The 5 Best Tennis Rackets For Doubles

The 5 Best Tennis Rackets For Doubles

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What Are The Best Tennis Grips? (Sweat, Dry, Blisters)


What Are The Best Tennis Grips?

If you ask anyone who plays tennis regularly what they consider to be the most important item of equipment, they might mention their racket frame, their string, or even their shoes. It is very unlikely that their racket grip will be among the first things they think of.

Nonetheless, it is absolutely vital that you have a firm and comfortable grip on your racket if you wish to be able to control the ball. A professional will always start a match with a brand new grip to make sure that the racket does not slip in their hands, and some, like Richard Gasquet, will apply a new overgrip at almost every change of ends.

Of course, everyone has different preferences and physical characteristics, and hence will need different types of grip, but in this article we will attempt to identify some of the best, considering both overgrips and replacements for the original grip.

Choosing the best tennis grip depends on whether a player has sweaty hands, prone to blisters, or who have dry hands. Some will be particularly keen on a comfortable grip. It is crucial to replace a grip before it deteriorates too much, in order to ensure that the grip is performing well.  

Best Tennis Grips For Sweaty Hands

If you have sweaty hands, many racket grips will quickly become slippery during play. What might feel pleasantly tacky when first applied will often soon feel greasy and slippery. Some players find this so much of a problem that they lose their grip on the racket when serving, which can be slightly embarrassing.

The most popular solution for tennis players with sweaty hands is offered by overgrips which initially feel dry, but which become grippier when damp. Tourna Grip Original Dry Feel overgrips have been big sellers for many years, and is our best recommendation for players with sweaty hands.

These famously become grippier as they absorb sweat. If you do not like overgrips, there are replacement grips with ridges and/or perforations which can prevent your hand from slipping and absorb moisture. A good example of this is the Karakal Xtra grip, which lasts well and contains both ridges and perforations, making it most unlikely that you will lose control of the racket.

Best Tennis Grips For Blisters

Blisters are most likely to form on your racket hand when you increase the amount you are playing, especially if you have had a break from the game. Your skin will eventually harden, but in the meantime you will want to find a grip that minimises the formation of blisters. Typically, the development of blisters is accelerated by the presence of sweat, and tacky grips by definition cause extra friction.

The ideal grip for preventing blisters will be absorbent and not too tacky. For most people, this points to a dry overgrip like Tourna Grip Original Dry Feel, perhaps with a well-cushioned replacement grip underneath to ensure that the grip does not feel too harsh on the skin.

In addition, an incorrect grip size can contribute to blisters, so you should make sure that your new grip combination does not make the overall grip too large or indeed too small.

Best Tennis Grips For Dry Hands

If you suffer from dry hands, your grip requirements will be rather different. Tackiness will be the key here, as you will not want something that only becomes grippy when wet. In terms of an overgrip, Tourna Mega Tac is a popular tacky option. A ridged replacement grip such as Karakal Xtra will also prevent slipping without requiring moisture.

Best Comfortable Tennis Grips

Nobody wants their racket grip to feel harsh and uncomfortable, but some feel more soft and pleasant than others. The Wilson Cushion Aire Perforated grip is one good option, being Wilson’s most cushioned overgrip and offering a high level of moisture absorption. Equally, a high quality replacement grip like the Karakal X-Gel will offer lasting tackiness and moisture absorption, combined with enough padding to ensure comfort.

When and How to Replace Tennis Grips

It is generally suggested that you need to change an overgrip after every 6-8 hours of play. For most regular players, this means around once or twice per week. Similarly, for the main grip one to three changes per year are normally recommended.

It is important, however, not to regard these frequencies as set in stone. If either grip feels like it has seen better days, or is showing visual signs of deterioration, do not hesitate to change it. You will regret not doing so if your racket begins to slip in your hand at an important stage of a match.

