Posts Tagged ‘tennis’

Tennis Clothes

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

If you already take part in tennis, then I imagine that you already know what tennis players wear, so this article is aimed at those individuals who would like to buy tennis kit for a loved one for a special occasion. After all, it is not as straightforward as it seems to obtain sports wear for the participant of a sport you understand nothing about.

There is a certain picture we are inclined to associate with a tennis player: white Polo top with shorts or skirt and matching shoes. They are trendy and stylish, comfortable and characteristic at the same time. Items of tennis clothes often signify a great deal to people who are not just sports fans. If the person you are shopping for is a tennis aficionado, tennis attire becomes a great gift that can also be quite reasonably priced despite the rumors that it costs a great deal.

In case tennis kit is something unknown to you, Google it over the Internet and you will be surprised to see how much information there is available. Very many forums will obliquely inform you about prices and discounts going on at an assortment of retail shops and online merchants.

They will also provide you with information as to which brands are considered the best, which are thought the least durable and reliable, which are reasonably priced and which exaggeratedly dear .

What many tennis outfit users recommend is that you obtain the type of top or shirt that would make you feel most comfortable and that will allow the very wide angled activities that are peculiar to the performance of this sport. For instance, the shorter the sleeves of your tennis attire, the freer the movement during the game. Some purchase tennis clothing also according to the season in which they expect to play. Still others go for the materials that can be worn in both warm and cold seasons.

They ardently believe that the tennis kit must keep them both warm and cool at the same time. As far as the t-shirts for men are concerned, you should know that most players speak of Polo shirts in very high terms, as the collar offers you some neck protection from the sun’s rays.

Advice about tennis attire like that above are to be had on very many web sites. If you are not quite sure what to go for when purchasing your friend a gift, then you can always inveigle him or her to have a discussion about his or her favourite sport. Using a little guile, you will surely be able to direct the discussion to a related topic that interests you, that is tennis clothes. Making it all look like casual chit-chat would not make him or her guess what you have in mind for the special occasion.

If you are a beginner tennis player or are interested in the general psychology of tennis, please visit our site called Tennis Tips for Beginners

Basic Tennis Psychology (Part 1)

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

Tennis psychology is only understanding the workings of your opponent’s mind, and gauging the effect of your own game on his/her head 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 mental processes. Therefore, you must study the effect on yourself of the same thing happening under different circumstances. This is because you react differently in different moods and under different conditions.

You have to realize the effect on your game of the ensuing annoyance, pleasure, confusion, or whatever other form your reaction takes. Does it increase your prowess? If so, go for it, but never offer it to your opponent. Does it rob you of concentration? If so, either remove the reason, but if that isn’t possible, strive to ignore it.

After you have properly assessed your own reaction to circumstances, observe your opponents to determine their temperaments. Similar temperaments react in a like way, and you may judge people of your own kind by yourself. Different temperaments you have to try to compare with those people, whose reactions you are already familiar with.

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

A steady, phlegmatic baseline player is rarely a quick thinker. If he were he would not stay on the baseline. The physical appearance of a player is usually a pretty clear indication of his/her type of mind. The stolid, easy-going player, who usually advocates the baseline game, does so because he hates to stir up his/her slow mind to think out a safe method of getting to the net.

However, then there is the other kind of baseline player, who would rather remain at the rear of the court while supervising an attack intending to break up your game. He is a very dangerous player and a deep, quick thinking opponent. He achieves his/her results by mixing up his/her length and direction and worrying you with the variance of his/her game. This player is a very good psychologist.

The first kind of tennis player mentioned above simply strikes the ball without much thought about what he is really up to, while the latter always has a definite strategy and sticks to it.

If you are into the psychology of tennis, you ought to go to our website entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners

The Psychology Of Tennis (Part 2)

Friday, May 28th, 2010

The hard-hitting, erratic, net-rushing player is a person of impulse. There is no real system to his/her game, no comprehension of your game. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an fascinating sort of character.

The most unnerving player is the one who mixes his/her style from back to fore court at the direction of an ever-active mind. This/her is the player to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite intention. A player who has an answer to every problem you present him in your game. He is the most subtle opponent 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 strategy and sticks to it, bitterly, fiercely fighting to the end, with never a thought of changing.

This is the player whose psychology is rather easy to understand, but whose mental standpoint is difficult to upset, for he never allows himself to think of anything except the business at hand. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the intelligence of Brookes more, but I admire the determination of Johnston.

