Outside The Tennis Posts

Tennis is a sport that can be played everywhere as long as you have lines, two tennis posts, a net and a surface that will let the ball bounce for at least a couple of times.  That sounds pretty easy right?
Not everyone can afford this.  Most parks and recreational facilities do not have a tennis court.  It is likely to find a basketball court and any person can buy an inexpensive basketball and learn how to play just by shooting the ball in the basket.  Although it is not as simple, it is a sport that can be easily accessible and the court is low maintenance.
Tennis, on the other hand, is a lot more complicated than that.  It takes a lot of practice to learn the skills and requires equipment that needs maintenance to be able to practice.

The early stages of learning tennis can be very frustrating but don`t be discouraged.  Tennis is a skill, anyone can be taught with the correct basics and perseverance. If you want you can.
Beginner 
A beginner does not need to buy expensive racquets, balls or strings. It is not necessary because
he or she will not know the difference between a good racquet and a bad racquet.  Private Lessons can be pricey but not as much if you can find group lessons or take lessons at community centers.  There are numerous ways to learn and people in the tennis community and instructors are usually very helpful if you have the desire to play and they will point you to the right direction.
Intermediate 
At the advanced beginner to intermediate level, tennis starts to be a little bit more costly.  This is because the person has learned the skills and now wants to get better.  It is always nice and fun when you know how to play the game.
This stage of tennis starts to get a little more costly because the players start to be more physical, they hit the ball harder, they break strings, the balls get used up faster and the aluminum racquets start to feel a little awkward, such as being too light or not feeling the ball; therefore, it is imperative to go to the next level and buy better racquets.
For younger players that are learning the game, the parents are more reluctant on buying better equipment because it costs a little bit more.  But the truth is that the more you play, the better and stronger you get and the equipment needs to grow and improve as the player does.  It can also prevent younger players from developing tennis elbow.
Another way to get great tennis practice is to find a wall and practice your strokes.  It is a very inexpensive way to practice; however, it can be boring at times, which is why you need to practice drills and make a game out it for yourself.  There are many drills that can be played with just a racquet, a ball and a wall such as how many times you can hit the ball at the same spot; it may sound easy but you will probably spend all day doing it.  The back wall is a great way to build patience, mental toughness, accuracy and speed.
Advanced 
At the advanced intermediate to advanced level, tennis can definitely be expensive if you play often or about 3-6 days a week.  The equipment can get used very fast.  Shoes, for example, can wear out after three to four weeks.  Therefore you need to spend a couple bucks on shoes that have a 6 month warranty.  If you find yourself good shoes, invest in them. They are worth every penny!  It is not worth looking for cheap shoes because you will end up buying another pain about two weeks later.
Lessons for advanced can also be very expensive, but at that level, taking one or two lessons a month might not be too costly and you can  usually find club players that are willing to practice with you by doing  some rally games or play matches.
In the end, tennis can be costly but as with many things, there are more affordable ways.   No one needs to own a pair of tennis posts and a net in order to play tennis or be part of a high social class, those days is over. If you are really serious about learning tennis but money is an issue, you shouldn`t let your budget stop you, there are always ways to cut the cost and still enjoy the game.

Citations:

• Tennis Ball Photo Credit

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Image author owned

Malik Benyebka is a tennis pro with 25 years competitive experience around the world, has a Masters in marketing, is passionate about the game and dedicates all his efforts into coaching, writing, sharing experiences, giving tips and opinions concerning tennis, products and fitness.