It's not the Cardio, It's the Relationships

Fiend at Court Unplugged

“Tennis is a healthy sport” is one of the primary talking points when promoting tennis. It is a statement that is backed up by independent research. If you were to ask people why that is the case, it is likely that the reasons listed will center around cardiovascular exercise. The fact that tennis also contributes to health by developing personal relationships tends to be overlooked and underappreciated.

Having close and positive relationships is important to health in humans. A lack of social connection is a predictive indicator of premature mortality. The effect is more pronounced when compared to other more obvious health indicators such as smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity. People with high levels of social connection deal with stress better and generally have higher levels of emotional well-being.

Tennis is a catalyst for healthy relationships. Tournaments, leagues, drills and casual arranged play builds strong social connection between people. The fact that tennis also provides cardiovascular exercise is the metaphorical icing on the cake. In fact, tennis is a healthier activity than other traditional social mechanisms such as happy hour or even just grabbing coffee and pastries.

Chance are you have recently taken a tennis lesson, performed a drill, or taken some other tangible action to improve your own tennis play. When is the last time you made a conscious effort to develop your network of tennis relationships? It’s an intentional action that is probably overdue.

Tomorrow I am sharing a list of ideas to build, develop, and nurture relationships via tennis. Reflecting on the social health benefits of tennis is an important enough point to warrant this dedicated post.