All posts in Tennis

Choosing The Best Tennis Racket

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Whether you are just starting out as a tennis player, or even if you are an old pro, the tennis gear you choose is extremely important. One of the most important pieces of tennis merchandise that you will purchase as a tennis player is your tennis racket. Your racket is extremely important and will set the tone for your game, so of course you want to pick out the best tennis racket you can find. With so many different choices out there, it can be difficult to figure out what the best tennis racket is for you; however, if you consider your skills, your style of playing, the weight, and the materials of the racket, you should pick a winner.

Skill Level
When you are looking for the best tennis racket, one of the most important things that you need to consider is your skill level. Beginners will want to make different choices from advanced players when it comes to picking out tennis equipment.

1. Beginners – If you are a beginner at tennis, more than likely you will want to start out with a cheap racket that has a larger head than most. Having the oversized head will make it easier to hit the tennis ball while you are learning. Also, there is definitely no need to spend a couple hundred dollars on a racket until you have learned the basics and decided that you want to actively pursue this sport.

2. Intermediate and Advanced – Intermediate and advanced players will want to pick out a racket that has a smaller head than the rackets for the beginners. While the oversized head is great for beginners, as an intermediate to advanced player, you should have more strength in your tennis swing and a smaller head will allow you a great deal more control in your hits.

Style of Playing
More than likely if you are an advanced player, you have your own particular style of playing. Your tennis playing style will also influence what you will need in a good tennis racket. If you like to use a great deal of topspin in your game, then a racket that is head heavy can help you improve your spin. Also, if you are a serve and volley player, there are tennis rackets that are specifically designed for your style of play, and the same goes for players whose game relies mainly on groundstroking. No matter what style of play you enjoy, more than likely you will be able to find a racket that can enhance and improve your style.

Racket Weight
To avoid injury, taking a look at the weight of the tennis racket is important before you purchase it. While you may be inclined to head for the lighter rackets, actually you will want to choose a racket that is a bit heavier; however, the head should be fairly light. While it may sound a bit crazy to purchase a racket that is a bit on the heavy side, a lighter racket can also lead to injury, such as tennis elbow and shoulder problems. Also, a racket that is a bit heavier can also improve your serves as well as your groundstroke.

Racket Materials
When you are trying to pick out the best tennis racket, you will also need to consider the various materials that they are made of as well. The most common materials that are used on tennis rackets today include graphite, aluminum, and boron and Kevlar. Graphite rackets are probably the most popular, since it provides great hitting power and both beginners and even advanced players will find that this type of a racket will perform nicely for them. Aluminum rackets are cheaper than graphite ones, and they will provide you with excellent feel. The Boron and Kevlar rackets are very stiff and can cause shoulder problems due to the shock, so this type of racket should be avoided by a beginning player.

While there are no set overall rules when picking out a racket, there are a variety of things to keep in mind so you can pick out the very best tennis racket. So instead of just walking into a shop and taking a few practice swings, keep these tips in mind and find the best tennis racket for you.

Golf Ideas for Duffers from a Tennis Professional

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Most players who have trouble breaking one hundred have the incorrect perspective on the game. They go out on the course with the goal of hitting par on each hole, hitting greens in regulation, and two putting every green. This goal is irrational and unfeasible. You’re not a Pro and by no means will be. Let me show you how altering your perspective can get you breaking 90 on a constant basis.

Next time you play take with you the mindset that your purpose is to play bogie golf: ninety or better. To try this, simply and fairly, DO NOT have the objective of hitting greens “in regulation.” Have the purpose of hitting greens “in regulation plus one.” So for those who hit the green in three on a par 4 and two putt you will have a bogie. Bogies are good, not bad. 18 bogies is a 90. That’s good! It is much better than 102. The aim of hitting greens in regulation plus one will change your entire day.

To start with you don’t have to knock each drive as far down the lawn as you can. It will get you to swing slower. Less issues go incorrect on a slower swing than a quicker swing. Golf layouts put obstructions right in the place you’re likely to hit it, like sand traps and water. When you hit short of them you won’t need to deal with them. Even when you completely blow it off the tee box and dribble it fifty yards up to the womens tees, no problem because you still have two swings to hit the green in regulation plus one. On the golf course lengthy and broad is way worse than short and straight.

Most golfers who blow their tee shot are furious because they know they will not hit the green in regulation like Tiger would. Ultimately they go to their subsequent shot in a livid state of mind, try excessively hard, and kill their next shot. This continues throughout the hole straight through to an indignant triple bogey and occasionally much worse. By the time the duffer hits the back nine their complete game is off, many stop maintaining the score, and they are not having fun with the beautiful environment they’ve engulfed themselves in.

