Having the correct, personal tennis racket will ultimately pay off in dividend – not only on the court – but in your tennis loving heart as well. Obviously there are many various models of tennis rackets available on the market – and when it comes time for you to go out and get one of your own – you will want to make sure you choose correctly.

First – go to extra lengths to ensure that the tennis racket you select is the RIGHT one for your body type, muscle tone, and skill level in the game. To make certain that you do choose the correct racket for yourself, you must have a fairly good idea WHAT to be looking for.

Perhaps the number one thing to consider, is ease of use. You want a tennis racket that feels right when you hold it, that you can grasp firmly, that isn’t too heavy, too bottom heavy, or top heavy – and one that is easy to swing. Probably the last thing you want is to find yourself out on the sunny tennis courts with a tennis racket that is unbearable to play with. This would not only affect your playing ability – it could also weigh heavily on your love of the game.

You should be able to choose that racket which is easy to use and you can easily navigate. This means that it should come in handy and while playing the game, such racket will make it easier for you to move.

The price is another important thing to consider – along with what the tennis racket is made out of. What the racket is made from could affect the cost so it would be prudent to familiarize yourself with a bit of knowledge on what the different types of materials the various rackets are made from. This will only help in your final decision making process.

Finally, when you have done all this, you will have a very good idea of all the aspects involved with choosing a good tennis racket and will be armed with the correct knowledge to go out and find the right racket for you.

Learn more about selecting the right tennis raquet. Stop by Timothy Boswell’s site where you can find out all about how to go about finding the right tennis raquet to improve your game.

The Australian Open once again got the tennis year off to a great start and whetted out appetite for the forthcoming season. The master they call Roger Federer once again lifted that famous trophy, sending out a warning to all his opponents that he’s still the man to beat.

There again, it’s still very early in the season, and way too early to write anyone off yet. Look at the surprises last year threw up, a prime example being Juan Martin Del Potro winning the US Open title by beating Federer in the final.

Melanie Oudin, the 18 year old American, had a terrific 2009 and could really break through this year. Reaching the semi final in the US Open was the highlight of last year, who’s to say she won’t do even better this year?

On the women’s tour there is the young American Melanie Oudin, she as the surprise package at the 2009 US Open by beating some very big names to reach the semi final stage.

A young man with the aspirations to take Federer’s crown is Marin Cilic. A top ten player at only 21, he has started this year with 15 wins and only 1 loss. Watch out for him this year to really rattle the top players. The depth of his game at this young age is staggering, and he can only get better.

Nikolay Davydenko is no newcomer, but at 28 seems to be finally getting the recognition he deserves as a great player. In their last three meetings he has beaten Federer twice, which will no doubt be a thorn in Federer’s size.

The next player has been around for quite a while but is enjoying a great resurgence in his career. 28 year old Nikolay Davydenko is in the form of his life and has risen to #6 in the world.

Finally these are behind him and he is enjoying his tennis again. Currently ranked no.6, his recent form against Federer in particular has been very impressive. On form both physically and mentally, watch out for some great results from Davydenko in the coming year.

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If tennis is your game you’ll have to work hard to play your best. As with any sport, it requires a great deal of commitment and dedication. You have to practice as much as possible to be successful.

First and foremost, you need a good court to play on. The surface and nets should be well maintained. It also is helpful to have a storage area for your personal items.

Before you begin practicing you should always stretch your muscles. By stretching you will prevent injuries. Spend about 15 minutes before working out and you won’t pull or cramp your muscles.

When you decide on what you’re going to wear to practice make sure it’s comfortable as well as attractive. You’ feel better and will be able to play your best if your clothes aren’t scratchy or ill-fitting. The more comfortable you are the less distracted you will be by your clothes.

Do you practice with a partner? If so, start by volleying at the net. Gradually move to the baseline. As you get warm you should try to make harder shots so that you can improve your reaction time.

You may want to treat your practice matches like real ones. Ask a friend to keep score to chart your performance. This way you can keep your competitive edge before a real match. Scrimmages are great for preparing for tournaments and maintaining your mental sharpness.

If you practice with out a partner try placing orange cones on either side of the net. Then try to aim your shots to hit the cones. To start, place the cones in areas you find easy to hit. Then move them farther away and to more hard to reach places. This will help improve your game.

It’s a good idea to use the same tennis racket in practice as you do in matches. This will help you play on a consistent level. Switching rackets when going to play actual matches can make you uncomfortable and interrupt your quality of play.

These suggestions should help you get make the most out of your time on the court. If you want to play better there’s no substitute for hard work and dedication.

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August 12th, 2009 was a beautiful, sunny Wednesday morning in Montreal. Because I was working at the Rogers Cup, I got admission to the grounds and had specifically asked for Wednesday off so I would be able to go check out all the players’ practices. It was really a loaded draw with the most talented ten competing during the day.

At 11 that day, a friend and I walked over to Court four where the world’s No.1, Roger Federer, was expected to get there at 11:30am. Already jam packed with about a few hundred people, there was barely any room to move.

As the time neared, the place was packed with fans who enthusiastically waited to get a glimpse of the Swiss Maestro. With the sun soaring at 95 degrees fahrenheit, we watched him warm up and start hitting balls. To be frank, it was quite uneventful and was supposed to last 2 hours.

So, slowly, we squeeze out of the crowd and come to an open space. I look up at Court four on the other side to see a tall, lanky player dressed in a pink Nike T-shirt and white shorts hitting a few balls. I try to look closer and indeed came to see it was Juan Martin Del Potro.

As he came to the exit gate, there were 6 fans waiting for him to earn his signature and he did sign. As he signed my picture and proceeded to my pal, I told him “I wish you the best of luck in your competition today.”

He turned around and had a huge grin on his face and claimed “Thank you so much for your support.” He seemed like he was extremely pleased about what I had said to him.

As he won yesterday, the irony of this situation just came to my thoughts. The fact that essentially nobody was at hand to root for him and Federer had a ton of fans. Sometimes, it is better to be let alone than to be constantly followed.

Del Potro played a fabulous match this week and is totally worthy of his championship. Vamos!

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Tennis psychology is the same as understanding the workings of your opponent’s mind, and assessing the effect of your own game on his/her head and also understanding the mental 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 occurring under various circumstances. This is because you react differently in different moods and under different conditions.

You must understand the effect on your game of the resulting irritation, pleasure, confusion, or whatever other form your reaction takes. Does it increase your efficiency? If so, strive for it, but never offer it to your opponent. Does it rob you of concentration? If so, either remove the cause, or if that is not possible, try to ignore it.

Once you have accurately measured your own reaction to circumstances, observe your opponents in order to decide their characters. Similar temperaments react similarly, and you may judge men of your own sort by yourself. Other characters you must seek to compare with people whose reactions you know.

Someone who can control his/her own psychology stands an great chance of determining those of another for the minds works along definite lines of thought and can be examined. One may only regulate one’s own mental processes after examining them meticulously.

A steady, unemotional baseline player is seldom a quick thinker. If he were, he would not stay on the baseline. The physical appearance of a player is often a fairly clear indicator of his/her type of mind. The stolid, easy-going player, who normally advocates the baseline game, does it because he does not want to activate up his/her slow mind to think out a reliably safe strategy of getting to the net.

However, then there is the other type of baseline player, who would prefer to remain at the rear of the court while supervising an attack intended to disrupt up your game. He is a much more dangerous player and a deep, keen thinking antagonist. He achieves his/her results by changing his/her length and direction and worrying you with the variety of his/her game. This player is a very good psychologist.

The first sort 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 plan and sticks to it.

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

This article is for new or intermediate Table Tennis players who are buying a new table tennis table or wish to upgrade, we will be talking about what you need to look for when buying a table tennis table.

Remember they want your cash!

All manufacturers are trying to convince you that their product is the best for you! So you must get it clear in your mind what you need from a new table. You must focus on what is important to YOU before you buy a table. Are you playing with a few mates in the garage after school, or can you see yourself as the next Olympic Champion, because in this day and age not many people have got money to burn right!

Is this your Families First Table Tennis Table.

If you intend to allow all of the family to use the table I would suggest looking to the budget end of the market. Lets face it young families tend to give a table a hard time when learning, so it makes sense to buy carefully at first, and later upgrade if somebody shows real flare and commitment to the sport.

Fixed or Folding Table.

Few people have the room to leave a table tennis table set up permanently in the house so i would recommend a folding table as they are very easy to use, and make good starter tables. Ensure the table can be setup and closed by 1 person. Good tables have rollers so you can move it around. You don’t want your table to move during play, so ensure the brakes work well.

Even if you determine that you can leave your table set up all the time, things can, and inevitably do change so a folding table can make very good sense in the long term.There are many factors to consider when making a big purchase such as this.

Is Table Thickness an issue?

Tables that are used for competitions are always 25mm or 1 inch thick and are quite expensive for most users. I think most people will be perfectly happy with a good quality 19mm table. I’m sure even Olympic champions didn’t start on top spec competition standard tables so consider all the options first. Manufacturers like Stiga make marvellous tables, so unless you can find a 25mm table at an irresistable price, this would be my recommendation.

When you are playing competitions it makes sense to practice on a table of the same standard as your competetors, so now is a good time to upgrade.

Don’t just look at the playing surface.

Good tables don’t just have a great playing surface, make sure you check out the support legs. All good tables have leg levellers. This is essential if you plan on playing outdoor table tennis. All Tables should be 76cm from ground level. Quality is crucial if you want your table to last, so look at the ancillaries like net fittings, are they going to fall apart?

All these small points add up and you deserve to get a good quality product for your money. These days good quality and value for money are important and if you follow these points I’m sure you will find a great table

Paul Bucannon has been playing Table Tennis for many years, and knows how vital it is to get a quality product for a great price when Buying a Table Tennis Table Take a look at his site for more money saving information for your next Table Tennis Table

Anybody that watches women’s tennis can not fail to notice the advances in game over the last 30 years or so.

Women seem to be a lot stronger and faster in the sport lately. Here is my opinion of who I think are the top 7 players since 1980 in women’s tennis, in reverse order.

7. Venus Williams, her achievements in her Grand Slams and her Wimbledon wins just go to show what an immense talent this woman is, and with her rivalry with her sister Serena this woman just seems to grow each year.

6. Justine Henin, still only 27 years of age, Justine at her peak was a match for both of the Williams sisters, but she retired at the peak of her career, and only now has started to make a comeback. Let’s just hope she can recreate her previous form.

5. Monica Seles, Monica was an awesome prospect, and after winning 9 Grand slams at an early age she was tipped to become one of the all time great women players; but after she was stabbed in an incident, Monica failed to reproduce her best Tennis, and subsequently seems to have faded from the spotlight.

4. Chris Evert. Chris was an icon of both the Seventies and Eighties and managed to win 18 grand slams in her glittering career.

3. Serena Williams: another powerhouse Tennis player, Serena can go toe to toe with any women’s player around today, a real force to be reckoned with in today’s tennis.

2. Martina Navratilova. This lady was a dominant force in women’s Tennis for over a decade and her 18 Grand slam victories plus numerous other titles in her career says it all.

1. Steffi Graf, I think that the fact that Steffi had won an amazing 22 career Grand slams just gave her the edge over Martina for the top spot. This girl would be a match for anybody on her day, but as I said earlier this is just my opinion.

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If you are a follower of Tennis, you will realize that a lot of changes have occurred since the great days of 30 years ago. The racquets are a lot different for starters, and the style of playing has altered dramatically.

Why don’t we just go back to the Eighties for a moment and try to remember some of the great Tennis players that showed us their talents back then.

The 1980’s has to be synonymous with undoubtedly the greatest ever player to have graced the Tennis courts, that is until his retirement at an early age. This could only be the one and only Bjorn Borg.

Another great Swede to entertain us all on the Tennis courts had to be none other that Stefan Edberg. This man could serve and volley for fun, and it was this talent that eventually got him to the number one spot in Tennis, but that was more to the end of the Eighties.

Another excellent player of the Decade had to be the German Maestro, none other than Boris Becker. Another great talent who is probably best remembered for his Wimbledon win when he was only a teenager.

Then there was the Great Czech, Ivan Lendl. Lendl won a few grand slams and quite a few more tournaments in his time, but his baseline play was probably his greatest feature.

I suppose the most memorable player of the Eighties had to be the American bad boy, John McEnroe. Not only was he a brilliant player at singles but he was a mean doubles player as well, and when things did not go all his own way, he always used to shout at the line judges “you cannot be serious, the ball was in!” – unforgettable and fun.

All of these played a major contribution to Tennis in the Eighties, along with many others, but when I think of Eighties Tennis, these are the ones I remember the most.

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There is no question that tennis elbow can have a tremendous effect on your daily activities. For most people suffering with this injury, grasping a coffee cup in the morning can be extremely painful and difficult.

If you really want to beat this debilitating injury, there are 3 simple tennis elbow exercises you can perform to help increase the range of motion, decrease stiffness, improve mobility and strength of your injured muscles and tendons.

Tennis Elbow Exercises 1 – Wrist Extension For this exercise, you will again need the can of soup or a 1 liter of soda. Place a soup can or 1 liter of soda in your hand with palm facing downwards toward the floor. Support your forearm at the edge of a table or on your knee so that only your hand can move. Let the wrist down slowly go past parallel to almost 90 degrees with your forearm and then slowly come back up to parallel with the floor.

Tennis Elbow Exercises 2 – Forearm Pronation/Supination For this exercise, I recommend you use a hammer, wrench, something that you can get a nice grip on. Once you have something in your hand with forearm supported by the arm of a chair, your knee or coffee table. Rotate hand to palm down position, return to start position (hammer perpendicular to floor), rotate to palm up position, repeat. To increase or decrease the resistance, try moving your hand farther away or closer towards the head of the hammer. In other words, if you are grasping the hammer at the very end of the handle and the head of the hammer is the furthest away from your hand, then this will be the most challenging and greatest resistance for you

Tennis Elbow Exercises 3 – Finger Extension Interweave a thick rubber band around all five fingers. Keeping your elbow as straight as possible [but if you feel pain when you completely straighten your arm only straighten as far as you can without pain], try to straighten and spread your fingers outwards as if you were going to catch a softball. Hold for three seconds, then let your fingers relax naturally; do not close your hand completely. For added resistance, use a second rubber band. Repeat for 25 repetitions for 3 sets.

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The fast, unpredictable, net-rushing tennis-player is a creature of impulse. There is no real system to his/her attack, no comprehension of your game. He will make brilliant coups at the drop of a hat, largely by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an interesting sort of character.

The really dangerous player is the one who mixes his/her style from back to fore court at 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 query 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 fixes his/her mind on one plan and adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely fighting to the end, with no thought of changing.

He is the player whose psychology is rather easy to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is difficult to upset, for he never permits himself to think of anything except the business at hand. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of Johnston.

Pick out your type from your own mental pattern, and then plan your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are in the same class as regards stroke, strength and equipment, the deciding factor in any game is the mental standpoint. Luck, as it is called, is usually no more than grasping the psychological value of a break in the game, and turning it to your own account. People talk a lot about the “shots we have made.” But few people realize the importance of the “shots we have missed.”

The science 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 shocked and put off his stride, realizing that your shot could 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 stolen some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his/her chance of error: all this by a miss.

If you had merely popped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt increasingly confident of your inability to put the ball out of his/her reach, while you would merely have been winded without result.

Let’s just say that you had succeeded with that shot down the sideline. It was an apparently impossible get. 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 upsets your opponent, because he feels that he has lost a big opportunity.

The psychology involved in a game of tennis is very interesting, but readily understandable. Both player begin with equal chances. However, once one player has gained a real advantage, his/her confidence rises, while his/her opponent stresses, and his/her mental viewpoint becomes weaker. The only objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thereby maintaining his/her confidence.

If the second player draws even or pulls ahead, the inevitable reaction is 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 sure-fire 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 should take a look at our website entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners