Marco Bitran: Tennis For Fitness

By Shem Ouma

The flab around your waistline makes you so much conscious about your looks while dressing for a party.

You feel out of breath when you go for the stairs instead of the elevator. It's difficult for you to keep pace with your young toddler while taking him to his school; you soon start panting. You don't feel motivated running on a treadmill in the comfort of your home. Binging is your hobby and something you can never forgo. And you envy your neighbor's chiseled athletic body. You have tried everything; you feel enthusiastic at the beginning but all your gusto and motivation turn bland with time. You might be feeling a sense of ennui in doing something with a vague purpose of being fit and that too you're not sure if that would work. The end product is despair.

For all those fitness admirers who are victims of lack of motivation, 'cardio tennis' is a new hope. A one of its kind regime, it offers all the goodies of fitness in the way haute cuisine offers exquisite delicacies to a gourmet. A sport with a fun value as much high as its value in fitness, it serves as a complete package for aspiring fitness freaks. It comprises of a variety of engaging activities which are all devised for one purpose-keeping you fit and agile.

Color Blind

This is a warm up activity which urges your nervous system to respond quickly. Two color balls are thrown towards you and the deliverer says aloud a color he wants you to pick first without a bounce and then the other after it bounces once.

Invasion

This utterly enjoyable activity which is done without the help of racquets or balls gets you warmed up before you know. Invading the other team's service box, trying to tag one of them without being tagged yourself, you have to escape. It is fun and you use wit too at the same time while escaping.

Spanish Drill

This calorie burning drill will have you sprinting in a figure eight formation. Fast-paced and challenging, this drill is sure to take a toll on the pouches of fat.

Red Rover

A high-energy tennis-based cardio, it puts your forehand and net skills to test. Sprinting across the baseline to retrieve a running forehand, you have to try passing a shot or a lob to win a point for your team.

Triples

Competitive spirit at its peak can be experienced with three versus three all court play-based activity. Both the teams face each other on opposite ends in a triangular formation, rotating positions after each point ends.

This is really engaging and gets you hooked.

Noodle Whacking

A warm up activity where you tap others with a soft foam pool noodles below their knees. It calls you out for being a sport and sets your heart pumping as well

The focus is on burning more calories than you consume in a fun and engaging way. It employs innovative ways to make you lose flab and keep fit. Like the heart rate monitor being used for tracking the progress of a player and this simultaneously enables the coaches to manage the group according to different fitness level.

For the purpose of making workout more effective music tracks have been made an essential part of the game as it's been proven that people work 33 percent harder with a 15 percent increase in their endurance if they train with music.

Taking out best fun parts from the game and integrating them with cardio practices is what cardio tennis is all about. Those under-motivated fitness lovers can cling to it if they wish to sport that sexy look oozing with confidence not to forget the new socializing platform you'll be getting when playing with others.

Learn to play like a pro with tennis coaching classes. To have more information on the same, click here.

Marco Bitran: Athletes And Anxiety - The Life Of A Low Level Tennis Professional Final Chapter

We met a few college seniors and they were headed to a house party nearby and we decided to tag along.

We met many drunk party animals that night, and although we were all having a good time mingling with each other, in the back of my mind I was trying to answer a few very important questions: How would we be able to finish our trip with the amount of money we had? Where would I find a second or third tennis racquet in case I broke a tennis string in a match? Also, where the hell are we going to stay?

One of the questions were answered quickly because apparently it was common for other drunken university students to pass out at the house they were partying at, so we took the opportunity and found some space and went to sleep. Now if this was later on in my life when I struggled with panic and anxiety disorders, my body would quickly let me know that I was in trouble. If you think that the next day after drinking alcohol was bad think again, the fear of recurring physical sensations of anxiety and the experiences of the morning of your hangover can greatly add to the possibility of having multiple hangovers and panic attacks in the coming days, and they are not fun I can tell you from experience. But back when I didn't have the fear of physical sensations of anxiety that led to my diagnosis of having health anxiety I was OK, I just had a massive headache, I was a little dehydrated, but I was OK.

