It goes without saying that when you PLAY BETTER PLAYERS, the odds aren’t in your favor.
After all, that’s why they would be viewed as being a better player THAN YOU ARE!
Now, unless your name is Novak Djokovic, you are going to play against players who are better than you.
That’s just the nature of the sport, and I am most certainly including myself in this category.
I’ve played many guys over the years that were BETTER THAN ME.
They may have been:
Physically Stronger
Fitter
Hit the ball harder
Been more crafty
Or a whole range of other things
But at the end of the day, they were a better player than I was.
At the same time, I can tell you that they didn’t always beat me.
In fact, I’ve managed to come up trumps against many guys who were better tennis players than me in the past.
I don’t say this to pretend I’ve got the magic recipe to beat better players.
I say this to encourage you that it is possible IF YOU STICK to the points highlighted above.
And on that note, let’s now get a little more specific as to what you can do.
A breakdown of the tactics to beat better players
To keep things simple, I won’t be talking about court surfaces, conditions, or anything of that nature.
Instead, I’ll be focusing on the things that you CAN CONTROL, rather than discussing ELEMENTS that are beyond your control.
This is actually something that one of my favorite coaches used to tell me OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
By focusing on what you can control, there’s a better chance that you’ll:
Stay Calm
Play Well
Get the Result you want
So, here are the tactics in GREATER DETAIL:
1) Utilize Your Strengths
Once you get to a CERTAIN LEVEL in tennis, you really should know what your strengths are.
Taking myself as an example, I have always been a fit, quick, and consistent player. This puts pressure on my opponents to HIT WINNERS back to back, and it forces them to go close to the lines to win points.
On top of this, I have always had a decent forehand TO OPEN UP the court.
These are my strengths, and if I was playing a better player, I would try and perform well in these areas as BEST I CAN.
In contrast, if my opponent had a huge forehand and they were able to hit through me, I’d try to avoid their forehand like the plague.
This actually brings me to my next point.
2) Try and Expose Their Weaknesses
Most players you go up against will have obvious strengths and weaknesses.
And as you progress into the HIGHER LEVELS OF THE GAME, players will naturally have more strengths than weaknesses in their game.
With that said, on the whole, even if a player is better than you, there will still be weaknesses that you CAN EXPLOIT.
In most cases, a player will likely have a weaker backhand than forehand, and this is a good starting point.
But of course, it depends on the individual YOU ARE PLAYING.
Moving beyond those basics, some players might struggle with a certain type of shot.
For example, I like to think I have a good slice backhand.
But sometimes these weaknesses might not be an EXACT SHOT.
For example, you might come against someone who is excellent at moving laterally across the baseline, but they struggle to PUSH OFF and get up to short balls.
Again, this is something you could then look to take advantage of by playing short angles and drop shots.
3) Focus and Take Your Chances
By nature, if you play better players, you won’t get MANY CHANCES to go ahead in the match.
A few breakpoints here and there might be all you get.
So when these opportunities arise, you need to BE AS ALERT AS POSSIBLE and truly zoned in to win those big points.
On that note, players play big points in different ways. Personally, on big points, I will do my absolute best to keep a good length and not miss a ball.
However, I know of other guys that will try to GO AS BIG AS POSSIBLE and hit a clean winner on big points.
It all depends on your style, but either way, you have to take chances when they come.
Other important ingredients to beat better players
Apart from the physical elements of tennis, including fitness and shotmaking, the mental side is also enormous.
Just look at a guy like Novak Djokovic if you need any confirmation!
His mental game is just as good IF NOT BETTER than his actual game, which brings me on to the next three ingredients:
That’s because the INTERNAL BETTLE of the mind must be won before you can win the battle on the court.
Once you believe that you are capable of beating the player across the net, only then can you actually go out there and do it.
ii) Positivity
Playing guys better than you means that you might be in for a FRUSTRATING GAME.
You’ll be pushed to your limits and things may go against you.
That’s why positivity is SO CRITICAL.
Again, try to FOCUS on:
What you can control
What you are doing well, and
Think about positive outcomes you are having in the match
Some people even like to use visualization to overcome negativity here, but that’s up to you.
iii) Resilience
Not only is this critical in tennis, but it is also critical in life.
Things won’t always go as planned, and sometimes, you may FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING is going against you.
This is certainly the case in tennis, but it’s important to keep fighting, stay positive, and BELIEVE THAT if you stick with it – a better outcome is on the horizon!
Any other tips on beating players from your own experience? Share your thoughts below.
Soak in the sink – best for above-average levels of dirt
Washing machine – if the balls are filthy
Your Guide
Gavin Davison
Nobody enjoys playing with dirty tennis balls.
Not only can this WEIGHT the balls down, but it ALSO HURTS the general performance of the balls too.
So even when you are hitting your favorite forehand down the line, it WON’T FIRE like usual if you’re playing with dirty tennis balls.
