Archive for February, 2011

Tennis Equipment

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

The popularity of tennis has led to its increasing commercialization and in turn has led to the flooding of the market with the supporting tools and equipments. To support the ever-growing interest in the sport, several companies manufacture the equipment needed. Tennis equipment comprises of racquets, balls, court posts and nets, rebounding walls and court flooring. These can be purchased online or at retail stores. The online stores are usually a popular choice as they offer the lowest rates in the market.

Tennis racquets are strung with either animal gut or synthetic strings. Tennis balls are made of fibers and characterized by their durability and consistency. The color of the balls is either bright yellow or green, so that they can be easily seen from a distance. Some balls retain pressure for a longer time and have a greater bounce because they are filled with nitrogen. Still others are marked by absence of pressure and are meant primarily for playing at high altitudes.

Posts come in varied shapes and with different nomenclatures such as Wimbledon square posts, classic round posts and external ratchet posts. Similarly, tennis nets have a standard height of 3 ½ feet at the outer posts and 3 feet at the center of the net.

The rebounding walls come in different dimensions of 10×10 or 10×20. Rebounding walls are for tennis practice sessions as they help in returning balls back to player like walls, albeit at a slower pace.

Tennis equipment can also include court flooring, which can be of clay, grass, concrete, asphalt or even artificial grass. The surface type influences the style of playing the game.

Tennis equipments are sold at varied prices depending on the quality and material used. These equipments can be customized by placing a personalized order with the manufacturer, specifying the materials and features to be incorporated. The right type and quality should be chosen when purchasing tennis equipment. These articles are usually quite expensive, and hence should be carefully evaluated before making the purchase.

Tennis provides detailed information on Tennis, Tennis Courts, Tennis Rackets, Table Tennis and more. Tennis is affiliated with Lacrosse Stick.

10 Top Tennis Tips For Coaching Junior Tennis Players

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Mini Tennis, Pee Wee Tennis, Tiny Tots Tennis, Little Mozzies! Coaching Junior Beginners has been called everything. The bottom line for tennis coaches is that having a strong beginner tennis coaching program is the key to a long term sustainable business operation.

Putting together an exciting and challenging tennis coaching program for the young player should be a priority for any serious coach. These young beginners also need some special coaching methods to teach them to love tennis and stay in the game.

Tip 1 – Success equals Confidence equals Fun! Tennis is in the recreation business and coaches are fighting to attract young athletes to the sport so that grass roots programs flourish and we produce players at the elite level. Be constantly positive; play fun games which all players can succeed; create an atmosphere at your club that parents and children can enjoy. Do your best to keep children in tennis for life.

Tip 2 – Use modified tennis equipment. This relates to tip number one because by using lower nets, softer tennis balls, lighter tennis racquets and fun equipment we can help our students succeed and therefore enjoy tennis.

Tip 3 – Use cones to position players. Use cones or spots to position students for games and activities. This will give them a reference point and prevent them from wondering off.

Tip 4 – Refer to the names of lines and areas of the court. Use the names of lines and parts of the court when giving directions. This will provide a “full” tennis education and help when playing matches later on.

Tip 5 – Demonstrate before you explain the drill. Young children are fantastic learners. They learn best from observing and copying; as well as experimenting and feeling how something works. In your tennis lessons give the players lots of visual coaching and have them shadow swing so they can feel the correct stroke. This will be far more effective than explaining to a child with a very short attention span who may not fully understand the meaning of your words.

Tip 6 – Don’t get too technical! This relates to tip number five. Technical instruction is wasted on young children but they do understand simple distinctions. For instance using higher or lower; softer or harder; to the left or right are effective words to guide a young player. This is one reason why the use of targets and cones can be a very valuable coaching tool.

Tip 7 – Use targets for students to aim at. The reason for using targets is to compel the players to use control over power. Many young players will associate success with how fast and far they can hit the ball. Studies have shown that in sports that require both speed and precision (like tennis) it is far better to learn slow, controlled moves and then make them faster; than learn fast uncontrolled moves and them slow them down. By hitting accurate controlled shots our players will become better at rallying (which should be foremost goal of any program.)

Tip 8 – Don’t take private lessons too early. While some parents will expect us to dress up in a clown suit and entertain a 4 or 5 year old in a private lesson it is inappropriate at this age. The children at this age enjoy the excitement of playing with their friends and social interaction – the coach will soon become weary and lose passion for their job.

Tip 9 – Progress the program. Keep giving the students a reason to come back to the game. Progress from a mini court to full court; a mini racquet to a graduate racquet; low compression balls to championship balls; a 30 minute lesson to a 45 minute lesson. Keep challenging the students or they will feel they are not improving and find another sports which offers a pathway.

Tip 10 – Let them play the game. As coaches we are trying to teach players the game of tennis. Once the fundamentals have been taught modified game play should become an emphasis. While at a young age hitting the ball over the net seems miraculous, and returning an impossible dream; let the students experiment with a modified rally. The coach can help or make special rules so it remains enjoyable and the students can experience some success.

Follow these tennis tips to success in your own junior tennis program!

By Rufus Keown
Club Professional Coach
Co-founder http://www.globalsportscoaching.com
The global website for tennis coaches and players with 1000′s of tennis drills, tennis articles, tennis tips and tennis lesson plans.

Tennis Fundamentals – The Basics You Need to Know Before Playing

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Some things cannot be learned fully through theories. Some things must be practiced to attain perfection. Any act that requires motor action has to be performed to learn the same. There is a concept called muscle memory, where the muscles remember many actions that the brain may not and prompts one to perform accordingly. This is what is often referred to as ‘second nature’ as well. Games like tennis also must be played in order to be good at it. But it is also true at the same time that certain basic fundamentals of the game must also be learned beforehand so that when you are in the court, you do not waste time in asking silly fundamentals.

Watch, read, play and learn. Once you are know how to hit a ball and receive one you should concentrate on watching good tennis and reading more about it. As sports these days become more and more sophisticated and researched upon latest techniques are always formulated to find out how to play efficiently. The more exposed you are to such theories and techniques better are your chances in the court. Always put your theoretical knowledge in to practice. Grab every opportunity that you get to play. Try a new shot and note down the problems that you face in executing the same. Watch a friend or a family member who has been playing for long and learn from them.

Tennis provides relaxation, is a great first date, can be an ice breaker in any society and is good for one’s health and fitness. Exciting and competitive only a true sportsman can survive this game and emerge as a winner. To be successful in the court, following are some basic fundamentals to remember.

o Racquet – the one you pick when you start your game of tennis will decide how your game progresses from that point onwards. All professional and famous names in racquet manufacturing business are good. The one that you choose should be based on the grip, the weight, the strings and the feel of the racquet in your hand. But do not choose something cheap just to save some money. If you are considering playing serious tennis, then choose something good from the beginning. The formative days are very important.

o Tennis balls – very important. Do not use dead balls. When you are starting off the bounce plays a very important role in forming your play.

o Concentrate – You cannot succeed in this game if your concentration is not on what is happening on the other side of the net. You cannot think about or look at anything else. Your mind holds 50% of the probability of success that you may have in the court.

o Always keep your eye on the ball. Your eyes should never leave the ball. You have to anticipate where it is coming and where you should place yourself in order to receive it on time and return it.

o Strokes – you have to learn at least two strokes correctly – the forehand and the backhand.

Gregg Hall is an author living on the Emerald Coast of Florida. Now that you know a little more about playing tennis be sure that you get quality tennis racquet by going to http://www.nsearch.com

Tennis Tips For Beginners

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Without first learning the movement and developing the skills for your achievement, you should take lessons in the basics of tennis for beginners. No matter how talented you may be, practicing consistently is the only way to stay in shape, and build technique for tennis.

- For example:

- The following are two basic types of stroke for people just learning the game:

1. Groundstrokes:

a) The player (or student) learning tennis for beginners must realize that groundstrokes are very important to master. A groundstroke begins with a slight, short backswing.

b) A possibility for you would be to also use a shortened grip on the club.

c) Use the regular type of follow-through.

d) Lengthen the backswing at a slow pace.

e) Slide the grip toward the handle.

f) Remember, in basic tennis for beginners, you will drop feed first! Second, doing your short drop feed is fine, and lastly, following the short drop feed, you will feed from your racquet.

g) Of course, you must start out inside the service line–and you may move back at rising pace. Begin slowly and usually try to end with a run.

2. Overheads:

a) The racquet must begin at point of contact and, again slowly, a bigger swing can be presented.

1. The student should be instructed to stand close to the net–and then, taking his or her time, begin to move backwards.

2. Remember to begin your student with an incredibly soft-feed right to the racquet.

3. You can show them a few higher feeds at first–but do not do too much at once.

4. Especially for young children, keep your lessons brief and productive as possible. A child’s attention span will not last too long. And you do not want to fail as an instructor by losing your student’s attention. Sessions with younger students should not exceed thirty minutes at a time. Often it is good to set up lessons several times per week.

If a student is having trouble with drills–pull back and remember to work with individual students at their own skill levels. Tennis for beginners is sometimes more of a challenge with some people than others.

By the same token, if your student seems to be “a natural” and is having no problems with his or her drills–challenge them further–begin more advanced drills.

Always work on precise technique, be sure your student has the exact form and bodylines, and is using the proper movements! Regarding lesson plans, yours will always vary depending on what the student or students are capable of doing. Therefore, setting out a full curriculum for tennis for beginners is practically a waste of your time–because you never know what kind of talent you will be dealing with.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, recreation, education and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles about tennis and tennis education and guidelines, please visit Tennis For Beginners.