After sharing stories about how great each of our nights were and how crappy we were feeling we needed to come up with a plan, my two buddies were quickly becoming home sick and lost the motivation to continue playing tennis tournaments and roughing it out the way we were doing. I couldn't blame them, it takes true tennis warriors mentally to consistently do what we were doing for a long period, and many low level professional tennis players do just that in the hopes of one day breaking through. My friends had enough money to catch a bus back to Canada and later on that day they decided to end their journey.

Now I was on my own and confused. If I went back now I would have felt like this whole journey was a failure, and I reminded myself that one day I would have a family, a steady job etc., and I would be looking back at these experiences and great memories no matter how difficult things were at the moment. So I continued on in my tennis journey alone. I asked each tournament director in each tournament if it was OK to sleep in my van in the parking lot during tennis tournaments and was allowed each time. I eventually was able to bring in some money through stringing other players' tennis racquets and it got me through all the way to the end of my six-week tennis journey in California.

It wasn't the most successful trip result wise and there were no big victories or ATP points earned, but it was a great success to me because when things got tough I could have easily gave up and went back home, but I kept at it. The lessons that these experiences have taught me are priceless and can't be taught by anyone, only experienced and understood. I returned home a winner in my books and looked forward to the next tennis adventure. But little did I know 6 years of debilitating panic and anxiety would ruin my life soon...

Dennis Simsek (also known as the anxious athlete) is the founder of the popular end the anxiety audio program that has helped many overcome their anxiety disorder related issues naturally. Visit http://www.anxietykey.com and follow the anxious athlete blog for your daily dose of inspirational, as well as the best anxiety support online.

Marco Bitran: Athletes And Anxiety - The Life Of A Low Level Tennis Professional Living The Dream Part 3

I had to have another practice session that day to get over what had happened so I worked my tail off and practiced for a good two hours, but no prize money in this event meant I needed to be even more stingy with my money. My other two friends also lost in the first round, so all in all it wasn't the best day of tennis for us.

As it got closer to the evening we needed to make a decision about a place to stay. We had a few friends who lived in Southern California but they didn't have enough room to help out all three of us, so that wasn't an option anymore. We couldn't come up with any ideas on trying to get free accommodation at that time so we did the next best thing we could think of a hostel. We searched the internet and ran into a hostel in Santa

Barbara not too far from the beach or our public tennis courts we were practicing on. What a catch, we thought! A private room for the three of us cost about $70 per night that we all shared, and one of us had to sleep on the floor, which wasn't too uncomfortable actually. We calculated how much money we would spend in the next week if we stayed at the hostel and we came to the conclusion that we had to make some extra money, or else our tennis trip would be cut short. We felt like kings in our new private dorm room: we had fresh towels, a kitchen nearby, pool tables and all in a prime location, we loved it!

Another week of tennis training went by at Santa Barbara, and the next tennis tournament was approaching quickly. It was in a city named Chico and up in the Northern part of California. So we moved out of our luxurious hostel and continued to do our best to find free accommodation somehow, because with our food almost completely running out, the price of gas and oil changes for the van, tournament entry fees, and any necessary tennis gear that we needed such as new tennis balls to practice with we knew we had to cut some expenses.

The worst part about it was that both of my shoes had huge holes on the bottoms, which were wearing out my socks every time I was training on a tennis court. I did my best to cover up the holes with what's called "shoe goo" which forms a protective outer layer over the hole, but even that was no match for the constant pounding on the hard courts.

I was put in the qualifying round in the tournament in Chico because if you don't have a high enough ATP tennis ranking, you have to work through at least three gruelling rounds in the United States just to get into the main event. My first two rounds were a breeze; I was playing well and my body was feeling great. My third round opponent was another collegiate player. I got off to a flying start and took the first set in 40 minutes. A tendency I had was to relax too much when a match was going in my favour too easily, so of course I let my foot off the pedal and my eyes started to wander around the facility. Bad move. My American opponent came back and won the second set by 7 games to 5. At this point I became very tight, because when you are so in control of a match and loosen up too much, your opponent can easily build up lots of momentum, which he did. He started to grow in confidence and had an answer to every shot I threw at him and I eventually lost the match 6 to 4 in the third set.