In terms of method, overgrips are fairly straightforward to replace. Simply unwind the old one, and stick the narrow end of the new one at the butt-end of the racket grip. Wind it around diagonally, and trim as necessary, using tape to hold down the end if required. Tension needs to be applied to the overgrip as it is wound on, to ensure a good fit. Replacing the main grip can be a little trickier, as these are thicker and secured with stronger adhesive than any overgrip. The process is nonetheless similar, if a little slower. This does mean that only overgrips can be realistically changed during a match. 

Final Thoughts

People have many different skin types and perspire at different rates, meaning that there is no single type of grip which will suit everyone. Nonetheless, trying out some of the grips mentioned here will hopefully lead you to find one that is right for you.

How To Become A Tennis Coach (Easy Guide)


How to Become a Tennis Coach

There are many different types of tennis coaches. Some specialize in teaching beginners and young children, while others work almost exclusively with adult club players. A substantial number work with performance players, either in clubs or at colleges, while a few earn big money helping top players on the ATP and WTA tours.

Whichever type of coach you aspire to be, there are organizations that will train and certify you. This ensures that you will know what you are doing when you begin work, as well as providing reassurance to your customers. So, what is the best way to go about becoming a tennis coach?

To become a tennis coach, you must have the right background and qualifications, and get the necessary certification from two of the main governing bodies. Tennis coaches do not need to have a degree, although it might be helpful to have one. One of the most challenging aspects of becoming a tennis coach is finding students.

Do You Need A Degree To Become A Tennis Coach?

A good education is very helpful to any tennis coach. If you aim to work with performance players, an understanding of biomechanics and psychology will be extremely useful. Even if you work primarily with adult club players, many of these will be highly educated, and it will much easier to build a rapport and expand your business if you can converse with them on subjects other than tennis.

Having said all of this, a degree is not necessary for the vast majority of coaching jobs, with the only possible exception being roles at certain colleges where, as degree providers, they might regard possession of such a qualification as essential if you want to work there. 

Obtaining The Proper Certification (USPTA, ITF)

USPTA Certification

There is an established pathway to follow, depending upon how advanced a qualification you aim to obtain. The three principal levels of coaching qualification are:

Tennis Instructor

This is the most basic level of qualification which will start you on your way to becoming a tennis coach. A number of online courses need to be taken and completed, along with a 2-day workshop entitled ‘Teaching Essentials 1’. This qualification enables you to begin teaching, and makes you eligible for the USPTA’s liability insurance.

Professional

This is the main level of certification for anyone who intends to teach tennis as a full-time career. The training is more detailed than that required for a Tennis Instructor (although that qualification must be obtained first), consisting of 12 online courses, six one-hour webinars, and a three-day face-to-face workshop focused primarily on the teaching of groups.

Master Professional

This is the highest level of certification offered by the USPTA. To be eligible, you must have been coaching as a Professional for at least 10 years, as well as having completed 80 hours of specialist courses. You will also need to submit a portfolio detailing evidence of your accomplishments.

ITF Coach Education

It is also possible to undertake coach education courses and obtain certification via the International Tennis Federation. The primary aim of these courses is to train coaches in countries that do not have a well-established domestic coach education framework. Nonetheless, if you want a truly international qualification, the ITF courses are worth considering. Each course prepares you to work with players whose standard is measured by their International Tennis Number (ITN).

Play Tennis Course

Enables you to work with beginners (ITN 10) and young children. The course requires at least 32 hours of tutor contact.

Coaching Beginner And Intermediate Player Course

Allows you to work with players up to ITN 6, and requires 80 hours of tutor contact.

Coaching Advanced Players Course

Prepares you to coach players of up to ITN3 and needs 80 hours of tutor contact.

Coaching High Performance Players Course

Provides you with the knowledge required to work with players of the highest ITNs, up to 1, and requires 88 hours of tutor contact.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Tennis Coach?

