Posts Tagged ‘wimbledon’

The History Of Tennis Balls

A tennis ball is very distinct and are used by millions of children and adults all over the world for playing tennis, naturally, but many, many other less formal games as well. They are not just the correct size for tennis, presumably anyway at 2.7 inches or 6.7 centimetres in diameter, but they also fit neatly into a hand or a dog’s mouth. Consequently people use them for playing catch, for various games of softball like rounders and for throwing for the dog to bring back.

When I was a child, all tennis balls were white, but now you would be very hard pushed indeed to find a white one if, if indeed it is at all possible. These days, all tennis balls are day-glow colours like yellow, green and orange. Presumably this change was made for the purpose of visibility on the TV screen.

The word ‘tennis’ comes from the French – ‘Tenez’ (pronounced ‘teney’), which meant ‘Take up Position’ or simply ‘Start’. The origins of tennis were almost certainly well over a thousand years ago, when it was played by monks. The racquet or racket was the flat of the hand and the ball was wooden.

No-one is really sure whether the next innovation was to wear leather mitts or to change the ball to leather, but whichever it was, there was obviously a move to make the game less painful. When the ball changed from being wooden, it was made of animal skin, most frequently leather, sewn up with intestines and stuffed with anything that came to hand, such as straw, wool and hair – animal and human.

The thing is that these early wooden and leather balls did not bounce, so the game was very different back then. In due course, the monks began using ‘racquets’, but they looked more like bats than modern day tennis racquets.

In Disraeli’s book, “Sybil” (1845), the story line reveals how Lord Eugene De Vere was to travel to Hampton Court to play tennis, so the game was a recognized sport then, but it took until the late Nineteen Century for the game that we play today to be formalized by a set of rules. In 1874, Major Walter Wingfield was granted the patent for the rules and apparatus of ‘lawn tennis’ and not much has changed since.

The next year tennis courts were established in the USA and then the game of tennis spread like wildfire. Wingfield set down the rules of the game and the sort of apparatus to be used. The game has not altered much since then in essence, but it has changed a great deal nevertheless. The outline of the court is different now and science has been applied to the equipment to improve it.

The original ball in the late Nineteenth Century was manufactured of solid rubber and so would have been quite weighty, but at least it did bounce which instantly made the game more interesting and more lively. A bouncing ball made tennis into a more interesting game to play and a more interesting game to watch. The rubber ball allowed tennis to be a spectator sport that crowds would pay to watch.

Contemporary tennis balls have a rubberized skin, which is about eighty percent rubber, filled with air and covered by a layer of ‘hairy’ felt. The felt is vital because it gives the surface of the ball more grip and can standardize the bounce as well. It also gives the ball a more predictable flight path even in the presence of wind.

The last feature of contemporary tennis balls is the air inside. This can either be pressurized or non-pressurized. Pressurized balls give a better bounce when new, but they lose pressure with time and so are less consistent, whereas non-pressurized balls actually improve slightly with use, which is considered a benefit.

If you are a novice tennis player or are interested in tennis balls and other tennis equipment, please visit our website called Tennis Tips for novices

The French Open

It is pretty unlikely that you will not have heard of the French Open tennis championship, because it is a competition which is an annual 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 about two weeks is held in Paris at the Roland Garros Stadium, from which it got its name.

The French Open is one of the most advertised and broadcast sports events in the whole world of sport and many VIP’s go to it. The attendees of the game are fanatics who await with baited breath every stroke, especially when there is a close struggle between the two teams, trying their best to win. TV viewers actually get a feeling of being there live too.

The French Open tennis championship comes in second on the annual schedule of the Grand Slam tournaments and its history goes back to the year of 1891 when it became an international competition. At that time 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 join in this competition, but things took a different turn in 1925, when the French open tennis tournament finally was accessible to foreign players. In 1912, the ground the players used was made of red brick dust. Actually the crushed brick was formed into red clay that covered 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 word ‘open’ was has been used since 1968, when the tournament allowed 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.

If you are a beginner tennis player or want to know more about the general psychology of tennis, just go to our site entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners

Tennis Clothes

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 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 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 novice tennis player or want to know more about the general psychology of tennis, just visit our website entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners

Tennis Psychology (Part 1)

Tennis psychology is the same as understanding the workings of your opponent’s mind and gauging the effect of your own game on his/her mental viewpoint and also understanding the psychological effects resulting from the various external causes on your own mind.

Nevertheless, it is also true that you no one can be a successful psychologist of others without first understanding his own psychology. So, you have to study the effect on yourself of the same thing happening under different conditions. This is because people react differently in different moods and under different conditions.

You must realize the effect on your game of the ensuing irritation, pleasure, confusion, or whatever other form your reaction is. Does it improve your prowess? If so, strive for it, but never give it to your opponent. Does it rob you of concentration? If so, either remove the reason, or if that is not possible, strive to ignore it.

