Your tennis racket strings are just as important as your racket. But all too often we spend way too little time researching tennis strings. Many tennis players spend hours upon hours researching rackets to find the best tennis racket. They may even spend hours playing with a demo racket before purchasing it. Once they find the best tennis racket, many players go for the cheaper string or the string that they had in their old racket.
This can be a big mistake. If you used a demo tennis racket, it most likely had the best all around string put in it for that racket. For example, if it was a very stiff racket, chances are it had softer string in it or it might even have had natural gut in it, which is one of the top playing strings. It has been said that the strings are the "heart of the racket" or "the soul of the racket". This is so true. Your tennis racket string is what gives you the "feel of the racket" or playability. If you put the wrong string in your racket, you will wonder why you ever bought the racket to begin with. Put in the right string, and it will be hard to get you off the court! Of course, the "right" string is different for everyone. It all depends on what the tennis player likes and needs. Some tennis players like the firm crisp string, while other players prefer the softer tennis string. You need to find the string that you like and works for your type of game and tennis racket.
Playability is subjective and depends on the tennis player. There are several factors that give a string playability and should be considered when deciding on tennis racket string. The next time you replace your string, please take time to considering the following factors:
String Gauge - Gauge refers to the thickness of the tennis string. The most common gauges are 15-18 gauge. Each gauge has a half size which is referred to by an "L", which means light. Lower numbers are thick string while higher numbers indicate a thinner string. So a 16L gauge string is thicker than a 17 gauge but thinner than a 16 gauge tennis string. A thicker string generally provides durability so it lasts longer. A thinner string gives you better playability but sacrifices some durability.
String Tension - Tension refers to how tight you string your racket. Tennis rackets typically come with a recommended stringing range. The rule of thumb is that tighter strings give you more control, while a lower tension provides more power. If you have no preference, it is generally best to use the mid-range.
String Materials - Tennis racket strings are made up of many different types of materials. The materials include natural gut, synthetic gut or nylon, polyester, Kevlar, and there are even hybrid string sets which come with two different types of material. The choice really is a personal preference. It is said that natural gut offers the optimum in playability and feel. It has been and continues to be the number 1 pick on the pro circuit. Kevlar is known for its durability while synthetic gut offers a good combination of durability and playability.
String Construction - There are several different types of string construction that play a part in the string's make-up and playability. I will not go into detail but there are solid core strings with one outer wrap, solid core strings with multi-outer wraps and then there are those strings with no solid core, they are just multi-filaments. There are also multi-filament strings with outer-wraps, textured strings, and composite strings made up of a combination of materials. All of these different types of construction provide the string with a different feel and performance benefits.
As you can see, there is a lot more to tennis racket string than meets the eye. The intention of this article was to hopefully encourage you as a tennis player to pay more attention to the string that goes into your tennis racket and to do a little bit of research next time your racket needs stringing. Get the most out of your racket and your tennis racket strings!
Chris is an avid tennis player with over 25 years experience in stringing tennis rackets. For more information on tennis racket strings or where to find tennis strings at a discount, please check out the blog dedicated to tennis racket strings. Don't miss out on all the great information there!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Greene
Monday, 22 March 2010
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
How to Keep Your Head in the Game
Tennis is a lonely sport. Though there are two people on the court at a time, there is absolutely no communication allowed between the players or anyone else, including coaches. When you are playing a match, all the thoughts in your head speak more loudly than usual, heightening the great wins but worsening the defeats of each point and every game. Especially in a sport like tennis, it is easy to lose your focus. When your thoughts move to the idea of a "match" as opposed to the moment in which you are playing, you make careless errors and often cost yourself the game.
Whether through self-talk, deep breathing, or zen "in the moment" thinking, it is integral to live and play in the moment. You can't think about who won the last game or how many sets ahead or behind you are. Instead, focus on looking at the corner to which you're serving, the object or line that you're spotting, or how hard you'll hit your backhand return.
Don't let "failure" get you down; everyone makes mistakes. It is important to let go of your errors so you can look at each serve, each set with a fresh face. If you linger on things you've done wrong in the past, you will continue to flounder. If you focus on the moment you are in without looking forward or backwards, you will achieve the clarity needed to succeed in such a fast-paced sport.
There are two main sentiments that get in the way of on-court success: over-confidence and fear; both lead to sloppy game play.
We have tennis plaques at great prices. Buy your tennis awards and all scholastic trophies for guaranteed low prices!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoff_James
Whether through self-talk, deep breathing, or zen "in the moment" thinking, it is integral to live and play in the moment. You can't think about who won the last game or how many sets ahead or behind you are. Instead, focus on looking at the corner to which you're serving, the object or line that you're spotting, or how hard you'll hit your backhand return.
