yep, but it will take a long time. to get your kid good at tennis takes money and is easiest done by those within that "class" (whatever that means). it also needs role models and most kids (whatever colour) want to be mike jordan not timmy henman!

go to your local tennis club and thats clear.

however, once black kids get the chance they will be better, they are (on avarage) faster, stronger and more explosive. they are well suited to the stop start nature of modern tennis.

cant swim to good though so they cant have it all!

Tiggs

edit to add that the word class does not convey a wealth/status isssue here, its used to describe a group of people that play tennis. jezzzzzz, wouldnt life be easier if ppl could just speak to each other normaly!

[Edited by Tiggs - 7/3/2002 10:18:31 PM]

 

what the hell !
why is this debate even here?
does it matter ?
as long as you r a good sports woman or man skin has nowt to do with it

racest under tones here !
steve
edited as still can't spell, dylexic


[Edited by stephen emery - 7/4/2002 12:10:08 AM]

 

P1, because its more complex than black or white.

in simply summary there are east or west african origins in many atheletes- the east africans (kenya for example) have a large amount of slow twitch muscle fibres which is suited to endurance, they are also of a slender build with long lean legs- hence kenyans dominate long distance and cross country events.

west african origins give a large desity of fast twitch fibres which is good for explosive action, there is also increased muscle size and low body fat- hence 100m, 200m, 400m, etc.

T

edit to correct spelling, seems i cant jump or type!

[Edited by Tiggs - 7/4/2002 12:14:18 PM]

 

I don't think the williams' game is all about power you can hit the ball as hard as you like but you have to make it land inside the line. There are other women tennis players like Maurismo (has a hormone problem that makes her a man) who have just as much power as the williams sisters but not as much skill. The reason the williams sisters are dominating tennis so much is the lack of established talent in the womens game at the minute. All the previous generation of stars are past it or retired.






ha ha

[Edited by g0d - 7/4/2002 1:53:53 PM]

 

"Thats why,...now over time i'm sure this lifestyle will show itself genetically"

yes it will, thats how the genetic differences are formed. and why i said in an earlier post that it wasnt about skin color it was about the genetics but its hard to have the african genetics yet be white.

T

edit to add about motor sports- a good example where social/econmic factors currently play a bigger role than genetics (just like many sports 100 yrs ago)

[Edited by Tiggs - 7/4/2002 2:08:45 PM]

 

I believe I can fly,
I believe I can touch the sky,
I think about it every night and day,
Spread my wings and Fly away..

As I said before, to be the best, you must want it soo badly, that you're willing to sacrifice everything else. And I don't even want to get of this seat, let alone train 10 hours a day in the gym. 1 hour a day is good enough for me..

[Edited by Katana - 7/4/2002 9:25:34 PM]

 

I reckon so. Watching the Williams sisters this week at Wimbledon, i doubt if there will ever be a white player capable of producing the kind of power they do. Ok, so some of it is technique, but a lot is down to a gene thing, with black people generally being better athletes than whites.
Given an equal opportunity of taking up tennis, i think the majority of future tennis champions will be black. That it hasn't happened already just emphasises how elitist tennis is. It might take a few years, but it will happen.

Even so, some of the things the Williams sisters do really irritate me. I mean, what is it with this grunting thing on EVERY shot? And why did Venus walk on court the other day with one tracksuit leg rolled up just to draw attention to the patch on her knee?
They might be the most succesful women players right now, but i'm sure they're not the most popular by any stretch...

 

Touchy subject

 

Load of bull$hit if you ask me.Colours got nowt to do with it........

 

ditto paulr

 

errr, really? you ever watched a heavy weight boxing match, 100m race, NBA game.

T

ps- ohhh, and 100m butterfly!

 

My parents have taught me that colour is very important and the only colour we can trust is green. Yes sir, the greenback, the one currency that you can trust not to screw up. God bless Americas financial powers...

 

"Colours got nowt to do with it........ "

thats correct but its hard to have the explosive muscle fibres and low body fat of an athelte from west african descent, or the lung capacity and muscle endurance of someone from kenya if your pale with ginger hair.

T

 

Black/white no worries..as long as their not French

 

Who's Mike Jordan?

