5.speed through a series of side-to-side and up and back sprints to chase the ball.
6.leg strength through the hundreds of starts and stops that build stronger leg muscles.
7.general body condition since you have to move into position and then adjust your upper body to hit the ball successfully.
8.gross motor control through movement and ball-striking skills that require control of your large muscle groups.
9.fine motor control by use of touch shots like angled volley, drop shots and lobs.
10.agility by forcing you to change direction as many as five times in 10 seconds during a typical point.
11.dynamic balance through hundreds of starts, stops, change of direction, and hitting on the run.
12.cross-training through a physically demanding sport that’s fun for athletes who specialized in other sports.
13.bone strenght and density by strengthening bones of young players and helping prevent osteoporosis in older ones.
14.immune system through its conditioning effects, which promotes overall health, fitness and resistance to disease.
15.nutritional habits by eating appropriately before competition to enhance energy production and after competition to practice proper recovery methods.
16.hand-eye cordination because you constantly judge the timing between the oncoming ball and the proper contact point.
17.flexibility due to the constant stretching and maneuvering to return the ball to your opponent.
Psychological reason to play tennis
Tennis helps your:
1.develope a work ethic because improvement through lessons or practice the value of hard work.
2.develop discipline since you learn to work on your skills in practice and control the pace of play in competition.
3.manage mistakes by learning to play within your abilities, and realizing that
managing and minimizing mistakes in tennis or life is critical.
4.learn to compete one-on-one because the ability to do battle on court trains you in the ups and downs of a competitive world.
5.accept responsibility by practicing skills and checking your equipment before a match, and by making accurate line calls during a match.
6.manage adversity by learning to adjust to the elements (e.g. wind, sun) and still be able to compete tenaciously.
7.control stress effectively because the physical, mental and emotional stress will force you to increase your capacity for dealing with stress.
8.learn how to recover by adapting to the stress of a point and the recovery period between points, which is similar to the stress and recovery cycles in life.
8.plan and implement strategies since you naturally learn how to anticipate your opponent’s moves and your countermoves.
9.learn to solve problems since tennis is a sport based on angles, geometry and physics.
10.develope performance rituals before serving or returning to control your rhythm of play and deal with pressure. These skills can transfer to taking exams, conducting a meeting or making an important sales presentation.
11.learn sportsmanship since tennis teaches you to compete fairly with opponents.
12.learn to win graciously and loose with honor. Gloating after a win or making excuse after a loss doesn’t work in tennis or in life.
13.learn teamwork since successful doubles play depends on the ability of you and your partner to communicate before a match, while changing sides on the court and after play.
14.have fun-because the healthy feeling of enjoyment, competitiveness and physical challenges are inherent in the sport.
Source: www.uspta.com