Don't let "failure" get you down; everyone makes mistakes. It is important to let go of your errors so you can look at each serve, each set with a fresh face. If you linger on things you've done wrong in the past, you will continue to flounder. If you focus on the moment you are in without looking forward or backwards, you will achieve the clarity needed to succeed in such a fast-paced sport.
There are two main sentiments that get in the way of on-court success: over-confidence and fear; both lead to sloppy game play.
We have tennis plaques at great prices. Buy your tennis awards and all scholastic trophies for guaranteed low prices!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoff_James
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Tennis Footwork and the Keys to Tennis Success
Great tennis footwork is the key to great tennis, which is a fact that so many players overlook.
Here are the top 5 reasons why improving your tennis footwork improves your game!!
1. GREATER SHOT POWER
Developing your footwork skills results in greater power in your shots for the following (and very important) reason. When you get to the ball and get set in a good position, you give yourself the chance to hit the ball using as many body parts as you can. If you don't, you end up hitting the ball just using your arm or maybe off balance.
Think about it like this, a boxer doesn't land a knockout punch by flicking out a jab. The knockout blow is always made by getting the feet in the right position so that all the bodyweight can go into the punch. The same is true in tennis.
2. MORE SHOT OPTIONS
Improving your tennis footwork gives you greater flexibility of shot choice because you get there earlier and in a better position. You get to choose what stance you use to play the shot (open stance, closed stance, neutral etc). You also get to choose where you play the shot and with what stroke (cross court, down the line, backhand, forehand, deep or short, passing shot or lob to name but a few. Without it you will have fewer choices available and the choices you do have may well end up suffering from poor execution.
3. REDUCED ERRORS
FACT! As many as 70% of unforced are down to poor footwork - ATP statistic. What would it mean to your game to reduce your unforced errors by as many as 7 out of 10? Do I need to say any more?
4. STAY IN POINTS FOR LONGER
Improving your footwork for tennis will also improve your agility, balance and co-ordination which are all critical for higher levels of play.
You will be able to get to more balls, more often (even when under pressure) and that forces your opponent to play 1, 2 or 3 more shots than they expect to and maybe want to and that gives them more chances to miss.
5. BETTER TENNIS SPEED & TENNIS FITNESS
If you work on improving your footwork, you will have no choice but to improve your tennis speed and tennis fitness - no bad thing.
I have seen many many good "technical" players lose to so-called "lesser" players who had superior court speed, movement and fitness.
This goes back to the point above and links in with forcing your opponent to play as many shots as possible.
Not only will it draw more errors in the short term but over the course of a match the tiredness they begin to feel has a major impact on their error rate as they get more tired.
So, if you really want to improve your game, it's very simple - Leave your racket in the bag and work on your footwork.
HERE'S HOW TO DO IT!
The first thing you need to do is stop running so much on the court. You should only run if you are a long way from the ball and it is the only way to get there quickly.
Apart from that most of your movements around the court should be made using side shuffles and cross over steps.
Start by incorporating tennis footwork patterns into the warm up routines of every one of your lesson/practice times.
Then progress up to using cones (for zig zags etc) and ladders as training aids.
Start slowly with simple footwork exercises and build up the speed of execution & difficulty of drill as you improve.
I have some free tennis footwork videos and drills to help you along the way.
You can get them from http://www.footwork4tennis.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Gold
Here are the top 5 reasons why improving your tennis footwork improves your game!!
1. GREATER SHOT POWER
Developing your footwork skills results in greater power in your shots for the following (and very important) reason. When you get to the ball and get set in a good position, you give yourself the chance to hit the ball using as many body parts as you can. If you don't, you end up hitting the ball just using your arm or maybe off balance.
Think about it like this, a boxer doesn't land a knockout punch by flicking out a jab. The knockout blow is always made by getting the feet in the right position so that all the bodyweight can go into the punch. The same is true in tennis.
2. MORE SHOT OPTIONS
Improving your tennis footwork gives you greater flexibility of shot choice because you get there earlier and in a better position. You get to choose what stance you use to play the shot (open stance, closed stance, neutral etc). You also get to choose where you play the shot and with what stroke (cross court, down the line, backhand, forehand, deep or short, passing shot or lob to name but a few. Without it you will have fewer choices available and the choices you do have may well end up suffering from poor execution.
3. REDUCED ERRORS
FACT! As many as 70% of unforced are down to poor footwork - ATP statistic. What would it mean to your game to reduce your unforced errors by as many as 7 out of 10? Do I need to say any more?
