my team was thrilled only because we were loading the bus for Albany, Ga to begin the Region softball tournament. On the way, the atmosphere on the bus was electric. The ride to Albany is generally short, but that day it felt like hours. Once we finally arrived, we were the first team there. I was excited and confident my team was going to get the two wins of the day, however things didn’t go as planned. We thought when entering the tournament ranked number one, teams feared us, but into the second game, we were quickly proven wrong when we lost to crisp county 5-2. Many of us were heartbroken and devastated, but we decided to learn from it. Our senior, Emily Corbitt said, “Even the best lose
Serena Williams: The embodiment of success. She keeps me hungry for more, both on the court and in the classroom. Whenever I failed a math test for the first time this year, I thought of when she makes a mistake and how she drills her flaws in practice so that it surely will not happen again. Reflecting on this, I did worksheets, watched Khan academy lessons, and mastered the content until 3:30 a.m. on the morning that I was retaking the math test, and received a 100%.
Although my mind assured me that I was going to mess up, I didn’t. My head began to clear, and adrenaline began to flood my system again. Time went by, and the clock finally ticked off to all zeroes. My performance hadn’t been one for the ages, but I felt good about how I did. After the team went through the line and gave the expected “Good Game” line to the Sergeant-Bluff Luton, we were treated to many smiles and hugs from parents.
As I prepared for the last match, I could tell my partner lost hope in me from his glances that read “what a beginner”, so I had low expectations from him. However, that did not stop me, I had this lingering eagerness barely hanging on to me. So as we got to our rebuttal speeches, I pulled out my wild card. I loudly spat out my inner thoughts with anger on behalf of the topic, my partner's jaw dropped and everyone's pupils dilated as they watched silently to what I had to say. I remember the feeling of fulfillment I had when I sat down with a twisted smirk on my
Being the youngest player on the team I was challenged to be as good as the older players. Leaders develop through doing and by being put through perplexing situations. It was vital for me to become quicker and think faster on the field. In conjunction with the technical challenges I had to learn how to keep my emotions in check. You can’t get
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.
I can remember my first game like it was yesterday. My little sister and I played for the “Shock” recreation team. Our colors were burgundy and gold. I was so nervous to get out on the court and play in front of all those people, but I know I couldn’t show my fear in front of my little sister then she would be even more scared. My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest and I could feel the sweat forming on my nose 30 minutes before the game.
Tennis also teaches many positive characteristics such as, self-discipline, leadership, character, and the ability to manage mistakes. Participating in any sport requires self-disciple. Whether that discipline is through eating healthy with the proper nutrition, or being disciplined enough to practice frequently. Leadership is also a quality obtained in tennis through leading the team to success, surrounding yourself with other leaders, and helping to always improve your game and fellow teammates. These qualities improve both the character and skill of the
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