TennisCrowd.com

What People Think About Playing Tennis

Scott — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:14:25 +0000

Here’s one of those “What so-and-so thinks I do, what my friends think I do, what I actually do, etc” but for tennis players. When I talk to people about USTA tennis leagues I think this is pretty spot on.

10 Reasons Why Running Sucks Even More Than You Already Think It Does

Scott — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:18:20 +0000

A friend of mine recently posted an article on facebook by HelloGiggles.com titled, “10 Reasons Running Doesn’t Suck As Much As You Think“. Upon reading it I immediately knew a counterpoint must be written. Read on. Only about half of these are rebuttals though due to the fact that several points were not about the benefits specific to jogging, but to exercising in general. And ANY type of exercise is better than none. No debate there.

Here are 10 reasons:

1. There aren’t THAT many hot people running.
The article states that runs are “full of hot bodies in very little clothing”. Pffffft. First, that shouldn’t be your motivation. Second, people are hotter elsewhere (i.e. yoga – hot bodies in sweaty rooms bending in crazy positions right in front of you). And third, even if they are hot they are likely to be running AWAY from you. Lastly, you runners in Minnesota, how many “hot” runners did you see running yesterday (January 26th)?

2. Running is not physically safe, part I.
Running is high-impact activity that is wearing down your joints and ligaments. You don’t get that cartilage back that you lose when you jog. Though if you don’t otherwise use your knees and ankles in your daily life this isn’t an issue.

3. Running is not physically safe, part II.
Not to mention physical safety! Depending WHERE you run you may encounter uneven terrain, speeding cars, killer lions/bears/etc, right-wing militia members, invisible fences, and/or cast members of Jersey Shore just to name a few.

Every year thousands of joggers are attacked by supernatural wildlife.

4. Running is simply not very effective.
The article states, “You can lose weight by drinking nothing but hot water with lemon. Or you can run for an hour, treat yourself to a cookie and still fit into your skinny jeans.” BZZZZZ! Wrong answer! Running is aerobic, which is the lowest level of working out. Other workouts, like CrossFit for example, are anaerobic. This more intense exercise is where you’ll see muscle gain, fat loss, and better general overall fitness. Aerobic exercise is just like driving your car around to burn off its fuel. You’ll just need to re-fuel your body.

5. Other exercises are WAY more effective.
You can run for an hour and not burn as many calories as you would in ONE CrossFit WOD. Also, you’re missing out on building muscle strength which continues your workout even after you’ve stopped working out. In fact, if you’re trying to lose weight you’re body will just learn to store more fat to fuel your runs. But with workout programs that include weightlifting, you’re building muscle which will in turn improve your metabolism in addition to making you stronger. So each workout is even more effective than the next. Even Yoga will burn more calories plus keep your body more balanced and strengthened than running.

6. Running isn’t the only way to get cardiovascular exercise.
In fact, it’s not even that good at that. True, you’re heart rate is sustained at a higher level than when at rest. But no higher than with other sports. Additionally, it’s not a sustained heart rate that improves cardiovascular health. It does not prepare it for heart rate changes that happen rapidly, nor does it do the same for blood pressure the way cyclic exercise does. High intensity interval training allows for bursts of energy followed by a recovery period. This is a much better program for strengthening the heart muscle and needless to say, for weight loss as well.

7. Running is just plain boring.
Ok, granted, this one is highly objective. But going jogging is boring. You need to spend SOOOO much time running to get any benefit. Grooooaaaaan! Work me out hard for 15 minutes and give me the rest of the time to watch a movie, play tennis, go to dinner, read, takeover a small country, pry off my eyelids with a butter-knife, BASICALLY anything but run.

He's not tired. He just made it as far as he could before getting bored.

8. Using running as a stress reducer is wimpy.
The article reads, “When your boss, your melodramatic friend and your nagging to-do list won’t leave you alone, calmly put on your running shoes and head out the door.” That’s literally running away from your problems. You want stress reduction? Try beating up a punching bag or crushing a little fuzzy yellow ball cross-court. Bam! Now THAT is a satisfying stress-reducer.