4. STAY IN POINTS FOR LONGER
Improving your footwork for tennis will also improve your agility, balance and co-ordination which are all critical for higher levels of play.
You will be able to get to more balls, more often (even when under pressure) and that forces your opponent to play 1, 2 or 3 more shots than they expect to and maybe want to and that gives them more chances to miss.
5. BETTER TENNIS SPEED & TENNIS FITNESS
If you work on improving your footwork, you will have no choice but to improve your tennis speed and tennis fitness - no bad thing.
I have seen many many good "technical" players lose to so-called "lesser" players who had superior court speed, movement and fitness.
This goes back to the point above and links in with forcing your opponent to play as many shots as possible.
Not only will it draw more errors in the short term but over the course of a match the tiredness they begin to feel has a major impact on their error rate as they get more tired.
So, if you really want to improve your game, it's very simple - Leave your racket in the bag and work on your footwork.
HERE'S HOW TO DO IT!
The first thing you need to do is stop running so much on the court. You should only run if you are a long way from the ball and it is the only way to get there quickly.
Apart from that most of your movements around the court should be made using side shuffles and cross over steps.
Start by incorporating tennis footwork patterns into the warm up routines of every one of your lesson/practice times.
Then progress up to using cones (for zig zags etc) and ladders as training aids.
Start slowly with simple footwork exercises and build up the speed of execution & difficulty of drill as you improve.
I have some free tennis footwork videos and drills to help you along the way.
You can get them from http://www.footwork4tennis.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Gold
Monday, 18 January 2010
What's the Best Way to Handle Volleys?
The stroke in the game of tennis that is able to go through any form of defenses is net hit, whether it is struck in a form of a smash or volley.
When you are playing from the net, you should get your racquet squarely down at the tennis ball. All the applicable laws with regards to footwork and related with the drive can also be used with equal ease for the volley too, in theory; however, in actual game, it is very often that you will have time to put your feet in that proper detail. So, if there is not much time for proper footwork, minimum that you could do is that shift the weight on your foot which is nearest to the ball exactly at the time of hitting it.
Normally, volleys are of two types: (a) high volley which is hit from a height between the waist of the player and the head; and (b) low volley which is hit through a flat plane beneath the waistline. But, ironically, the names of these volleys (a) stop volley; and (b) deep volley are totally opposite when you actually consider their characteristics.
High volleys can either be blocked or struck depending on the situation; however, all the low volleys should be blocked. But, the crucial thing to keep in mind is that you should never "stroke" all kinds of volleys. You can have a slight follow through on high volleys but do remember that you should not have any follow through for low volleys.
Sometimes you must have also heard about chop volleys. In this stroke, the racquet starts from a position that is higher from the flight direction of ball, and then racquet comes down and lastly through the ball. At this moment, the racquet angle made from behind would normally be more than 45 degrees and may go up to 90 degrees. As while using chop volleys people have inclination to pop the ball upwards in the air, not to chop volleys can be a good policy to follow. You will not lose much by slicing a volley or hitting it flat as in these two cases, the strokes are carried out with the racquet which proceeds from almost from a similar path that of the flight of the ball thereby making a very small angle (if any) with flight path of ball.
You should not use your wrist at all while playing the volleys, irrespective of the fact that whether they are low or high. Always wait for the ball and its impact with the racquet by holding the racquet handle tightly such that your wrist should be under the head of the racquet. When you are playing the ball back, always put in your mass on to the force of the ball that is coming without using any extra power of wrist whatsoever; since the additional deflection that the ball requires will be provided by the slanting racquet face as you glance the ball off its strings.
Because of the obstruction of the net, it will be very difficult for someone to hard hit a low volley, as the stroke might needed to be ward off sharply too so as to achieve the required height to clear the tennis court net.Any ball that comes from a higher plane from above the net need to be give a more pronounced treatment. Try to make your shot as crisp, snappy, and decisive as you can; but provide only a very small follow through movement do not get into a big follow through.
In tennis, "stop volley" can be properly explained as a stroke stopped before the normal length. No major force is applied in stopping ball apart from just blocking it gently and letting it fall by its own weight after the rebound from the racquet. By a lull racquet hold when the ball hits racquet you can minimize the ball rebound by allowing the racquet to absorb whatever little force the ball had still in it. This shot helps in imparting a slight backspin to the ball.
Volley in general is linked with Johnston's name. Johnston did made straight volleys a prominent and effective weapon for player on the net to make the opposition reel. His strategy was to thump in hard volleys by him straight on the opening of the court of other party. The volley is derived from the geometry's popular axiom that the straight line will always be the least possible distance between two points. From this axiom comes the logic the person who is volleying should always cover it passing straight stroke since it represents the least possible distance shot that could go by through him. Moreover, the person should straight volley at his opening, because the smallest amount of delay from him in trying to return the volley as some unusual angle would give the side line an advantage by providing him breathing space to recover and get ready for the next onslaught.
