Personal Development, Health & Fitness

Tennis Champions:

10/24/2010 – 6:46 pm
amoxil alt=”Jimmy Connors, Miami, Florida 2007″ width=”300″ height=”456″ />
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Are They Born? Or Made?

John Newcombe, former world tennis No 1 and former Australian Davis Cup captain, once said that the top Australian players of his era believed that it was their destiny to become tennis champions.Boris amoxicillin href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Becker” target=”_self”>Becker told me that two weeks before achieving his first Wimbledon title (in 1985 when seventeen years old), he felt as if it were predetermined.
As a seventeen year old, Ivan Lendl, who, prior to Pete Sampras, held the No 1 spot longer than any other player in generic amoxil history, was convinced that he would turn himself into the best player in the world.  He would even tell you so.
When asked by the media about his chances of winning his first US Open title (in 1975), Jimmy Connors‘ response was: “There are 127 losers in the draw — and me!”Jimmy won.
What these former greats had in common was an unshakeable certainty that they would win.  It is a trait that is shared by all top sports people. But a question that has always fascinated me is: Are such champions born, or are they made?
Were Newccombe, Becker, Lendl and Connors born to rule the tennis world?  Or did they become champions because of the choices they made?  Was their success predetermined, as suggested by Newcombe and Becker?  Or was it a result of a single-minded dedication to making themselves the very best, as implied by Lendl and Connors?
Are champions a product of nature? Or of nurture?
To be a true champion at tennis or any other sport requires very special qualities.  These qualities or attributes can be divided into two categories: the physical and the mental.  It is my contention that physical attributes are predominantly a product of chance.  They are determined genetically.
For instance, some people are born with a body structure conducive to speed, others to strength, and so on.  In this sense, a very large proportion of the population are excluded, from birth, from ever winning an Olympic gold medal as a sprinter or a weightlifter. It is the same with tennis.


The physical attributes that are required to become a champion player are such things as good hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes, and leg-speed.  Without question, these attributes can be developed to their fullest potential with cialis dosage hard work and effective training methods.
But most people are excluded from becoming the best tennis player in the world, no matter how much time they spend attempting to reach their physical ceiling of potential.

Does this mean, then, that champions are born?  Were Newcombe, Becker, Lendl and Connors so physically superior to everyone else that becoming the best was just a mere formality?

Certainly not.  All four were exceptionally gifted physically, but in my view, there were other players of the same eras who were more gifted than they were. What separated them from everyone else were their mental attributes: amoxil online their will to win, their determination, their perseverance, their ability to remain calm under pressure, their ability to bounce back from disappointments and the belief that they deserved to win.

All attributes that not one of us is born with, but that each one of us has the power to develop.  The only choice is whether we want to or not. It is in this sense that, given the necessary or essential physical attributes as a starting point, all champions are not only made,they are self-made.

Understand The Tennis Court In Order To Understand Tennis

09/13/2010 – 7:56 pm
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Understand The Tennis Court In Order To Understand Tennis

So you have decided to take up tennis? Or maybe you are content to be a spectator but you would like to expand your knowledge of the game. There are a lot of variables to tennis, from the proper clothes to the equipment, from the rules to the players, but there are some constants in the game too.

At seventy-eight feet long from baseline to baseline, and twenty-seven feet wide x thirty-six feet for doubles matches the size of the tennis court is one of those constants, and one can learn a lot about the game simply by understanding this field of play.

While the size of a tennis court never changes, the surface of the court can vary from location to location. There are three basic types of surfaces on buy cialis online which tennis is played, and each surface dictates a particular style of play.

Clay courts are made of crushed stone, brick, or shale, and are usually reddish orange in color, although they can be green as well. Clay courts are considered slow courts where balls tend to bounce higher and more slowly than on other surfaces. Consequently, points often last longer on clay courts as players tend to stay near the baseline the line farthest from the net and play defensively because it is so difficult to simply blast one by their opponent.

Clay courts are more prevalent in Europe and South America than they are in the United States. Of the professional Grand Slam tournaments only the French Open or the Tournoi de Roland-Garros as it is officially known  is played on a clay surface.

The second kind of playing surface that one would find on a tennis court is grass. Rarely seen because of their high maintenance costs, grass courts are grown on firmly packed soil, much like a golf green. Of all the playing surfaces, grass presents the most variables to players.

