There are too many messages and lessons in the book to cover them all in this article. However, there are three key strategies that are of particular relevance to the inner game of tennis. In essence, they can be captured by the statement, It’s not about the racquet.

The three key strategies are:

1. Do not let others limit your goals or your dreams

When Lance Armstrong was recovering from brain surgery and aggressive chemotherapy, there were many people who said that he would never ride again. Even one of his key sponsors dropped Lance because he believed that he could never recover from the devastation of cancer and the related treatment.

Lance refused to let others define his capacities or limit his goals and dreams. He was determined to not only ride again but to win the gruelling Tour de France for his first time. Lance Armstrong went on to win the Tour de France seven times!

Even when he was emaciated, exhausted and depleted, he still maintained his goals and dream. So the first strategy is to maintain your goals and dreams even in the face of opposition from well-meaning people.

2. Dig deep into your inner resources

Lance maintains that the key learning for him from his illness and survival is that we are better than we know. We totally underestimate our inner reserves and unrealized capacities because we do not test the power of our minds. It is often only in a crisis that these inner capacities emerge.

One key strategy of the inner game of tennis is to learn to dig deep into our inner resources and tap our unrealised potential. This requires will power, determination and a preparedness to win against all odds. Lance survived his cancer even though the doctors estimated that he had a 3% chance of survival, not great odds!

Here is another pertinent example. The press, globally and locally, decided at the start of the 2007 Australian Open Tennis Championship that Serena Williams had no chance of winning because she was overweight and unfit. They did not allow for her basic underlying fitness or her capacity to tap her incredible inner reserves. Her will power was so strong that her opponents often wilted in the face of her sheer determination even when they were leading in the match.

Hence, the second key strategy is to learn to tap your inner reserves by challenging the limits you impose on yourself.

3. Make every obstacle an opportunity

Lance Armstrong attributes this strategy to his mother who continuously reminded him, even as a child, that in every obstacle lay an opportunity to improve himself. In an interview after his first Tour de France win Lance stated that his illness created the opportunity to improve himself on many fronts. He claimed that his battle with cancer enabled him to become tougher and more patient as a competitive cyclist and more thoughtful, compassionate and responsible as a person, a father and life partner.

Hence, a third key strategy of the inner game of tennis is to improve your game and yourself through every obstacle you encounter.

The inner game of tennis is not about the racquet. It IS about YOU. It is about how you define your capacities and maintain your goals, how you access your inner resources and how you use obstacles to improve yourself and your tennis game.

Learn the Inner Game of Tennis from a professional tennis coach: Tennis Mind Game

To get Ron’s free e-book, Playing the Inner Game of Tennis, CLICK HERE

Copyright 2007 – Ron Passfield. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit and follow all of the EzineArticles.com posted terms of service for Publishers.

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All racquets used to be made from only wood and there was very little choice. Nowadays there is so much on offer that you need to use specific criteria in order to narrow down your choices.

There are a few things that you need to consider when looking at the different types of tennis racquets that are currently available.

The most important thing you need to decide is how much you are willing to spend on this vital piece of tennis equipment. If you do a quick search online you may be very surprised to find what is actually available in the different price brackets. If you do not worry about things like brand names, you will find a whole host of designs to pick from.

If products from world famous sports companies like Nike and Wilson are important to you then using the internet is also a good way to find out if you can find the brand names that you like but at a cheaper price. Different online stores will set different prices so you could be lucky and find yourself a bargain.

If you are a beginner, you may want to opt for a racquet that has a larger head and is much lighter in weight. These two factors will improve your opportunities of hitting any tennis balls that come your way. Once you get better at the game, you can look at the heavier alternatives.

Spending time researching the best type of tennis racquet for your game will help you to make the right choice and buy the best tennis equipment suitable for you and your tennis game.

Find out more about choosing a good tennis racquet when looking for good quality Tennis practice equipment.

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Babloat racquets cater for all levels of the game so it doesn’t matter if you are a total beginner, advanced at your game or somewhere in between – there will be a racquet perfect for you. Here are some details about just a few of the racquets on offer from Babolat.

The AeroPro Drive Cortex Junior or The Roddick Junior are both super racquets for a junior player starting to learn the game. The first of these two has been specifically designed to be aerodynamic in shape and its head heavy balance encourages heavy top spin as well as providing the player with a great deal of power.

As far as racquets for advanced level play go, a favorite of Rafael Nadal, the Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex provides great spin potential as well as hitting powerfully. The cortex system gives the maximum of comfort to the player as it easily handles immense vibrations. For a player of say, 4.5, this is the ideal racquet to up their game a level.