Becoming a net player not allows you to ignore the necessity to perfect the ground shots. When you face top quality tennis players as your opponents you will very soon understand that you cannot compete against them just on the basis on service and volleys without having a thorough control over the ground shots that you play.
Always remember to kill the volley at the first available chance; however, if your shot does not give the desired result, try and follow the ball completely covering once more the straight shot. If you're rival is trying hard to pass so that to make you try and put the ball in for play, hit him back and force him to play stroke that is difficult to play.
Go on and hit the volleys. You should not think about defense when you are standing at the net apart from certain cases where volley just drops on your feet as you move towards it. When you are volleying, put emphasis on placing the ball and not on speed. However, exception to this case is a high volley which can be returned better with speed that with placement.
Discover more tips about using the tennis drive effectively as well as why you should never change a winning game when you visit http://www.bettertennisplayer.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samuel_D._Rose
When you are playing from the net, you should get your racquet squarely down at the tennis ball. All the applicable laws with regards to footwork and related with the drive can also be used with equal ease for the volley too, in theory; however, in actual game, it is very often that you will have time to put your feet in that proper detail. So, if there is not much time for proper footwork, minimum that you could do is that shift the weight on your foot which is nearest to the ball exactly at the time of hitting it.
Normally, volleys are of two types: (a) high volley which is hit from a height between the waist of the player and the head; and (b) low volley which is hit through a flat plane beneath the waistline. But, ironically, the names of these volleys (a) stop volley; and (b) deep volley are totally opposite when you actually consider their characteristics.
High volleys can either be blocked or struck depending on the situation; however, all the low volleys should be blocked. But, the crucial thing to keep in mind is that you should never "stroke" all kinds of volleys. You can have a slight follow through on high volleys but do remember that you should not have any follow through for low volleys.
Sometimes you must have also heard about chop volleys. In this stroke, the racquet starts from a position that is higher from the flight direction of ball, and then racquet comes down and lastly through the ball. At this moment, the racquet angle made from behind would normally be more than 45 degrees and may go up to 90 degrees. As while using chop volleys people have inclination to pop the ball upwards in the air, not to chop volleys can be a good policy to follow. You will not lose much by slicing a volley or hitting it flat as in these two cases, the strokes are carried out with the racquet which proceeds from almost from a similar path that of the flight of the ball thereby making a very small angle (if any) with flight path of ball.
You should not use your wrist at all while playing the volleys, irrespective of the fact that whether they are low or high. Always wait for the ball and its impact with the racquet by holding the racquet handle tightly such that your wrist should be under the head of the racquet. When you are playing the ball back, always put in your mass on to the force of the ball that is coming without using any extra power of wrist whatsoever; since the additional deflection that the ball requires will be provided by the slanting racquet face as you glance the ball off its strings.
Because of the obstruction of the net, it will be very difficult for someone to hard hit a low volley, as the stroke might needed to be ward off sharply too so as to achieve the required height to clear the tennis court net.Any ball that comes from a higher plane from above the net need to be give a more pronounced treatment. Try to make your shot as crisp, snappy, and decisive as you can; but provide only a very small follow through movement do not get into a big follow through.
In tennis, "stop volley" can be properly explained as a stroke stopped before the normal length. No major force is applied in stopping ball apart from just blocking it gently and letting it fall by its own weight after the rebound from the racquet. By a lull racquet hold when the ball hits racquet you can minimize the ball rebound by allowing the racquet to absorb whatever little force the ball had still in it. This shot helps in imparting a slight backspin to the ball.
Volley in general is linked with Johnston's name. Johnston did made straight volleys a prominent and effective weapon for player on the net to make the opposition reel. His strategy was to thump in hard volleys by him straight on the opening of the court of other party. The volley is derived from the geometry's popular axiom that the straight line will always be the least possible distance between two points. From this axiom comes the logic the person who is volleying should always cover it passing straight stroke since it represents the least possible distance shot that could go by through him. Moreover, the person should straight volley at his opening, because the smallest amount of delay from him in trying to return the volley as some unusual angle would give the side line an advantage by providing him breathing space to recover and get ready for the next onslaught.
Becoming a net player not allows you to ignore the necessity to perfect the ground shots. When you face top quality tennis players as your opponents you will very soon understand that you cannot compete against them just on the basis on service and volleys without having a thorough control over the ground shots that you play.
