Tennis and your life: Research proves rewards of physical activity

Dallas Aleman | Owner of Towpath Tennis Center

This fall, the Akron Beacon Journal has brought some interesting and disturbing information to the forefront. First, it has been reported that Ohio’s youth are growing more plumb. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says 18.6% of young people ages 10-17 are obese in the Buckeye State. That gives Ohio the sixth highest rate nationwide. The report quotes, “childhood obesity continues to be a major public health challenge with significant financial and societal implications." Jamie Bussel of the foundation says, “far too many young people in this country are facing increased chances of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, all due to a preventable condition." Scientists predicted that more than half of today’s children will be obese by age 35 if current trends continue.       

Marnie Watson is a pediatrician at Akron Children’s Hospital and specializes in obesity medicine. She quotes, “we spend more time using our screens and devices a lot more today than we have in the past." I couple this with an article in the Wall Street Journal about an online gaming company, Epic Games. In July 2017, they introduced a new game called Fortnite.  As of this writing, the game has 125 million players and the company is doing a second round of financing and the company is now worth 15 billion dollars. It is an addictive game that draws kids as young as six years old into shooting zombies and people in a cartoon world. Not looking at even the merits of the game, I can’t imagine how many hours were spent by 125 million people playing the game. There must be a lot in Ohio if we are the 6th highest in obesity in the nation.

How does this relate to tennis? What if some of those players were out on the tennis court learning a lifetime sport that would give them all the rewards of challenging oneself with skills that don’t come easy. They can use all parts of their body’s physical and mental capabilities to compete against others. They would be building up a healthy lifestyle of exercise and having to deal with real people on the other side of the net and not zombies. We at Towpath that have been teaching tennis for over 40 years are noticing more and more youngsters that have low levels of concentration, unwillingness to commit to learning something difficult, and an inability to overcome adversity with perseverance. There is also a fear of failure and unwillingness to try to compete unless there is a guaranteed reward. I am sending out a word of caution to parents that are caving into letting their kids be online too much. Tennis, and other sports for that matter, have rewards that no online presence can give to children. Yes it takes more of a commitment from a parent to take a youngster to tennis programs, practices, and competition both time-wise and financially, but we are seeing an epidemic of what the alternative is.

Towpath member, Don Secard

Here at Towpath, we have another member, Don Secard, still playing tennis at age 91. What is the secret? Not only does Don live it, but he presented us with a new study done by the Mayo Clinic Proceedings from Sept. 4 of this year. Experts like to say the best form of exercise is whatever kind you’ll actually do. However, new research finds that people who combine exercise with their social lives may be at an advantage over solitary exercisers. The social interaction involved in partner and team sports may compound the plentiful benefits of physical activity, adding more years to your life than solo exercise. Tennis, badminton and soccer are all better for longevity than cycling, swimming, jogging or gym exercise.   

The research goes on: “for both mental and physical well-being and longevity, we’re understanding that our social connections are probably the single most important feature of living a long, healthy, happy life,” says study co-author Dr. James O’Keefe a cardiologist at St. Luke’s Mid-American Heart Institute. “If you are interested in exercising for health and longevity and well-being, perhaps the most important feature of your exercise regimen is that it should involve a play date.”

Tennis is a sport for all ages. It involves every muscle of the body and focuses our mind to concentrate in overall engagement of mind and body together to achieve results. Tennis is more than lifting weights, stretching, or getting our heart rates up--it was the number one sport for longevity. He says, “tennis is intensely interactive, at every point you’re talking, it’s just a very natural way to emotionally bond with people, besides getting your exercise.”

Tennis came out on top in the research. Compared with sedentary people, those who reported playing tennis as their main form of exercise could expect to add 9.7 years to their life span, followed by badminton (6.2 years), soccer (4.7 years), cycling (3.7 years), swimming (3.4 years), jogging (3.2 years), calisthenics (3.1 years) and health-club activities (1.5 years).

