I want to share with you why I love tennis—and how it has defined my strengths—by relating the top five lessons I have learned from the sport. Bringing the game to a wider audience to spread these values is why I want to work in tennis. I believe technology will play a crucial role in sharing these lessons with others, which can prove useful on and off the court (I’m talking about you, business world).
How to Think Strategically
Tennis is often compared to chess because the grandmasters of the sport can put together a game plan that not only accounts for the current shot but also plans for the following shots. Hitting the backhand cross court opened up the court for a down the line winner!
Understanding Risk vs. Reward
Tennis is all about understanding Risk vs. Reward. Every shot has a low, medium, and high-risk option. Here, I took a calculated risk and hit the down the line running forehand(the high-risk option). Look at that! It paid off!
Respect for Others
Tennis is firmly rooted in sportsmanship. Sometimes your opponent hits a shot that’s way too good, after you’ve played the point perfectly. This is where you tip your hat and say, “Nice Shot!”
Be Creative!
By trusting your instincts, your inner creativity can express itself through your game. I’m a natural right-handed player, but I’ve spent hours working on left handed forehands to improve my two handed backhand. I never thought I’d be able to hit it quite like this!
How to be Poised Under Pressure
When your opponent approaches the net he or she is attempting to apply pressure by taking away time and making it harder for the opposing player to find space to hit into. This is even tougher in competitive play and it turns out this was a game point!
I credit much of the success in my own life to the hours I’ve spent on the court and believe it is the perfect agent for social change. I just hope I get the chance to launch my career in tennis, share these lessons with others, and grow the game, as a member of the MIT Sloan class of 2018.
I made these videos using:
Playsight: An interactive smart court that provides professional-level analysis of the game.
QuickTime: Apple’s QuickTime has a feature to record your screen, and since Playsight doesn’t allow for downloads, I had to get creative.
Great post. Even better form- especially on the backhand.
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