Who am I?
Well, I find that bit rather boring. For the record, I am
Director of U10 Tennis, Polo Tennis & Fitness Club, President of the Capital Area Tennis Association, and member of the USTA Texas Junior Council - and Tennisletics Ambassador.
I think the more interesting conversation centers around my motivations for my chosen professional path. To put it quite plainly, I am a professional tennis coach. To be more specific, I am on a lifelong goal of bringing the sport of tennis to as many individuals as possible regardless of age, gender, sex, expectations, motivations, etc. I am an advocate for our wonderful sport of tennis and have the harebrained idea that we can make this the number one sport in all our communities. Even though you may find me working with high-performance juniors and seasoned veterans, I find those players of equal standing to the beginners I teach from the youngest to oldest ages. In fact, I could argue that the time I spend with both adult and junior beginners has a greater benefit for our sport in the long run than the tournament players seeking higher national rankings.
The above still fails to get to the heart of the matter.
Dancing around the “why.”
Having never truly put thought into this into until writing the very post you are reading, this was an initially difficult exercise. In fact, addressing the issue stalled the writing process. Nevertheless, I have landed on a couple of reasons as to "why tennis" is my passion.
For one, tennis has been a way to enter that personal developmental space. I can tinker with details and nuance and continually improve and deepen my understanding of the sport. Although I learn new things every day, I will never truly reach the end of the journey. For me, there is something so rewarding about this lifelong relationship that provides such intimacy but also remains slightly out of reach from ever truly knowing.
there is something so rewarding about this lifelong relationship...
In addition to those inward pursuits, tennis has been a lifeline to some amazing connections throughout my youth and into my adult years. This sport introduced me to childhood friends that have remained with me to this day. This sport has brought children to me at the age of three that are still with me as nationally ranked juniors in their teenage years. In all actuality, this sport has increased the circle of what I consider my family and that connective power of tennis amazes me daily. I value connection and I appreciate our sport for bringing that to me.
I would think some of the above has given you an idea of what I value and what might come your way while following me. Nevertheless, I want to be a little more pointed in what you can expect from me as I write more blog posts.
Four types of well-being
I am an enormous proponent of tennis being a companion to the idea of the four types of well-being: physical, mental, emotional, and social.
Using those four concepts, I will look to address the topics of the tennis player in those realms. The physical will relate to the body and the physical world around us. Think of footwork, racquet technique, and other physical pursuits.
The mental will address tactical and analytical ideas and make you look at the sport as a planning and cagey intellectual. Notice that I am not talking about thought patterns or feelings with mental as I separate that into the emotional realm. How we feel and what we do with those feelings on the tennis court will be discussed in emotional topics.
Lastly, tennis as a social endeavor will connect and we all need that connection. Discussing ways to build community and deepen relationships through tennis will be part of the social discussion. I will post as often as I can and as ideas inspire me and look forward to your feedback.