Now here’s the true key to this attitude: you positively must hone your chipping game. But chipping is simple to work on and simple to get proficient at compared to all the things in golf. Suppose you approach a 375 yard par four by hitting a straight shot off the tee 150 yards, and a fairway metal or long iron another one hundred fifty yards straight towards the hole. Now you might be just 75 yards out. Should you hit that shot inside 10 feet of the hole you may have a shot at a par and no worse than a tap in bogie. More realistically, by using this mental method you will most likely be consistently 25-50 yards out for the third shot, having prevented all of the hazards planned into the golf course. So that is the place you actually need to chip in close.

With this psychological perspective you’ll be way more relaxed as you play. Every par you manage will help defray any double bogies. I call par’s “double bogie erasers” because a par and a double bogie average out to bogie golf. A birdie turns into a “triple bogie eraser!” You manage the golf course, now you should manage your mind course. Bogies shouldn’t be viewed as failures to make par when you keep on the goal of bogies as accomplishments.

Physical Fitness And Tennis

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Regular hours of sleep, and regular, hearty food at regular hours are necessary to keep the body at its highest efficiency. Food is particularly important. Eat well, but do not over-eat, particularly immediately before playing. I believe in a large hearty breakfast on the day of a big match. This should be taken by nine-thirty. A moderate lunch at about one o’clock if playing at three. Do not eat very rich food at luncheon as it tends to slow you up on the court. Do not run the risk of indigestion, which is the worst enemy to dear eyesight. Rich, heavy food immediately before retiring is bad, as it is apt to make you “loggy” on the court the next day.

It is certain injury to touch alcoholic drink in any form during tournament play. Alcohol is a poison that affects the eye, the mind, and the wind three essentials in tennis. Tobacco in moderation does little harm, although it, too, hits eye and wind. A man who is facing a long season of tournament play should refrain from either alcohol or tobacco in any form. Excesses of any kind are bad for physical condition, and should not be chanced.

“Staleness” is the great enemy of players who play long seasons. It is a case of too much tennis. Staleness is seldom physical weariness. A player can always recover his strength by rest. Staleness is a mental fatigue due often to worry or too close attention to tennis, and not enough variety of thought. Its symptoms are a dislike for the tennis game and its surroundings, and a lack of interest in the match when you are on the court. I advocate a break in training at such a time. Go to the theatre or a concert, and get your mind completely off tennis. Do your worrying about tennis while you are playing it, and forget the unpleasantness of bad play once you are off the court. Always have some outside interest you can turn to for relaxation during a tournament; but never allow it to interfere with your tennis when you should be intent on your game. A nice balance is hard to achieve, but, once attained is a great aid to a tournament player.

The laws of training should be closely followed before and after a match. Do not get chilled before a match, as it makes you stiff and slow. Above all else do not stand around without a wrap after a match when you are hot or you will catch cold. Many a player has acquired a touch of rheumatism from wasting time at the close of his match instead of getting his shower while still warm. That slight stiffness the next day may mean defeat. A serious chill may mean severe illness. Do not take chances.

Change your wet clothes to dry ones between matches if you are to play twice in a day. It will make you feel better, and also avoid the risk of cold.
Tournament players must sacrifice some pleasures for the sake of success. Training will win many a match for a man if he sticks to it. Spasmodic training is useless, and should never be attempted. The condition a player is, in is apt to decide his mental viewpoint, and aid him in accustoming himself to the external conditions of play.

All match players should know a little about the phenomenon of crowd-psychology since, as in the case of the Church-Murray match I related some time back, the crowd may play an important part in the result. It seldom pays to get a crowd down on you. It always pays to win its sympathy. I do not mean play to the gallery, for that will have the opposite effect than the one desired.

The gallery is always for the weaker player. It is a case of helping the “under-dog.” If you are a consistent winner you must accustom yourself to having the gallery show partiality for your opponent. It is no personal dislike of you. It is merely a natural reaction in favour of the loser. Sometimes a bad decision to one play will win the crowd’s sympathy for him. Galleries are eminently just in their desires, even though at times their emotions run away with them.

Quite aside from the effect on the gallery, I wish to state here that when you are the favoured one in a decision that you know is wrong, strive to equalize it if possible by unostentatiously losing the next point. Do not hit the ball over the back stop or into the bottom of the net with a jaunty air of “Here you are.” Just hit it slightly out or in the net, and go on about your business in the regular way. Your opponent always knows when you extend him this justice, and he appreciates it, even though he does not expect it. Never do it for effect. It is extremely bad taste. Only do it when your sense of justice tells you you should.

The crowd objects, and justly so, to a display of real temper on the court. A player who loses his head must expect a poor reception from the gallery. Questioned decisions by a player only put him in a bad light with the crowd and cannot alter the point. You may know the call was wrong, but grin at it, and the crowd will join you. These things are the essence of good sportsmanship, and good sportsmanship will win any gallery. The most unattractive player in the world will win the respect and admiration of a crowd by a display of real sportsmanship at the time of test. Any player who really enjoys a match for the game’s sake will always be a fine sportsman, for there is no amusement to a match that does not give your opponent his every right. A player who plays for the joy of the game wins the crowd the first time he steps on the court. All the world loves an optimist.