I proceeded to find a sturdy tree after the match and break two out of my three racquets out of frustration, to the enjoyment of everyone watching. I was so angry with myself for letting my opponent back in the match and an opportunity to get into the main event of the tournament passed me by. In the past if an opponent was too good and blew me off the tennis court completely convincingly I was OK with it, but when a professional tennis match was decided by just a few important points and my mental toughness was the result of the loss, I was really hard on myself.

That night after we all were out of the tournament earlier than expected again and our moral down, we decided to have a night out. We bought a large case of the cheapest beer we could find, found a parking lot near the tennis facility and drank until we were numb. At that point I had one racquet left in my bag for the rest of the trip, $150 in my pocket and one small case of shoe goo left for my beat up tennis shoes. We got out of the van and started walking towards the nearby university campus hoping that there was a party somewhere that was free and we could get in. We were in luck...

Dennis Simsek (also known as the anxious athlete) is the founder of the popular end the anxiety audio program that has helped many overcome their anxiety disorder related issues naturally. This is not a 'quick fix' solution but a proven strategy that in time will guarantee your natural recovery from anxiety related issues.

Visit http://www.anxietyend.com now to listen to a sample.

Marco Bitran: Athletes And Anxiety - The Life Of A Low Level Tennis Professional Living The Dream Part 2

The dangers of negative and stressful imagery can leave you feeling awful. There is the opposite to that which comes in the form of positive imagery. As I've learned, visualization powers your ability to rediscover your inner resources and refuel your outer expressions when stress is on the rise. The most powerful way I found to do my visualization sessions was through help from others as guided visualization, just like the process I was about to do on the beach through my headphones. This way you are directed by an experienced professional on what images to bring to mind and how your breathing should be in order to bring about perfect balance in mind and body.

Anxiety sufferers have a difficult time doing any kind of meditation, and visualization sessions strictly on their own because the sensitized nerves that we have are always on high alert, so it's important at least in the first month to use GUIDED visualization. The idea here is to take full control over your mind rather than let it control you, and in my past experiences with visualization I've learned that the effects it had the next day on how I played my tennis match was incredible. During my pre anxiety disorder days, I had used mental imagery but completely gave up the habit during the six years of anxiety struggles I had. It stopped the negative voices in my head for just a few minutes each night so I could find space to direct my mind wherever I wanted to go and to concentrate on specific thoughts and images such as in my case hitting perfect forehands, backhands, and coming out as a winner after my match the following day.

With consistent visualization you learn to be gentle with yourself and compassionate, to understand and accept the uniqueness of you in this world and to recognize that the only pressure you feel is the pressure you put on yourself. When that pressure is gone, your true nature will reveal itself in time. After a great visualization session, I was able to get the rest I needed in order to play my match.

"Wake up," someone said. "WAKE UP!" We were woken up by beach patrol and they weren't too happy with us, I tried to explain our situation but they didn't want to hear any of it; in fact, they told us that if they found us sleeping on the beach again that we would be in big trouble. I didn't want to find out what kind of trouble so we gathered up our stuff, threw everything in the van and decided to handle the sleeping situation later on.

We decided that the food we packed wouldn't give us the fuel we needed to carry us through our matches and the rest of the day, so as we were driving down the street we ran into a beautiful sight, a couple of golden arches staring right at us. Nothing beats a McDonald's breakfast, right? It's amazing how grateful a person can be when you are on such a limited budget as we were. My $4 pancake and sausage breakfast was a well-deserved feast it seemed.

We finished up our breakfast and headed over to the site to check in our names before our matches. I was drawn up against a big hitting collegiate player. When you run into a division 1 tennis player that plays university tennis you better be ready for a battle, through the extremely competitive schedule that these guys are put through they come out with the most determined mindsets and will compete until the last point. But I didn't mind, at this level there are no easy matches and you have to earn each victory no matter who you play.

I felt well prepared before the match, and couldn't tell if I should be worried that this guy was a well-oiled athletic machine or happy cause he was going to tire himself out from doing more than 20 sprints before starting the match, with his eyes firmly glued on me in between every sprint.