Initially, you will need to ensure that your own playing standard and technique is adequate to allow you to coach the level of player you want to work with. This can take some time if you do not have a strong playing background. Once this is achieved, it is all about completing the relevant courses and obtaining certification.

Under the USPTA pathway, if you can find a convenient Teaching Essentials workshop it should be possible to qualify as a Tennis Instructor within a few weeks. To become a Professional requires six months of practical coaching experience alongside the completion of a large amount of online study. A Master Professional needs to have been coaching for at least 10 years following qualification as a Professional.

The ITF pathway requires set amounts of tutor contact, but, even if you can arrange this quickly, experience is vital, so it would be sensible to allocate at least 6 months to progress from one level to the next, and probably more for the higher ones. 

Tennis Coach Salary & Costs

Your expenses will depend on whether or not you are self-employed. Employed coaches will normally get free court time, balls and equipment, whereas self-employed coaches must pay for these, along with any travel costs. There are several estimates of the average salary for a tennis coach in the USA, in the range $40-50,000 p.a.

How To Be A Good Tennis Coach

Whole books have been written about this, but essentially you need to keep up to date with the latest developments in teaching methods and techniques, as well as ensure that you understand sports science and psychology. Most importantly, you need to create a healthy learning environment for your students, ensuring that they remain positive and motivated.

Final Thoughts

Coaching can be a great career. It can offer good money for some, but in any event, it provides a great working environment and enormous job satisfaction.

How To Win Points In Tennis (5 Ways)


The 5 Ways To Win Tennis Points

When you are playing a tennis match, your main aim is to win as many points as possible, but, if you are new to the game, you may not be aware of all of the ways in which this can be done. In this article, we will look at all the ways players can win tennis points.

There are 5 five ways of winning points: winners, double-bounces, errors by the opponent at the net, errors from the opponent where they hit the ball outside the court markings, and double-faults. Each of these ways gives the player one point.

How To Score Points In Tennis

In simple terms, tennis is a game, played on a court split in two by a net, in which your job is to hit the ball, using your racket, over the net, and make it land in the half of the court situated on the other side. Your opponent(s) will be standing on the other side of the net, and they need to hit the ball back over the net onto your half of the court. When one of you fails to do this, they lose the point. There are a number of rules which add a bit of detail to this, such as:

  1. The ball is only allowed to bounce at most once before you hit it back over the net. Unless you are returning a serve, you are allowed to hit the ball before it bounces if you prefer.
  2. Each point begins with a serve, for which the player needs to stand behind the baseline and hit the ball into a specifically marked box diagonally opposite, on the other side of the net. This must be returned after one bounce.
  3. If a player fails to hit their serve over the net into the correct box at the first attempt, they are allowed a second serve without penalty. 
  4. All shots must land in the marked court area on their first bounce, unless an opponent volleys them before they land. 

In general, if a player fails to fulfill any of the requirements of the rules, they lose the point.

Winners

These are the most satisfying way of winning a point. A player is said to hit a ‘winner’ when they hit the ball into their opponent’s half of the court, and their opponent does not manage to hit it before it bounces for the second time. A winner can come from a well-placed serve, a groundstroke or a volley. Some shots are winners because they are hit hard, beyond the reach of the opponent.

On other occasions, an opponent can be surprised by a ‘touch’ shot such as a drop-shot, and this can become a winner. Certain players are more aggressive and take more chances than others, and these players are likely to score more points with winners, but equally they may lose points due to mistakes more frequently than some.

Double Bounces

As explained earlier, the ball is only allowed to bounce at most once on your side of the net before you must return it. If a ball drops gently into the part of the court close to the net, perhaps due to a drop shot or a poor strike, you will need to race in quickly in order to hit it before it bounces for a second time. If you fail to do so, you lose the point.

