How To Buy Tennis Shoes

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Tennis is all about balance. You have to strike a balance between power and control on your shots. You have to maintain good balance when you swing. It’s critical that your footwear be properly matched to the anatomy of your feet and the surface you play on. Poor-fitting shoes can lead to blisters, ankle and knee pain, and loss of movement on the court. Because tennis is a game of non-stop movement, the best tennis shoes on your feet can be your most reliable teammate.

What’s Your Foot Type?

The first step in finding the right shoe is to figure out what type of foot you have. There are three basic foot types pronated, supinated, and neutral. A simple wet footprint test can tell you which foot type you have. If you see a crescent-shaped footprint with little or no impression made by your arch, you have a supinated foot. Supinators tend to wear out the outside part of the sole (the lateral side) before the medial (big toe) side. Supinators also tend to have wide feet and need to look for a shoe that provides extra room in the forefoot and toe box (e.g. New Balance Tennis shoes.) Or they may need a shoe with extra cushioning to compensate for their high arches (e.g. Nike and Asics Tennis shoes.) If your foot leaves a wet mark on the floor that’s completely filled in, arch and all, you have a pronated foot. Pronators often have flat feet, and the medial portion of their shoe bottom wears down before the lateral part. People with this foot type often need extra support from their shoes so a mid-cut model or a shoe with extra stability on the medial side is usually a wise choice (e.g. Prince and K-Swiss Tennis shoes.) If you’re one of the few people who leave a wet footprint with a moderate amount of arch, you have a neutral foot. Consider yourself lucky-this is the most efficient and biomechanically versatile foot type. Players with neutral feet can play tennis in almost any shoe. Some of the most popular choices are Adidas Barricade, Nike Air Max Breathe Cage, Asics Gel Resolution, and Babolat Tennis Shoes.

Understand the Design

The next step is understanding the shoe’s design so you can pick the one that will perform best for you. There are four parts of a shoe you need to consider:

Upper:

The top portion of the shoe, or the upper, is usually made of leather, synthetic leather, or a combination of materials. If you need extra support, look for lacing systems that thread into reinforcements going down the sides of the shoe; they’ll provide added stability. When you try a shoe on, be sure the upper is comfortable against the top of your foot and is not too tight. If you drag your toe when you serve, look for a durable toecap.

Insole:

This is the portion of the shoe that your foot rests on, and it’s the least technical part of the operation. Most tennis shoes these days have removable insoles, allowing you to replace a worn-out insole with an over-the-counter one that provides extra cushioning, or to fit a custom orthotic.

Midsole:

The midsole is the section that lies between the shoe bottom and the insole. It’s generally made from ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) foam or polyurethane (PU) and in many cases is supplemented by air or gel inserts. The midsole effectively supplies a shoe’s cushioning. It can often be tough to tell when the midsole breaks down and ceases to perform, but as a rule of thumb, a two- or three-day-a-week player will wear out a midsole in five to six months. Frequent players and people who are extremely aggressive on the court will go through midsoles more quickly due to the pounding they give their shoes. If your shoes don’t feel as cushioned as they did when they were new, the midsole may be shot. You should consider buying a new pair.

Outsole:

This is where the rubber meets the road. The outsole’s design affects the traction you’ll get on hard and clay courts. Herringbone designs that form a tight, wave-like pattern perform best on clay, while outsoles with the most variation in the design (a little herringbone here, a wider groove there) give you the best traction on hard courts. An outsole should also be durable enough to stand up to your style of game. If you play often or wear out shoes quickly, look for heavy-duty outsoles and try to get a pair with an outsole warranty.

Heavy or Light?

How heavy should a pair of tennis shoes be? Well, light is nice, but heavy has its advantages, too.

The lighter your shoes, the faster you can zip around the court. So why are tennis shoes almost always heavier than running shoes? The stop-and-start demands of tennis require that shoes have ample cushioning, extra support, and more durable outsoles, all of which add weight.

In an effort to lighten up their shoes, manufacturers often use an hourglass-shaped outsole design for some models. But this may move the shoe’s flex point toward the middle of the shoe, near your arch, rather than at the ball of the foot, where your foot naturally bends. (To test a shoe’s flex point, hold it firmly around the heel in one hand and press the palm of your other hand against the sole at the toe end. Notice where the shoe bends. If it’s back toward the arch, you could have problems with support and stability.)

