World Alzheimer’s Day 2024: How tennis is changing the game
• 3 MINUTE READ
On World Alzheimer's Day, our Coach Development Consultant Kris Soutar writes about the mental, physical and social benefits of tennis.
The magic happens in the middle. This is an expression I use frequently with tennis coaches and players. Ordinarily, it means the magic happens in the middle of the shot – the moment when you actually strike the ball.
But when we look at the researched benefits of tennis in relation to the prevention and delayed effects of dementia, this expression becomes way more powerful.
According to various studies, the health benefits of playing tennis regularly are clear to see:
- Up to 10 years longer life expectancy (*Copenhagen City Heart Study)
- Increased heart and bone health
- Cognitive health turbo boost
- 30-40% chance of prevention of dementia
When I was asked to consult on Tennis Scotland’s partnership with the magnificent Tennis4RAD (Race Against Dementia) initiative, I instantly agreed because a close family member had recently passed away from the disease. At that time, I would have done anything to help slow down this cruel condition, so to play a small role in a project designed to prevent and delay the effects is an honour and a genuine joy.
It is estimated that more than 50 million people are living with a form of dementia, which means we are all in the sad situation of being close to someone who has this horrific disease. Even more worrying is the statistic that one in three people will eventually be diagnosed with dementia.
When it comes to tennis, the findings are clear; the cognitive skills required to play the most wonderfully complex coordination sport in the world help stimulate the brain and develop new neural pathways, while strengthening those we already have.
Playing tennis gives the brain one of the best gym sessions it could possibly have – all while providing great physical benefits to the body.
Tennis4RAD was initially set up as a fundraising project to help vital research into dementia in support of Sir Jackie Stewart’s Race Against Dementia global charity. It soon became apparent it had far more potential as I witnessed genuinely moving transformations in participants even within the space of 10-12 weeks.
Their ability to play the game compared to what I saw at the start of the block was inspiring. There was also a fantastic social element - with tea cakes and wafers playing a major part in the post-tennis entertainment. It got me thinking; we cannot underestimate the social aspects of tennis, their role in stimulating thought through conversations is vital.
When designing the programme, there were three main pillars for the delivery of Tennis4RAD:
- Keep the players as active as possible throughout each session
- All activity includes an element of problem solving
- All roads lead to the game
I had the pleasure of watching the participants grow in their physical and cognitive abilities, ultimately leading to them being able to play our amazing game.
World Alzheimer’s Day on Saturday, 21 September provides an opportunity for raising awareness in the fight to find a cure for one of the cruellest diseases in the world.
But we can also use it as a chance to promote tennis as being the perfect sport to help prevent and delay the effects of dementia – so that perhaps real magic will happen in the middle after all.