Often, it is difficult to determine whether someone managed to hit the ball just before it bounced or just after, even for the player in question. If a match is umpired, the decision is taken by them, but, if there is no umpire, the player hitting the ball is responsible for calling double bounces. They will often be unsure, and will not be keen to concede the point if there may not have been a double bounce, so this can lead to arguments.

Opponent’s Error At The Net

During some rallies, one player will move forward to an area of the court close to the net. They will be aiming to volley the ball (hit it before it bounces) in order to rush their opponent and either hit a winner or force an error. If they have chosen a good moment to make this move, and their volleying technique is sound, they may well hit a winner or force an error from their opponent.

However, if their opponent hits a shot that challenges their volleying technique a little too much, they may well make an error themselves, either striking the ball into the net or beyond the court boundaries. By failing to hit the ball over the net and into the court they will lose the point. In general, any shot, wherever in the court it is played from, which fails to go over the net will result in a point being lost.

Opponent’s Error Outside Court Boundaries

The court is clearly marked with lines that apply during rallies and boxes which mark the area into which players must serve. If your opponent hits a shot that lands outside the relevant markings, you win the point.

Double Faults

If two successive serves fail to find the target area (the diagonally opposite service box), the point is lost. This is called a ‘double fault’.

Final Thoughts

There are many ways in which a point can be won or lost. It is important to know the rules so that you know where you stand in the event of a dispute.

How To Choose Tennis Bags (Look Out For This!)


How to choose a tennis bag

When you first start playing tennis, you will probably just head to the court with a racket, a tube of balls, and possibly a drink. You will wonder why the pros need those huge bags. As you get better and start to play more, you will want to take two or three rackets, a towel, clean tennis shoes, a sports drink, bananas, a first aid kit, a cap, a bandana, and a rainproof jacket.

There will be many more things that you might wish to take with you onto court, and, suddenly, those big tennis bags won’t look so silly after all.

When choosing a tennis bag, players should look for one that will accommodate all their rackets safely, and will have space for all of the extras they need – like food, towels, sunglasses, sunscreen, shoes, strings, and more. In addition, bags should be made of durable and preferably waterproof materials.

In this article, we will look at the key points to consider when making your choice, including the design and size of the bag. We will consider the options chosen by the pros, along with the price and value for money offered by different types of bag. In addition, we will point out one or two of the best bags currently available.

What To Look For In A Tennis Bag

There are many styles and sizes of tennis bags, from modest rucksacks, with space for one or two rackets with the handles protruding, to bags designed to accommodate up to 15 rackets and plenty of extras. Your first decision, therefore, will be how much space you need, bearing in mind that a smaller bag is naturally far easier to carry.

It is not a simple choice between a rucksack or a 15-racket leviathan: there are 3, 6, 9, and 12-racket options. All apart from the rucksack will be shaped to keep your rackets covered and protected, and each will have additional storage space proportional to the number of rackets it can accommodate. If you normally only carry two rackets, a towel, a drink and a tube of balls, a rucksack or a 3 racket bag should be enough.

More serious players will tend to take 4-6 rackets to a tournament, as well as lots of extras, which may mean that a 9 or 12-racket bag is needed (although a 6-racket bag will accommodate their rackets, there will not be room for much else). 

Essentially, you need to choose a bag that has plenty of room for your rackets as well as anything else you want to take. Don’t risk damaging the rackets by cramming too much into a modest-sized bag, but equally avoid buying something which you cannot comfortably lift.

Look out for useful extras such as a cool pocket and a shoe pouch. Finally, consider how you will be carrying your bag: any shoulder straps need to be easily adjustable and well padded. 

What Tennis Bags Do Tennis Pros Use?

Watch any tournament and you will see the players arrive on court laden down by the enormous amount of equipment they bring with them.

Typically, a top tennis player will carry a large 12-15 racket bag, along with, possibly, an additional shoulder bag or backpack. They need such a large bag primarily due to the substantial number of rackets they take to a tournament, although it will also need to accommodate sports drinks, spare shoes, and food.