Towpath Member, Don Secard, is living testimony of what having a regular “play date” can do for you. His tennis is physical, mental and social, and he enjoys his play dates at Towpath. As I write this, I wonder what our coming generation of seniors will be like. I do know this, tennis has its rewards and they are many, however, tennis is not easy. So parents consider experience, wisdom and what you are modeling and teaching your youngsters about life. The internet has made things easier in many ways, but has it made things better in a real meaningful way? Let’s tell the story to your family, children and friends. Tennis can help you get fit, have fun, and make friends, which all add up to something that you cannot put a price tag on. But if you do it, you will have lifelong rewards in every one of the categories of fitness, fun and friends. What more could you want from an activity or sport? Congratulations Don on your milestone and letting us know the secret. You are addicted to something that is real with people on the other side of the net and not zombies.                                               

Secret to a winning lineup

Kristianne Bontempo | Towpath Tennis Contributor

The Men's 3.0 40+ Team captained by Michael Kramer
reaches the final four at the USTA National Championships
in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

With our summer Men's 3.0 40+ Team & Men's 6.0 55+ Team from Towpath Tennis competing in Nationals this year, we once again applaud their effort for making it among the best of the best in the country. This is the 4th consecutive year Towpath has had teams qualify for the National Championships and we couldn't be prouder. It takes quite a lot of motivation and work to get to the national stage, so it's interesting to take a step back and look at how these teams were able to make it each year. Having strong players is obvious enough, however it's not all about having a few ringers on your team. In fact, you may have the strongest team in the league, but you won't get anywhere if you don't know where to place your teammates. In the past we posted an article on How to create a winning tennis team (check it out). While we still stick to these fundamentals in creating a solid team, we did miss something that is kind of important in making a winning tennis team--that is creating a winning lineup!  So where do you start?

1. Roster Likable Teammates - Hate to admit it, but one sour pickle can spoil a team's fun and success. They don't ALL have to like each other, but your team should genuinely get along not only to avoid a toxic atmosphere amongst the group, but also to make players interchangeable in the lineup so that they become indispensable when its time to pull out the big guns.  
2. Singles Anyone? - If you have a full roster with no singles players, then you might have a problem. However, you'll be surprised at who is actually good at singles when they don't even know it. If you have solid singles players then hurray, good for you! But, if you're like many struggling captains who are trying to fill the spot then first look for willing participants, second look for a hacker/backboard player, and third look for somebody with solid ground strokes. Sometimes players might be intimidated to see a young, hard hitter on the opposing side of the court, but truth is younger, harder hitters tend to make more errors and are generally impatient. If you don't think you can find a singles player that will knock their opponent out, then look for someone that will tire their opponent out. Trust me, it works!

   

   The Men's 55 & Over 6.0 Men will compete this weekend at 

   the USTA National Championship in Orlando, FL.

3. CHEMISTRY - For doubles, I'm a true believer that on court chemistry among partners is everything to a team's success. Chemistry is not just about being nice and encouraging to each other, it's about moving well together, speaking the same language (I get you), having the same goal and making each other laugh. Sometimes what looks good on paper may not translate well on court so that's why it's important to practice and switch teams around until you find one that absolutely gels. 
4. The Lineup - Typically, you want to place your strongest doubles team at 1st doubles and then place the rest subsequently after. Makes sense right? Well, if you're able to fine tune your team enough to predict the result (this team has been undefeated, this team has a strong serve/net game, this team can run anything down), then you will have a better idea of where to place your players. 
1. Second Court - The reason I bring 2nd court up first is that many of the most successful lineups include playing your most solid and valuable singles/doubles team in 2nd position--they're dependable for a win 9/10 matches (in theory). 
2. First Court - The most 'intimidating/fearless/powerful' singles/doubles team play well on 1st court for several obvious reasons. They might not always get the win, but they'll have a higher probability to come out on top or at least put up a damn good fight.
3. Third Court - Let me make something clear, being placed on third doesn't necessarily mean it's the 'forgotten/toss up' court. It's just as crucial to get this right since many a time it's the 3rd court team pulling off a win for the match. The difference is you're allowed a bit more freedom when deciding who to play on 3rd. Third court is a great position to play a stronger/weaker player combo, experiment a potential partnership if you're not able to in a practice, or play those backboard/hackers that will make your opponents want to scream in frustration. 
   
