Fiend at Court Unplugged
This first weekend in March we have been examining the “Gift of Relationships” that are bestowed upon us by our chosen sport. Today’s final post in that series is a list of ideas for building your own tennis network.
If You Don’t Play Tennis
It is never too late to start playing tennis. There are quite a few examples of senior players who did not take up tennis until they were adults who are very competitive in the senior nationals. Tennis is a sport for a lifetime, but only if you actually get started playing it at some point along the way.
- Sign Up for Group Tennis Lessons. I recommend that beginning tennis players engage in group lessons when first trying out the sport. Tennis has a steep learning curve and it can be reassuring to be around others who are going through the same process. Encourage your friends to take lessons with you. Even if sign up solo, you will meet other people in group lesson settings. Get to know them and just like that you have started building your tennis network.
- Ask a Tennis Playing Friend to Teach You. Depending on the relationship, you may have a tennis playing friend who is willing to help you get started in tennis. No one should expect recurring free lessons from another person, but experienced players in your area will have great advice on where other players like you congregate in the community.
Ideas for Anybody
For any player who can sustain some semblance of a tennis rally, you are ready for tennis engagement opportunities beyond beginning lessons. Chances are that there are places where players at your level already congregate.
- Go to a Clinic/Drill. Many tennis facilities offer regular cardio tennis, drills, or instructional clinics. If you frequent those opportunities, you will inevitably meet people who play tennis. These are your people.
- Form a Drill. If there isn’t a drill available in your area or there isn’t one that meets your schedule, you might consider approaching an instructor to design one that does. Sometimes captains/teams will arrange drills for players on their teams. I currently participate in a weekly drill curated by one of my playing buddies. If you have a sufficient list of tennis playing contacts, you might be able to arrange something tailored exactly to the needs of your tennis social circle.
- Find a League. Some facilities offer non-USTA sanctioned progressive league play. Those leagues arrange competitive play at the same time and place every week. You will meet lots of people in a progressive league and the format naturally groups players of similar capability together.
- Find a Team. USTA Leagues come in a lot of formats. Chances are there is a team in your local area who would be delighted to have you on the roster. Get to know your teammates. Get to know your opponents. Exchange contact information at the end of the match with anyone who seems agreeable to a potential rematch or practice match.
- Form a Team. If there isn’t a league or a team in your area… maybe you are exactly the person to make it happen. Prospective players may come out of the woodwork once they realize that you are willing to do the captaining duties. Captaining induces you reach out to people on a regular basis.
- Find a Tennis Social Groups. There are singles social opportunities such as “Sets in the City” that are available in some metropolitan areas. If there isn’t… perhaps you can organize one.
- Find a Tennis Fund Raisers. You might be able to find a tennis fundraiser that combines play with some socializing. Some tennis facilities may help you find a doubles partner for a benefit function if they know you want to play.
- Invite a Non Tennis Playing Friend(s) to Casual Play. If there are people in your existing social circle that you would invite to happy hour or over for coffee, consider asking them to try out tennis with you.
- Invite Tennis Playing Friends for Recreational Play. I have a weekly standing mixed doubles foursome. It takes minimal effort to reserve the court, confirm the players, and find any subs that are needed. You can be the person that sets up those playing opportunities. You become closer to those players in the process.
- Find a Steady Practice Partner. If you are interested in improving your competitive level, you should find one or two people who are similarly focused and set up recurring time to specifically work on your respective training objectives. This can involve practice matches, but is more often often working developmental drills together.
- Organize a Tennis Happy Hour. If you have a set of friends that meet for happy hour, maybe suggest meeting for tennis one week instead or playing tennis for a bit before adjourning to happy hour. If alcohol is permitted at your tennis courts, then tennis can be the happy hour.
- Consider Tournaments. There is a tremendous amount of social connection and camaraderie in USTA Adult Tournaments.
If You Happen to Live in a Tennis Wasteland
People that live in an area where tennis programming isn’t offered can still play tennis and reap the social benefits. However, they will have to work harder to bring tennis into their own life as well as to spread it to others and build those relationships.
- Find a Court. For areas without tennis centers/clubs the best bet is high school courts. If your high school doesn’t have courts getting the local ISD to construct some is a noble mission. Same song, second verse, with public parks. You have to find a court to use as your home base.
- Engage with Scholastic Tennis Teams. If the schools play tennis in your local area, become their number one fan. You might even volunteer to help out with practices and events. Those high school kids may even be prospective practice partners. You know who else is usually interested in tennis? Their parents.
- Find Someone To Feed a Drill. If there are tennis courts in your area but no instruction, look around for someone to feed a drill. If you don’t find anybody, look in the mirror. Congratulations! You are building a tennis community.
- Buy Extra Equipment. Buy a basket of durable balls (like Wilson Triniti) and a few extra racquets. Not having equipment is pretty common in areas where tennis programming doesn’t exist. A couple of extra loaner racquets removes an initial barrier to participation.
- Adult Tennis Camp. If you really can’t find a place to play or lessons in your local area, they you might consider going to an Adult Tennis Camp to learn the basics. Newk’s Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels Texas is a great example of an opportunity. The USTA National Campus is another option. Learn to play and bring tennis back to your community.
- Combine Tennis with Travel. Whenever you have any kind of travel, look for opportunities for tennis play/instruction in that area. You might be able to find drop in drills or cardio tennis that works with your schedule. The people you meet there might lead to opportunities to play tournaments or league tournament events.
Finishing Shots
As I was writing and editing the list, I recognized the resonance with the Nike slogan… “Just Do It.” Building relationships in any setting takes focused attention and a little work. Tennis as a mechanism can grease the skids to make meeting people a little easier. It also very effective for maintaining those relationships over the long term.
Tennis is a sport for a lifetime. Tennis relationships naturally follow.