As an example, players like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Emma Raducanu use the 15-racket Wilson Super Tour Bag, whilst Djokovic and Nadal use similarly substantial offerings from their long-time sponsors, Head and Babolat respectively. In essence, players will tend to use very large bags provided to them by their racket sponsors.

Are Tennis Bags Worth It?

When you spend $1,000 or more on rackets, you want them to be well protected. Only a tennis bag will have pockets that keep rackets separate from the rest of your equipment, as well as being shaped to keep them securely in place. For this reason alone, a tennis bag is a worthy investment.

In addition, they are easy to carry, considering their size, and help you to look the part. 

The Best Tennis Bags On The Market

This is entirely subjective, as there are many nicely designed bags that will transport your tennis gear safely. The latest models from the big racket makers will tend to be expensive, so if you care about value it may be good to buy the previous year’s version, which will inevitably be discounted, or consider a less famous manufacturer. A few good options are described below.

  • Geau Sport Axiom 9-Pack Tennis Bag v1.5 – Geau Sport is a manufacturer of premium tennis bags, and the Axiom 9-pack is, in our opinion, one of the best bags on the market. It is made of durable and waterproof materials, and is designed in a specific way to carry all your tennis equipment.
  • Babolat Pure Series 12 pack – This is a large bag, aimed at tournament players, which can be purchased in various styles to match your Babolat rackets. It has plenty of storage space and is popular with players. 
  • Vessel Baseline Tennis Racket Bag – Vessel is not known as a tennis brand, but this bag offers high-quality materials and a look that differs from the norm. This is ideal for a club player who is prepared to pay a bit more for quality and individuality. Its 6-racket design makes it easily portable, but means that it is on the small side for tournament play.
  • Nike Court Advantage Tennis Backpack – For occasional players, this bag is affordable and does everything you need. It is especially suitable if you walk or cycle to the courts.

How Much Do Tennis Bags Cost?

For a backpack or a smaller tennis racket bag, it is possible to get a good bag for $50-100. The larger bags favored by the pros will tend to cost $130-200, and if you want the luxury of the Vessel Baseline bag, that will currently set you back $265.

Final Thoughts

There are many great bags out there. Look for one that will accommodate all of your equipment while remaining easy to carry. If these boxes are ticked, see what is within your budget and simply find a style you like.

How To Choose A Tennis Stringing Machine (Quick Guide)


How to Choose Tennis Stringing Machine

Players who hit the ball hard, or apply a lot of spin, are likely to break a lot of strings. If you come into this category, you might well be starting to think that tennis is a very expensive game. A stringer may typically charge $15, plus the cost of the string, to render your racket as good as new. If you break several strings every month, the labor costs alone could easily reach $500-$1,000 per year.

The obvious way to avoid this outlay is to buy a stringing machine and do the job yourself. Even if you are not a frequent string breaker, you might relish the convenience of being able to string your own racket, and you may even be considering earning money by stringing rackets for other players. A wide variety of machines are available, and the best choice will depend upon your budget and the amount of stringing you plan to do.

Choosing the right tennis stringing machine depends on how frequently you break strings, your budget, and how precise you need to be with the tension. Drop-weight machines are cheap but can be less precise – a good choice for frequent recreational players. Electronic machines are expensive but very precise. Lockout machines offer a good compromise.

In this article we will look at the different types of stringing machine you can buy, along with roughly how much each is likely to cost. We will discuss when it is worth buying your own machine, and will briefly look at some of the best machines for beginners, along with one of the best value options. By the end, you will hopefully have a better idea of how to go about finding the best equipment. 

Types Of Tennis Stringing Machine

There are three main categories of stringing machine: drop-weight, lockout, and electronic. All use some form of clamp to fix the racket to a turntable, and to keep the string taut before you finally tie it off, but they differ in terms of the mechanism they use to stretch, or ‘tension’ the string.

