Losing is OK, Sometimes Even Good!

Losing is OK, Sometimes Even Good! I found this article out on the web at a site called tennis4you alot of very good information, thought it was very good, happy reading, Jeff, http:www.fitnesswithjeff.com Atlanta tennis instructor and personal training.
By: Scott Baker | http://www.Tennis4you

I don't know about you but I absolutely hate losing a tennis match. I am one of the most competitive people I know and when I do not come out on top I sometimes do not think straight enough to be able to appreciate the match for what it was. So what is so bad about losing? I have lost matches in every situation, tournaments, leagues, finals, school matches and matches against my friends. What it boils down to is that I am a much better tennis player because I have lost all of those matches.

Whenever you play a tennis player that is better than you there is a lot to be learned. I often tell players not to just play people all the time that they know they can beat. To improve your tennis game you must play against better players! When I left for college I met tennis players that were much better than I was. By playing these better players day in and day out my game improved by astronomical amounts, and I was losing everyday.

A lot of times players will join a club and stick with the same group of players. That is perfectly acceptable, tennis is fun and should always be fun. However, if you are the best player in the group and you consistently win and you want your game to improve, you may need to play elsewhere against better players.

When you play stronger players you get to see a variety of tougher tennis. You quickly learn that you can not get lazy or lose focus. They will hit better passing shots, deeper ground strokes, better volleys, faster serves and execute their overheads better. They will wrong foot you more often and possibly just out-power you. This requires you to improve to be able to keep up with these types of players. Playing better players is a great motivator to help you play better tennis. If you are beating players that you play every day there is little motivation to get any better.

I will admit, losing to someone you know you can beat, and maybe regularly beat, really sucks! However, maybe you need to look at why you lost, look at what you need to improve, look at where you fell short, and most importantly, think about how you can do better next time. Losing is a motivator to play better tennis plain and simple.

Losing a tennis match means you that you were not the better tennis player that day. That is OK, take it for what it is worth, let it motivate you, and keep on trying. Continue to play the better players when you get a chance and watch your game improve. To me, allowing my tennis game to improve is more important than winning a weekly match against the same group of players.


Good Luck on the Court!
Scott Baker
Tennis4you.com