“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” Arthur Ashe, co-founder NJTL 

Regular tennis play has been demonstrated to improve...
 

AEROBIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS while maintaining higher energy levels 
 
ANAEROBIC FITNESS through short, intense bursts of activity during a point, followed by rest, which helps muscles use oxygen efficiently 
 
ACCELERATION by practicing sprinting, jumping and lunging in order to move quickly 
 
POWERFUL FIRST STEPS, by requiring anticipation, quick reaction time and explosion into action 
 
SPEED through a series of side-to-side and up and back sprints to chase the ball 
 
LEG STRENGTH, through hundreds of starts and stops which build stronger leg muscles 
 
GENERAL BODY COORDINATION since you have to move into position and then adjust your upper body to hit the ball successfully 
 
GROSS MOTOR CONTROL, through court movement and ball-striking skills, which require control of your large muscle groups 
 
FINE MOTOR CONTROL, by the use of touch shots like angled volleys, drop shots and lobs 
 
AGILITY by forcing you to change direction as many as 5 times in 10 seconds during a typical tennis point 
 
DYNAMIC BALANCE through hundreds of starts, stops, changes of direction and hitting on the run 
 
CROSS-TRAINING by offering a physically demanding sport that’s fun to play for athletes who also  participate in other sports 
 
BONE STRENGTH AND DENSITY by strengthening bones of young players and helping prevent  osteoporosis in older ones 
 
IMMUNE SYSTEM through its conditioning effects that promote overall health, fitness, and resistance to  disease 
 
NUTRITIONAL HABITS, by eating appropriately before competition to enhance energy production, and after competition to practice proper recovery methods 
 
EYE-HAND COORDINATION, because you constantly judge the timing between the on-coming ball and the proper contact point 
 
FLEXIBILITY, due to the constant stretching and maneuvering to return the ball toward your opponent 

WORK ETHIC because improvement through lessons or practice reinforces the value of hard work

DISCIPLINE since you learn to work on your skills in practice and control the pace of play in competition

MISTAKE MANAGEMENT by learning to play within your abilities and realizing that managing and minimizing mistakes in tennis or life is critical

ONE-ON-ONE COMPETITION because the ability to compete and fight trains you in the ups and downs of a competitive world

ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY because only you can prepare to compete by practicing skills, checking your equipment and, during match play, by making line calls

MANAGEMENT OF ADVERSITY, by learning to adjust to the elements (e.g. the wind, the sun) and still be able to compete

EFFECTIVE ACCOMMODATION OF STRESS because the physical, mental and emotional stress of tennis will force you to increase your capacity for dealing with stress

LEARNING HOW TO RECOVER by adapting to the stress of a point and the recovery period between points, which is similar to the stress and recovery cycles in life

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIES since you naturally learn how to anticipate an opponent’s moves and plan your countermoves

LEARNING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS since tennis is a sport based on angles, geometry, and physics

PERFORMANCE RITUALS BEFORE SERVING OR RETURNING which help control your rhythm of play and dealing with pressure. These skills can transfer to taking exams, conducting a meeting or making an important sales presentation

LEARNING SPORTSMANSHIP since tennis teaches you to compete fairly with opponents

LEARNING TO WIN GRACIOUSLY WHILE LOSING WITH HONOR, Gloating after a win or making excuses after a loss doesn’t work in tennis or in life

LEARNING TEAMWORK since successful doubles play depends on you and your partner’s ability to communicate and play as a cohesive unit

DEVELOPING SOCIAL SKILLS through interaction and communication before a match, while changing sides of the court and after play and of course having fun, because the healthy feelings of enjoyment, competitiveness and physical challenge are inherent in the sport