Who plays tennis?

It is tough to get business to succeed. The number of members of a tennis club where I attend has been declining and the average age getting old.

During 1980’s of a spectacular economic growth era, tennis was one of the most popular sports in Japan. Brand new tennis courts were built from place to place. This tennis club was also established in this period. I’ve heard the club house was packed by waiting members and many private matches hosted by the club took place.

As time has passed, the young has shifted their interest. I think tennis is regarded as a sport that elders are favorite of for them. Therefore, the club members whom I always play with are quite old. I’m a middle-aged man enough old as well.

A new coach who had graduated a college started teaching the members a few years ago. He is an excellent tennis player, has won many public matches and became a top player in my prefecture. His coaching is good and has attracted a lot of children. Some of them have been trained as good players. He was the savior of this club. But he is going to quit the club due to moving to another club. I don’t foresee the future of this club. If another savior appeared, the club could be saved.

I played tennis with high school girls today who have practiced in the club and were taught by the coach. As I rarely play with such young girls, it was fun despite of losing the game. The interaction with different ages is stimulus. Enjoying tennis is important for elders. However I guess it’s not enough for young players who are practicing to become stronger.

It needs a long time for young people to understand enjoying the sport. Until then, who plays tennis?

Matches in discomfort conditions for Japan’s soccer team

I watched soccer matches Japan’s national team of a World Cup qualifier against Tadzhikistan and North Korea.

Japan defeated Tadzhikistan at 4-0. At the victory, Japan got a ticket for a qualification to a final tournament. When I watched a TV program, I noticed the pitch condition was so bad that there were holes and mud in the ground of Tadzhikistan’s field. I also read an article that Japanese players were not able to take a shower after the match because of poor hygiene. These show the economical status in Tadzhikistan. Just searching about Tadzhikistan by the Internet, I realized the country has been broken down in terms of the economy. GDP in 2010 was 5.64 billion dollars at 141th in 183 countries and the GDP deflator was 15,386%. Many Tadzhikistan people fail to earn money. As considering the situation, Tadzhikistan’s players played the match with their full effort including such a pitch condition.

On the other hand, the field in Pyongyang was packed with fifty thousand supporters of North Korea. I saw a disciplined mass game for cheering up their national team. Japan was defeated by North Korea at 0-1. The loud cheering and an artificial turf had me felt the culture of the authoritarian country. We know that audience coming to the field might be quite wealthier than nations in rural areas in the country. I heard that coach Zaccheroni and players were monitored all the time while they are in Pyongyang, and they felt fear and some were unable to sleep well.

As seeing the countries, Japan is a far happier one. We have to appreciate that we are born in and live in Japan. This is what a fighting in foreign countries means.

Tennis in an inside court

I think this summer is cooler than those of the previous few years. I usually enjoy playing tennis at an inside court in which it doesn’t get a breeze and temperature tends to rise.

When the temperature was over 35 degree Celsius a few years ago, the situation in the gymnasium was terrible. The moment I stepped in it, hot air surrounded me. As I wasn’t able to hit a ball, my body was getting heat and I felt dizzy. Finally I wasn’t hit a ball. I got heat stroke. Following the incident, I play tennis with drinking sports drink in summer.

Compared to the hot and humid environment of the past few years, I feel more comfortable in this summer. On late July, there were lower temperature days. Even today, the outside temperature rose by over 35 degree, but it was windy. I didn’t feel the worst.

As continuing the same thing, I come to realize the present environmental condition. I’ve heard the heat wave in the US and Europe countries were profound. When it comes to Japan, I think it’s not so bad. Nonetheless news reports the dead and those getting illness by heat wave every day. We should take care of ourselves.

Tennis with middle-aged women

 After my holidays in week changed because I’m in the auto industry, I can’t go to the tennis court at weekend. So I’ve never played tennis with friends whom I used to play with. Instead, I’ve played with middle-aged women on Wednesday and Thursday of my holidays.

 Interestingly, the members gathering between Wednesday and Thursday are entirely different. I was told that that’s because of coaches who instruct them on each day. The man coaching on Wednesday is old and takes a strict way. Therefore performance of the school members is quite well. I’ve tried to defeat them. But almost anytime, I lost games. That’s why they are well trained.

 On the other hand, others attending the Thursday school are not so good at playing tennis. I can win easily. I feel comfortable as I can enjoy the games; however don’t feel a sort of satisfied.

 I don’t care playing with women. But I realize it’s difficult to play with them. There are a lot of elements to obtain the point. Skills like volley of the Wednesday’s women are far better than that of mine. If I hit a ball with full power, probably I will overwhelm them.

 Anyway, it’s lucky that I can enjoy playing tennis with the middle-aged women even if it’s only for three months from July to September.

A swimming boy

 When I entered a pool, I realized irregular swimmers including boys there. It’s likely to be a summer shift that the time schedules of swimming classes differ from the regular season. In summer, there are a bunch of normal people enjoying swimming or playing in the pool.

