Played in less than 50 places in the entire World, Real Tennis is very different from Lawn Tennis not just because it is the original "true" thing born many centuries ago and played by figures like Henry VIII. Real Tennis is played in an asymmetrical court, which many unusual features could make someone think about squash to a certain extent, and with hand made balls which are pretty unpredictable in behaviour and not replicable on large scale. Josh Smith is Head Professional at the exclusive Holyport Real Tennis Club, in Berkshire, built in 1889 by renowned court builder Joseph Bickley. His expertise as a coach and international ranking player is at the core of this interview dwelling in the multifaceted characteristics of the sport, and it helps identify the sport psychology aspects which might more affect the players. In his opinion, to excel at Real Tennis there is a need for specific "sport intelligence" and for a "short-memory" attitude to never look back at the past points, but only focus in the present moment of the game. Easier said than done, in this interview, we try to understand more about what tennis is Real Tennis and what its players are made of.
Played in less than 50 places in the entire World, Real Tennis is very different from Lawn Tennis not just because it is the original "true" thing born many centuries ago and played by figures like Henry VIII. Real Tennis is played in an asymmetrical court, which many unusual features could make someone think about squash to a certain extent, and with hand made balls which are pretty unpredictable in behaviour and not replicable on large scale.
Josh Smith is Head Professional at the exclusive Holyport Real Tennis Club, in Berkshire, built in 1889 by renowned court builder Joseph Bickley. His expertise as a coach and international ranking player is at the core of this interview dwelling in the multifaceted characteristics of the sport, and it helps identify the sport psychology aspects which might more affect the players.
In his opinion, to excel at Real Tennis there is a need for specific "sport intelligence" and for a "short-memory" attitude to never look back at the past points, but only focus in the present moment of the game. Easier said than done, in this interview, we try to understand more about what tennis is Real Tennis and what its players are made of.