9. Lululemon clothing
Ok, good point. Lululemon makes awesome running clothing. The thing is, their clothing is also awesome for tennis, yoga, CrossFit, and more. Running does not have a monopoly here.

10. Most importantly – and fundamentally – running is probably not leading to how you actually want to look.
This is the real crux of the issue isn’t it? Yes, you exercise for health and other reasons, but you probably want to look better too. Everyone does. So now for the bad news for runners: running doesn’t make you look good. In fact, quite the opposite. Take the best-in-class athletes in other sports, which ones do you want to end up looking like? These are people who train specific for that sport and end up built for that activity. In the photos below, which one(s) are closest to the way you would like to look?

Further reading:
- Fitness Fads for Tennis Players
- Seven Reasons as to Why Running is Bad For You
- Why CrossFit works
- Which Styles of Yoga Should You Try?

Destination Tennis: Seattle (Hosted by Mayleen Ramey)

Scott — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:46:58 +0000

Seven reasons why Mayleen Ramey needs to feature Seattle on Destination Tennis.

Reason #1: Tennis Players are Intense Here
To be a tennis player in Seattle is a bit like being a downhill skier in New Orleans. With rain 9 months of the year most tennis is played indoors. And that means limited availability, lots of driving between clubs, and planning. USTA league players will wake up at 7 am a week ahead to book court times for their teams.

Reason #2: Close-Knit Tennis Community
Perhaps because of #1 there’s a strong community here of tennis players. Despite the large population, it seems like “everyone knows everyone” in the tennis circles. Naturally this leads to plenty of drama among the USTA league teams, but that’s all born out of passion for the sport and competition. Then the popular Greenlake area has 10 outdoor courts where hordes of players play at all hours of the day. It’s a hard core bunch that will play in the coldest winter days “as long as it’s not raining”.

Reason #3: One of the Nation’s Top Public Indoor Court Facilities
Amy Yee Tennis Center is the largest public tennis facility in Washington State with 10 indoor courts and several outdoor courts. Thousands of players play here and they host around 25 organized USTA league teams. On weekends, there can be up to 30 USTA league matches played here. They also offer a wide array of programs, including junior and adult group lessons, tiny tot programs, junior and adult camps, and adult play – classes and flights for all levels.

Reason #4: Hugely Successful USTA League Teams
In order to be a tennis player in Seattle you have to be dedicated. And this dedication leads to many winning teams. Visit court 5 at Amy Yee Tennis Center to see all the banners hung by the abundance of USTA league teams that have won titles at Sectionals and Nationals from this club alone.

Reason #5: Elite Tennis Training Facilities
In addition to all the indoor facilities, there’s one “boutique” club that offers the highest level of instruction in the Pacific Northwest. Former pros with wins at the highest levels of ATP and University events provide top-level instruction for adults and juniors at AV Performance Tennis Club in Bellevue, WA. There’s even special programs for people and teams visiting from out of state.

Reason #6: Tennis Tech Hub
With the Seattle area being home of Microsoft and Amazon.com it’s no surprise there’s a lot of tech talent. These talented players have made several tennis website startups and blogs. (For example, yours truly, TennisCrowd.) Then another is TennisRound.com that matches up players and courts all online. Those are just the tip of the iceberg.

Reason #7: It’s Seattle
Seattle is hardly a tough sell as a vacation destination. With the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains, water, forests, and islands, and the buzz of a modern city, it is an ideal spot to work and play. And it is SUCH a food town too. So many inventive places to eat are opening all the time. Just hit Pike Place Market, check out the view from Kerry Park, then go eat and party on Capitol Hill and the episode makes itself.

Cara Black Volley Practice for Doubles Tennis

Scott — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:59:29 +0000

For those of you that play USTA league tennis, chances are you play doubles. One of the best ways to improve your doubles game, or rather one of the skills you NEED, is to be able to volley. Here’s a video demonstrating how to practice against a wall. In this video she hits wall 115 volleys in 43 seconds. It is insane.

Cara Black is the world number one doubles player for over 148 weeks.

