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Selecting The Right Tennis Racket

July 12th, 2010

No matter what reason you have for buying any rackets, make sure that the racket is suitable for your playing experience. Picking the right tennis racket will not only make you play better and get more satisfaction, you will also be able to have more control over your game.

For example, more and more rackets’ frames nowadays are made out of composite materials. Common mixtures of alloys in composite frames are silica, boron, kevlar, fiberglass and graphite. Graphite is the material that gives the frame its sturdiness and agility. Composite frame is lighter but it does not compromise the stability, control and the maneuver of player over the racket. Other than that, composite frames are also more durable and long-lasting.

Aluminum frames on the other hand, are easily scratched and dented. Not to mention the weight. Aluminum is also made of several alloys such as zinc, magnesium, sillicon, chromium and copper. Zinc alloy is more brittle while silicon is easier to work with since it is malleable.

In the old days, the handle of the rackets are covered and layered with leather. However, since the technology has evolved, more and more grips are being covered with nylon and some also use cow or sheep intestines. No matter what material is being used, the most important thing is the strength of each grip. As long as it keeps the player’s hand to the handle, then it is good.

Thirdly, look at the size of the head of the tennis rackets. The size of the head is directly linked to the power. Larger head also offers a larger hitting area and more reach. However, just as in the length aspect, professional and seasoned players always opt for smaller or standard sized head in order to get the control and more stability. As for beginners and intermediate players, they go for the larger heads so that they will be able to have larger sweet spot and area of serving.

Next is the nylon. Nylon is one of the easiest material to find and use. The nylon strings are measured in gauges of 15 to 18. 15 is the thickest while 18 is the thinnest. The rule is, the thicker the gauge is, better durability but less feel will be obtained by the player. Nylon is easy to clean and maintain.

Kevlar is the next type of material. You may think that Kevlar is only used for the police or soldiers. No, you are wrong. If the Kevlar is good enough to protect a police’s life, then it is good enough to make the strings of tennis rackets. The advantage of this material is that it gives more durability to the rackets. This means that the rackets have longer lifespan.

Since you already have all these tips above, remember to refer to them first before going to any tennis shops. Buying the correct racket for yourself will not save your wallet and time, it will also gives you more confidence and spirit to win every game that you play. No more frustration and less angst should you lose any game.

Albert Anthony coaches tennis. His blog contains many tennis rackets reviews. If you want to find out which is the best beginner tennis racket, his blog is the best place to go.

Albert Anthony Games , , , , , , , , , , , ,

An Athlete’s Benefits Of Having Few Fans

July 2nd, 2010

August 12th, ‘09 was a beautiful, sunny Wednesday morning in Canada. Because I was working at the Rogers Cup, I got admission to the grounds and had specifically asked for the day off so I could go see all the professionals’ practices. It was undeniably a loaded schedule with the best 10 in action during the day.

At eleven that morning, a buddy and I headed over toward Court 4 where the world’s No.1, Roger Federer, was set to arrive at within a half hour. Already jam packed with about a few hundred people, there was hardly any room to move.

As the time neared, the place was filled with people who enthusiastically waited to catch a glimpse of the best to ever play the game. With the sun scorching at 35 degrees celsius, we watched him warm up and we saw him hitting balls. To be frank, it was relatively unexciting and was scheduled to go on for 2 hours.

So, gradually, we squeeze out of the crowd and come to an open spot. I look up at Court 4 on the other side to see a tall, lanky player dressed in a pink Nike T-shirt and white shorts pounding a few balls. I try to look closer and indeed came to see it was Juan Martin Del Potro.

As he arrived at the exit gate, there were six people waiting for him to have his autograph and he did sign. As he signed my picture and went on to my pal, I said “I wish you the best of luck in your match later.”

He turned around and had a huge smile on his face and said “Thank you so very much for your support.” He seemed like he was really happy with what I had said to him.

As he won the US Open this week, the irony of this situation just entered my thoughts. The fact that basically not a soul was in attendance to watch him and Federer had a ton of people. Every now and then, it is better to be left alone than to be constantly followed.

Del Potro played a fabulous game this week and is fully worthy of his title. Well done!

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Gareth Minard Games , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Basic Tennis Psychology (Part 1)

June 1st, 2010

Tennis psychology is the same as understanding the workings of your opponent’s mind and assessing the effect of your own game on his/her mental viewpoint and also understanding the psychological effects resulting from the various external causes on your own mind.

However, it is also true that you no one can be a successful psychologist of others without first understanding his own psychology. Therefore, you must study the effect on yourself of the same thing occurring under different circumstances. This is because you react differently in different moods and under different circumstances.

