Archive for September, 2009

Looking For A Tennis Tip? Consider The Source

With so many “experts” claiming to have the latest, greatest insider information, it is hard for new and old players alike to know where to find a reliable tennis tip when needed. However, the popularity of the sport virtually ensures that anyone looking for help can find it — if they look in the right places. Taking time to consider options will ensure that ambitious players don’t utilize the wrong information from the wrong sources.

Friends
Okay, so they offer great relationship advice, and even recommend that great Chinese restaurant across town. However, they may not be the greatest source of information on the court. Why? First of all, friends are more likely to relay what works for them, and not necessarily what may work for others. While friends on the court may offer some realistic and tangible tips, they also lack the professional perspective required to give universally applicable tips.

Club Pros
As experienced players in their own right, club pros posses a wide array of experience and education necessary to implement proper technique in the right situations. In addition, they also have experience teaching other players of all levels, so there isn’t a tennis tip they haven’t given. However, they can be pricey, and numerous lessons are often needed to achieve the desired results.

Classes
Whether at a local college or club, classes can offer a great way for players, especially beginners, to learn basic or advanced ideas. They require a great amount of commitment, though, and may not address individual needs of students.

Books
With information literally at the fingertips of their readers, books offer a great way for players to learn about form, function, and theory without ever leaving their living rooms. However, those looking to books for the perfect tennis tip should make sure that they actually practice what they read about.

CD’s and DVD’s
Like books, CD’s and DVD’s offer a great way for players to learn tips in the comfort of their homes. However, CD’s also offer a way to take information “on the run,” allowing them to play and replay tips while they practice. DVD’s, on the other hand, offer a great way for players to accurately visualize and mimic movement without having to pay for pricey lessons or attend classes.

Online Sources
A great way to find timely and accurate information is to consult with online sources. Often, professional players and experienced pros will host websites, offering information for sale in a variety of formats, as well as free and valuable tips. As a result, players gain a better overall view of what type of information they’ll be buying into.

Those looking for helpful and accurate tennis information have a wide variety of sources available at their fingertips. While many of these sources are reliable, taking time to understand the pros and cons of each one will guarantee that players find the best match for their needs—and the best tennis tip.

More Commonly Asked Tennis Questions

There are so many rules in tennis that it can be tough to accurately determine who is at fault when certain situations come up. The more that you know about the sport, the better the chance you have at being able to avoid any controversy should one of the less-common situations in tennis come up.

Q: When can I call a foot foul on my opponent?
A: In a match that is not being judged by a referee, it can be difficult to determine whether or not you should call out a foot foul. Since tennis rules stipulate that the opponent should be given the benefit of the doubt in any controversial calls, foot fouls should only be called when every effort of informing the opponent about the practice has failed and the foot fouling continues to a flagrant degree.

Q: What mistakes result in a service fault?
A: Service faults can be caused by a number of factors. When a player makes a foot foul, doesn’t serve from the proper area, or doesn’t follow the proper form for preparing the serve, they are said to have a service fault. In addition, players that miss the ball whilst trying to serve are also said to have committed a service fault. If, after serving, the ball hits a permanent fixture of the court, such as the singles stick or the posts of the net before bouncing, a service fault is commited. Finally, when the ball touches the server or the server’s partner, or any part of their clothing, before or after a serve, a service fault is said to have occurred. After the first service fault occurs, the server is expected to take their second serve without delay as to ensure that they are not simply buying time to rest.
Service should be performed by the serving party within 20 seconds, or they will incur a time violation.

Q: What determines a let?
A: A let occurs most often when, during service, the ball touches the net and lands on the opponent’s side of the court. There are a few other situations that merit a let, including the unlikely situation in which the ball hits one of the receivers or an article of their clothing before bouncing. Also, if the ball is served before the receiver is ready, a let occurs. The service is considered to have never occurred, and it does not change the results of any prior faults on the part of the server.

Preventing Tennis Elbow

Prevention of a Tennis Elbow injury will always be so much better than a Cure.

So what can you do to prevent a tennis elbow injury?

There are several things you can do which will dramatically lessen your chances of having a tennis elbow injury which incidentally afflicts thousands of players every year.

The first and most important thing is to select proper equipment. There are guidelines that need to be followed when selecting a tennis racquet, and this especially applies to the vast majority of players, who never play in a tournament, but equally suffer the greatest number of Tennis elbow injuries.

You must test as many racquets as possible before choosing the one for you, and take advice from your coach or a qualified salesman before parting with any money!.

It is best to choose a graphite racquet because it will lessen vibration and give you better torque control.

Don’t buy an oversized racquet because although the seet spot might be bigger, the area outside the sweet spot is very difficult and created excessive torque which leads to tennis elbow injury.

A racquet with a more flexible frame will reduce your chances of a tennis elbow injury.

A heavier racquet vibrates less, but don’t buy a racquet with a heavier head because they increase the risks. A heavier handle is OK. Really what you are looking for is a racquet with a high sweet spot, light head and good balance.

Make sure that the string tension is at the lower end of the specifications., and use synthetic nylon, making sure you get a restring every few months

When you are playing especially on clay do not allow the balls to get heavy. This has the potential to cause tennis elbow, so change them often, also when it is damp.

It is a good idea to get some lessons from a qualified tennis instructor, and ask them to pay particular attention to your technique.

This applies particularly to weight transfer and chest neck and shoulder being kept stable, so your shot making is better and there isn’t too much muscle tension.

Warm up properly before you begin, doing gradual stretching exercises for the wrist. Seek advice about the best exercises.

When you are playing tennis start your backhand from the shoulder not the forearm.

Bend your forearm on your forehand shots, so your biceps and shoulder take the force of your swing rather than your elbow .

Whatever you do, bend the arm when you serve. A straight arm and rigid wrist means the elbow takes all the shock of contact.

Finally, don’t put too much topspin on the ball when you play a ground stroke.

If you can do all this then you will dramatically reduce your chances of a tennis elbow injury.