All the kids round here want to be Michael Owen. Apart from the numpties who want to be Beckham.

Tennis is elitist in the UK. If you don't know the committee, forget it.

Ditto golf, cricket and boaty stuff.

That's why in general we are crap in world terms, we aren't represented by the best, only the privileged.

 

sorry, michael.



and as the movie says "white men cant jump" (not like that anyay! )

T

 

Yes but where are the blacks in the top sports like darts and snooker

 

But if your "pale&ginger" you might not be good at sport but you do get Gerri Halliwell instead.

 

This pisses me off. Somebody mentions the word "black", and everyone starts shouting "RACIST!!!". [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

It's a scientific fact that those of african ethnic grouping (for want of a better phrase, but I'll probably be pilloried for it anyway) have a genetic and muscular make-up that makes them better athletes. There's nothing racist about it - it's just the way nature works.

Comments about a thread like this being racist are akin to somebody saying it's "gingerist" to claim that people with ginger hair are more prone to freckles and sunburn than those with brown hair.

Interesting fact mentioned on the 'Teen species' program on BBC last night - apparently caucasian teenagers develop (reach puberty) later than their black equivalents.

Genetics and race is a funny ol' game, isn't it?!

 

No racist undertones here.

Its only white people who are saying it has racist overtones I guess

I dont think a black guy would be too bothered, most have what has been said is well thought out.

 

Tiggs - yhm

 

had to happen didnt it, someone shouts racist.

we are not all the same, if you are short you wont be a good basketball player, if you are thick you wont be a good rocket scientist, if you are a woman you wont be a good arm wrestler. these "on avarage" fackts dont make me heightest, stupidist or sexist.

so bearing the FACTS in mind you must except that if your not of e.african decent then you wont dominate long distance running and how many white guys have EVER gone under 10secs for 100m???

if ppl could take their head out of the sand its actually very interesting...for example, if w.african origins make an explosive runner why are the USA so good when their w.african runners have an input of european genes? why isnt w.africa winning all the races?

T

ps- darts and snooker? serious? firstly its hardly a sport is it and secondly go to your local basketball court....any pasty, unhealthy looking pale kids there dunking on each other? no, cause their in the snooker halls.

 

I can see nothing on this post that is racist.

People from different racial backgrounds have certain
physical differences. Its genetic and a fact of life.

As a result, certain racial backgrounds produce more athletes suited to a particular disciple than others.

Jees, everybody knows that white men can't jump

D

 

hate to disagree, but I'm white and I can jump (in basketball terms here!!)

being 6'6" helps though!!!

 

There's always some freaks though

 

completely agree with tiggs.

nothing racist at all.


apparently there are two types of muscle, blacks have a high concentration of one than the other which gives them explosive power at the expense of tiring sooner. Hence they can dominate sports which require this kind of exertion, ie jumping, sprinting etc.

I think tennis will head that way, but british tennis is suffering regardless of colour, as there simply arent enough people going into the game, despite the british origins of tennis.

I would hope that the williams sisters might inspire some more black players.

I only recall seeing one succussful black male, and that was mal washington in the final of wimbledon.

The mens game used to be dominated by power, but it seems to be going the other way with baseline and volleyers like agassi and hewitt showing they can rule the game.

That may be why the williams sisters are so good, they dont just use power, they are seriously great all round tennis players who happen to have as much if not more power than most of the men.

Especialy bloody henman first serving at 85mph!

 

saxoboy,

im also 6'6 and played basketball from 15-21yrs old, i played with a black mate who was the same height as me.

when we were both 15/16 we could dunk all over the show and always shared the most points per game. However, when we got to 18/19 he grew into looking like jordan (tall and lean and very explosive) and i grew into a short shaq o'neil!. end result...he was better than me although i was good (for a white guy! )

T

 

Adam M - you never heard of Yanick Noah (sp)

 

If you're 6' 6" I hope your saxo has a sun roof?

 

I would say I am cheerfully and proudly "stupidist". Nothing quite gets my back up as much as rank stupidity. I will gladly overlook any ethnic/political/sexual differences in my persecution of the stupid people

Note to the stupid people: This is intended to be a humorous post

Deano