The match got underway. We split the first two sets and were headed into the third set. Because of many line call disputes, we got a referee to sit and watch our final set so there wouldn't be any bad line calls on crucial points. I was extremely frustrated at the way I was serving throughout the match, and I knew that if I had just served a little better this match would have been over and in my favour an hour ago. As the score reached 3 games to 1 for him, I reached my boiling point. After a missed serve by me and a return by my opponent,I swung at the incoming ball with what felt like was one of my hardest forehands I've ever hit. It was cleanly struck and it was headed straight to where the chair umpire was sitting. To this day I still remember how that ball whizzed two inches away from the face of the referee, and if it had hit him I knew I might have been in deep deep trouble. The following words came out of the referee's mouth: "Disqualification Mr Simsek for ball abuse." I was kicked out of the match. I didn't really know what to say. I knew I had a moment of weakness and my anger got the best of me for the first time in a long time.

As I walked off the court shaking from what I had just done, I made myself a promise to never let my anger take over my reactions to something. What if that poor guy got hit? That would have haunted me forever. You live you learn... on to the next battle.

Dennis Simsek (also known as the anxious athlete) is the founder of the popular end the anxiety audio program that has helped many overcome their anxiety disorder related issues naturally. This is not a 'quick fix' solution but a proven strategy that in time will guarantee your natural recovery from anxiety related issues.

Visit http://www.anxietyend.com now to listen to a sample.

Marco Bitran: Athletes And Anxiety - The Life Of A Low Level Tennis Professional Living The Dream Part 1

In the world of professional tennis, everyone sees the glamorous lives of the top 50 players in the world on TV and live during tournaments. But they usually never get to see the thousands of other professional level players struggling at the bottom of the table like myself fighting for each and every ATP tennis point they can get, just so they can continue living the dream and maybe one day play on the ATP circuit.

The futures tour mainly consists of players ranked between 500 and somewhere around 2000 on the ATP tour, then comes the challenger level players who are in the range of 150 to 500 roughly. Then if you can bare the years of struggle and grind and are successful at the lower levels then comes the ATP level.

My whole tennis career has mainly been in the futures level of tennis with the very occasional "wild card" (a free pass for lower level players to compete in higher level tournaments) into a challenger event. I was able to play these pro events because I was successful in other prize money events that anyone could enter, which made me enough money to get from one tournament to the next... barely! Mix playing with a little coaching and stringing other players' tennis racquets and I was doing OK-financially anyway.

But playing high level tennis week after week left me emotionally fatigued, spiritually fatigued, mentally fatigued and caused great muscular fatigue. So after some time I knew I had to start taking care of the different kinds of fatigue I was feeling in the form of implementing tension eliminators, or else I would have a very short playing career, and absolutely no coaching career afterwards.

At the age of 25 (just a year before my 6 year battle with an anxiety disorder), I got a few friends together to hit the road in my rickety van to play as many tennis tournaments we could afford to, and to see if I could hang with other pro tennis players. As we all made the drive from Vancouver, British Columbia, to California we decided to "wing it" and didn't book any housing during these tournaments. The three of us had around $600 for a month and a half and that had to cover everything from our entry fees into tournaments, to gas money, to food and accommodation. Well we quickly realized, something... we didn't bring enough money.

We had a racquet stringer in case the other players needed their racquets strung up but other than that we had no other way of bringing in any cash flow.

Our faith was left in the two "money" tournaments that we all entered to get us through this trip to play the four futures tennis tournaments. Many of the futures players don't really stick around past their mid-20s in the futures circuit and quickly find jobs instead of continuing the constant grind of the low level tours but we were different, we were determined! We had incredible work ethic!

If there was one thing that the three of us agreed on it was that we had to have free accommodation or we weren't going to have a chance to play these tournaments. We slept on the beach, yep we all decided that the only way we would be able to afford this trip was to sleep on the beach because it was free, it was cozy, and it was somewhere warm and private. All the things a tennis player needs to bring out the best in him during practice and competition.