Pick out your sort from your own mental processes, and then plan your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are in the same class as regards stroke and equipment, the determining factor in any given match is the mental standpoint. Luck, so-called, is often seizing the psychological advantage of a break in the game, and turning it to your own advantage. We hear a great deal about the “shots players have made.” Few realize the importance of the “shots players have missed.”

The psychology of missing shots is just as important 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 explain. 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 put off his stride, understanding that your shot might just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to attempt it again and he will not risk it next time. He will try to play the ball, and may make an error. You have thus stolen some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his/her chance of error: all this by a miss.

If you had just tapped 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 merely have been winded for no reason.

Let’s suppose that you had succeeded with that shot down the sideline. It was an apparently impossible achievement. First it amounts to TWO points, because it took one away from your opponent that should have been his/her and gave you one that you should never have had. Second it also worries your opponent, because he feels that he has lost a big chance.

The psychology of a tennis match is fascinating, but readily understandable. Both men start with equal chances. Once one player establishes a real lead, his/her confidence goes up, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental viewpoint becomes poor. The sole objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thus maintaining his/her confidence.

If the second player pulls even or pulls ahead, the inevitable result is an even more drastic 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 breakdown of his game plan soon follows.

If you are into the psychology of tennis, you ought to visit our website entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners

The Fundamentals of Tennis.

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

I trust that this initial foray of mine into the world of literary work will find a place with both novices and experts in the tennis world. I am trying to interest the student of the game by a somewhat prolonged discussion of match play, which I hope 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 much good to the beginner even if he really is trying to succeed. However, one has to buy good quality; it is a saving in the end, as high quality goods far outlasts poor quality gear.

It is vital always to wear tennis apparel when playing tennis. The question of choosing a tennis racquet is a much more serious decision. I do not like to force a certain brand of racquet upon any player, since all the standard makes are of excellent quality. However, the weight, balance, and size of the handle are the really important considerations when selecting a racquet frame, while good stringing is essential to get optimum results.

After having acquired your racquet, make a firm decision to buy only good tennis balls, as a consistent bounce is a great aid to advancement, while a “dead” ball is of no use at all. If you really want to advance at tennis and progress rapidly, I strongly urge you to watch all the good tennis you can. Observe 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 assistance.

Much more tennis can be picked up off the tennis court in the study of theory and in watching the best players in action, than can ever be learned in one’s own actual play. I do not advise that you should miss opportunities to play tennis, far from it. Play tennis whenever possible, but strive when playing to put into practice the theories you have read about or the strokes you have watched.

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

The brotherhood of the game is universal, for 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 person who is bound fast to his job until late afternoon.

The following order of development produces the quickest and most lasting results: 1. Concentration on the game. 2. Keep the eye on the ball. 3. Foot-work and weight-control. 4. Strokes. 5. Court position. 6. Court generalship or match play. 7. Tennis psychology.

Concentration. Tennis is played primarily with the mind. The best racquet technique invented will not suffice if the directing mind is erring. There are many causes of a distracted mind in a tennis match. The main one is loss 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 correctly.

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 remedy for a wandering mind, and the quicker the lesson is learned the more rapid the improvement of the player.

The best way to keep a game in focus is to go for every set, every game in the set, every point in the game and, eventually, every shot in the point. A set is just a collection of made and missed shots, and the man who misses the least is the ultimate victor.

If you are a beginner tennis player or are interested in tennis psychology, please visit our site called Tennis Tips for Beginners

Tennis Clothing

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

If you already take part in tennis, then I assume that you already appreciate what tennis players wear, so this piece is aimed at those people who want to obtain tennis clothing for a loved one for a special occasion. After all, it is not as straightforward as it appears to buy sports clothes for the player of a sport you understand nothing about.

There is a certain picture we tend to relate with a tennis player: white Polo top with shorts or skirt and matching shoes. They are fashionable and elegant, comfortable and classic at the same time. Items of tennis kit often signify a great deal to people who are not just sports fans. If the person you are shopping for is a tennis lover, tennis clothing becomes a great gift that could also prove pretty affordable despite the rumors that it costs a fortune.

In case tennis attire is something unfamiliar to you, Google it over the Internet and you will be amazed to see how much information there is on hand. Very many forums will tactfully let you know you about prices and deals going on at an assortment of retail shops and online dealers.

They will also supply you with information as to which brands are thought the best, which are considered the least hard-wearing and reliable, which are reasonably priced and which exaggeratedly over-priced .

