Tennis (sports) are vehicles to a successful life!

I hear all the time that sports are a great way to stay in shape but the one thing that we fail to realize is the importance of sport in our discipline when it comes to our everyday lives.  It is amazing how much we see everyday life inside the lines of a tennis court.  Tennis is a vehicle; one that will show us the infinite situations to learn from.  The lessons acquired prepare us for the battle on the court and most importantly the ones off court.

-Fairness
In tennis you have to make your own calls.  Unless you are playing in the pros or later stages at a national tournament, it is on you to be clear and fair with your calls.  This type of responsibility towards your fellow man, your competitor, is a structural foundation in the character of a person.  From the early beginning we see how certain kids are not well liked by others because they make erroneous calls on purpose.  This type of sentiment deters kids from cheating which will carry on to their lives outside the court.  They will understand that if one is doing something that negatively affects a fellow person that it will be looked down upon and will not be tolerated.

-Punctuality
Showing up late to a tennis match is something that will get you into trouble.  In junior tennis, after 15 minutes you will be defaulted from your match and can spell the end of your tournament.  In life, being late for an interview or for your job can spell drastic consequences as well.  Punctuality is important as it demonstrates a caring for other peoples' time.

-Hard Work
Sports captivate people from all corners of the world.  Why?  Because it is something we have all done but yet not many of us have mastered.  We can argue that most professionals haven't mastered it as well but just the very best.  This is the beauty about sports, if you don't practice, if thousands of hours are not put into the game, then we will be limited to our improvement.  There is not get good scheme like there can be in the business world, rather the effort you put in is exactly the benefit that comes out.

-Controlling emotions
Another reason why tennis or sports in general are so well loved is because they bring out the naturalistic emotions out of us.  The anger, happiness, sadness, exaltation, join, pain, etc etc!  Emotions are infinite and tennis brings out all of them.  The better the player the more in control he/she is in.  This is vital when it comes to making decisions in our lives.  Imagine the player that is down 30-40 in the latter stages of the 2nd set after winning the 1st.  Can you see a player that is scared, nervous and agitated, or do you see a calm, collected, cool under-the-knife customer?  I'm sure you can figure out who will succeed at the end.  We encounter situations where we have to make crucial decisions every day but those who think with a cool head and not with a hot heart are the ones that come on top at the end of the day.

-Preparation
This one is key for me!  A high level tennis player has to do MANY different processes to get ready for a single tennis match.  This is the same within life.  A player must make sure to practice what he/she will be utilizing during that specific match weeks before it actually occurs.  Nutrition has to be taken care of to make sure the body is well prepared and doesn't become a liability on the court.  The fitness is also something that the player must do weeks  before as he/she needs to be in good physical form.  Mental training is something a player will do every day at practice to steady the mind and control emotions.  These are just some of the many things a player has to do to put themselves in a positive position.  A victory is not guaranteed but he/she will understand that they have done all they can to get to this point and if a loss comes they can live with it.  From here, they can learn and prepare with a new concept in mind for the next match.

As you can see, tennis is a vehicle of life.  It is imperative that we take the skills learned from it and apply it to how we live.  These are just some of the infinite characteristics we acquire on the court to apply off the court.  Play tennis (sports) not just to stay in shape but rather to learn what life is all about.