Tennis Team in High School!?

I went in this year to my tennis team with only a serve, I literally had terrible shots, and all I did during the summer before was practice my serve. With an average first serve at around 110 to 120 mph, I started right off of the bat. My team is the conference champs this year, so we were no joke and had highly skilled players. Playing at doubles 1 really was a tough thing to do. But it's not an impossible thing to do. It would really help if you were really athletic, like me, coming in at a 11.5 sec 100m dash and a 5:01 mile time. For someone with no coaching prior, the improvements went pretty fast.

If you want to get good shots, it first starts with the feet. Then, get a coach, it really does help. Study the technique of the pros. Get in shape. Practice.

Some coaches make a cut, other coaches have what they call a "no-cut" program. So therefore, if you're can handle being the lowest player on the ladder and the coach has a no-cut program, you're in! I like no-cut programs because you never really know which player is going to work hard and improve himself(herself), while others goof off and never work.

I was close to the bottom of the frosh-soph team when I started out at age 13-14. I did have experience in baseball & basketball, so that helped. When I reached the end of the season in my senior year in high school, I was #2 on the varsity, so it can be done. [I was *totally* in love with the game, though. Many people aren't.]

Do you actually like running around and hitting the ball, or do you just want to be on the team because you think it's cool? Is this something YOU want to do, or are your parents pushing you into it? I hope you enjoy hitting the ball or learn to enjoy hitting the ball, win or lose :-) The exercise is fantastic for you.

If the coach makes a cut and you're eliminated, then go to the nearest tennis club and sign up for lessons. You might like the program at the club better, anyway :-)

You might want to take lessons for a couple of years or so before playing in a sanctioned, USTA tournament. That doesn't mean you shouldn't play practice sets and matches with friends on your own; I just don't like seeing kids get burned 6-0, 6-0 simply because they haven't had adequate instruction and preparation.

Getting double-bagled is no fun for either player, really. The loser feels awful, and the winner either feels guilty or wishes he/she was playing a better player.

Tennis is a SKILL sport, sort of like chess, but athletic. Measure your improvement in *years.* It's pretty cool getting your first real USTA ranking, I think.

Here are three links to tennis teaching organizations:

http://www.uspta.org/

http://www.ptrtennis.org/

http://mtmca.com/

Remember, sportsmanship is HUGE!!! Learn to keep your mouth shut as much as possible while you're out there on the court.

There will be good days and not-so-good days, so don't expect pleasure all the time. That's not the way it works. Hope you have some fun with it every now and then :-)

I am currently playing high school tennis. I am #3 at an AA high school in Virginia. I have been playing since I was in 8th grade. I think that it depends on the size of your school. If it is a big school, then you really need to work hard to get a spot on that team. If it is a very small school, you could have a very good chance of being one of the top players. Just remember, tennis is a mental sport. Roger Federer can easily lose a match to some nobody if he gets down on himself. Stay mentally strong and you will persevere in the end. Taking tennis lessons is great. In your spare time, go by yourself to the courts and work on your serve. Also, in the summer, play in a few USTA tournaments. This will give you some great match experience for the team next year.

Stay mentally strong! Good luck to you!

It would help if you're athletic, but you do need a racket, "tennis" tennis shoes, and tennis shorts. You might want to practice some before tryouts. If you can keep the ball in the court, and win challenge matches, then you may make the team. Good luck!

Well, tennis is not one of the mainstream American sports, so if you take lessons, i am sure you can make it, but to be the best, it will take much more than hard work, because some of the few people that play have been playing their whole lives.

1 summer is not going to transform you into a star tennis player, but if you work hard enough, you will definitely find tennis rewarding. Practice is the only thing to do, and lots of conditioning.

you could be one of the top players it depends on how good the competition is and it will take a lot of practice because tennis is actually a very endurance important sport also work on your footwork my doing drills on a ladder go to a tennis court and you can teach yourself and just practice shuffling and moving your feet and hitting the ball on a wall

It depends on how good your high school team is,

but with hard work & hours of training everyday, it's possible!

Best of luck!