Our research clearly shows that the topic of Sportsmanship is an overwhelmingly important topic so we will begin with this. Further, a recent article by Bill Ozaki points out that sportsmanship is alive, well, and growing stronger.
But what exactly IS sportsmanship all about? Well, it's certainly about more than a hand shake, though our cameras have seen the players who shake hands in a sincere manner (and the ones who don't) at the net when the match is over. And we're DEFINITELY not addressing the huuuge topic of cheating in junior tennis in this post...We'll save that little gem for a future post, lol.
Some people define sportsmanship as the "golden rule" of sports - in other words, treating the people you play with and against as you'd like to be treated yourself. You demonstrate good sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your opponent, and all referees and officials.
And, it's not only important to behave well on the court...it's also good strategy. We've learned that players should always react in the same way, whether they win or lose the point, the game, the set, or the match. Smart players know better than to let their opponent see their reactions.
Finally, a big part of good sportsmanship is having a good reputation. So why not strive for the reputation of a gracious player who is always pleasant and always fair (my hero Roger Federer comes to mind here). Our cameras have seen players like this and they are admired by fans and opponents alike. So good sportsmanship is one thing - and bad sportsmanship is quite another. We'll address that little gem in a later post as well...lol.
So what do YOU think about this topic? We are very interested in initiating a dialog and hopefully learning from each other. Remember that THE VERY LAST THING we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever. Please share your thoughts but do not include any names or your post will be promptly deleted.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, we hope you enjoy this topic, and we can't wait to see YOU!!! Cheers! :)
2 comments:
Sportsmanship is a factor that not only demonstrates who you are as a person, but affects your ability as a player. We have all run into that player who you know as long as you win that one point the momentum will swing and you have pretty much secured the game. This is usually a result of poor sportsmanship.
Being an official I have seen many players lose a match after getting down on themselves and demonstrating poor sportsmanship. The USTA has set many regulations to discourage this type of behavior with the suspension point system as well as the strictness of the point penalty system. Not only does the point penalty system penalize a players a point or game but it takes away their momentum and lowers their performance for the remainder of the match.
This past weekend I was working a high level junior tournament. During this event I was shown exactly what poor sportsmanship and getting down on yourself can do. On one of my courts I had a boys 18 match with two spectacular players, but one boy was clearly better. He was up 5-1 in the first set and was serving for the set, when he double faults two back to back points. These double faults sent him over the edge and the player smacked a ball over the fence, obviously receiving a code violation for ball abuse. This expression of anger caused him to lose the momentum he established with his huge lead as well as cost him a valuable point in his service game. The player went on to lose that game as well as the first set 7-6. That's right the player lost a set that he was up 5-1 in just because he got down on himself. The player went on to lose the match. This is a prime example on how poor sportsmanship severely can impact a result of a match.
Being around tennis a good 40+ hours a week I have never seen an expression of negative emotion benefit a player. This is why I challenge you next time you want to smack that ball over the fence or throw your racket to just take a deep breath and keep on playing. You will see how this benefits your game and keeps the momentum on your side of the match. Just remember showing anger is just admitting defeat and who wants to ever admit defeat?
At least he didn't pee on his opponent at the hand shake...that's the worst sportsmanship i have seen...um, no names...ok lets's just say a top 10 national player! True story, he was kicked out of the Florida section, legally changed his name and reregistered in SoCal
Post a Comment