June 03, 2011
I’m a selective grunter. That’s right, people like me exist, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. When I play tennis, I’m generally quiet, focused, and determined. But on those special points, in those moments where I just need that extra burst of energy to topple my opponent … I let out a primal, guttural, groan.
I channel my inner lion as I hit the sweet spot in my racket. I let out the wrath boiling inside me as I smash home an overhead winner. Thinking about making a net approach? “AGGGGH!” Think again! Grunt assault!
While I probably achieve more quizzical looks from my opponents than anything else, I do it because it’s fun and helps me to maintain my rhythm. When I am emotionally invested in a match, I start to tighten up. Grunting lets me release my pent-up energy, and it’s a way for me to remind myself that tennis is a game meant to challenge us physically and mentally but to be fun as well.
Maybe that is why I don’t mind it when I see professional players grunting during a match. I highly doubt that most of them do it for the same reasons that I do, but it doesn’t bother me all that much. The top players in the world expend a tremendous amount of energy with each and every shot, and to me, it is quite understandable if they need to let out some steam.
That’s not to say that I don’t see the alternate point of view. I can understand why players might find the grunting an annoyance or a distraction. But I figure that at the highest levels of sport, the concentration levels are so great that it is something athletes can be reasonably expected to overcome. After all, at what point do we determine a sound too loud? Is an involuntary exhalation of air okay as long as your opponent can’t hear it, and do we really expect someone to remain silent as they lunge for a volley and tumble onto the clay?
So before you laugh, and before you turn up your nose and cover your ears, try it out the next time you play tennis. Go ahead and scare the stuffing out of your next foe with a beastly growl. You might find it to be quite therapeutic.
Resources : http://www.10sballs.com/
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