Grantham Tennis club, feeling good again project, Update 2017 | DanielMarshallAdventures

I have so many blog posts i want to write that i am going to try and write one everyday (:
oddly enough i was searching through google images for Grantham Tennis Club, so i can use different ones then i already had when i came across this.
Dale Wright, who with many others, set up The Feeling good Project, after 12 weeks funded course that ended in December 2016, we could carry on but at a fee of 3 pounds per session, to help cover the cost for the coaches etc.
This i believe was took about 2 months a go, and dale said to me it would be used in places.
What i did not know and really shocked me is, The Grantham Journal which is Granthams local press, Did a article on The project only a few weeks a go.
so when i saw this image being linked the post, i was over the moon, as i did not know this existed.
I will leave the link to the post, at the end of this blog post (:

At the moment as well i have been helping put a small video together for the club, to help get more funding, this was done a few weeks back, and is being sent off, it involves a clip of some of the people from the project playing tennis, talking about mental health and how its playing tennis has changed my life.

At the moment with most things you do for a business etc, you have to follow certain protocols so i can not share it around until i have permission to (:
I love helping the club, helping with projects and the community, and as the new project Feeling Good Again has started, i have enjoyed being a part of it, helping the new people that turn up.

There is still time, to come along and see what you think, again all details about Grantham Tennis Club will be at the end of this post.

The reason i am doing a little update is to go into detail about the talents i have already been seeing.
The 12 weeks start on the 10th may 2017, and so far there has been 2 weeks of taster sessions.

In my own opinion due to how quick people are picking up the skills, and how well they are doing, the sessions do seem to be quicker in learning.
What i mean by that is, the things the group was learning, such as how the scoring, works, doing matches, where you need to stand when playing doubles etc, was learned in about week 4-5 and already its been taught.

Since being a part of the club, I have watched people from all ages play, and you think how do these people play so well.

It just comes down to a few things really, one of which is told by so many people and only listened by a few, not wanting to accept, that is all it takes, which is practice, and the other is having the amazing coaches, train you, to know what types of shots to play, watching where the other team players are, and most of all where the ball is.

Without those things, i would not be playing at the level i am now.
When i first joined the original Feeling good project, i could hit a ball yes.
However, i didnt know how to serve, i did not know the different type of shots, since whenever i played tennis in the park years a go, i would just hit it anyhow just hoping i would win.

It may seem a lot of work at first, it also may sound very confusing learning, all the different elements to tennis.
Like with anything you learn in time, when driving for example, you think how on earth am i going to remember to shift, steer, brake, speed up etc but after learning and practice it becomes second nature, and it feels natural.
 
The most important part of the project and tennis as a whole is just having fun,
chatting to each other, supporting them but also, having a laugh at their shots, not haha you missed it like saying they are bad, but just saying stuff like, you nearly got it, oh i can see what you was trying to do there, playing a cheeky volley across court etc.
Other players will know your being friendly and enjoying the game.

A prime example was, the other day i was playing a social game at the club, which they have 3-4 times a week.
We got a good volley going, when the ball was flying across to me and my team mate we forget to say to each other oh ive got this, and nearly missed the shot, i had to run backwards for it, and pulled off a great shot and we laughed about it.

I joined the club because of the project, i wanted to play even more tennis and the socials was a great way to play with even more people but again just getting out the house and having a good time.

The socials work in the format of a 2 hour session, there are between i would say, 20-30 people turn up, we play 30 minute double matches, and sometimes singles if there is a odd number of people, or less courts.

then you regroup and play different matches with different people, its a great way to, learn from each other, play on the different types of surfaces, from indoors, astro, clay courts, etc.

This is what i want to see from others who join the new project, hoping to complete the 12 weeks, make friends, have a good time, be able to claim there ratchet at the end of the course, and maybe want to become part of the club, because they love tennis so much.

There are some amazing talents, from just the 2 sessions that have been on so far in the project.
One person is someone i already knew, from somewhere else, and our playing styles are very much like.
He has not played tennis since being a young age, which is about 20 ish years but he is a natural talent.
The most important skill i have seen which is my best skill, is the awareness of where the ball is going, and being able to move around to pull of some of the tightest of shots.

The time files even when watching tennis because its entertaining, some people will just say like with football your just hitting a ball around, well i would say try it out because trust me your opinion would soon change, you dont realize how much effort you put in how much your body can move to places that dont seem possible to reach, its fun, its adrenaline pumped, its amazing is all i can say (:

The first week, in the course, you learn one of the most simplest things that some people may think that is a waste of time and stupid but again you will learn its not.

That is learning to catch a ball, and bounce the ball, it works on your hand coordination, so when your throwing the ball in the air to serve, to watching where the ball will land, keeping the same amount of bounce to the shot, so you learn a rhythm.

its also good for playing matches, you can see when the ball goes out of play, to say to the other person, second serve, out etc.

Grantham Tennis club, is not a serious place, where you have intensive drills and it feels like work instead of fun.
you can ask for that if you want, if its something your practicing for a completion for example.

The point of the scheme and the club, like i mention above, is to learn how to play, but having fun, we can all get competitive at times, heck, i laugh my socks at some of the shots played, and i come away, laughing and talking about the game in a good way.
But i also do not give up, if someone plays a shot which has just gone over the net i will run for it to try and win the point, if a shot goes behind me , i will... yes run for it.
Your body will do amazing things, and play out of this world shots, if you make it.
the ball does not come to you most of the time you have to go to it (:

The staff at the club are amazing, just to name a few, you have lewis Rae, who is a young fellow, a coach, a amazing player and a killer serve.
hes outgoing, tough but fair, will push you but at the same time having a laugh and enjoying whats going on.

You have James Prior who is at the moment taking his level 3 coaching course, he does a lot of training, with younger people, i always see him coaching someone, no matter the age.
Hes a amazing coach, again amazing player, and it was good to have him on the BBC Radio Lincolnshire Show, talking with me and dale about the project and mental health.
You Have Richard do not know his surname lol, he likes to show talk a lot, and praise people  to really brighten peoples moods, hes always up for saying, we have awesome talent, here, or here is the all star team lol.

He also comes up with some really bizarre games, which can be a lot of fun.

If it was not for all this experience, i would let my mental health problems win all the time.
Its not been easy, its never going to go away, but when you come away from the club feeling over the moon and so happy, that you just want to play tennis again, then its so worth it !!!

If you would like to get in contact with the club about the project or to talk to them, then please visit the links below and i hope you have enjoyed reading this (:

Full Voice Interview

https://soundcloud.com/dmpworldmusic/bbc-radio-lincolnshire-interview-grantham-tennis-club Grantham Journal post http://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/grantham-tennis-centre-to-hold-more-feeling-good-sessions-1-7926492 Grantham Tennis club social link https://www.facebook.com/granthamtennisclub/
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