Wear and tear, moisture, firmness of soil, and the length of time the grass has grown since being mowed all play a role in the playing characteristics of a grass court. Despite these variables, grass court players can usually expect the ball to bounce low forcing the players to get to the ball faster if they are to have a chance at a return; hence, grass courts are fast courts.

Successful grass court players typically play a serve and volley style of game where they quickly rush to the net after serving in hopes of forcing their opponent to hit a fast and perfect return; not e asy on

a fast, grass court. The most famous grass court is most certainly Centre Court at Wimbledon, home of amoxil cheap target=”_blank”>The Championships, Wimbledon, a Grand Slam event and the oldest event in championship tennis.

Faster than clay courts yet slower than grass courts, hard courts are the most common type of tennis court. Constructed buy amoxil of cement or synthetic materials, hard courts vary in speed and bounce, but generally fall in the middle of the spectrum on both fronts. Hard courts are also the most conducive to all styles of play and, unlike grass or clay, they do not provide significant advantage buy amoxil or disadvantage to players with different styles.

Consequently, hard courts are often considered to provide the fairest test of all around skill. The United States Open and Australian Open are both played on hard courts, although the US Open uses an acrylic surface while the Australian Open utilizes a synthetic surface. Indoor courts are a variable of hard courts that are usually made of cement, wood, or even artificial turf. They typically have similar playing characteristics that are similar to other variations of hard courts.

Now that you understand the different surfaces that can be found in tennis you can use that knowledge to enhance your strategies on the court, or your appreciation for the game as a spectator. Either way, you must understand the tennis court in order amoxil cheap to fully understand tennis.

Tennis Basics

08/30/2010 – 8:48 pm

Tennis Basics

For any of you who are thinking of taking up tennis, or are simply interested in the basics of tennis, then you will find this an informative article.

It is good idea to dress in tennis clothes, as opposed to street clothes for game play. Tennis clothing has been designed to give where necessary and provide the proper comfort level when exerting yourself and making quick movements. If you don’t want to invest in a tennis outfit, make sure you wear shorts and a shirt that have plenty of room for your movements.

If you are a beginner, you really shouldn’t think in terms of buying less expensive equipment. Your tennis racket is a very important element in becoming successful buy amoxicillin and building your skill base. Good quality rackets will always outlast poor ones, and so the investment is worth it. Look for a racquet whose weight, balance, and size order amoxil of handle fit your frame.

After you’ve decided upon a good quality racquet, make sure you use good tennis balls. The bounce you will get from a good ball cannot be underestimated.

If you are truly interested in learning the game, and succeeding rapidly, I would suggest watching some matches between talented players. In person is better, but the television will do. If you watch their stokes and leg movements closely, you will begin to see that certain movements are used consistently, every time. You may also consider getting an instruction book. This is particularly helpful if you are planning on taking lessons. That way you can be familiar with the terminology prior to beginning.

If you decide to take lessons, as opposed to learning on the job, never be discouraged if your progress is slow. Just continue to practice the strokes as you have been taught and eventually you will find that they both improve and become second nature. There are very few natural geniuses of the game. Excellent tennis players are the product of hard work.

If you’ve decided to take up tennis for fun, or for sport, you’ll find that tennis will pay dividends to you all of your life. Tennis is excellent exercise and a great stress reliever. Additionally, tennis is a social sport. You can expect to make many friendships.

Here is a list of skills you should master, in the order they should be attempted:

1. Concentration on the game.
2. Keep your eye on the ball.
3. Foot-work and weight-control.
4. Strokes.
5. Court position.
6. Match play.
7. Tennis psychology.

A Word About Concentration

Tennis is first and foremost a game played with the mind. Yes, physical ability and skill are extremely important, but without concentration, these skills are of little use. You will find that if you develop

your concentration as your first and most important skill, it will carry you far. There may be times in match play that noises from onlookers will distract. Additionally, allowing yourself to concentrate on your game will also help keep your emotions in check if you aren’t doing well with your game. The sooner you learn this vital lesson, the better. In fact, in many cases, a player will highly developed concentration skills will find that they can beat a player of great ability, if that player doesn’t possess the same abilities in his or her concentration.

Learning tennis cialis can be the start of a live long love of the sport. If you take the time to learn the fundamentals, obtain the proper equipment and work on mastering the skills you need, one at a time, you will most certainly succeed in not only enjoying yourself, but experiencing the satisfaction of becoming amoxicillin a skilled athlete.

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