This is true when the balls get hindered for whatever reason, whether it be damp, damage or even the tennis court surface GETTING TANGLED up in the outer fluff.
With this said, regardless of how you’ve managed to get the tennis balls dirty, it’s fairly easy to get them clean again.
And let’s be honest, this is FAR MORE cost-effective than purchasing new balls just because your current ones have got a little dirty.
You can see my top three recommendations above, but I’d like to go into a bit MORE DETAIL as to how you can clean the tennis balls with each method, without overdoing it and ruining the balls.
Believe me, it’s easy to find bad advice online regarding this issue. So please, allow me to give you some real advice on how to SUCCESSFULLY CLEAN your tennis balls today.
Main methods of cleaning
The method you ultimately decide to use depends on the LEVEL OF DIRT you are seeing on your tennis balls.
This can be mild or it can be severe, which is why I’d like to cover all three scenarios right now:
1) Moderate Dirt
There are many ways of actually getting your tennis balls dirty. But let’s ASSUME you haven’t let your dog tackle the balls for the sake of keeping things simple!
I would class ‘moderate dirt’ as dirt that has managed to get caught on the outside of the ball, but IT HASEN’T properly affected the ball’s performance.
It’s fairly easy for your tennis balls to enter this category too.
Balls can FLY OUT of the court and land in the bushes, mud, or if you have been playing on heavy clay, this can easily attach itself to the ball.
All three can be mildly problematic, but it’s EASY TO SOLVE.
In my experience, the easiest way of cleaning tennis balls that are just moderately dirty is to simply brush them.
This can be done with a simple dustpanand brush that you will probably have at home, but if the dirt is a little more resilient, you might want to get one with stronger bristles.
Just place all of the balls in a bucket, and then BRUSH AWAY.
Since the dirt is likely dry, it should tear off the ball easily.
I’d recommend brushing each ball individually, and then removing it from the ‘dirty bucket’, and putting it back into whichever location you store your tennis balls in.
2) Above-Average Dirt
If your tennis balls get into the ‘above average’ category, it’s likely that the dirt has managed to become ingrained into the fluff.
This can happen if the balls get stuck into WET DIRT, where it will then easily attach to the ball and make it heavy.
It can also change the color of the ball if the dirt is particularly EXTENSIVE.
So, if your tennis balls are looking a little worse for wear and you don’t feel that brushing them will get the job done, you will likely need to soak them to remove the dirt.
To be honest, there isn’t much MAGIC involved here, and you can treat the balls much like you would treat your dirty dishes – unless you’ve got a dishwasher (please don’t do that!).
I would recommend filling up your kitchen sink with some warm water, not hot water, and then adding a little dish soap to the water to alleviate the dirt.
You don’t need to then scrub them, just leave them for somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes and then REMOVE THEM from the sink.
You should then stick them somewhere dry – possibly outside in the garden if you live somewhere warm, or spaced out in a warm room of your home if not.
If you are feeling a little apprehensive about this method, you can see a step-by-step guide right here.
3) Caked in Dirt
When I say caked, I mean CAKED!
Imagine your dog has been playing with them in wet dirt, and then chewing them, and then REPEATING THE PROCESS.
You can probably imagine the EXTENT of the dirt I’m talking about here.
If your tennis balls are suffering from this kind of appearance, I doubt that brushing, soaking, or combining the two will be of MUCH USE.
Instead, you will likely need to get your washing machine involved in the cleaning process.
You can stick as many tennis balls in there as you like, add some washing-up liquid, and then stick them on at a VERY LOW TEMPERATURE.
Do not run a cycle at a high temperature, as this can damage the balls and even change their shape.
Also, please do not stick them on with a ‘spin cycle’, as this can have the same effect.
Once complete, you can put the balls in your dryer on the lowest possible heat setting, but this shouldn’t be done for longer than 10-15 minutes.
Ideally, I would recommend letting the balls AIR DRY, as this will remove any risks of damaging the balls during the drying process.
Final thoughts
So there you have it, my top three recommendations on how to clean tennis balls!
As you can hopefully see, each of these methods is QUICK, cost-effective, and fairly easy to do.
I like that each of these methods involves tools/items that you should already have at your disposal in your home, most likely.
This removes the need to go and purchase any items PURELY TO CLEAN your tennis balls, which creates a nice, win-win scenario!
Do you know of any alternative methods not mentioned here? Perhaps you have some other advice for our readers? If so, please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below.
“who would expect to fight like that I mean the first fight was good, the second fight was great, this was this one was the icing on the cap“
-Lennox Lewis
My FAVORITE PART of the fight was Sugar Hill instructing Tyson Fury in between rounds:
“Jab his fucking head off.“
-Sugar Hill
It was so old-school and classic.
