Physical Development

Tennis is a sport for kids to learn early in life, and there are numerous physical benefits from playing tennis regularly.  The below may also apply to adults taking up tennis at a late stage in their life.

Regular tennis play has been demonstrated to improve:

1. aerobic and cardiovascular fitness while maintaining higher energy levels

 

2. anaerobic fitness through short, intense bursts of activity during a point, followed by rest, which
    helps muscles use oxygen efficiently

 

3. acceleration by practicing sprinting, jumping and lunging in order to move quickly

 

4. powerful first steps, by requiring anticipation, quick reaction time and explosion into action

 

5. speed through a series of side-to-side and up and back sprints to chase the ball

 

6. leg strength, through hundreds of starts and stops which build stronger leg muscles

 

7. general body coordination since you have to move into position and then adjust your upper body to
    hit the ball successfully

 

8. gross motor control, through court movement and ball-striking skills, which require control of your
    large muscle groups

 

9. fine motor control by the use of touch shots like angled volleys, drop shots and lobs

 

10. agility by forcing you to change direction as many as 5 times in 10 seconds during a typical tennis
       point

 

11. dynamic balance through hundreds of starts, stops, changes of direction and hitting on the run

 

12. cross-training by offering a physically demanding sport that’s fun to play for athletes who also
       participate in other sports

 

13. bone strength and density by strengthening bones of young players and helping prevent
       osteoporosis in older ones

 

14. immune system through its conditioning effects that promote 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. eye-hand coordination, because you constantly judge the timing between the on-coming ball and
       the proper contact point

 

17. flexibility due to the constant stretching and maneuvering to return the ball toward your opponent

 

Psychological Development

The psychological benefits from regular tennis play may help children to learn and develop positive personality characteristics which are useful on the tennis court, but more importantly, are essential for many everyday situations through life.

 

Regular tennis play has been demonstrated to improve:

18. work ethic because improvement through lessons or practice reinforces the value of hard work

 

19. discipline since you learn to work on your skills in practice and control the pace of play in
      competition

 

20. mistake management by learning to play within your abilities and realising that managing and
       minimising mistakes in tennis or life is critical

 

21. one-on-one competition because the ability to compete and fight trains you in the ups and downs of
       a competitive world

 

22. accept responsibility because only you can prepare to compete by practicing skills, checking your
       equipment and during match play by making line calls

 

23. management of adversity, by learning to adjust to the elements (e.g. wind, sun) and still be able to
       compete

 

24. effective accommodation of stress because the physical, mental and emotional stress of tennis will

       force you to increase your capacity for dealing with stress

 

25. learning 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

 

26. planning and implementation of strategies since you naturally learn how to anticipate an
      opponent’s moves and plan your countermoves

 

27. learning to solve problems since tennis is a sport based on angles, geometry and physics

 

28. performance rituals before serving or returning which help control your rhythm of play and dealing
       with pressure. These skills can transfer to taking exams, conducting a meeting or making an
       important sales presentation
 

29. learning sportsmanship since tennis teaches you to compete fairly with opponents

 

30. learning to win graciously while losing with honour. Gloating after a win or making excuses after a
       loss doesn’t work in tennis or in life

 

31. learning teamwork since successful doubles play depends on you and your partner’s ability to
       communicate and play as a cohesive unit

 

32. developing social skills through interaction and communication before a match, while changing
       sides of the court and after play

 

33. having FUN… because the healthy feelings of enjoyment, competitiveness and physical challenge are
       inherent in the sport

 

Internet Reference: ITF (International Tennis Federation)

Citing Source: 22 May 2016 [http://www.itftennis.com/scienceandmedicine/health/tennis-children.aspx]