The morning after we arrived in California we quickly rubbed the sand off of us, took a shower next to the beach, and rushed off to find some public tennis courts so we could get a practice in. The van was running well and we had packed some 30 cent noodles (that we ate raw) to get us by for about a week. We found some courts in southern California in a place called Ventura and lucky for us there was a hill right next to the courts so we could get some hard-core fitness in as well (hills are a tennis players best friend). The practice went great and the sprints up the hill were just what we needed to stay physically and mentally sharp. Things were going great and we were all in good spirits. We found a beautiful park nearby and got the racquet stringer out to string a few of the broken strings on our tennis racquets.

As we were finishing up we saw a sign on the side of the road that said "29 cent tacos." Perfect timing! We were all getting a little sick of eating the crap we packed so we all decided we needed some real food (if you could call it that) and at 29 cents we couldn't pass it up. We parked the van and all got out and ordered four tacos each. After we were done eating we were still hungry and decided to have a few more so we ordered six more each. We were stuffed and even though it was only noon we decided we wouldn't spend any more money on food until the next day because we needed every penny on this trip.

As we were resting back home (or a different part of the beach) on the Santa Barbara beach, I felt like I was getting sick. I blamed my nausea and vomiting on the tacos and asked the other guys how they were feeling; surprisingly they were fine. I skipped the afternoon practice session that we had planned and took it easy instead, trying to recover for the next day because our first tournament was coming up. I started feeling better towards the night, and as I laid my head down to sleep with my buddies nearby, I started my nightly ritual anytime I had a match the next day: mental imagery...

Dennis Simsek (also known as the anxious athlete) is the founder of the popular end the anxiety audio program that has helped many overcome their anxiety disorder related issues naturally. This is not a 'quick fix' solution but a proven strategy that in time will guarantee your natural recovery from anxiety related issues.

Visit http://www.anxietyend.com now to listen to a sample.

Marco Bitran: The Key Mental Training, Mindset or Toughness Technique for Tennis - Acceptance

Acceptance. What is its significance for tennis? What has it meant for me in the context of playing my game?

Ten years ago I took a class that changed my life in many ways, not the least of which was the application of one of its lessons into my tennis game. I often think of tennis as a microcosm of life; one reason why I'm as addicted as to the sport as I am. The lesson I learned was that acceptance is the key to having a successful and often winning experience with my tennis game.

In the class I worked through a process in which I created a possibility for the way I live my life. I created the possibility of being accepting-- a way of being in which I accepted the opinions and beliefs of others and their lifestyles, and most importantly, I accepted myself and who I am. Being accepting is a way I continue to live my life every day that I can. It's a way of presenting myself, of talking to others, of relating to them with no judgment.

I apply this mentality to the tennis court every time I get out there to play, whether I'm hitting for fun with a friend or competing in a match against an opponent. I face each match up with an open mind to accept whatever state of mind either myself or my opponent comes to the match with that night. I do not resist anything the moment I step onto the court to warm up with the first friendly balls back and forth over the net.

I think to myself-- I'm going to have a fun time with my opponent and my match tonight.

Now, you may be thinking, "Oh, come on. You may be able to control yourself and your thoughts, but you can't control your opponent's. Sure, you can have fun if your opponent is having fun, but if he or she isn't, well then I'm not sure how much fun you'll have either". I disagree with this thought and this is why. If I go out onto the court from the get-go with an attitude of acceptance, that attitude can't help but rub off on and turn into fun for my opponent. Okay, it's possible, but rarely, in all the competitive matches I've played, have I walked off the court at the end of a match with an opponent who had no fun.

So, how does fun come from acceptance? If I approach my opponent with no judgment in my own mind of who or what she is or is not, then it becomes unlikely that she will judge me. Of course, people judge each other all the time, so I guess it's possible that she could think, "I don't like what you're wearing" or "I don't like the way you hit the ball" or "I don't like you shout the score" or some other similar judgment. However, if I think of my opponent simply as the person she is that day-angry, happy, excited, anxious, critical, serious, competitive, I do not let it affect me. Who she is that day is who she is that day (which may be what she's like everyday, for all I know), but what's important to me in that moment is to realize that I am fine with however she is. If I am out there having fun because I'm playing a game I absolutely love, then her own reasons for being out there that night do not matter to me. And, believe it or not, more often than not, if I approach my match and my opponent with an accepting attitude, my opponent starts to have fun with me, whether or not she started out angry, anxious or serious at the beginning of the match.