Whole Foods tests bars selling craft beer and local wine in its stores

Scott — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:19:08 +0000

The upscale grocer, as well-known for its sensory-filled shopping as its often-pricey foods, is opening bars that serve craft beer and local wine in more than a dozen stores nationally in a test before a wider roll-out.

via Whole Foods tests bars selling craft beer and local wine in its stores – USATODAY.com.

Tennis, Stress, and Allergies

Scott — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:32:08 +0000

Unfortunately though, there may be another problem with which tennis players with allergies must to contend; stress.

via Tennis, Stress, and Allergies: What Tennis Players May Not Know.

An Evening Dancing With Gael Monfils

Scott — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:24:16 +0000

What follows is a true story, but looking back, doesn’t seem real. But it happened – my girlfriend and I hung out in a club with Gael Monfils.

It was last October, Halloween actually. We were in Paris for one night on a layover after a trip through Spain’s Catalonia region. Being our last night of the trip, my girlfriend and I decided to check out a bit of the nightlife after dinner.

After dinner we head to Kong. My girlfriend had been there the year before and gave it a thumbs up. We arrived fairly late and got in no problem. It was decently crowded with a fantastic DJ playing just the sort of Euro-style dance music you’d expect. We were sitting at the bar when a group walked in. I happened to glance and did a double-take, “Hey, that guy looks familiar.” My girlfriend looked but didn’t say anything.

“Gael Monfils.” I said. “That’s Gael Monfils.”

“Oh my god you’re right!” says my girlfriend. “What’s he doing here?!”

“He knew we’d be here,” I joke. Ha.

Immediately he hits the dance floor. It was no crazy game of fetch either; the dude can bust a move. As if this story needed more, something funny happens. Some random dude walks right up to Monfils, the crowd parts, and he challenges Gael to a dance-off by doing some serious acrobatic spins and bounces. He even through in a mimicked service motion to point out he knew who he was dealing with.

Being a professional tennis player Gael is not one to avoid competition. He met the challenge and did his own little signature routine of moves. I didn’t know what to make of what I was seeing. Is this just what happens in Paris?

As for who won the dance off? Undetermined. It was a good-natured exchange and fun for all to watch. But did I mention Mr. Monfils is a great dancer? His footwork was spectacular (and dancing is one of the top 10 fitness fads for tennis players). For some reason, all the girls seemed to gravitate to him. They would come dance with him and then when he got tired of it, he’d call in his posse who would then surround the girl and bump her around like a pinball as Gael slid away.

Here’s a very grainy and ultimately anti-climactic video when Gael happened NOT to be dancing at the club. I didn’t get very good footage or photos as I tried to remain discreet.

Why was he there on this night? Our guess was that Gael was out celebrating his ATP tournament win over Ljubicic at the Open de Sud in Montpelier, France. And why not? What better way to celebrate.

We happened to leave at the same time and, sure enough, Gael was glad to snap photos with us as seen above. He was super friendly and cool about it. What a night!

Maria Sharapova gets chance to avenge U.S. Open defeat against Caroline Wozniacki

Scott — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:09:06 +0000

So much so that before Alisa Kleybanova went on court and was ground down by the Dane in a three-setter in Tuesday’s fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open, she noted how some players already are lacking confidence before they go on court against Wozniacki because she puts up such a wall behind the baseline that they don’t know how to hit through or around her. Some get so discouraged that they mentally throw in the towel before they strike the first ball.

via Maria Sharapova gets chance to avenge U.S. Open defeat against Caroline Wozniacki – News | FOX Sports on MSN.

Beating the Lottery

Scott — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:43:03 +0000

Playing someone like Karlovic is a mental test of epic proportions. You must decide beforehand that you are going to accept every ace he hits and not get frustrated when he cracks three in a row on break points. When you are lucky enough to put one of his serves back in the court, you must stay relaxed and not think, “This is my only chance. I must win this point.” There’s no quicker way to lose a point than that.

via TENNIS.com – Blogs – Concrete Elbow by Steve Tignor – Beating the Lottery.

The Drive to Like

Scott — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:57:40 +0000

Those of us with more than a passing interest in it watch tennis for the shot-making and the drama of close matches. But how long would either of those things keep our interest if we didn’t also make them personal?

via TENNIS.com – Blogs – Concrete Elbow by Steve Tignor – The Drive to Like.