Only you can decide how much weight you’re willing to live with in the name of increased stability and durability. Consider owning two pairs of tennis shoes: a lighter game-day shoe and a heavier training shoe (this technique has been used by distance runners for years). If you practice in a heavier shoe and play your matches in a lighter shoe, you’ll feel quicker in competition and you’ll go through your shoes more slowly while you’re at it.

Hawk-eye’s Impact On Tennis

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Who remembers John McEnroe’s famous “You cannot be serious!” rant at Wimbledon 1981 when disputing a close line call with the officials? That, and many other similar incidents involving any number of other players throughout the years have provided an interesting sideshow to the tennis action. But when was the last time you saw such a heated exchange over a close line call?

Not for a couple of years, I’m willing to bet. The reason? The adoption of the Hawk-Eye computer system which tracks the position of the ball and is able to display instant replays of where each shot lands in the case of disputed line calls. At the start of each set, each player is allocated two chances to challenge a call which they believe to be incorrect and get instant objective feedback that demonstrates whether the ball was in or out. If the challenge is upheld the call is overruled and the player retains the challenge; otherwise the player loses one challenge.

This now forces players to either “put up or shut up” when it comes to line calls. If the player genuinely believes the call to be wrong he or she can dispute it in a legitimate way and either be vindicated immediately or have the call confirmed. The result may at times genuinely shock the player – but it’s not surprising that he or she will sometimes believe a ball to favour them simply because they desperately need it to, regardless of whether it actually does or not.

Either way, having objective proof that the umpire and line judges are not out to get them can help players channel their thoughts and energy into the match rather than directing it at the officials, and can also help the line judges to call it as they see it and not allow themselves to be intimidated by the players.

The fact that there is now a legitimate process for dealing with disputes also undermines the negative tactics of players who in the past may have gotten away with causing an on-court disturbance for no other reason than to disrupt their opponent’s rhythm, regardless of whether the player truly believed the call to be wrong. Many have used such underhand tactics to great effect to unsettle their opponent, and in my opinion there is no room in tennis for subtle cheating of this kind.

For these reasons I believe the adoption of this technology to be a good development and one that enhances rather than detracts from the wonderful game of tennis.

Roger Federers Tennis Workouts

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Many people are asking how Roger Federer keeps himself in shape enough to win every tennis title that comes his way. The effort must entail a lot of sacrifices and hard work. Actually practicing the game itself would not be enough. Just hitting balls with his racket all day long would not help in his over-all and balanced fitness even if it does improves his skill. A perfect fitness routine combined with the right nutrition would be advantageous.

His 61 frame could be at the peak of its health at his young age of twenty-seven. It is less likely to store fat with his lifestyle. Federer is not taking risks though as he undergoes the needed exercise and diet. He observes his own rule in taking enough rest to regenerate his energy. He usually sleeps for 10 hours at night, quite extended for others but just enough for the Wimbledon kings body.

Federer spends long hours of workouts with his trainer Pierre Paganini especially during off-season when there no big games to play. They usually expend more or less 10 hours every week for workouts alone. For an entire season, the pair could reach 100 hours of plain non-tennis sweat outs. This is not an exploit to brag about but just simply an essential to his rule over the tennis kingdom. That may not even be enough as he once admitted he wants to be 200 percent fit and ready for any game.

Strengthening his muscles is an important aspect of Federers fitness training. This requires the tennis star to lift weights and dumb bells regularly. This also makes any racket he holds light, intensifying his world famous power backhands. To keep increase his endurance and leg strength, he does the skipping ropes almost as boxers do. Always concerned about stretching his ability to the limits, he also does lateral lunges with twist. While doing, he develops his upper body muscles by using barbell with manageable weights.

Federer uses often the medicine ball in his workout routines. The tennis ace considers this as an important device that helps him improve his agility and upper body strength. To hone his hand and body coordination, he runs and sprints across the court while passing the medicine ball back and forth with Paganini, his constant companion and fitness instructor. He even shuffles his feet while lobbing and receiving the medicine ball so he can develop his footwork.

It is not all work and no food for Federer though. His exhaustive regimen would naturally demand him some nutrition. Dietary supplements are not his main sources for nutrition. He eats the proper food that is required and is complementing his fitness training. When he is on the road either for a tournament or for some endorsements, he tries to control his food intake. When he is at home with his wife and twins, he loosens a bit his appetites valve and treats his tired body with delights.

In Womens Tennis

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The year 1966 featured the premier of a tennis great in womens tennis. Billie Jean King showed the world what she was all about by taking home her first Grand Slam victory in Wimbledon. There were high expectations for her in 1967 after showing what she was capable of in 1966.

