If you’re like most players, your idea of practice is getting in a few sets. While there’s lots to be said for that, the problem is that we tend to play to win these practice sets and therefore don’t make an effort to do the very thing that practice is supposed to be about: working on the weaker parts of our game.
But there’s an easy way around this dilemma, one that simulates the situations you might face in a match while de-emphasizing the pressure to win. Play points instead of sets.
Try this: The server must win three points in a row to win a game; if you lose any of the points before reaching three, your opponent gets a chance to serve and win three consecutive points. This forces both of you to concentrate and become dominant. You’ll find that there are times when players compete for long periods and never win a game.
At last year's meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exercise physiologists, sports medicine doctors, and sports nutritionists all reconfirmed their commitment to the power of exercise to change lives for the better.
Their Slogan for 2012 is "Exercise Is Medicine" or better yet "Exercise Is Better Than Medicine" as they continue to battle the biggest public health problem in the 21st century... lack of physical activity.
Exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, dementia, and other diseases of aging. What most people don't know is 16% of Americans will die from low fitness/sedentary lifestyle. That's higher than the 14% that will die from smoking, diabetes, and obesity combined.
Bottom line... find a sport or two sports that you can stick to for life. Obviously we suggest tennis for your sedentary friends. Entry into the sport is reasonably priced and the time requirements are reasonably. Tennis is a lifestyle and way of life for both exercise and friendships for life.