Nobody should question the heart of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury
It gave me GOOSEBUMPS when Max Kellerman said during the middle of the fight sth to the like: “even though Deontay Wilder loses this fight, he left a mark in the history book and proved himself for getting knocked down and come back to knock Tyson Fury twice in around.”
What Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury showed in the ring IS GREATNESS. As Max Kellerman said, Deontay Wilder will always be remembered FOR this historic fight.
The first knockdown of Deontay Wilder’s bell saved him, but coming back and knocking down Tyson Fury twice in a round is AMAZING!
Both Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury DISPLAYED TREMENDOUS HEART and courage in the FIGHT; we boxing fans are THANKFUL for their performance Saturday night FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS.
“he (wilder) felt he just felt as though that last fight he didn’t really get to show people what he’s really really made of and not just power he wanted to show people he’s made of passion grit heart.”
-Malik Scott
This is AN INSIGHTFUL interview by Deontay Wilder trainer Malik Scott.
Deontay Wilder, you displayed all that Saturday night, and you are a true Warrior.
No one should ever question the heart of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
What a fantastic display of
Passion
Grit, and
Heart
Fury vs Wilder 3 is THE TYPE OF FIGHT that you are on the EDGE OF YOUR SEAT the entire fight…the whole fight..
..and even though Tyson Fury was coming along strong, winning the round, it was a VERY COMPETITIVE FIGHT t, unlike their second fight, which was one side in favor of Tyson Fury.
Why is Tyson Fury the best heavyweight of this Era?
Tyson Fury OUTBOXED the great Wladimir Klitschko, and now Tyson Fury knocked out ONE OF THE MOST devastating knocks out the artist of this Era in Deontay Wilder.
Wilder vs. Joshua will still be a TERRIFIC FIGHT, but with Joshua’s couple of losses against Andy Ruiz jr and Oleksandr Usyk and Wilder couple of losses against Tyson Fury.
So THE GYPSY KING will still remain King of the heavyweight division.
Below is an excellent interview from the legend Emanuel Steward from 2012 about Tyson Fury’s potential before Tyson Fury was a world champion (he also speaks highly about Deontay Wilder).
Tyson Fury was humble TO SPONTANEOUSLY catch a plane to see the Emanuel Steward and how the story unfolds is awesome!
Hate him or love him; one thing we can AGREE ON is Tyson Fury, a very charismatic man.
If Emanuel Steward was still alive but maybe up in the sky, he is proud of his Tyson Fury and nephew Sugar Hill.
Case for Oleksandr Usyk to be the top pound for pound if he beats Tyson Fury
Before Oleksandr Usyk joined the party, there was AN ARGUMENT if Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, or Anthony Joshua was the best heavyweight of today’s Era.
Let’s look at another fighter who fought a naturally bigger fighter than him his entire career and had impressive wins.
It is impressive that Pacquiao is even competitive against Floyd Mayweather, a NATURALLY BIGGER and the best pure boxer of his generation.
Pacquiao always fought the TOUGHEST OPPONENT as he moved up in eight different weight classes, and at the age of 42…
.. he wanted to get in the ring with Errol Spence, a fighter IN HIS PRIME, the best welterweight right now is amazing! (sadly the fight got canceled due to Errol Spence last-minute eye surgery before the fight)
Manny Pacquiao recently HUNG UP his gloves, three months shy of his 43rd birthday, but the boxing is STILL ALIVE and in good hands with guys like Tyson Fury and talented fighters like Oleksandr Usyk in the heavy weight division and a stacked talent at various weight classes.
Oleksandr Usyk, just a year ago, was an IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring cruiserweight champion. So if he beat Tyson Fury, Usyk has to be on the top on the pound-for-pound list.
Only time will tell IF WE get to see this fight against Tyson Fury and Usyk, but we will see a high-level chess match in the ring once this is guaranteed.
Until then, ENJOY watching highlights of the best heavyweight fights we witnessed, which is what I will do.
It was sadly Max Kellerman’s last day in the first take this morning. As a semi-regular listener of the ESPN First Take Show, I am a little sad but excited for Max’s future career.
And from the comments on Max’s Instagram and youtube comments, it is easy to tell people love and respect Max Kellerman and his contribution on the First Take.
Most of us are accustomed to seeing Stephen A Smith and Max Kellerman debate on Espn first take over the last five years.
The question we are discussing is, who is the best at their job?
When Stephen A Smith speaks, people listen because he is a great world-class speaker with so much passion and enthusiasm.
And most of the time, you could find yourself gravitating towards his Energy and his passion than listening to his argument/points being discussed.
Stephen A Smith has been in Espn for nearly TWO DECADES when he joined in 2003, and he has been given a starring role in his job.
Max Kellerman is an excellent analyst and always gives you concrete examples supported with interesting insights, facts, mainly stats, and updates on recent events. (That is if he is not interrupted by Molly Qerim, which is another topic for discussion)
Boxing fans, particularly boxing fans from the HBO days, appreciate Max Kellerman’s a great boxing analyst. I have been following Max for over a decade since his HBO days with Jim Lampley, Harold Lederman, the good old days!