The cheapest option is a drop-weight machine. These are likely to be the smallest stringing machines, as they are not particularly complicated, and can be reasonably portable. The standard design uses a weight fixed to a lever. The string to be tensioned is attached to this simple mechanism, and the weight is allowed to fall, stretching the string. The string is then clamped, allowing the next one to be worked on. The position of the weight on the lever can be adjusted to produce different tensions. This method works perfectly well, but it is slower and less accurate than the approaches used in the other two types of machine.

Many mid-range machines use a spring-loaded mechanism to stretch the string. A hand-crank is turned until the correct tension is reached, at which point the mechanism ‘locks-out’, applying a brake to maintain tautness. A clamp is applied to the string, and the next length is tensioned. The tension is normally set by turning a wheel with a graduated scale reflecting how tightly the internal spring is being compressed, which will match the tension applied to the string at lockout. These machines are easy and quick to use, and tend to be more accurate than drop-weight machines. Their weakness is the lockout concept which, while very convenient, gives the string the opportunity to stretch prior to clamping. This can result in an unknown amount of tension loss, compromising accuracy.

Most of the more expensive machines use a computer-controlled electric motor to apply tension to the string. They normally use a constant-pull approach, whereby the tension is maintained once it is set, even if the string stretches prior to clamping. This makes electronic machines more accurate than the other two options. The electronic control system allows for more advanced features such as pre-tensioning of the string. Some machines even remember the user’s preferences for height, etc, and can be restored to the most ergonomically efficient position at the touch of a button. Professional stringers will almost exclusively use electronic constant-pull machines.

How Much Do Tennis Stringing Machines Cost?

A simple drop-weight tennis stringing machine can be obtained for $200-$300. You can expect to pay $750-$1,500 for a lockout machine with a spring-loaded mechanism. An electronic constant-pull machine will typically set you back around $1,000-$7,000, so a top-of-the-range model can be a very significant purchase.

Is It Worth Buying A Tennis Stringing Machine?

If you are only looking to string your own rackets, a drop-weight machine or a cheap lockout model will soon pay for itself if you are a regular string breaker – which will make it a worthy investment.

It may, however, be a plan to actually try stringing a racket on a borrowed machine before you buy your own, as not everyone enjoys the rather repetitive process. If it will make you miserable, you will not find buying a machine worthwhile in any way. If you do enjoy stringing, and want to make a profession out of it, a good quality electronic machine will be a good buy.

Best Tennis Stringing Machines For Beginners

As a beginner, you will probably want to buy a relatively cheap drop-weight tennis stringing machine to assess whether you wish to continue stringing without an enormous outlay.

Machines like the Klippermate and Gamma Progression 200 offer good value at under $300 and would be ideal for someone starting out in stringing. If you have a slightly higher budget, the Gamma 5003 W is a lockout machine retailing at around $1,200-$1,500, and might be easier to use than a drop-weight machine.

Best Stringing Machines For The Money 

The drop-weight and lockout machines mentioned in the previous paragraph offer excellent value, but if you would like an electronic machine offering good quality at a relatively affordable price, the Gamma X-ELS, retailing at just over $1,500 at time of writing, would be a good choice.  

Final Thoughts

Stringing your own rackets will save you money in the long-term, and can even turn into a money-making job. Ideally, you will want to try out different types of machine before investing in one, perhaps by attending a stringing course. In combination with the information in this guide, this experience should help you to find the ideal machine for your needs.

Best Tennis Tips for Beginners (from Pros)


Best Tennis Beginner Tips

If you have watched other people enjoying tennis, whether they were ordinary club players or highly skilled professionals, you may have decided that this is something you would like to try for yourself. You might have ambitions of being the next Djokovic or Osaka, or you may simply want to keep fit and meet new people, whilst enjoying some friendly competition.