You must understand the effect on your game of the resulting irritation, pleasure, confusion, or whatever other form your reaction takes. Does it increase your prowess? If so, strive for it, but never offer it to your opponent. Does it deprive you of concentration? If so, either remove the cause, or if that is not possible, strive to ignore it.

Once you have correctly assessed your own reaction to conditions, study your opponents in order to determine their temperaments. Similar characters react similarly, and you may judge men of your own kind by yourself. Opposite characters you must try to liken with those whose reactions you already know.

Someone who can control his/her own psychology stands an excellent chance of reading those of someone else for the minds works along definite lines of thought and can be studied. One can only regulate one’s own thought processes after studying them very carefully .

The steady, unemotional baseline player is seldom a quick thinker. If he was, he would not adhere to the baseline. The physical appearance of a player is often a pretty clear indicator of his/her kind of mind. The impassive, easy-going player, who normally advocates the baseline game, does it because he does not want to stir up his/her torpid mind to think out a reliably safe method of getting to the net.

However, then there is the other sort of baseline player, who would prefer to remain at the rear of the court while supervising an attack intended to break up your game. He is a much more dangerous player and a deep, keen thinking opponent. He obtains his/her results by changing his/her length and direction and worrying you with the variance of his/her game. This player is a very good psychologist.

The first type of player mentioned above simply hits the ball with little idea of what he is actually doing, while the latter always has a definite plan and sticks to it.

If you are interested in the psychology of tennis, you should go to our website entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.

Gail Jones Other , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tennis Basics

April 23rd, 2010

I trust that this, my initial article will be found useful by both novices and experts alike in the tennis world. I am striving to arouse interest in the student of the game of tennis by a somewhat prolonged discussion of match play, which I trust will shed a new light on the game of tennis.

I will turn to the novice in my opening article and write of certain matters which are second nature to the skilled player. The best tennis equipment is not a lot of good for the novice even if he really wants to improve. However, one has to buy good quality; it is a saving in the end, as high quality material far outlasts poor quality equipment.

It is important to always dress in tennis attire when playing tennis. The question of choosing a tennis racquet is a much more serious matter. I do not advocate forcing a certain make of racquet upon any player, since all the standard makes are excellent. However, it is on the weight, balance, and size of handle that the real value of a racquet frame depends, while good stringing is essential to get the best results.

After you have acquired your racquet, make a firm resolve to use only good tennis balls, as a regular bounce is a great aid to advancement, while a “dead” ball is no use at all. If you really desire to succeed at the game and advance rapidly, I strongly urge you to see all the good tennis you can. Study the play of the leading players and strive to copy their strokes. Read all the tennis instruction books you can find. They are a great help.

More tennis can be picked up off the court, in the study of theory, and in watching the best players in action, than can ever be learned in actual play. I do not mean miss opportunities to play tennis. Far from it. Play whenever you can, but strive when playing to put in practice the theories you have read or the strokes you have seen.

Never become discouraged by slow progress. The trick of playing some stroke you have worked at over weeks unsuccessfully, will suddenly come to you when least expected. Good tennis players are the product of hard work. Very few players are born geniuses at the game. Tennis is a game that pays you interest all your life. A tennis racquet is a letter of introduction in any town.

The brotherhood of tennis is universal, since none but an athletic sportsman can succeed in the game for any long period of time. Tennis offers relaxation, excitement, exercise, and pure enjoyment to the player who is bound hard to his job until late afternoon.

The following is the order of development that produces the quickest and most lasting results: i. Concentration on the game. ii. Keep the eye on the ball. iii. Foot-work and weight-control. iv. Strokes. v. Court position. vi. Court generalship or match play. vii. Tennis psychology.

Concentration. Tennis is played primarily with the mind. The best racquet technique in the world will not suffice if the playing mind is wandering. There are many causes of a wandering mind in a tennis match. The chief one is lack of interest in the game. No one should play tennis with any hope of real success unless he cares enough about the game to be willing to do the spadework necessary to learn the game properly.

Give it up at once unless you are willing to work hard. Conditions of play or the noises in the gallery often confuse and bewilder experienced match-players playing in new surroundings. Complete concentration on the matter in hand is the only cure for an erring mind, and the sooner the lesson is learned the quicker the improvement of the player.

The surest way to keep a game in mind is to play for every set, every game in the set, every point in the game and, finally, every shot in the point. A set is merely a conglomeration of made and missed shots, and the man who misses the least is the final victor.

If you are a beginner tennis player or are interested in tennis psychology, please visit our site called Tennis Tips for Beginners You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.