As a boxing fan, I genuinely admire Max Kellerman for his passion and knowledge about boxing but what surprised me more is how much he also knew about other sports before he joined the First Take.
Max is so passionate about boxing. Here is a video of him talking about boxing in his 20’s
Max is witty and can be SUPER FUNNY when he wants to.
Talking about Chris Middleton’s consistency, Max said, “Batman can’t see that bat signal up in the sky and say we are on the road. Batman has to answer every time.
Chris Middleton is batman when he is in the bat cave but take him to the joker, cat woman or where the riddler is hanging out all of a sudden he is back to Bruce Wayne. He has to stay batman to call him batman Perk.
The dude goes away too often and if he didn’t and if he put up numbers if he did things like he did last night more consistently he would be all-star every year. he would be genuine star a superstar not the dude that shows up sometimes. “
Because Stephen A Smith has been working in Espn longer and ESPN put him as the main star Stephen A Smith gets seen in a more favorable light than Max Kellerman after the video edit when the video is published on Youtube.
Many times Stephen A Smith repeats the same things Max Kellerman has already said a long time ago in The Max Kellerman Show like
1) Kyrie Irving is the best show in basketball. 2) Devin Booker is the mini Kobe Bryant.
Max Kellerman Rhymes
Max Kellerman once upon a time a rapper comes with great lines, making it, so fun to see Max Kellerman speak.
“Kyrie maybe Marlo from THE WIRE, but LeBron ain’t Prop Joe.”
-Max Kellerman
My favorite thing Max said on the First take is
“You know why Giannis is hungry right now? Because Kawhi ate his lunch. Grown men business.”
-Max Kellerman
Who is a Better Presenter, Max Kellerman or Stephen A Smith?
Some people like Chocolate while other people may like Ice Cream. Choose your pick. Both Stephen A Smith and Max are world-class presenters.
Personally, If we are talking about presentation, Stephen A Smith is a better speaker than Max Kellerman at the moment, and it is your preference who you LIKE BETTER.
Stephen A Smith speaks with lots of Energy and has Charisma which is hard to ignore, and it can be pretty captivating.
Max Kellerman does not quite have the energy level as Stephen A Smith, which most people may find more compelling.
Who is a Better Sports Analyst Stephen A Smith or Max Kellerman?
Max Kellerman is a far better sports analyst because he uses logic, gives specific facts/stats, and gives a concrete example to argue his case.
However, Stephen A Smith tends to steamroll with speaking loud, being 100% certain, and being more emotional sometimes blatantly rude in his argument.
There is also a running joke in the sports community that any team Stephen A Smith picks to win the NBA Finals will always lose because of Stephen A Smith’s track of picking the wrong team to win each consecutive year.
During the 2019 NBA Finals, Stephen A Smith mentioned Kevin Durant should play in the finals.
However, Max Kellerman was right in his assessment that Kevin Durant should not play to avoid further injuring himself. That is what happened.
KD further injured his Achilles which led him to miss over a year without playing basketball and potentially a career-ending injury.
Stephen A Smith has said multiple times Max Kellerman should stop talking basketball (even Stephen A got all his NBA finals predictions wrong, and Max Kellerman got all his NBA finals predictions correct i.e., Raptors to win over Warriors in 2019)
If you hear Stephen A Smith talk about material arts, it is easy to know he does not have a deep understanding of the sport or knows what he is talking about but is 200% confident; ask Joe Rogan. Stephen A Smith called Donald Cerrone a quitter smh.
I find Stephen A Smith annoying even though he is a star of ESPN Sports, and the editing team likes to make him look good on the video with the title and cleverly cut the video whist Max makes a great argument or rebuttal Stephen A point in the full segment of the show.
After being annoyed by Stephen A is talk about MMA or Boxing I just skip the video to fast forward and listen to Max Kellerman or Joe Rogan, who knows what they are talking about combat sports.
It is not right where fighters put their life on their line, and you have Stephen A Smith talk about the sport we love who does not know what he is talking about speaking in front of millions of people watching online and on television.
However, Stephen A has great Energy, which some people find him entertaining to watch.
Still, as a sports Analyst, Max Kellerman always makes an interesting factual argument and has a concrete example to back up his claim. So whether you agree or disagree, Max is right or wrong, Max starts an engaging discussion based on facts.
Max Kellerman is more respectful and open-minded also admits when he makes mistakes.
Max Tom Brady Fall Off the Cliff Theory
Max said on national tv about his theory of Tom Brady falling off the cliff.
He later apologized on national tv that he was wrong about the great tom Brady.
Max Kellerman on Iguodala Talking the Last Shot Over Stephen Curry.
Max Kellerman got a lot of slack saying he would choose Iguodala to take the last shot over Stephen Curry and a lot of people make fun of Max Kellerman on the funny youtube fate of the universe in the line comments.
Here is the direct quote from max Kellerman “Of every one of Golden State, open shot the fate of the universe on the line, the Martians have the death beam pointed at the earth, you better hit it. I want Iguodala.
Iguodala’s got ice water in his veins. Iguodala is that type of player. High leverage moment, the fate of the universe on the line, open shot, I want Iguodala taking that shot for me.”
When I first heard Max argue his case, I didn’t know what to think about it because I respect Max as a Sports Analyst, and I love Stephen Curry not just as a basketball player but also as a friendly, happy person.
Then it got me thinking about the greats like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson. What separated them, particularly Michael Jordan, was always so calm/ relaxed and able to regroup even his team is down on points.
There is a famous saying that when UNDER PRESSURE, MJ becomes the calmest person.
Of course, some people are incredibly gifted and tremendously athletic, which separates them from other competition; however, some people are naturally calm under pressure with the likes of Michael Jordan.
I studied films of superstars such as Stephen Curry and James Harden under crunch time. While I am not a body language expert and maybe someone could clarify this.
Stephen Curry and James Harden are not naturally calm under pressure, which leads them to be least efficient in the big matches when the team is down on points, and you are the man to lead the team in scoring.
Hence, you can see their shooting percentage and performance is not as great during crunch times, but they play amazingly well on a regular game.
Of course, I could be 100% wrong on this assessment, and it is an observation from a non-body language/ psychologist expert, but it is interesting to think about.
Max mentioned that he takes Iguodala talking the last short over Stephen Curry, a better field good shooter because he trusts Iguedella is calmer under pressure than Stephen Curry to make the final shot.
The book anxious is an interesting read to see so many people suffer from anxiety. However, not all players deal with the tension and responsibility of the big game and pressure to make the last shot.
Final Verdict
Who is the better Sports Analyst, Max Kellerman or Stephen A Smith?
Without a doubt, Max Kellerman is a better Sports Analyst by a country mile than Stephen A Smith. Max Kellerman gives specific facts and concrete examples to back up his argument. In addition, Max has a great sense of humor and love his hip-hop references.
Stephen A Smith is loud, speaks with a lot of energy; you could argue he is one-dimensional in his views and gets the final say on the show. Stephen is a great presenter.
But, unfortunately, Stephen A’s arguments are emotional rather than based on facts, and he argues his point without concrete examples to back up his argument, unlike Max Kellerman.
You can listen to any Stephen A Smith and Max Kellermans entire debate (sadly, on youtube, most of the first take videos ESPN editors cut off Max before his rebuttal) while you may disagree with Max’s argument…
…However, When we examine closely you will find Max has done his homework and carefully questioned both sides of the argument before making his point with clear specific concrete examples and deeper intricacies of the game backed up by facts and stats.
Which may not be perfect but as sports fans, we can appreciate it.
Major Ball Max Kellerman video series deserves to be shared; they are fun to watch!
Why Did Max Kellerman Leave ESPN First Take Or Did He Get Fired
Many people believed Stephen A Smith got Max fired from his First Take show. Stephen A is the highest-paid person in ESPN and reported to get $12 million per year and whatever Stephen A Smith wants Espn wants to keep him happy.
On 10th September 2021, Stephen A Smith opened for the time in the air on Hot 97. And he confirmed he was indeed involved in the departure of Max Kellerman from the First Take show.
Lifetime sports are a physical activity that you or your loved ones can take part in at any time of your life. Participants actively taking part in lifetime sport can reap excellent health and fitness benefits. Lifetime sports can be a perfect fitness activity that you look forward to enjoying or spending time with your loved ones/socialize.
Skills related to fitness are Important for success in lifetime sports and activities.
Benefits of Lifetime Sports and Why Are Lifetime Sports Important
Anyone can take part in lifetime sports at any point in their life, which is a great way to keep our mind sharp, and we can enjoy all the benefits that come from exercising. The beauty though of taking part in lifetime sports at an early age in your life is you have the skills to enjoy the sport at a high level even when you are much older.
Imagine you are 70 years old and beating a man 40 years younger than you in a game of golf at your local golf club. Golf is an excellent example of a lifetime sport that you can enjoy at any age.
We all know we need to exercise to become physically and mentally fit. However, not everyone looks forward to changing into workout outfits and getting involved in physical activity. According to the Harvard article, Americans in a span of fewer than 40 years, obesity has increased by over 50%, which is quite an astonishing number.
Because you can participate in lifetime sports at any age, they are trendy. We are starting to see a trend of more people getting involved in lifetime sports such as bicycling, backpacking, swimming, and badminton as one way to live a healthy lifestyle.
You may know people personally in your life who went through heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and other harmful diseases. Understanding our body can be complicated, and getting involved in a lifetime sport is an excellent workout for our cardio. Exercising also releases dopamine, which makes us happy, which is the icing on the cake.
Dr. Timothy Legg mentions, “Getting 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week is an important part of staying healthy”. We can effortlessly get over 3 hours of moderate aerobic activity per week at any age by combining one-lifetime sport with a treadmill desk
or a standing desk instead of sitting on a chair. Get Up! is a great read to learn how sitting on a chair can be so harmful to our lives.
How To Choose Your Ideal Lifetime Sports
We could all keep an open mind and could experiment with various sports. A thought never came to me that I would enjoy doing yoga, but I was wrong. I found yoga to increase my flexibility and a very relaxing experience as you learn breathing exercises and a great way to de-stress.
You could also factor in your personality into choosing a lifetime sport for you way because playing sports is a great way to recharge your energy. Unlike the widespread belief that an extrovert person likes to talk a lot, introverts do not want to interact with people. A real difference between an extrovert and an introverted person is how they gain energy.
Suppose you are in a social environment for four hours, like a networking meeting, family gathering, or at a friend’s party. Do you feel you are gaining lots of energy, or you lose energy? If you gain energy in this environment, then you are likely an extrovert. If, on the other hand, if you feel like you drained your energy and you feel you need to recharge, you are probably an introvert.
You could be a person who does not talk a lot but gain a lot of energy from being around other people. In contrast, some people like to talk a lot, but they feel their energy-draining from being around a massive group of people and need to recharge.
Ask yourself and be aware of how you gain energy being alone or being in a massive group of people. You could be an ambivert, which is right in the middle, a mix of extrovert and introvert but let’s not make it too complicated.
Knowing yourself and being open-minded to try out various sports will help you choose an ideal lifetime sport for you.
You may have never considered dancing as a lifetime sport, for example. Still, being open-minded and knowing that you gain energy by being around other people, you go down to a salsa dance club.
Salsa dancing allows you to travel to any major city in the world or Latin America and make tons of friends by the end of the night (maybe potential dates).
You may enjoy your salsa lesson so much that you want to become a professional salsa dancer and teach salsa dancing until your older years.
If you didn’t like salsa dancing because you didn’t like the loud music or the environment, you could cross it off your list, and it will help you narrow down your search to choosing the ideal lifetime sport that you enjoy and want to master.
Morio Higaonna is in his 70’s when the video below was taken. He has been practicing Goju-Ryu karate and has dedicated himself to it since age 14. Our lifetime sport does not have to be Karate, but he is an excellent example of choosing a sport that you enjoy and keeping us fit.
There is almost always a slight alternative to your sport. For example, if you are a fan of playing rugby, you could always switch to touch rugby or compete in material arts like taekwondo. You could move to the more traditional taekwondo art, or if you like water-based sports, you may enjoy aquarobics. You will always find a way to enjoy the sport you love and still find as much enjoyment playing the sport.
Finally, when deciding a lifetime sport, pick a sport that involves social interaction because every human is a social being, whether you are an extrovert or an introvert, and wants to connect with people. This is why even high-impact sports such as soccer and tennis does good lifelong sport for you to enjoy.
Examples and List of Lifetime Sports
Following are some Lifetime Sports ideas you could experiment with:
Dancing could be Ballroom, Salsa, Ballet, Tap Dance, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Irish Dance, and Fold Dance.
Martial Arts – again, you have so many options to choose from, i.e., Karate (Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, Shotokan-Ryu, and Wado-Ryu), Tai Chi, Shaolin Kung Fu, Qigong, and many more.
Water-Based Sports – Swimming, Rowing, Water Aerobics, Sailing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Surfing, Water Soccer.
Popular Winter Sports – Skiing, Snowshoeing, Snowboarding, Freestyle Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Ice Skating
Inspirational video of Don Shinn. He looks great for a man who is 100 years old and a beautiful message!
Is Golf a Lifetime Sport?
Yes, Golf is a Lifetime Sport that you can spend quality time building relationships and have a great time. Golf is an excellent sport for our mental health. You are out in the open, with fresh air, provides perfect hand-eye coordination, and involves walking, which is a great exercise. A paper published in the International Journal of Golf Science goes into more details about the science of playing golf at an older age. If you are starting in golf, this course could be a great start to improve your ball striking instantly.
Robert Kiyosaki, an American businessman and famous author of the book Rich Dad Poor Dad, recommends picking golf as a sport to start playing early. You can become good at it and play till your older age. As they say in the business world, you could have the best product. You could do the best presentation, but people will do business with their buddies and people they play golf with unless your product is ten times better. Your product could be 1.5 times better or even three times better. Still, it is tough for our product to be ten times better than competitors. Liking bias plays a huge role.
There may be some truth to that. Golf can open up many doors for you to network while taking part in local competitions or people you meet in your local club. A great sport to get involved in.
Is Tennis a Lifetime Sport?
Because tennis is a noncontact and low impact sport, it makes it a good lifetime sport you could consider. Tennis is a global sport that requires tactical thinking, good hand-eye coordination, and requires you to be alert. Tennis is a great sport that helps keeps our brain sharp and alert. Suppose tennis starts being hard for you to play for any health conditions at an older age. In that case, you could transition to pickleball, which is very similar to tennis.
A great mentor or coach helps us fix our bad habits and lead us to the right path. This course will be a great resource that helps you learn essential fundamentals from beginner to advanced tennis players.
Is Basketball a Lifetime Sport?
Yes, basketball is a lifetime sport. You may not be doing a 360 slam dunk in your 60’s or playing at a highly competitive level (I could be wrong; you could be real-life future uncle drew). We are never too old to practice our jump shot or practice our perfect hesitation move in our backyard while spending time with our buddies and loved ones.
Like late great Kobe Bryant said in his interview with Time tip#7 (at the end of the video), “Stretch.” He mentions his father still plays basketball, and the most challenging part is not playing, but it is getting up in the morning the next day. It applies to all the sports we take part in “we got to stretch.”
Suppose you are involved in any sports that affect your ability to jump higher, like Basketball, Volleyball, Dancing, etc. Take advantage of this program to take your jumping ability to the next level.
Is Soccer a Lifetime Sport?
Yes, Soccer is a lifetime sport which now has become more fun with bubble soccer to have a great time. Soccer is an exciting contact sport that sadly leads to more injuries than other non-contact sports such as tennis, golf, swimming, running.
With years of experience, you can surprise many people with your excellent soccer ball Jugging skills. The beauty is you can do it in your backyard or at anyplace!
Becoming a soccer coach at an older age or getting involved in assistance to a soccer team/local team is a great way to keep active and for our mental fitness. You can learn more about soccer tricks and tips here. Like Kobe Bryant’s advice about stretching as you age, especially when it comes to soccer, stretching becomes vital.
What could be more fun that doing keep up soccer ball perfectly at your older age.
Top 7 Best Lifetime Sports
As we discussed, you could consider your personality and the sport you enjoy playing to gain mastery to choose your lifetime sport. Like Hippocrates said, “The art is long, life is short, opportunity fleeting, experiment dangerous, judgment difficult.”
It takes time to be great at any sport, and just like painting a perfect painting or sculpture, you gain more enjoyment from playing a sport that you enjoy and gain mastery over time.
Most importantly, pick a sport that you are naturally curious about and want to discover/learn and want to perfect your skills.
For example, boxing could be an excellent option for you if you like it despite boxing being a high contact sport. We have to be careful not to get involved in hard sparring. Especially as you age, the punches landed in your head and body can cause significant brain, organ damage.
You could hit a punching bag or hit a pad with your friends and family, which can provide you excellent cardio exercise. Even shadow-boxing in your room is a great workout you could do in the comfort of your living room.
7) Rowing, Canoeing, and Kayaking
Whether it is raining or a sunny day, you can always enjoy rowing. Please don’t come at me the wrong way; we may have seen world-class out of shape athletes who excel in the sport at a high level, but you rarely see an out of shape world-class rower, formula one driver, or jokey. It is one of the sports that you need to be disciplined and keep your weight under control to compete at the highest level.
Even after you have passed your prime prowess, we can still practice and be part of rowing with a group. Rowing machines are accessible in almost most gyms, and we could install a rowing machine at our home.
6) Tennis
Despite tennis being a high-impact sport (as it puts stress on weight-bearing joints like in our knee, ankle, and hips), it improves our upper body strength and builds leg strength.
The significant benefits of tennis are it improves our flexibility, muscle tone, and our strength. High-intensity training helps clear our mind; a full-body workout where we burn many calories. And it makes us happier because you need someone to play with, and there is a significant social element to the game. Here is a comprehensive list of tennis equipment and top tennis racquet for seniors.
5) Cycling
Cycling involves less stress in your knees, such as walking or hiking, and you could cycle with equipment in the comfort of your living room. Cycle boosts our fitness, and with every pedal, it lifts your mood 🙂
Cycling puts less wear and tear in our cartilage or ligaments (unless you cycle excessively) compared to other high-impact sports. You can start cycling from the comfort of your home.
It is a great low impact aerobic exercise you and enjoy for your lifetime. Please be mindful not to ride too hard or too far, especially as you age, to reduce knee-related injury.
4) Golf
Golf is a great way to be out in the open and spend quality time with your loves and friends. Unless you are putting in your back yard, golf has to be played outdoors, which lets you be out in the open, breathe fresh air, and may get to enjoy some sun. When we sometimes see pros playing golf on TV, it looks so easy but requires many skills to be good at it. No wonder people spend a lot of money on coaching to be good at golf.
