Tennis is a great active sport that will get you moving around and working hard outside.  It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you want to take up tennis all you really need is a pair of good tennis shoes, a racquet, and the desire to get outside and have a good time.  Learning about tennis and how to play is simple.  You can read a quick guide and be on your way to a fun outdoor activity in less than ten minutes.  Tennis can offer you a lot of different things, but there are a few questions that you should answer before you get started on your tennis journey.

Doubles or Singles?

Depending on your age and fitness level you should figure out what type of tennis game is best for you.  As we get older doubles becomes a lot more attractive because it can be both social and fun, but not as physically taxing as singles.  In doubles you don’t have to cover the whole court and can rely on your partner to help you out in tough situations.  Having a good partner is the biggest key to an enjoyable experience when playing doubles.  Your partner doesn’t have to be skilled, but it should be someone who you get along well with.

Singles is a lot tougher because the court really opens up and you might have to do a lot of running.  Tennis isn’t like a normal endurance workout either, so even experienced joggers might have trouble making the transition to competitive singles in tennis.  Tennis consists of a series of high intensity points over a long period of time.  What this means is that the tennis player is constantly pushing hard during every point, but points only last a short period of around 10-15 seconds.  In between points there is time for rest and minor recovery.  This whole process is very different from running and is much similar to doing sets of sprints.

Social or Competitive?

It’s amazing how tennis can either be one of the most or least social sports on any given day.  If players are focused and competitive than there might not be any words spoken throughout an entire match other than to confirm the score and conclude the match.  On the other hand, a doubles match among friends will likely be a loud and raucous affair.  It’s up to you to decide what kind of tennis experience you want to have.  Both options are equally valid and the type of opponents that you end up hitting with regularly will usually depend largely on this preference.

Club or Park?

Once you’ve decided on how you want to play the game, you need to figure out the where.  Tennis courts aren’t hard to find, but the quality of those courts can really vary depending on the location.  Some park courts are kept up really well while others are torn up and sometimes even lacking nets.  If your area doesn’t have any good public courts and you always want to have a place to play, consider signing up for a tennis club membership.  At a tennis club not only will the quality of the courts be very good, but you’ll also be able to schedule a time whenever you want to play.  No more waiting around the park and hoping that the courts will clear up.

Now you know all about tennis and are ready to get started right away.  Take the next step over at TennisShoeView.