end of class, start of play

Tomorrow will be my last tennis lesson - it was fun and I learned a lot, but I'm glad it's over.  The indoor courts were great for the springtime, but now that we're heading into summer it's time to get out and play for real!
Here are a few things I learned over the past six weeks: 

• Grip size matters!  I bought a racket based on the brand and the price without realizing the grip was too big for my hand.  It felt okay while I was holding it, but every time I played my hand would start cramping up and then my hand & forearm would be sore the next day.  I just figured I needed to build up my endurance.  I finally uncovered the problem when Marc got a new racket so I tried out his old one which happened to have a smaller grip.  It instantly made a difference in my play and I didn't have any pain anymore. 
• Tennis skirts aren't just cute, they are also functional.  One time I wore capris to class and I quickly realized I didn't have anywhere to stash tennis balls...oops!  With a skirt, you can easily tuck a spare ball in the shorts that are under the skirt.  This makes for less having to run around picking up the balls off the court.
• Getting your racket restrung periodically helps to keep the responsiveness of the racket.  This makes sense to me in theory, but I still have been to lazy to do it.  It's okay though, it gives me something to blame when I miss a shot!
• Playing with people who are better than me was a great way to challenge myself, but it was also frustrating at times.  I just chose not to keep score in my head so we were just playing for fun rather than competition.  They may have been counting, but I wasn't.  When I had that mindset, it made playing a lot more enjoyable.

I'm looking forward to playing on my own this summer, and then maybe this fall or winter I will take another lesson.  The Amy Yee center had a great program!  It's through the City of Seattle Parks Dept - you can't beat 6 weeks for $70!  They also rent courts by the hour (both indoor and outdoor) which would definitely be better than driving around all over the city looking for an empty court on a busy day.