Narrative Reflective and Cause and Effect Essay
Serving My Future

Sports are a form of identity to many countries in the world and the Olympic games are a tradition for more than 200 countries. A game-like tennis has been around since the first Olympics but people always like to question the intensity of this game. Why do people unappreciated a sport due to its lack of physicality? This statement “A smooth sea never makes a skillful sailor” can describe tennis because it does not have the most physicality but one can develop many transferable skills. Tennis is not a team sport so I only need to depend on myself, as a result it helped me increase my physical activity and obtain character traits including respect, intelligence and perseverance. While watching tennis, it may not appear as if it is generating physical exercise however it is certainly executed while playing tennis. I have been ridiculed countless times in elementary school because I played tennis and there is no physical play involved such as football, basketball or hockey. On the contrary, my coach puts a lot of emphasis on conditioning my body to prepare for a game. He always tells me “You can’t win games if your body cant participate in them”, and as a result I have to run 5 laps around the court and follow up with quick footwork drills that soccer players execute. Coach Chris trains me as if I am playing soccer because tennis requires just as much execution from my feet and I have to exercise my leg muscles prior to any match. The result of the training came from a week of vacation I took. I had a game the next day I came back but I had not prepared my body after a week of relaxation so during the game I was forced to forfeit halfway in the match due to my lack of energy to continue. Tennis is not a one-dimensional exercise, it is a cardio workout where my lower body is involved when I run and my upper body is involved when I play a shot. While preparing and playing tennis games, I have to practice everyday so a lot of physical exercise is involved to stay in “tennis shape”. Many great athletes have uttered these words “If you give respect, you will gain respect”. In my opinion this statement applies to all sports however tennis specifically on account of my coach constantly teaching me to respect the calls made by the umpire. During the first month of training he would tell me “Tennis is not a violent game but a sophisticated one” and several minutes before my first game he told me “learn to appreciate all calls because that is the umpire’s job and you job is to play tennis”. My past experiences have taught me that when learning something new to take all the advice you can get. For example, during practice sessions with coach, I built on all the advice he offered me, ranging from basic footwork fundamentals to executing and learning to play new shots. Chris’s advice was something I acknowledged because of his mastery and experience in the game so he can detect errors in my game. All sports require sportsmanship because I have to honor my opponent and his competitiveness by shaking hands. Appreciating my coach’s opinion upholding the decision of the umpire and displaying sportsmanship is how I gained respect from the sport of tennis. Along with a physical aspect, there is also a mental aspect that is just as important in this particular sport. Playing a tennis match is like playing a chess game, I have to know my opponents next move and outsmart him. I visit many games of other players in the tournaments to find their weaknesses and target them. Since I cannot visit all the games my coach taught me a quick way to analyze my opponent’s weaknesses. By practicing a rally with my opponent before the game I can force them to play all shots in their playbooks. Also muscle memory is important in tennis, it is practicing something continuously that your body does it automatically without thinking. For example, in tennis there are so many shots that you have