Gail Jones Other , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The General Psychology Of Tennis (Part 2)

April 18th, 2010

The fast, unpredictable, net-rushing tennis-player is a person of impulse. There is no real system to his/her game, no understanding of your game-plan. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, no consistent thinking. It is an interesting type of character.

The really dangerous player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court under the direction of an ever-active mind. This/her is the player to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A player who has an answer to every problem you present him in your game. He is the most subtle antagonist in the world of tennis. He is of the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of slavish determination that sets his/her mind on one plan and sticks to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the end, with never a thought of changing.

He is the player whose psychology is fairly easy to work out, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he never permits himself to think about anything except the business at hand. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of Johnston.

Choose your kind from your own mental processes, and then work out your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are on the same level as regards stroke, strength and equipment, the deciding factor in any game is the mental standpoint. Luck, as it is called, is usually no more than grasping the psychological value of a break in the game, and turning it to your own account. People talk a lot about the “shots we have made.” But few people understand the importance of the “shots we have missed.”

The science of missing shots is just as vital as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a return that is killed by your opponent. Let me tell you why. A player forces you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and getting there, drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is surprised and shaken, understanding that your shot might just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to try it again and he will not take the risk next time. He will try to play the ball, and may make an error. You have thus taken some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his/her chance of error: all this by a miss.

However, if you had just popped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt even more confident of your inability to put the ball out of his/her reach, while you would only have been winded to no avail.

Let’s just say that you made the shot down the sideline. It was a seemingly impossible get. First it amounts to TWO points in that it took one away from your opponent that should have been his/her and gave you one you ought never to have had. Second it also worries your opponent, as he thinks that he has thrown away a big chance.

The psychology involved in a tennis match is fascinating, but easily understood. Both men begin with equal chances. Once one player establishes a real lead, his/her confidence rises, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental viewpoint becomes weaker. The sole objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thereby maintaining his/her confidence.

If the second player pulls even or draws ahead, the inevitable result is an even greater contrast in psychology of the players. First, there is the natural confidence of the leader of the game, but it is boosted by the great stimulus of having turned a seemingly inevitable defeat into a probable victory. The case of the other player is the reverse. He is apt to lose confidence and play worse. The collapse of his game plan soon follows.

If you are into the psychology of tennis, you should go to our website entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.

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Gail Jones Other , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Think Methodically During Tennis Matches

March 13th, 2010

One of the many definitions of insanity is that you do the same thing again and again but want a different outcome each time; this would also apply to playing tennis.

A rapid change of strategy is called for if you are in the middle of a tennis match and are losing by a hefty margin.

The problem is that too few do that and end up the loser. If you have a game plan that isn’t working you have change it, simple as that.

I have a few tips here for you to consider implementing next time you walk out onto a tennis court. These could well have the desired effect and result in you winning the match.

If you play from the baseline and are facing a player who plays as the net you need to play them at their own game and try to get to the net first.

These are attacking kind of players and if you take that away from them they will struggle. Forcing an attacker to defend is a great tactic that should earn you a good few points.

Some tennis players aren’t very good athletes, so you need to exploit this flaw in their game. Make them run and run until they just can’t cope with it any more. Force them to quickly change direction and basically make their life miserable.

Once you get them to the back of the court make a drop shot so they have to run to the next again. By constantly changing where you put the ball will confuse them and they’ll start to make mistakes.

Little changes like these can make all the difference between winning and losing. Bear these in mind next time you are playing and find yourself falling behind; you literally have nothing to lose, but a whole match to gain.

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Things You Ought To Acknowledge About Red Clay Tennis Courts

March 3rd, 2010

The red clay that is used as the surface on a tennis court originated right back to the origins of the game. If you play tennis yourself, you have been privileged to have a game on this famous surface. The history of the red clay court is particularly prevalent in Spain and the home of the only major played on clay; France.

This is a unique surface and makes the style of play completely different from other surfaces. To actually play on clay is an exhilarating experience.

If you have never had the pleasure of playing on red clay, and would like to know a little more about it, here’s a few interesting facts.

This surface lends itself more to those that play from the baseline, as opposed to those who serve and volley. A great clay court player must have impeccable ground strokes.

If you do ever see a player approach the net while playing on clay, it is a very rare thing indeed. Those who rely on their booming serve will also find that it hasn’t the effect on this surface as it does on others.

There are a lot of players these days who class their serve as their strongest weapon; unfortunately, it will not win them matches on the clay courts. The same goes for those who prefer to volley.

So as where you are used to seeing a ball hit the surface then rise at great speed, you will be seeing the opposite happening on a clay court.

There have been some marathon tennis matches played on clay, and that has been because the ball has slowed as it hits the surface and given the player time to be able to reach it.

The rallies are obviously longer and shots easier to reach than they would be on the fast courts. A sure fire winner on grass is probably reachable on clay.

Although the ball is easier to reach, the faster player will always have the advantage over their slower opponents.

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Thomas Bear Other , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Looking At The Most Critical Tennis Strengths

February 28th, 2010

There are qualities which are vital to any great tennis player and as the world of tennis progresses on, these qualities are debated over by fans and players alike.

It can be fun considering the different perspectives and opinions of the many arguments that evolve from the different aspects of the game.

Here are the most important factors. Let’s see which one you think matters most.

Is it volleying? After all, a well rounded net game can pose a threat to any opponent and easily end a point. Look at the past success of players like John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and even Pete Sampras to a degree.

Is baseline play across the net favoured by modern games? A Lot of tennis experts would argue in favour. Andy Roddick would spend time playing the game from the net but he now prefers the baseline play. And take the example of Rafael Nadal who also takes control from the rear of the court.

On the other hand, a powerful serve gives a player an edge no matter what the circumstances. Someone with an elite serve (i.e. Roddick) can easily dictate the tone of a match if their opponent has a hard time breaking them. A big serve makes the rest of every point far easier.

Players have a hard time winning points if their opponent is fast at reaching the ball. Players like Nadal manage to reach almost every ball coming their way. If your opponent has to play hard to get a point then you will be causing them to make unforced errors.

The last factor is the x-factor, and the one that I personally feel matters most. This is the mental game. The superstars like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have some of the toughest mental games in the history of the sport.

During matches, he has the ability to remain composed and calm with a win attitude that seems to work for him.

Besides tennis, this author also frequently pens articles regarding binoculars for birdwatching and range finding binoculars.

Courtney Pinto Games , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Players To Keep An Eye On In 2010

February 26th, 2010

The Australian Open once again got the tennis year off to a great start and whetted out appetite for the forthcoming season. The master they call Roger Federer once again lifted that famous trophy, sending out a warning to all his opponents that he’s still the man to beat.

There again, it’s still very early in the season, and way too early to write anyone off yet. Look at the surprises last year threw up, a prime example being Juan Martin Del Potro winning the US Open title by beating Federer in the final.

Melanie Oudin, the 18 year old American, had a terrific 2009 and could really break through this year. Reaching the semi final in the US Open was the highlight of last year, who’s to say she won’t do even better this year?

On the women’s tour there is the young American Melanie Oudin, she as the surprise package at the 2009 US Open by beating some very big names to reach the semi final stage.

21 year old Marin Cilic is a rising force to be reckoned with in the men’s game. Only 21 years old and already established as a top ten player, this young man could really come through and realize his potential in 2010.

Nikolay Davydenko is no newcomer, but at 28 seems to be finally getting the recognition he deserves as a great player. In their last three meetings he has beaten Federer twice, which will no doubt be a thorn in Federer’s size.

His career has unfortunately been blighted by gambling scandals, but now that these are behind him, he is fully focusing on his tennis.

Physically and mentally he has never been better, and expect some great results from him in 2010.

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James Tanana Games , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Most Meaningful Quality A Tennis Player Can Possess

February 19th, 2010

As tennis continues to grow its fans and players will always be arguing on what determines a good player and which skills are the most important to have.

It can be fun considering the different perspectives and opinions of the many arguments that evolve from the different aspects of the game.

Here are the most important factors. Let’s see which one you think matters most.

Is it volleying? After all, a well rounded net game can pose a threat to any opponent and easily end a point. Look at the past success of players like John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and even Pete Sampras to a degree.

Many tennis buffs would argue that the modern game favors baseline play over the net. After all, look at the dominance of Rafael Nadal from the back of the court. Even players like Andy Roddick, who once spent more time at the net, are recently favoring the baseline and opting for ground strokes.

On the other hand, maybe it is the serve that is important. A strong serve will give the player a distinct advantage over their opponent and if you consider the example of Roddick who will control the course of the match with his serve if he has made it difficult for his opponent to break them.

How about speed though? Guys like Nadal can get to just about every ball, making it extremely difficult for their opponents to win points. The harder your opposition has to work for a point, the more unforced errors you’ll ultimately cause.

I think that the x-factor wins over all others. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have a mental attitude that goes with winning. The type of ‘no lose’ attitude which, I think gives them an edge over their opponents.

During matches, he has the ability to remain composed and calm with a win attitude that seems to work for him.

Read more of this writer’s articles about designer maternity jeans and formal maternity dresses.

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