In many areas of the country, we have been experiencing a less than hostile winter, which has allowed many of us to continue playing tennis outdoors. That has been a much-needed stress reliever for this holiday season, but we would be foolish to think that this weather will continue. That said, we should still try to ride this wave as long as possible. Some specific techniques you should follow when playing tennis in colder climates and thankfully, John Demont of the Chronicle Herald provides some nice tips that will help you out. Remember to think with common sense since you are not smacking the ball around in perfect sunlight and blue skies.
Demont writes, “Adjustments must be made when your breath steams the air. You have to wear lots and lots of clothes – a tuque and gloves at least, until you warm up – which can make moving around hard. If your opponent hits the ball one way when you happen to be headed in another, well you just have to let it go or risk rupturing a hamstring, turned stiff and steely by the cold.”
The coldness can do great damage to the body and if you are battling the elements outdoors while trying to get some exercise, you must exercise caution, as Demont points out. There is a lot physically to watch out for in terms of tennis in the wintertime, but also an emotional resonance that takes hold. When reflecting on what he thought would be the last playing day of winter, Demont writes, “We were alone out there. The whole club looked empty and kind of melancholy, as everything does in the province this time of year. It made me feel like I was one of the last tennis players, maybe one of the last people, on Earth.”
That is an intense feeling, a feeling many of you might not associate with tennis, but playing tennis in the wintertime can bring about some strange feelings. Do you like playing tennis in the wintertime? Will you be sticking with it despite the cold? Will a blizzard have to take place to take the racket out of your hand? Let us know in the comments below.
