A Little Girl's Tennis Learning Experience
When I was first told I would be learning tennis, a few thoughts ran through my mind. "What is tennis? Is it tough? Am I strong enough?" I was very nervous and scared! However, all my anxiety and fear faded away once I met my class and coach. As we were all beginners, our coach was very patient with us and did not get angry despite us getting the strokes wrong repeatedly. I was also relieved when I realized the other kids in my class weren't as good as me too! HAHA!
As weeks went past, I started to improve inch by inch. I managed to get the ball over the net. I was overjoyed as I was one of the few in my class to get the ball over. From then on, I gained confidence and played my very best. My coach was very impressed with my playing and praised me in front of the whole class. I felt great! My coach also lent me a slightly bigger racket which could give me more power so that I would be able to hit the ball from the service line instead of where I used to hit. Suddenly, I felt I was stronger and I played much better with that racket. That day, after training, my coach explained to my dad that a heavier and bigger racket will allow your ball to go further. I was amazed.
That night, my dad went to buy a bigger racket for me. I then realized that there were two types of rackets for kids between 2-6 years old and I was using a small one. I carried the bigger racket and told my dad the weight was manageable. My dad smiled at me and bought the racket for me. At the cashier, the shop owner said, "wow! You just turned 5 and you are already carrying the bigger racket for kids." He added, "Usually, the bigger rackets are carried by kids age 5+-6+." I laughed. When I went for my tennis lesson the following week, I used my new racket and indeed the racket made my ball further than usual! Seeing how hard and far my ball went, my coach came forward and told me to try hitting from the baseline. I was a little hesitant at first but after getting some encouragement from him, I agreed. After trying to hit a ball from the baseline, I felt it was simple. Since then, my coach allowed me to practice from the baseline so when I turn 7, he would promote me to the intermediate group.
Every weekend, I would practice tennis at the courts at my condominium. I was also very inspired after looking at the professional tennis players playing the grand slams on television. Finally, I turned 7! It was my first day at intermediate training. I was more nervous than before as I knew in this training, there will be better players than me. As I was the youngest and newest player there, I got the most attention from the coach. He gave me a warm smile and it brightened up the rest of my day. I was told to do some drills and running. It was tiring but beneficial. At the end of the training, my coach came up to me and said my performance was good. I smiled back.
Weeks of trainings passed and I was ready to take part in a tournament. I remembered in the first round, I played the second seed. Head ti s6 titanium was a hard match as her balls were quite hard and fast. After an hour or so, I got trashed. I was very sad but my mum said that not everyone can win all the time. From then on, I kept what she said in mind when I played a match and I won the U-10 doubles championship.
Tennis had made me physically and mentally stronger. I am able to face adversity with more confidence and calmness these days. There is no gain with no pain, as the saying goes.
As weeks went past, I started to improve inch by inch. I managed to get the ball over the net. I was overjoyed as I was one of the few in my class to get the ball over. From then on, I gained confidence and played my very best. My coach was very impressed with my playing and praised me in front of the whole class. I felt great! My coach also lent me a slightly bigger racket which could give me more power so that I would be able to hit the ball from the service line instead of where I used to hit. Suddenly, I felt I was stronger and I played much better with that racket. That day, after training, my coach explained to my dad that a heavier and bigger racket will allow your ball to go further. I was amazed.
That night, my dad went to buy a bigger racket for me. I then realized that there were two types of rackets for kids between 2-6 years old and I was using a small one. I carried the bigger racket and told my dad the weight was manageable. My dad smiled at me and bought the racket for me. At the cashier, the shop owner said, "wow! You just turned 5 and you are already carrying the bigger racket for kids." He added, "Usually, the bigger rackets are carried by kids age 5+-6+." I laughed. When I went for my tennis lesson the following week, I used my new racket and indeed the racket made my ball further than usual! Seeing how hard and far my ball went, my coach came forward and told me to try hitting from the baseline. I was a little hesitant at first but after getting some encouragement from him, I agreed. After trying to hit a ball from the baseline, I felt it was simple. Since then, my coach allowed me to practice from the baseline so when I turn 7, he would promote me to the intermediate group.
Every weekend, I would practice tennis at the courts at my condominium. I was also very inspired after looking at the professional tennis players playing the grand slams on television. Finally, I turned 7! It was my first day at intermediate training. I was more nervous than before as I knew in this training, there will be better players than me. As I was the youngest and newest player there, I got the most attention from the coach. He gave me a warm smile and it brightened up the rest of my day. I was told to do some drills and running. It was tiring but beneficial. At the end of the training, my coach came up to me and said my performance was good. I smiled back.
Weeks of trainings passed and I was ready to take part in a tournament. I remembered in the first round, I played the second seed. Head ti s6 titanium was a hard match as her balls were quite hard and fast. After an hour or so, I got trashed. I was very sad but my mum said that not everyone can win all the time. From then on, I kept what she said in mind when I played a match and I won the U-10 doubles championship.
Tennis had made me physically and mentally stronger. I am able to face adversity with more confidence and calmness these days. There is no gain with no pain, as the saying goes.