What many tennis clothes users suggest is that you procure the sort of top or shirt that would make you feel most comfortable and that will permit the very wide angled movements that are peculiar to the performance of this sport. For instance, the shorter the sleeves of your tennis kit, the freer the swing during the game. Some purchase tennis attire also according to the season in which they intend to play. Still others go for the materials that can be worn in both warm and cold seasons.

They firmly believe that the tennis kit ought to keep them both warm and cool at the same time. As far as the t-shirts for men are concerned, you must know that most players speak of Polo shirts in very high terms, as the collar offers you some neck protection from the sun’s rays.

Advice about tennis clothes like that above are to be had on very many web sites. If you are not quite sure what to go for when purchasing your friend a gift, then you can always inveigle him or her to have a discussion about his or her favourite sport. Using a little guile, you will surely be able to direct the conversation to a connected topic that interests you, i.e. tennis clothes. Making it all look like idle conversation will not make him or her guess what you have in mind for the special occasion.

If you are a beginner tennis player or are interested in tennis fundamentals, just visit our website entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners

The French Open

Friday, August 14th, 2009

It is pretty unlikely that people will not have heard of the French Open tennis championship, because it is a competition which is a regular topic of conversation. In French the name of the competition is ‘Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros’ or ‘Tournoi de Roland Garros’. This tournament, which lasts for roughly a fortnight is held in Paris at the Roland Garros Stadium, from which it got its name.

It is one of the most advertised and broadcast sports events throughout the entire world and many VIPs attend it. The attendees are fanatics who wait with baited breath on every stroke, especially when there is a tight struggle between two players, doing|trying| their best to win. Even TV viewers actually get a feeling of being there live.

The French Open tennis championship is the second on the annual round of the Grand Slam tournaments and its history stretches back to the year of 1891 when it was elevated to an international competition. In those days, it was named the ‘International Championship of Tennis of France’ or ‘Championat de France International de Tennis’ in French.

First of all, only players that were registered or licensed in France were permitted to participate in this competition, but things took a different turn in 1925, when the French open tennis tournament finally was accessible to international players. Until 1912, the ground the participants used was made of crushed red brick dust. Actually the crushed brick was formed into a sort of red clay that was spread over the ground, which, until then, would have been a green lawn.

The public popularity of the French Open tennis tournament held at the Roland Garros stadium, dates back to a competition between the Philadelphia Four (Rene Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon) who won the Davis Cup in 1927. It was the trigger of the desire in the French to defend their cup in future competitions. This new tournament was designed to bring back home the cup and was held at a stadium named after the World War I pilot Roland Garros. Since then the name has stuck.

The term ‘open’ became has been used from 1968, when the tournament allowed|was open to| both amateurs and professionals alike who wanted to test their skills at tennis. Since then the French Open tennis tournament has also brought some novelties in terms of prizes.

Beside the usual winners’ prizes, they also award a ‘Prix Orange’ for the most correct and press friendly player, a ‘Prix Citron’ for the player with the strongest personality and a ‘Prix Burgeon’ for the one that turns out to be the revelation of the tennis year.

About the Author:

Tennis Psychology (Part 2)

Friday, July 17th, 2009

The hard-hitting, unpredictable, net-rushing tennis-player is a person of impulse. There is no real strategy to his/her game, no understanding of your game. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, mostly by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an fascinating type of character.

The really dangerous player is the one who mixes his/her style from back to fore court under the command of an ever-alert 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 from the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of dogged determination that sets his/her mind on one plan and adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the end, with never a thought of change.

He is the player whose psychology is rather easy to understand, but whose mental standpoint is hard to derail, for he never allows himself to think of anything except his game. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the determination of Johnston.

Pick out your kind from your own mental pattern, and then plan your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are on the same level concerning stroke, strength and equipment, the determining factor in any game is the mental viewpoint. Luck, so-called, is usually just seizing the psychological value of a change of flow in the game, and turning it to your own account. We hear a lot about the “shots he has made.” Few understand the importance of the “shots he has 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 shocked and shaken, understanding that your shot might just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to attempt it again and he will not take the risk next time. He will try to play the ball, and may fall into 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 merely popped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt even more confident of your inability to get the ball out of his/her reach, while you would only have been winded to no avail.

Let’s suppose 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, because he thinks that he has thrown away a big chance.

The psychology involved in a game of tennis is fascinating, but easily understandable. Both player start with equal chances. However, once one player has gained a real lead, his/her confidence goes up, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental standpoint becomes weaker. The sole objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thus holding his/her confidence.

