essential Tennis Blog

Tennis Match Nerves

allen-dave — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:03:49 +0000

Nerves, hebejebes, yips whatever you call it most of us have felt the pressure of trying to win at some stage. As a regular club tennis player I have experienced this on numerous occasions, most recently in the men’s double final at my local club. I found myself becoming more and more frustrated, resulting in the frailties in my game rearing their ugly head. The problem I had was trying to think clearly and remind myself to go back to basics, move my feet and watch the ball onto the racket etc. Ultimately I guess it just comes down to confidence, I have therefore come to the conclusion that the more I play in competitive situations the easy it will become? Does anyone out there have any words of wisdom they can share with me on this subject?

Playing Tennis with a Back Problem

allen-dave — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:41:07 +0000

A number of years ago I slipped a disc in my lower back resulting in 3 years away from the game I love. After hundreds of physio visits, back exercises on the lounge floor and long walks later, I started to play again. Eventually the penny dropped and I realised that if I wanted to play tennis regularly I had to keep on top of my back problem and do stretching and core stability exercises on a daily basis. I have also taken up Tai Chi albeit reluctantly and am now able to play 4 sets of tennis again. If anyone has any thoughts on this BLOG or have encounter similar problems I would love to hear from you.

Will the tennis training wall improve my game?

allen-dave — Tue, 10 May 2011 08:38:48 +0000

As this Tennis Rebound Net is infinately adjustable it allows the user to practice all types of strokes by altering the trajectory of the ball. Player can concentrate on areas of weakness in their game in my case backhand drives and volleys.

Do I need to send my tennis ball machine to you for repair?

allen-dave — Tue, 10 May 2011 08:17:01 +0000

Firstly it is important we understand the problem with your Tennis Ball machine as in some instances replacement spare parts can be sent with full fitting instructions. If this is not the case and your machine needs to be inspected in our workshop, we require it to be boxed securely prior to collection. Once this has been done simiple contact us on (01268) 471741 and we will arrange for a courier to collect on a day suitable for you.

Which range of Tennis Ball Machines suits a young family?

allen-dave — Wed, 04 May 2011 14:57:06 +0000

We were recently asked the question, what type of tennis ball machine would be suitable for both young children and adults. The Lobster Elite range of machines are able to accept low compression tennis balls which are ideal for children from the age of 4 years and above. With six ball machines to choose from in the range the Elites can be tamed for young ones or used to challenge the most able of players.

How good was Federer in the recent APT Tour Final?

allen-dave — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:19:57 +0000

I’m not a expert but I thought he played absolutely brilliantly. I realise the surface suited his game and perhaps was not ideal for Nadal but never-the-less I haven’t seen him play tennis like that for some time. I was particularly impressed with the manner he dealt with Nadal’s topsin forehand out to the his backhand, which in the past he has always struggled to deal with.

Tennis Tips from the Pros

allen-dave — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:13:45 +0000

When watching the pros play I always try and pick up a few tips to experiment with. During the recent APT Tour finals it was mentioned that Federer always keeps his head still when playing his strokes, unlike many of the other top players who rotate their heads with their bodies. I have now tried this technique for myself and I have to say so far so good. My balance is definitely better and the stroke is much sweeter. As long as I continue to remember this small point I am hoping my shot will become much smoother.

Mini Tennis Great for Kids

allen-dave — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:07:21 +0000

My 5 year old son is keen to play tennis, hopefully he will enjoy the game as much as I did when I was young. Thinking about what it was like when I started , every Friday evening during the summer I would go along to my local clubs (where my wife and I still play) coaching session, but with between 25 -30 children on the court there wasn’t much coaching going on. However the limited tuition didn’t bother me at all, I was just interested in playing and couldn’t wait to join the wannabe pro’s to practice our new skills, I even found serving fun. The pinnacle of the session however was the game of ‘run around’ at the end of the class, whereby each child would take it in turns hitting a ball over the net, hopefully in the court and then running around to the other side and joining the queue. As you can image with 30 kids on court and 3 lives each this game could go on a while. Particularly with many kids choosing to hit the ball ridiculously high over the net to give him/herself time to run to the other side of the net to play his/her next shot.

Although times have changed with Mini Tennis Nets and ball and only a third of the children in one class, I was still please to see that the old favourite ‘run around’ was at the top of the list of fun games to play albeit without the balls hit into orbit.

Tennis Umpire Chairs for 2012 Olympics

allen-dave — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:43:20 +0000

It was great to be approached to submit a Tender to supply Tennis Umpire Chairs for the 2012 Olympics. The Olympic commitee seem to be leaving up to their promise of sourcing products from local companies where possible.

Speed of Serve

allen-dave — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:36:16 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to test the speed of my serve using a Speedtrac X radar during a competition run at my local tennis club. I managed to hit an 87mph serve when no one was about and therefore it wasn’t recorded. Once the crowds had gathered I struggled to serve faster then 75mph. Just about sums up my tennis.