Yet another favored racquet is the Roddick Pure Drive GT plus which is used by Andy Roddick. If you are a player with a medium swing style this racquet will give you the opportunity to use the power it creates to improve your spin skills and strengthen your baseline play.

When purchasing a Babolat tennis racquet at a discount price, it couldn’t be easier than buying on line. Nonetheless, you really do have to know and understand your needs when choosing your new racquet because if you don’t opt for the best racquet for your level, your game will not improve, it will only be hindered.

Hey, Dave here thanks for checking my site I always was wondering how to improve my game, until I bought Babolat Tennis Racket, which made me much better player.
http://www.babolattennisracquet.com/

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Scam artists are becoming more and more clever. They will do their best to figure out new and innovative ways to sell you inferior products that are supposed to be higher quality merchandise. Here are the three things that you should do to avoid becoming the victim of this scam on eBay:

1. Avoid Unscrupulous Sellers – Don’t Buy if Comment Count is Low

Some seller will list items that are not what they say they are.  Not all people who are selling tennis racquets from are scam artists. But how can you tell? Since you can not easily decipher which business people are legitimate and which are not, just to be on the safe side, you should just avoid buying from sellers who do not have a significant number of comments.  Make sure your seller has had at least 20 successful selling transactions.

2. Read the Feedback

Counterfeit tennis racquet makers are getting better and better. In order to avoid buying a racquet that is an inferior copy posing as the real thing, read the comments of previous buyers. Buyers who have been conned will most certainly complain and leave negative feedback.

3. Buy From Trusted Sellers

As with feedback, you want to buy from a seller who has been in business for a long time, and has had many, positive transactions. Look for sellers who have had more than 250 transactions. You can see the number of transaction from the feedback section. 

Now you know how to avoid the becoming a victim of the eBay tennis racquet scam artists. 

If you would like to shop for tennis racquets… 

Click here to find the best tennis racquet.

http://besttennisracquet.com

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As a keen tennis player you want to be sure that you pick the right racquet for your type of game. You will also want to be sure that your selection works with your physique and importantly, you should feel comfortable with your racquet. Selecting the proper grip size on your tennis racket is important not only for comfort and for performance, but also for injury prevention. Using a tennis racket with a grip that is too large or too small can lead to arm injuries. Selecting the right racquet can help you avoid serious injury and enhance the performance of your game. Whether a beginner, recreational, or a professional player the choices are many and you are sure to find one that suits your style of play.

Players that are more skilled generally prefer the manoeuvrability of standard length rackets. Players that suffer from tennis elbow, or any other type of arm injury will find more comfort in a larger headed racquet. Simply put, the shock and vibration caused by hitting a ball off center is less likely to occur with a bigger tennis racquet. Players new to the game of tennis generally need a lighter racket that can add more power to their swing. Power rackets are lightweight (8-10 ounces) and feature oversized heads (100-130 square inches); they’re generally longer and head-heavy to supply that extra torque in the swing.

Players who use a lot of topspin or backspin should avoid widebody frames because the ball is more likely to clip the frame when they angle the racquet during the stroke. Players tend to slide more on these courts. Because the balls travel somewhat slower rallys tend to be longer.

Strings

Strings with low tension tend to generate more power than strings that have a high tension. However, it is important to ensure that the tension of the strings isn’t low enough to cause the strings to actually move. Strings are an important part of your game. They can add power or control to your shots, stiffen or soften the feel of your racquet, and provide relief for sore joints. Stringing your racquet at a lower tension also reduces the vibration and lessens the risk of developing arm and elbow problems.

String pattern is measured by how many strings go up and down (called mains) and how many strings go side to side (crosses) when the racquet is fully strung. An open string pattern is one where there is a lot of empty space in the string bed because there are fewer strings. String your racquet at least once a year. After a few months your strings become loose and lifeless.

There are many good racquets available, which can now be purchased easily. One that which comes with very good recommendations and and is very affordable is the Babolat Aerotour.

For advice and information on where to buy these great racquets visit http://www.squidoo.com/babolat-aerotour

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I feel that I am doing my fellow tennis players a disservice by not “exposing” some of the half and non-truths they are putting out there about professional tennis equipment.

I jokingly say “exposing” because much of the information I’m about to give you has been reported in many places. I’m also sure that these announcers, who were some of the best players in the world, are not purposely giving out false info. I can only assume that they are badly under and/or misinformed.

On every tennis broadcast, you hear one or a combination of the previously mentioned tennis announcer’s talk about the “light and powerful” frames that the players are using. During the US Open Martina actually said that because of the racquets and strings, the players don’t have to be very talented. I’m sure Federer, Nadal, Murray and the rest of the players on the ATP Tour would have a different opinion.

There are a few ATP Tour players that use highly customized, much heavier versions of the Babolat Pure Drive (Roddick, Andreev), the Babolat Aero Drive (Nadal, Tsonga), and Head Extremes (Lubicic, Gasquet). But the vast majority of ATP Tour players use thin, fairly flexible, heavy, head light frames. Federer, Djokovic, Murray, and Soderling all top 5 players, are among them.

Here are some ATP player frame specs compared to the retail versions. The ATP player specs are courtesy of Greg Raven. The retail specs are courtesy of Hardcore Tennis. But as you know retail frames can vary greatly from frame to frame.

Roger Federer

WilsonBLX 6.1 Tour

Strung Weight 362.50g

Balance 31.50

Swing Weight 338

Retail

Strung Weight 354g

Balance 31.43

Swing Weight 333

Robin Soderling

Head You Tek Radical MP

Strung Weight 357g

Balance 33.75

Swing Weight 384

Retail

Strung Weight 312g

Balance 33.66

Swing Weight 324

Novak Djokovic

Head You Tek Speed 18X20

Strung Weight 360g

Balance 32.00

Swing Weight 371

*** Flex 51 ***

Retail

Strung Weight 335g

Balance 32.07

Swing Weight 317

*** Flex 65 ***

Rafael Nadal

Babolat Aero Pro Drive Cortex G

Strung Weight 335g

Balance 33.30

Swing Weight 350 (*4 1/4 with two overgrips*)

Retail

Strung Weight 320g

Balance 33.02

Swing Weight 331

As you can see each one of these ATP Tour players use a frame that is much heavier than the retail version. Notice how incredibly more flexible Djokovic’s frame is.

Also the frames that Soderling, Murray, and many of the ATP players that are endorsed by Head, use are frames that have been in production for over 15 years. Any tennis player who has put two overgrips on top of their replacement grip knows how much that increases the grip size.

I could go on about the “mis-representations” we hear on every tennis telecast. But you get the picture. In the next discussion I will tackle WTA Tour frame specs.

Feel free to email me with questions or requests for specs for a specific player.

Thanks and Play More Tennis!

ERIC

http://www.hardcoretennis.net

Eric Burke
Owner Hardcore Tennis
Atlanta, Ga
http://www.HardcoreTennisColumbia.Com

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Beginners often walk into a store and buy the first racquet they put in their hands. Keep in mind that grip size is very crucial in deciding what racquet you pick. You’ll see grips that measure 4 3/8″, 4 3/4″, 4 1/4″ etc. – feel the differences between the grip sizes. Too small of a grip and you’ll be hard pressed to get the spins necessary and too large of a grip you will find the racquet hard to control in your hand. Have a store employee help you get fitted for the proper grip size. Most racquets are offered in all sorts of sizes and you can always do an overgrip on a smaller grip to “thicken” it up a bit.

Head size – the larger the head the more forgiving it will be and that is why novice players should look at the oversized racquets for the best combination of power and control. The thicker the frame, the more power you will get as well. For beginners, it’s always been a fine balance between lack of control and too much power. Intermediate players who can hit with spin and control can take on the added power of a mid-size frame (similar to what Roger Federer uses). If you have good ground strokes then adding a little more power could be a good thing. Just remember that keeping the ball in play is the key to winning, unless you are talented enough to hit clean winners from the baseline. Pros use racquets that weigh a little more than what the average weekend warrior uses simply because they can use the added weight to generate more power on their strokes. Stick with the most control you can get when first starting to play.

Top Brands – I have always used Head tennis racquets, but certainly names like Wilson, Babolat, Yonex, Prince, Fischer, Vokl, and Dunlop are solid names to consider. The pros like Serena Williams use a Wilson and Andre Agassi used Head. They all make various size racquet heads and you can get any racquet custom strung to the tension you prefer. Expect to spend at least $50 for a real beginner racquet and more like $100 to $150 for an intermediate to advanced racquet. Demo programs are a great way to get a feel for almost any racquet. Your local pro shop should be able to set you up with a demo and get you playing almost immediately. Try out at least 2 or 3 racquets with varying string tensions to see which one fits your game best.

Tennis is a game you can play your entire life (my dad still plays at 80) and it’s great exercise. Buy a racquet and get started to a better game.

K. Vedder
http://www.funskins.com

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