If the second player pulls even or pulls ahead, the inevitable reaction occurs with an even greater contrast in psychology. There is the natural confidence of the leader, but coupled with the great stimulus of having turned a seemingly inevitable defeat into a probable victory. The reverse is the case of the other player, who is apt to lose confidence and play worse. The collapse of his game plan soon follows.

About the Author:

The General Psychology of Tennis (Part 1)

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

Tennis psychology is only understanding the workings of your opponent’s mind, and gauging the effect of your own game on his/her head and also understanding the psychological effects resulting from the different external causes on your own mind.

However, it is true that you cannot be a successful psychologist of others without first understanding your own mental processes. Therefore, you must study the effect on yourself of the same thing happening 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 ensuing irritation, joy, bewilderment, or whatever other form your reaction is. Does it improve your prowess? If so, go for it, but never give it to your opponent. Does it deprive you of concentration? If so, either remove the cause, or if that is not possible, try to ignore it.

After you have properly assessed your own reaction to conditions, observe your opponents to determine their characters. Similar characters react in a like way, and you can judge people of your own sort by yourself. Different temperaments you have to seek to liken with those people, whose reactions you are already familiar with.

Someone who can regulate his/her own mental processes runs an excellent chance of determining those of another for the minds works along certain lines of thought and can be examined. One may only regulate one’s own mental processes after studying them meticulously.

A steady, phlegmatic baseline player is rarely a quick thinker. If he was he would not stay on the baseline. The physical appearance of a player is often a pretty clear indication of his/her kind of mind. The stolid, easy-going player, who usually advocates the baseline game, does so because he hates to stir up his/her torpid mind to work out a safe method of reaching the net.

Then there is the other kind of baseline player, who would prefer to remain at the back of the court while directing an attack intended to disrupt up your game. He is a much more dangerous player and a deep, quick thinking antagonist. He gets his/her results by mixing up his/her length and direction and worrying you with the variety of his/her game. This player is a good psychologist.

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

About the Author:

The Fundamentals of Tennis.

Monday, June 15th, 2009

I trust that this, my initial article will be found useful by both novices and experts alike in the tennis world. I am trying 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 address the novice in my opening article and speak of certain matters which are second nature to the skilled player. The best tennis equipment is not much good for the novice even if he really is trying to improve. However, one has to buy good quality; it is a saving in the end, as good quality material far outlasts poor quality gear.

It is important to always dress in tennis attire when playing tennis. The question of selecting 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 having acquired your racquet, make a firm decision to buy only quality tennis balls, as a regular bounce is a great aid to advancement, while a “dead” ball is of no use at all. If you really desire to advance at the game and progress rapidly, I strongly urge you to watch all the good tennis you can. Observe the play of the leading players and try to emulate their strokes. Read all the tennis instruction books you can find. They are a great assistance.

Much more tennis can be learned off the tennis court in the study of theory and in watching the top players in play, than can ever be learned in one’s own actual play. I do not mean that you should miss opportunities to play tennis, far from it. Play tennis whenever possible, but try when playing to put into practice the theories you have read about or the strokes you have watched.

Never let yourself become discouraged by lack of progress. The manner of playing some stroke you have worked on for weeks unsuccessfully, will suddenly come to you when you least expect it. Good tennis players are the product of very 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 fellowship of tennis is universal, since none but a good sportsman can succeed in the game for any lengthy period of time. Tennis provides relaxation, excitement, exercise, and pure enjoyment to the player who is tied hard and fast to his business until late in the afternoon.

The order of development that produces the quickest and most lasting results is: a. Concentration on the game. b. Keep the eye on the ball. c. Foot-work and weight-control. d. Strokes. e. Court position. f. Court generalship or match play. g. Tennis psychology.

Concentration. Tennis is played first with the mind. The best racquet technique invented will not be enough if the directing mind is erring. There are many reasons for a distracted mind in a tennis match. The main one is lack of interest in the game. No one should play tennis with any hope of real success unless he cares sufficiently about the game to be willing to do the spadework necessary to learn the game properly.

Pack it in immediately unless you are willing to work very hard. The weather, conditions of play or the noises in the gallery usually bewilder even experienced match-players playing in new surroundings. Total concentration on the game is the only remedy for an erring mind, and the sooner that lesson is learned the quicker the advancement of the player.

The best way to keep a match 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 collection of made and missed shots, and the man who misses the least is the ultimate victor.

About the Author: