Starting tennis in the spring; a good idea?

Question

Right now I play field hockey as a midfielder, so I get a lot of running in during practices and games. My most recent mile time is 8:37 -- don't worry, that'll be improving. I just haven't done enough conditioning due to the summer, ahah -- and I beat my entire team out at the 25 yard and 50 yard sprints. My feet are quick because of field hockey... the ball can't touch your feet, so you have to have good reaction time and all that. I don't have a lot of upper arm strength, though.

I'm a freshman, but there aren't a lot of tennis players out there, and I've been told to do new sports this year. I've never played tennis before like, at all. But I really want to try it. Is there anything specific I should do to condition, or anything like that?

Thanks so much :D

Answer 1

I'm not actually a tennis player, but I do it for fun sometimes, And ya, jog 4 times a week, maybe just 3 miles. and try chest flys, hammercurls, benchpress.

Answer 2

I played tennis briefly in junior high.  You dont need to worry about your one mile time because you wouldnt be running constantly while playing tennis.  Your reaction time is crucial for playing tennis.  Serves can come at you really fast.  I believe some high school seniors can hit a serve over 100mph.  You should develop some upper body strength but anything required for the sport would be developed while you PLAY THE SPORT.  You dont have anything to worry about for now.  If you are worried about your stamina then go ahead and train accordingly to make yourself feel better.  But if you played field hockey and you didnt suffer while being on the field then most likely tennis wouldnt be so difficult for you to handle physically.  

Tennis requires good reaction and technique.  Knowing where to be at the right time is crucial.  You cant just chase after the ball because its too fast for you to chase anyways.  You have to put yourself appropriately on the court and have a quick reaction time.  One mile run time doesnt matter.  Tennis takes a life-time to master.  I havent played tennis in a long time but I learned a lot from watching the pros.  Its a game of experience and fast reaction.

Answer 3

Well tennis is physically tough as it is mentally tough. It's not just about hitting a ball over the net, there are so many aspects in tennis. I know you're just a novice, but you have to know that tennis isn't an easy sport. Some people are natural maybe you're one of them. But being naturally talented doesn't count that much anymore- it's all about how much you practise!

Good luck,