Whatever your ultimate aim, you will need to begin by purchasing some key items of equipment and learning the basics of the game. So, what are the most important tips to help you make the best possible start to what will hopefully be many years of enjoying tennis?

Tennis beginners need to learn the main rules and the most commonly used shots. They need to buy appropriate clothing, balls, and a racket. The best tips for beginners are that it is vital that they enjoy themselves, so they should avoid getting too technical, and finish every practice session feeling positive.

What Should A Beginner Learn In Tennis?

If your aim is to eventually play in competitions, you will need to know the rules of the game in some detail. As a beginner, however, there are a few key things you need to be aware of.

In particular, rules like whether and when a ball is allowed to bounce, what is ‘in’ and what is ‘out’, how to serve, and how the scoring system works, are crucial if you want to play the game.

Having learned some basic rules, you can turn your attention to hitting the ball. It is very helpful if you can work in conjunction with a coach, as this will assist you in getting into good habits and avoiding bad ones. Being well taught when you start to play the game can help you to avoid many difficulties later on.

Most coaches will start by teaching you to hit a forehand. They will concentrate on helping you to hold the racket in an appropriate grip, and making a simple, smooth, swing. As you hit the ball, you will be encouraged to move the racket from low to high, in order that you can impart a small amount of topspin.

A similar approach will be used on the backhand side, although a good coach will give you the option of choosing a single or double-handed shot. Either way, simplicity will be crucial at this stage, combining a smooth action with a ‘low to high’ movement when striking the ball.

When you have played a few times, volleys will be introduced, using a ‘chopper’ grip and a short, punchy motion.

Best Beginner Tips For Serve

Once you can hit the ball over the net, your coach will start to help you to learn to serve. The crucial point to focus on is that the serve requires a throwing action. Before you try to hit an actual serve, it is therefore really useful to practice throwing a ball using a technique a little like the serve.

Many coaches will suggest that you stand sideways behind the baseline and hold a ball in your racket hand. Point forwards and up with your non-racket hand, and bend the elbow of your racket arm, so you begin to look rather like Usain Bolt. Finally, bend your knees, then simultaneously straighten them and throw the ball forwards and upwards as far as you can. With practice, the ball should go well over the net every time.

The progression is to put a ball in your non-racket hand too, and throw it in the air first, trying to hit it with the other ball when you throw it. Finally, pick your racket up and hold it in a continental grip, whilst holding a ball in your other hand. Adopting a position like the one you practiced, lower then raise your non-racket arm to throw the ball up, placing it fairly high in front of you. ‘Throw’ the racket at the ball (without releasing it!), and eventually, you will learn to strike it cleanly into the court. The action is complicated, so it will take a while to master.

Best Beginner Tips For Equipment

Clothing-wise, buy proper tennis clothes, as these will allow you to move the way you need to and will give you confidence that you look the part. Equally, shoes designed specifically for tennis will give the support your foot and ankle need when moving around the court, and will not make unsightly marks on the playing surface.

Make sure that the shoes are suitable for the specific court surface you will be playing on. It is possible to get some real bargains by searching online, so there is no need to spend an enormous amount of money on clothes and shoes when you are just starting out.

To start with, buy a cheap racket from a bulk supplier like Walmart. Once you decide that you like playing the game, and have developed your own playing style, you can invest in something more expensive.

As far as tennis balls go, look for a cheap deal on balls from a major manufacturer. Don’t buy low-quality unbranded balls or use old worn-out ones.

Don’t Get Too Caught Up On Technique

Getting the basics right is important, but don’t worry too much if your forehand doesn’t look like Federer’s. Learn to play and enjoy the game first, and develop your technique as you progress.

Always End Practice On A Good Note

To ensure that you keep enjoying the game, make sure that each practice session ends with you feeling positive. This can either mean stopping after a success, or simply reminding yourself of the good progress you have made during the session.

Final Thoughts

Tennis is a great game to learn. Start the right way and you will enjoy playing it for a long time.