May 2003
To be accomplished in tennis, you need outside sources of motivation, such as
lessons, trophies and encouragement, but for most aspirants, real progress is
made when the player plays to please himself. To do this, the game must be fun.
Good strokes make for a pleasant experience--your body likes it. Solid contact with the ball, in front of the body, is a function of acquired technical skill. When the ball is mis-timed, mis-hit, hit late or too close to the body, it actually hurts the arm.
Running is fundamental to tennis. So is jumping, leaping and hopping. A tennis education involves learning how to move on the court, so the body is balanced and the strokes are efficient. There's a natural flow to it: the back is straight, the knees bent, the head motionless, the body's weight rests lightly, not flatly, on the balls of the feet. It feels good.
A student of the game continually seeks to expand his physical and intellectual understanding of the game. Like an airplane pilot at the controls, the accomplished tennis player knows what can go wrong and how to fix it. He's more composed on the court when he improves his knowledge and execution of spin, pace, change-of-pace, offense and defense, spatial awareness, and shot effectiveness, selection and combination.
Competing is fun and exciting--when a number of things are in order. A player must believe that competition brings out his best. A player must have (some) respect for his opponent. A player must accept, not deter, blame for his failures.