Always remember to kill the volley at the first available chance; however, if your shot does not give the desired result, try and follow the ball completely covering once more the straight shot. If you're rival is trying hard to pass so that to make you try and put the ball in for play, hit him back and force him to play stroke that is difficult to play.
Go on and hit the volleys. You should not think about defense when you are standing at the net apart from certain cases where volley just drops on your feet as you move towards it. When you are volleying, put emphasis on placing the ball and not on speed. However, exception to this case is a high volley which can be returned better with speed that with placement.
Discover more tips about using the tennis drive effectively as well as why you should never change a winning game when you visit http://www.bettertennisplayer.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samuel_D._Rose
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Tennis For Beginners - Tips You Can Use to Get Started the Right Way
Tennis is a wonderful game that can provide you with a lifetime of enjoyment. For beginners, learning the game of tennis can seem like a daunting task. Forehand, backhand, volley, serve, overhead, fault (oh, there are a lot of those), net, let, baseline, service line... You get the picture.
Keep Things Simple
The most important thing to remember is to keep this one idea in mind when learning this wonderful game. Keep it simple. Sounds simple I know but if you will just remember to keep everything you do as simple as possible you will progress quickly and be able to actually have fun on the court. And having fun and getting exercise is what it is all about.
Don't Try Too Hard
A lot of new players feel like they need to try harder to learn the proper techniques of tennis. In fact, if you will just relax and get the feel of the game first, the proper techniques will seem simple. Yes, back to the simple. But, as you will come to see, we always come back to simple.
Footwork, Footwork, Footwork
Tennis is a game of moving and good footwork. Getting yourself into the proper hitting position is as much about getting your feet set as it is about the proper swing. Older players tend to understand this more than younger players. They are not as fast or have the endurance as the younger players, therefore it is imperative that they position themselves to do the least amount of running as possible.
Be Patient
This, among all the other tips, may the hardest to follow. Beginning tennis players may want to emulate Roger Federer or Raphael Nadal, or Venus and Serena Williams. Just remember, they were once in the same position as you, a new player learning the game. You will not look like these players when you first start. In fact, you may never look like these players, so it may be best to just put this out of your mid right away. There are few players that will be as good as Federer or Nadal or the Williams sisters. These players are the tennis elite and got that way one way....
Practice, Practice, Practice
Ooooh, we all hate to practice. It is boring standing on the baseline for an hour hitting forehand after forehand from your coach. Things brings us back again to the simple thing. Practice allows you to get used to the way a good shot should feel every time. It is a comforting feeling when you stop thinking about how you are going to hit a shot and just hit it.
These are just a few tips you can use to help you become the best player you can be. There are many websites out there to help you with your game.
Micheal Crosby is a freelance writer living in the Southern U.S. Find out more tennis tips at http://www.squidoo.com/tennis-mindgame
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Micheal_Crosby
Keep Things Simple
The most important thing to remember is to keep this one idea in mind when learning this wonderful game. Keep it simple. Sounds simple I know but if you will just remember to keep everything you do as simple as possible you will progress quickly and be able to actually have fun on the court. And having fun and getting exercise is what it is all about.
Don't Try Too Hard
A lot of new players feel like they need to try harder to learn the proper techniques of tennis. In fact, if you will just relax and get the feel of the game first, the proper techniques will seem simple. Yes, back to the simple. But, as you will come to see, we always come back to simple.
Footwork, Footwork, Footwork
Tennis is a game of moving and good footwork. Getting yourself into the proper hitting position is as much about getting your feet set as it is about the proper swing. Older players tend to understand this more than younger players. They are not as fast or have the endurance as the younger players, therefore it is imperative that they position themselves to do the least amount of running as possible.
Be Patient
This, among all the other tips, may the hardest to follow. Beginning tennis players may want to emulate Roger Federer or Raphael Nadal, or Venus and Serena Williams. Just remember, they were once in the same position as you, a new player learning the game. You will not look like these players when you first start. In fact, you may never look like these players, so it may be best to just put this out of your mid right away. There are few players that will be as good as Federer or Nadal or the Williams sisters. These players are the tennis elite and got that way one way....
Practice, Practice, Practice
Ooooh, we all hate to practice. It is boring standing on the baseline for an hour hitting forehand after forehand from your coach. Things brings us back again to the simple thing. Practice allows you to get used to the way a good shot should feel every time. It is a comforting feeling when you stop thinking about how you are going to hit a shot and just hit it.
These are just a few tips you can use to help you become the best player you can be. There are many websites out there to help you with your game.
Micheal Crosby is a freelance writer living in the Southern U.S. Find out more tennis tips at http://www.squidoo.com/tennis-mindgame
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Micheal_Crosby
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