Tennis Blast’s A University For Tennis

• We like to think technically, scientifically but also instinctively when I approach tennis as a sport, hobby or profession.
• Nutrition: fuel, what you eat and drink, will determine your energy for play.
• Sleep and Rest: are both necessary to have energy.
• Fitness: to play well, you need strength, endurance (stamina), agility, explosive power, flexibility.
• Mental Fitness: calm state of mind, willingness to learn and work, the patience to wait for results, the character to deal with losses and wins properly.
• Stroke Technique: the study of how to hold and swing the racquet.
• Footwork: the study of how to move and place the feet correctly to strike the ball.
• Tactical and Strategy: the study of how to play matches and find solutions to defeat and opponent.

The Journey

• Tennis covers physical and mental aspects so comprehensively that your hunger to learn and improve will grow.
• Your work ethic will increase.
• Your appetite for learning will grow.
• Your athleticism will increase.
• Your character will change – and be careful, don’t become self centred, selfish or egotistical when you start getting better and better.
• You will definitely get healthier, look better and gain in confidence.

To Compete

• My friend and first ever strength and conditioning coach, Luke Borregine used to say: “Do you want to COMPETE.”
• Luke was a 4 times Olympic Australian Coach.
• The word compete is a key one; to compete takes courage, commitment and belief.
• It becomes an obsession, a habit and a way of life.
• Once you start to compete, it can possess you, drive you, even cause you to have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
• Why? Because you won’t want to stop until you achieve your goal.

The following are some tips if you’re just starting out in Tennis.

• Enjoy each step: whether you are a beginner or a top pro or a A, B, C or D grade player, your enjoyment and progress can always be great.
• Tennis is a fantastic sport for many reasons.
• The physical fitness you receive is just priceless.
• You will run, stretch, bend and leap into the air.
• You will breath hard, your heart rate will go up and all your muscles will get used.
• Don’t worry if you get sore, you really can’t hurt yourself playing Tennis if you’re careful not to go to hard and play with common sense.
• It’s like driving a car or a skate board or going shopping or visiting a place.
• Explore, baby steps, trial and error.
• Listen to your teacher, friends and filter through the information you have about how to play Tennis

Teachers, Coaches, Friends who play Tennis, Magazines, Books, Videos.

• Like going to school, college or doing any course, when you learn Tennis, at the end, you might say that you have a certificate, diploma or degree in Tennis.
• So you can get through with various grades – a pass, credit, distinction or high distinction. Or simply A, B, C, D with pluses or minuses attached.
• Can I say after playing Tennis for nearly 50 years and teaching for nearly 40 years, that Tennis is a life long course that links, in my opinion almost every subject, topic and area of life.
• I do feel like playing Tennis, challenging myself to be better and teaching Tennis as a profession and business, has helped me to understand and know about a lot of things in my life.
• The greatest thing has always been enjoying the sport and assisting others, a never ending number of people to also enjoy Tennis and the things that go with it, too.

These are the hierarchy of the ways you can practice Tennis.

• Swing your racquet in front of a mirror.
• Hit a ball against a wall.
• Hit on a ball machine.
• Get a friend to throw balls to you.
• Have a hit with a player of similar standard.
• Have a group Tennis lesson.
• Have a private Tennis lesson.

Good Luck, Kind Regards Kerry Dock