With most 18 hole golf course hole to hole distance ranges between 5000 to 7000 yards. You could still hit your ten thousand steps a day challenge at an older age where possible.
3) Strength Training
Do you want to look younger! Well, weight training can be your answer. The research from The University of New Mexico found that resistance training plays a role in reversing Aging Process. Strength training helps protect muscle mass, bone health and makes us stronger. It also helps us keep the weight off keep us, fitter.
As we age, muscle mass naturally decreases; however, strength training helps us reverse that trend. Another massive benefit of strength is it teaches us to improve our body posture and strengthen our bones.
2) Swimming
Jogging or running can be hard on your joints, whereas swimming avoids excess stress in your joints, and a great cardiovascular exercise that is low impact whist is physically challenging.
You may have noticed you get hungry after a good swimming session, and you can quickly burn many calories in a short period. Swimming, similar to golf, has a lower risk of injury, which is a big plus. Because it is just you and the water (maybe some friends), many swimmers reveal they find swimming to be relaxing, helps you de-stress, and is almost like doing meditation.
1) Material Arts
Material arts is a way of life because you can practice it anytime, like Karate kid, Jackie Chan catching a fly (I am only half kidding).
Compared to other sports with materials arts you could do in the comfort of your living room and very accessible. Your life is a material art the way you sit to open the door. You get the benefits of weight training with some materials arts such as Goju Ryu involves training with weights.
You don’t have to take part in competitive sparring. Before material arts crossed over to Olympic sports such as Judo, Taekwondo, and the introduction of Karate in the 2020 Olympics, it was considered a self-defense mechanism. For both men and women, self-defense can be vital. Like weight training, material arts teach and improve our posture, which is essential as we age.
Just like building a perfect sculpture, we get to work on our craft. Respect from peers, great sense of community, it humbles us, and you learn to fail as you get your ass kicked in sparring, which as a beginner is inevitable!
No matter where you go in the world when you visit the material arts class, we soon realize it is a fantastic community. No matter your age, they will always show you respect and make you feel welcome.
There are so many options for you to choose from and try out which Material arts is a good fit for you, and select the one you like best. If you are not sure, give Brazilian jiu-jitsu a try. They have a great community in America and many parts of the world.
Once you get involved in one material art, you can switch to another material art in the future if you wish.
Unlike other sports, you will find the transition more straightforward; you won’t be the next Nate Robinson of boxing (I am sincerely only kidding). As they say, you play sports, but you don’t play boxing. There may be a lot of truth to that statement.
Even the most incredible athlete Michael Jordan, could not successfully excel at both basketball and baseball. Respect for Nate Robinson for trying his best.
Materials arts is an exciting sport where it can be a double-edged sword. As long as you don’t get involved in hard sparring in your older years, it is a great sport/art to master.
The beautiful part of Material arts is there is a competitive side of material arts. There is also the traditional side where you practice the forms, techniques, fitness, and art aspects of material arts without putting your body in harm. Like Morio Higaona we discussed earlier, be a life long learner.
Who became a primary supporter of recreating of carryover (lifetime) sports?
Jay B. Nash played a massive role in developing America’s physical education program and became an early leader/influential figure in the leisure field and a successful teacher. Nash’s Pyramid, developed by Jay B. Nash, is an excellent framework for ranking leisure activities. He was a big advocate that hobbies or skills such as lifetime sports should begin at a young age as possible because it encourages you to participate and appreciate the activity, leading to a healthy lifestyle and happy life.
Lifetime Sports Equipments And Products
Following are a list of cool lifetime sports products and equipment you can own:
Image
Title
Buy
Top
Lifetime 90061 Portable Basketball System, 52 Inch Shatterproof Backboard,Black
Best Choice Products 3-Piece Kettlebell Set with Storage Rack, HDPE Coated Exercise Fitness Concrete Weights for Home Gym, Strength Training, HIIT Workout 5lb, 10lb, 15lb
Aegend Swim Goggles, Swimming Goggles No Leaking Anti Fog UV Protection Triathlon Swim Goggles with Free Protection Case for Adult Men Women Youth Kids Child, Multiple Choice
What are the exercise requirements for life long sports?
There are no exercise requirements for lifetime sports. You can choose the sport you want to gain mastery of and pick a sport that you enjoy the mos after testing different sports. Suppose you are a big fan of high contact sport such as the NFL, boxing, UFC. In that case, you could consider lifetime friendly sports on the side such as paddle sports, yoga/pilates, bicycling, golf, swimming.
Final Thoughts
If you are not involved yet in lifetime sport, why wait? Get started as soon as possible! and enjoy the sport you love for your lifetime. (if you are a sports gratitude reader, you probably already are health conscious and are involved in sports in some form)
Like Robin Sharma says, “every master was once a beginner,” and OG Confucius famously said, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the second-best time is now” It is never too late to start your journey in a lifetime sport. Good Luck!
Gavin Davison