The time when I always drop by the pool, a swimming class of boys and girls under primary school is held. But the boy who swam with me at the same course was around a fifth grade student of an elementary school. When I started to swim, I thought he would bother me because I predicted his swimming speed might be slower than me. However I was surprised he left behind me. His swimming speed was so fast that I couldn’t entirely keep up with. He was thin and his way of swimming looked like a water strider.

I’ve kept going to the pool to exercise. I can’t swim butterfly. I just keep swim crawl up to 50m. So I always swim with a breast stroke for 1,000m.

He swam crawl, butterfly, breast stroke and back stroke. And all of them were fast. He must be a trained boy at the swimming class. We can swim so fast if we keep practicing from our small age. And young boys and girls are less resistance than adults.

 I felt a bit jealousy. However he is him, I am me. The pool is a comfortable place for me.

Celebrate the victory of Japan women soccer team

 When I put on the TV after getting out of bed, the final match was still aired. It went into extra first half. When Abby Wambach got a goal, I didn’t think Japanese team would be able to come up with it. So I gave a scream of amazing when Homare Sawa scored a goal.

 I admire their mind in which they never gave up the match even if the team was taken the lead away from the US team twice. I was touched and delivered encouragement.

 We, in Japan, have not been good news lately particularly since the East Japan Disaster. But this triumph at the Women’s Soccer World Cup is the happiest news for the present Japan.

 There will be a good thing tomorrow.

After taking a look at a photo of Sharapova

  At the Wimbledon tennis tournament, Maria Sharapova beat Sabine Lisicki at the semi-final. She goes to the final in seven years.

  I didn’t watch the match on TV, so I don’t know how she kept her good performance. However news reported she swept to victory 6-4, 6-3. It is delightful that we can see a big name at the Wimbledon final.

  I accessed to her victory from a newspaper this morning. The newspaper showed her picture. She chased desperately a ball with her legs widely. After taking a look at the picture, I was freshly reminded of the length of her legs. They are long. The length is the same as that of her upper half of the body.

  It reminds me something. So it was an animal like a cheetah or other wild cats being good at running. Athletes and sports players sometimes alter their movement like animals instinctively.

  It’s amazing. And it moves us.

My tennis has not been so good recently

 I went to a tennis court every day during the holidays of the Golden Week. I just played two or three matches a day, in which players win the first six games. A match takes about 30 minutes to an hour.

 Though I’m not so good at playing tennis, my winning rate was relatively good among the regular club members. But at the matches during the holidays, my tennis was not so good. The winning percentage was less than 50%.

 Tennis is a sport fighting against opponents. So they might have been in better shape than me at the time. However it was sure that my concentration power to the matches dropped during the match.

 Tennis is so sensitive that small things may influence player’s performance, like a state of mind, declining muscles, a poor sense against the opponent and like that.

 I wonder what I should improve in order to win a match. Should I practice harder? Should I change my mind just enjoying tennis? How about the tension of my racket should be loosened to meet my physical condition?

 Anyway I want to enjoy playing tennis for longer period against my age.

The victory of Asian Cup Soccer

Japan soccer team won the championship of the AFC Asian Cup by defeating Australia in Qatar on January 30^th. It was a difficult match for Japanese team to control. However Japan seized the victory getting a goal by Tadanari Lee at the second half of extra time.

Australia took an advantage of long ball. Japan was forced to deal with these long balls. Most of high balls were grabbed by Australia forwards, Cahill and Kewell. So Japan was unable to make a formation seeking to rush a goal in particular in the first half of the game.

After substituting a defender Iwamasa for Fujimoto, Japan became stable in terms of defense. However Kawashima, Japan’s goal keeper helped preventing the opponent from shoots.

The winning goal was scored by Lee with a centering kick by Nagatomo. Among most of players weren’t able to run thanks to exhaustion, I’d like to praise the run of Nagatomo.

I as well as Japanese enthusiasts was happy to see the victory. It will provide us bravery and encouragement.

AFC Asian Cup; Japan came from behind win to Qatar

It was an exciting match, I thought as watching the game on a TV.

Japan’s national team allowed the lead to Qatar twice. Moreover the second score of Qatar was brought in by the free kick just after Japan’s defender Yoshida was ejected for his second yellow card.

I thought many Japanese watching the game might anticipate defeat of Japan because of the situation lacking one player. But eventually Japan successfully got a come from behind victory by the goal at 38 minutes in the second half.

Sebastian, a striker of Qatar who naturalized in Qatar from Latin America, gave us the impression as a good player, who has skill, quick motion and always pursues a goal. The reason that Yoshida was sent off was not to be able to deal with Sebastian.

Qatar team was occupied by the majority of nationalized players. The ranking of Japan by FIFA is superior to Qatar, however Japan was forced to fight a uphill battle against it.

The victory under the condition of lacking a player will deliver the impression that Japan’s national soccer team is strong.