I can't say that every match I've played over the years has been fun or has resulted in a win, but I believe wholeheartedly in the positive power of acceptance. I will never forget a comment one opponent made to me a few years back the minute we shook hands after a match. She said, even as the one in defeat that night, "I haven't had that much fun playing a tennis match in a long time. Thank you."

Her comment of appreciation that night touched me more than any other comment I've ever received from an opponent. I truly do love this game and there is nothing that has made it more enjoyable for me than playing with others who are enjoying it too. The power of acceptance is great. My class of ten years ago gave me a gift I will carry to my dying day.

My recommendation to anyone who is as avid a player as I am is to bring acceptance with you each and every time you get out on the court before a match. It will keep the spark and fun alive for you for years to come. And, it just may surprise you with a new winning streak. Enjoy!

* * *

Kim Riley- Tennis Blogger.

Hi everyone! I'm just starting up a new blog about tennis mental strategies- one that asks for your input. As an evaluator by training, I've decided to start a conversation and have a few questions for those of you avid players out there who are always interested in gaining more insight about handling the mental challenges of the game we love. Click on my blog and come join the conversation.

[http://tennismindsetonlinewithkim.com]

Meet me in person and let's discuss together!

Marco Bitran: Poetry In Motion: Flow On And Off The Tennis Court

By Gail Green

After recently rewatching Roger Federer's win at Wimbledon, I was inspired to ponder the commonalities between the champion's elegant performance and that of great design. With some replay observation, I came to the conclusion that the confluence of genius tennis and superior architecture is best expressed by one word: FLOW.

Federer's glistening movements - serves, forehands, backhands, volleys, drop shots - have as their basis a well-thought out strategy. In design, we call these excellent tactics - a master plan. His movements are strategically well conceived, and though they are executed at lighting speed, there is a method to their sublime madness. As one room flows with form and function upon the heels of the next, Federer's movements appear as imaginatively daring and clever as a beautifully sculpted space. Both the champion's execution and that of a fluidly designed home exhibit FLOW, an apparently elegant, effortless grace and movement in a style that appears to have always been.

If comparisons be made, they need to start with the Master Plan. With each set, each game, each shot, Federer's inner game is drawn with intelligence and confidence. Like so with a fluid architectural conception.

That is, a good architect / designer knows how to carve and manipulate square footage so that the plan flows with balance, order and harmony, producing good energies - a win. In essence, the keystone of all great design is the floor plan. How a space flows from area to area dictates a design's overall success. And, creating "flow" is an art. When Federer poises a shot, it is apparent he has the following next several in mind.

A great forehand serve to one corner at a 45 degree angle will often precipitate a magnificent cross-court shot on the opposite side. If one were to plot plan his movements, one would see interesting intersections of angled corners, with almost precision like octagonal movements. When Federer aims down the line, the walls are aplomb, creating perfect balance order and symmetry of form.

Well designed spaces are transformative. Like a great serve, the visual aspect is merely the first point of impact or contact. Spaces that exhibit well-composed plans achieve the same effect: they feel natural, as though they have always been. So, too, with Mr. Federer's movements which seem most times effortless. These spaces move in ingenious ways, providing a flow that is both welcoming and rational. It is an elegant, magisterial feel, both on and off the court!

I suspect that of any area, the entry foyer is the "serve" of the home. It sets the tone and feeling of the entire space. It is both the first and last impression the homeowner receives of his habitation. And, it is here where one is made to feel either welcomed or disoriented, depending on the overall success and feeling which the foyer evokes. It is, in essence, the prelude for what is to come. So, too, with Federer's serve, which is, for all intents and purposes, the one shot over which he has complete control and, thus, the one that sets the pace of his game. Should it be an Ace, it is a winner! Should the foyer create the right effect, it, too, is the architect's most powerful weapon. Entries express a largesse of space; they are the starting point from which all the other rooms circulate and radiate. The toss, creating a perfectly timed serve, is the artistic hand with which the foyer is sculpted. With a twist of the wrist or hand, a stroke is made that wins or misses. It is completely within Federer's hand (and genius) as to whether his ball makes a perfect landing or strikes out into the net or beyond. Like the serve, the entry Foyer orchestrates the tone and feeling of the home / game;

It is the creator's and tennis player's most potent shot.