5. To Stack or Not To Stack? - Here's the deal, I'm not a fan. I understand if you may want to play around with teams in different positions, or even if you place a team with a lower rating in a higher position because you truly feel they are the stronger partnership. BUT, if you play your 1st singles/doubles team that has remained at 1st singles/doubles all season long, only to now play 3rd court against a particular team, then you're not playing a fair game, which isn't great sportsmanship. Play a fair game, and you will be rewarded. 

There you have it! This will certainly not give you overnight success, but with continual practice and a little luck you'll find that your team will be the one to be reckoned with.

"Late to the Ball" by Gerald Marzorati - Becoming a tennis player at any age!

Barbara Youel | Towpath Member | Contributor

“Late to the Ball” by Gerald Marzorati is a coming of (older) age story of a former professional reader and editor, who decided to become a competitive and match-ready tennis player on a national scale. As a fifties-something player, Marzorati challenged himself by engaging coaches, trainers, friends and opponents to find skill and meaning in this game. Despite his fear of a late entry to tennis, where (according to him) his years were approaching “the anteroom of the aged,” he was eager to learn and expend both considerable time and money to find that if he plays better, he will win more. “That’s how you grow. And growing is what playing is all about, ultimately, or should be, “ urged Coach Krill.

It’s a great story, told in a conversational style, and full of references that proves he has decades of literary and scholarly prowess. But before you think this is all too academic, he takes us through all the familiar angst and anguish of the novice tennis player. We will recognize our own struggles on the court – you know – the brilliant “all planets in alignment” shot to a candidate for the all-time tennis bloopers on YouTube, no less.

Marzorati passes along all kinds of tennis tips from tennis pros to professors.

1. “To hit a tennis ball well, so many things have to go right. And then you have to be ready because it is coming right back at you, and you have to do it again.”

Oh yeah……….this just about covers the big picture! Should we stop reading now? But wait, there’s more…

2. “…top tennis players could anticipate where a serve was going by picking up not the ball’s trajectory or even the motion of the racquet but by glimpsing tiny shifts in an opponent’s torso early in the service motion.”

Reminds me of that sixties’ tune – “Easier Said Than Done”…

and, my favorite…

3. “If you want time to slow down, become a student again.”

Seriously, this just about sums up Marzorati’s love affair with tennis. It may explain why youngsters will never be old enough to drive, or graduation is so far away or…. you get the idea. Apparently young people are so busy learning all sorts of things, they feel that life’s in slomo –nothing will ever come to fruition. So if you are in mid-life or later and think time is zooming by way too fast, go out and learn something new, whether it’s tennis, some other sport, a new language, cooking, philosophy or memorizing all the state capitols (you never know when Jeopardy is in your future).

I have been pondering of late (just an expression but it works here) my coming to this wonderful game of tennis some 15 years ago (in mid-life more or less, but who knows how long I will live?) and then starting to run 5K’s “late in life” 5 years ago. Recently I ran a 5.5 mile relay in the Akron Marathon, something I have never done before and never even thought about doing. When some said I had come to running (or even tennis) “late” I began to question that assessment and asked myself if that’s a view from a wide-angle lens or microscope. When I hear players new to tennis say that they are “late-comers” to the sport, I think they reflect a relative notion, one they may be comparing to the lucky youngster given tennis lessons at age 5 or some high school or college wunderkind. But are the newcomers really “late?”

When you are ready to improve your serve, develop your forehand, tighten your volley, or run faster, the readiness IS all…and you are never late. Learn something new and put Father Time on a slow burner. The time is now and it is just right.

Oh, and Mr. Marzorati, I don’t think you are late to anything.

* Gerald Marzorati is former editor of the New York Times Magazine and has written about tennis in the New York Times and on NewYorker.com. He is 63. Late to the Ball (Scribner - 2016) is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and public libraries.