The first Grand Slam of the year would be the Australian Open. This event had been owned my Margaret Court previous to this year. Court had managed to take home the Grand Slam title in that tournament for 8 consecutive years. This year would be a turning point where others would be able to step out of the shadow cast by Margaret Court.

The player that benefited most in the Australian Open was Nancy Richey. She took the opportunity to make her name in tennis, winning the first Grand Slam of her career. This would be the first of two Grand Slams that she would win in her career.

The next Grand Slam of the year would be the French Open. The French Open would be another chance for a player that had never won a Grand Slam in her career to step out into the spotlight. Francoise Durr would be the woman to win the tournament. This would be the highlight of her entire career. She would never go on to win another Grand Slam in her career, but this was certainly a great accomplishment for her.

The next tournament of the year would be Wimbledon. As previously mentioned, Billie Jean King was the defending champion of this tournament and everyone was expecting her to come out and take the tournament for the 2nd year in a row. As the tournament came it was clear early on that she came ready to play. She advanced through the tournament and would take home the Grand Slam title when all was said and done. This was the 2nd Grand Slam of her career and the 2nd consecutive Wimbledon Grand Slam for her.

The last Grand Slam of the year would be the US Open. This tournament would be up for grabs. In previous years Maria Bueno had been the dominating player in this tournament. She managed to win the tournament in 3 of the previous 4 years. The victory the previous year would be her last career Grand Slam, however. This would be another tournament that would be up for grabs.

Billie Jean King seemed to be up to the task. She had already earned the attention of everyone in the tennis world and she was ready to take the next step. Billie Jean King played great throughout the tournament and managed to take home the Grand Slam title at the US Open. This would be the first Grand Slam of her career that was not at Wimbledon.

While Margaret Court stepped away from the National forefront for a time, there were clearly other players that were ready to take the spotlight for a time. Two of these players, Billie Jean King and Nancy Richey, would continue to play well through the next year.

The Tennis Court, Dimensions And Surfaces

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Tennis courts are standard in dimension, but vary widely in surface material. Tennis rules dictate the length, width, and placement of the lines on a tennis court. Tennis courts have a variety of surfaces and can be either outdoors or indoors. In this article, we will introduce the basic dimensions and aspects of the tennis courts and discuss the different types of tennis court surfaces.

The rules of tennis dictate that tennis courts be 78 feet long from baseline to baseline. A net, 3 feet high in the middle, divides the court into two equal halves. Tennis courts are 36 feet wide from doubles sideline to doubles sideline, and 27 feet wide from singles sideline to singles sideline.

Unlike the dimensions of a tennis court, the tennis court surface can vary in character. The different surfaces have different characteristics that affect the style of play. Common surfaces for outdoor tennis courts include grass, red clay, green clay, and hard courts. In addition, indoor tennis courts often have hard surfaces or synthetic, carpet-like surfaces.

The very first tennis courts were made of grass. While the number of grass tennis courts has decreased in recent years, some remain, and the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament, The Championships at Wimbledon, is still played on grass tennis courts.

Grass tennis courts are considered a fast surface because the ball moves quickly through the court when it bounces. Typically, the ball stays low and close to the ground. Because of the speed of the court and the unreliability of the bounce, historically players playing on grass tennis courts prefer to volley the ball out of the air whenever possible.

Red clay and green clay are the two types of clay, or slow, court surfaces. Red clay tennis courts are made of natural clay or crushed red brick. The French Open is played on red clay courts. Green clay, the more common type of clay court in the U.S., is made of Har-Tru, a mixture of crushed stone, rubber, and plastics. Clay courts are considered slow because the ball bounces more slowly off the court. Typically, players playing on clay tennis courts prefer to hit balls off the bounce from behind the baseline.

Hard courts, the most common court surface in the U.S., are another fast court surface. Hard courts are made of asphalt or concrete coated with a thin sealer and special paint. Some types of hard courts have more extensive, rubberized coatings. The ball bounces high off hard tennis court surfaces and moves through the court quickly. Because the ball has a reliable bounce and the ball moves quickly off the court, players can employ a variety of tactics. Generally, aggressive play is preferred.

Finally, tennis players also play indoors, especially during the winter, on indoor tennis courts. Indoor tennis court surfaces are made of concrete or a synthetic or plastic material that mimics grass. Indoor tennis courts are generally the fastest tennis court surface of all. At the professional level, hard serves, volleys, and powerful grounds trokes dominate matches on indoor tennis courts.