What are the Benefits of Playing Tennis?
There are many reasons why those who start playing tennis can’t stop! Besides being fun, there are a multitude of benefits, including psychological, social, and physical. Discover all the benefits of tennis and realize why millions of people keep playing.
Brain Power
Psychiatrists and doctors have suggested that tennis helps preserve your brain’s ability over time because you have to be alert and think tactically while playing. This means keeping your brain active and constantly activating new connections between neurons. Exercise, particularly strenuous, long activity such as tennis, is crucial for the brain, and it’s one of the best things you can do to create new neurons. Because tennis “enables our brains to model”, playing regularly just might help clear some brain fog and keep you on your toes mentally!
Mental Toughness
Playing tennis is challenging. Often it’s just you alone on the court. This means that you have to learn how to control your mind. In team sports, if you’re playing badly one of your teammates can help compensate for your off day. Tennis however, requires that you build the type of mental toughness that persists through long matches by yourself. There’s also unique mental toughness due to all the other external factors. Playing in a tennis match means thinking about all the conditions–is there a crack on the court you have to watch out for? Are the balls extra bouncy? Do you have to adjust your body to the sun? All of these mental gymnastics while playing, in addition to developing your strategy for each given point, game, and match, helps mold high levels of mental aptitude.
Meeting People
There’s a misconception that tennis is a solitary activity because its 1-on-1. That could not be further from the truth. Tennis players are always eager to find more people to play with of similar skill levels. Depending on where you live, you can search for different leagues to join of varying levels and competitiveness. No matter where you live, there is sure to be a tennis league that suits what you are looking for. Many people don’t really care about winning and losing and are more interested in meeting new people. Tennis bonds people as a common interest, and many lifelong friendships are forged through the sport. Because it’s a lifetime sport, the social dimension of tennis can last you and your friends a lifetime and you can make new friends no matter your age.
Stress and Anxiety Relief
Frustrated? Stressed? Having a bad day? Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress, and tennis lets you get on the court and focus on something else. Tennis isn’t a repetitive and monotonous workout that can lead to just thinking about what’s causing you stress. If you’re playing a match you’re just thinking about how to win the next point. If you’re just out there having fun with friends then it’s most likely an invigorating social hour. In fact, studies have shown that tennis increases well-being, decreasing anxiety and depression scores for players. If you want a hobby to help get you out of a mental rut or brighten your day, consider taking up tennis.
Weight Loss
Exercise is key for people wishing to live a healthy lifestyle. Playing tennis, you will burn nearly 200 calories every half hour. Many clubs and tennis programs offer clinics called “cardio tennis” aimed at getting people moving more than you would on average just playing. These clinics offer a fun way to exercise and potentially lose weight if that is your goal. Being surrounded by other people interested in tennis and staying in shape is also a helpful factor. Losing weight shouldn’t necessarily be the impetus to play tennis, but if you are concerned about managing your fitness better, tennis is a fun way to stay in good shape.
Full Body Workout
Besides burning fat, another benefit of tennis is strengthening muscles all over your body. The full body workout that occurs when you play tennis can help your body in a number of ways. Look at a tennis player’s average movements in a point. You’re turning, twisting, bending, and moving your whole body. If you’re not stretching properly, you might feel sore in muscles you didn’t even know existed. This full body workout will increase flexibility in your lower and upper body, while providing you with both aerobic and anaerobic benefits. Tennis uniquely requires strong cardiovascular endurance and short bursts of energy. As you play, you’ll grow in your endurance and sprinting abilities, regardless of the fitness level you started at.
Disease Prevention
Tennis is known to lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels, which in turn, decreases one’s risk for heart disease. In fact, studies show that if you even play tennis for a mere 3 hours a week, your likelihood of heart-related diseases decreases by 56%. Referred to by The Cleveland Clinic as “an ideal sport for a healthy heart,” tennis certainly will keep this vital organ pumping! Worried about bone health? Well, studies by the National Institute of Health show that playing tennis is a great way to ensure bone health as well. Intense movements all over the court will help maintain and possibly increase bone density if you play consistently.
Worldwide Community
When you start playing tennis, you’re joining a worldwide community of fans and players. With an estimated 1 billion fans worldwide, and about 90 million players globally, tennis ranks at the fourth most popular sport in the world. So, when you start playing, you’re not just joining a close circle of friends or family, you’re also going global. Wherever you travel to, you can find tennis courts and eager fans. The same goes for the digital sphere. Tennis has an established network of players and aficionados no matter where you play or interact with people.
Fun for Life
You can play tennis at any age. Most tournaments have divisions for all ages, from 4-year-olds all the way to 90-somethings. There’s no age limit or age prejudice in the sport. Sometimes, it can be difficult to get into an athletic activity thinking that you’re not the right age or fitness level. According to the International Journal of Exercise Science, tennis is one of those rare “lifetime sports”, where you can play past retirement and into the last chapter of your life. Because tennis is a lifetime sport, it’s a great way to connect with family and people of all ages where there might be gaps otherwise.