In terms of proper flow, on and off the court, both Federer and architect are aware of where they are positioned. There is an intuitive awareness as to how far back behind the base line or up at the net, he needs to be. Like so, with the well intentioned home. In proceeding from room to room, it feels just so, as though you know where you should be at any given moment. Fed's gliding movements on court much resemble this fluid interaction between spaces. Should he find himself in "no-man's land," Federer will be disoriented, as he has been pushed into a precipitous area of the court from which a loss will likely occur. And, if the homeowner finds himself confronted with a series of boxes and doors that are illogically placed and off-balance, this awkward arrangement of rooms will create a similar disharmony.

For general flow of space a comparison can be made with the cross-court shot. It expresses the general flow of a space in that it is the most natural shot to made on court. As the safest shot, with the net at its lowest point, it is the easiest one to make. Like walking down a hallway with rooms following rooms enfillade, it expresses a natural progression of movement. Federer's agile and graceful cross-court backhands and forehands seem to glide past his opponents. His motion is so agile that, with the flick of his wrist, his uncanny intuitiveness for placement lands him a winner. Ingenious, yes, brilliant forethought, for sure.

The down the line show is a different matter. Here, one encounters the unexpected. Federer's opponents are oftentimes daunted by his unexpected perfectly positioned down the line shotmaking. It is a riskier more difficult, precision shot, catching the opponent by surprise. Using this lower percentage shot, Fed is able to pull his adversary off course, enacting an effective change of direction, and thus executing a winning point.

For the architect who creates spaces that angle, twist, and turn, he is taking his homeowner on a magical visual journey around arcs and rotundas. And, then, suddenly out of the rabbit hole, appears the delightful surprise - a sublime visual of either landscape or crafty architectural detail (like a niche).

Federer's dominant style and quiet confidence is matched by the creative master architect who whips up with elegant grace his visual sculptures. With a sense of composure and assurance, the tennis champion plots and plans his moves as though in a consummate chess game. The dignity and class that both Federer and the master architect bring to their game is exemplary. Never doubting their abilities, both forge on creating their own masterpieces as though locked into combat with themselves rather than with opponents. Problem solvers par excellente, they are able to analyze the situation in a widened perspective, executing one shot / stroke at a time.

Agile at both base line and net play, Federer exhibits exceptional versatility of play. With the designer, the ability to both see the whole picture while zoning in on the details, illustrates a mobility of movement, as well.

In addition, that attention to detail, creating twists and turns of visual delight and surprise, is equally masterful in the tennis champ's inside-out shots, where the unexpected creates the perfect finale.

Attention to detail in design is the finishing flourish to a beautiful space. It illustrates an intelligence of thought and respect for the wit and genius of architecture. Choice of finishes and materials, down to the smallest details, like the niche or reveal, show the true artistry of the master builder. For Federer, this attention to detail comes in the form of backhand drop shot volleys that are electrically charged, landing in perfectly poised places. His backhand smash, half-volley, are twists of the wrist that seem to be magnetically charged, attracting the right spot. Curves, bows, bays, ovoids are shapes that play with circulatory patterns, easing the homeowner's fluid path throughout the home. Similarly, Federer's gliding footwork illuminates his agility in traversing the court. Ballet like steps transport him easily from net to baseline.

The endgame is a composition of manicured movements. For Federer, the match is a series of excellent shotmaking, carefully thought out and executed. For the designer, the space is the result of artistic creativity brought from thought to realization in a series of visionary schemes. The alignment of Federer's fluidity on court with that of the architect who humanistically understand's and executes great design is culminated, for both, through flow.

For Federer, the match is a series of excellent shotmaking, carefully thought out and executed. For the designer, the space is the result of artistic creativity brought from thought to realization in a series of visionary schemes. The alignment of Federer's fluidity on court with that of the architect who humanistically understands and executes great design is culminated, for both, through flow. If you would like your home to exhibit wonderful flow and circulation, please look at our work at http://www.GailGreenInteriors.com