Tennis Elbow – One Of The Most Annoying Pains That Hits Young And Old Citizens

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A health condition most often associated with tennis playing arm trauma, tennis elbow has been diagnosed for patients who have never practiced the sport in their lives. The formal name encountered for this condition in medical books is lateral epicondylitis which in popular language represents the inflammation of the outside elbow bone. Many doctors consider that this condition is rather a problem triggered by middle age than by tennis playing or excessive use of the elbow. So, it seems, tennis playing cannot be blamed as the only cause for the ailment. Still, many tennis players complain about it, therefore it has gained the popular name of tennis elbow.

There are some specific tennis elbow symptoms that allow for the identification of the problem. First of all, tennis elbow causes pain in the outer part of the elbow and the appearance of a tender point in the upper part of the elbow bone. Moreover, when one turns the wist or lifts an object the pain can extend not only to the elbow but to the wrist joint too. Last but not least, many people who think they experience tennis elbow also complain about having their elbow and wrist stiff in the morning when they wake up. Most people in their late 40 thinks that this is the sign of old age or arthritic pain. This alone cannot eliminate or get rid of the pain by just taking pain killers. It could only be a waste of money and putting their liver in danger due to taking too much pain killers.

If you need to be diagnosed, then going to the doctor would be a smart thing. The most common tests for the identification of tennis elbow is radiography and MRI. Apparently, surgery is not a solution for the problem as the radiographies are not always relevant in determining the need for surgery or not. However there are treatments that can be followed and that have brought improvement in the case of many tennis elbow patients. Among the many options for treatment to be resorted to we can mention the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, the application of heat or ice and the wearing of a special elbow strap to make sure that strain on the elbow will be reduced.

The strap is a way to prevent further damage, and it cannot cure the already existing one. Acupuncture, the use of splints for immobilizing the forearm and elbow, cortisone shots or ultrasound treatments represent only a few other medical approaches to the tennis elbow condition.

Tennis Elbow – But I Don’t Even Play Tennis!

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Tennis elbow, medically named lateral epicondylitis, is an inflammatory condition affecting the outside of the elbow.

The muscles of the back of the forearm run from the wrist to the elbow, where they attach to the upper arm bone (the humerus). It is this tendon, and the surrounding outer layer of bone that become inflamed in tennis elbow. Any movement of the muscle, which puts stress on the tendon, will then cause the characteristic pain of tennis elbow.

Tension on these muscles can be caused by all sorts of activities such as typing, writing, lifting objects with the palm turned down, or using a screwdriver. Even though there is inflammation, there is rarely any swelling. Stiffness and pain in the elbow can usually occur after prolonged periods of rest.

Since tennis elbow affects the straightening of the wrist, you can test for it by lifting a weight, such as a book, with your palm facing down. Any pain in the outside of the elbow suggests you have tennis elbow.

This condition is ultimately due to overuse of the wrist extensor muscles. These muscles attach to the humerus just above the elbow joint on the outside of the elbow. The muscles then continue down the back of the forearm. The tendons then travel across the back of the wrist and hand and connect onto the fingers. These muscles contract to help extend the wrist moving it toward the back of the hand.

In time, because too much tension on the muscles can decrease the joint space in the elbow, the condition can progress to inflammation of the joint itself. This can then result not just in the typical tennis elbow pain, but also pain and stiffness in the joint itself.

Conventional treatment of this condition may involve the use of anti-inflammatory medication and muscle relaxants along with temporary lifestyle modification. Physiotherapy modalities that may be employed include laser therapy, TENS, interferential current, or ultrasound.

Since the elbow joint can get involved, chiropractic manipulation of the joint, for instance using Graston, active release, cross-fiber massage or other soft-tissue therapies, can be very helpful.

The aim of the chiropractic adjustment is to momentarily separate the joint surfaces in the elbow by just one to three millimeters. This takes the pressure off the joint, and eases the pain. It may be that some manipulation of the wrist can also help.

As we have seen, it is tight muscles that cause the elbow pain. But if the wrist tightens up, the muscles have to work harder, thus putting more tension on that lateral epicondyle. So keeping the wrist supple and flexible should help to ease the condition.

The use of a tennis elbow band may also prove effective in decreasing symptoms. This works by forming an artificial origin for the muscle before it crosses the elbow. This allows a decrease in tension of the wrist extensor muscles as they cross the elbow which eases tension on the lateral epicondyle and decreases pressure on the elbow.

Rest would, of course, be ideal. But sometimes some lifting has to be done. In that case , be careful to make sure that you only lift with the palm of the hand turned upward. This causes the wrist flexors to be used more than the wrist extensors.

Limiting salt intake may be beneficial as well as it will help to reduce water resorption in the body. Supplementing with vitamin B6 has also been found to be helpful in some cases.

It is best to check with your medical doctor or chiropractic professional if you feel that you have this condition for with proper assessment, a treatment plan can be initiated will help with accelerated recovery.