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

A person who can control his/her own mental processes has an great chance of reading those of another for the mind works along definite lines of thought and can be examined. One can only control one’s own mental processes after carefully studying them.

The regular, unemotional baseline player is rarely a quick thinker. If he were, 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 impassive, easy-going player, who normally displays the baseline game, does it because he does not want to stir up his/her torpid mind to work out a reliably safe strategy of reaching the net.

However, then there is the other sort of baseline player, who would prefer to remain at the rear of the court while supervising an attack intending to disrupt up your game. He is a very dangerous player and a deep, keen thinking antagonist. He gets 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 sort of tennis player mentioned above just hits the ball without much thought about what he is really doing, while the latter always has a definite plan and adheres to it.

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

The Psychology of Tennis (Part 2)

The hard-hitting, erratic, net-rushing tennis-player is a creature of impulse. There is no real strategy to his/her game, no comprehension of your game-plan. He will make brilliant rallies at the drop of a hat, mostly by instinct; but there is no, no consistent thinking. It is an interesting type of character.

The most dangerous player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court under the command of an ever-active mind. This/her is the player to study. He is a player with a definite intention. 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 dogged determination that sets his/her mind on one strategy and sticks to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the bitter end, with never a thought of changing his gameplan.

He is the player whose psychology is fairly easy to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he never permits himself to think about 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 pattern, and then work out 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 viewpoint. Luck, so-called, is often grasping the psychological value of a break in the game, and turning it to your own account. We hear a great deal about the “shots players have made.” Few understand the importance of the “shots players have 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 drives you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard for it, and having reached it, you drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is surprised and shaken, knowing that your shot could just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to try it again and he will not take the risk 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, just because of a miss.

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

Let’s suppose that you made the shot down the sideline. It was an apparently 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 upsets your opponent, as he thinks that he has thrown away a big chance.

The psychology of a tennis match is fascinating, but easily 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 standpoint becomes poor. The sole aim of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thus holding his/her confidence.

If the second player draws even or pulls ahead, the inevitable reaction occurs with an even more drastic 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.

If you are fascinated by the psychology of tennis, you ought to go to our website called Tennis Tips for Beginners

Tennis Fundamentals

I trust that this first effort 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 cast a new light on the game of tennis.

I will address the beginner 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 beginner even if he really is trying to succeed. However, one has to buy good quality; it is a saving in the end, as good 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 make of racquet upon any player, since all the famous 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 selected your racquet, make a firm decision to buy only quality 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 see all the good tennis you can. Study the play of the leading players and try to emulate their strokes. Read all the tennis instruction books you can get your hands on. They are a great help.

More tennis can be learned off the court, in the study of theory, and in watching the top players in action, than can ever be learned in actual play. I do not advise miss opportunities to play tennis. Far from it. Play whenever you can, but strive when playing to put in practice the theories you have read or the strokes you have seen.

Never become discouraged by slow progress. The trick of playing some stroke you have worked at for weeks unsuccessfully, will suddenly come to you when least expected. Good tennis players are the product of 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, since 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 tied hard to his business 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 most perfect racquet technique in the world will not suffice if the directing mind is wandering. There are many causes of a wandering mind in a tennis match. The chief one is lack 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 drudgery necessary to learn the game properly.

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 cure for an erring mind, and the sooner the lesson is learned the more rapid the improvement of the player.

The surest 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 conglomeration 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, just visit our website called Tennis Tips for Beginners

Tennis Attire

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 image we tend to associate with a tennis player: white Polo top with shorts or skirt and matching shoes. They are fashionable and elegant, comfortable and characteristic at the same time. Items of tennis clothing often signify a great deal to people who are not just sports fans. If the person you shop for is a tennis fan, tennis apparel becomes a fantastic gift that could also prove pretty affordable despite the rumors that it costs a fortune.

In case tennis kit is something foreign 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 indirectly inform you about prices and deals going on at an assortment of retail shops and online merchants.

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 outfit wearers recommend is that you procure the type of top or shirt that will make you feel most comfortable and that would permit the very wide angled movements that are specific to the practice of this sport. For instance, the shorter the sleeves of your tennis apparel, the freer the movement during the game. Some procure tennis kit 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 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.

About the Author:

The French Open Championship

It is pretty unlikely that people will not know of the French Open tennis championship, because it is a competition which is an annual 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 about two weeks is held in Paris at the Roland Garros Stadium, from which it got its name.

The French Open is one of the most publicised and broadcast sports events in the entire world of sport and lots of VIPs go to it. The attendees are fanatics who wait with baited breath on every stroke, especially when there is a close battle between the two sides, 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 schedule of the Grand Slam tournaments and its history goes back to the year of 1891 when it became an international competition. At that time 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 join in this competition, but things took a different turn in 1925, when the French open tennis tournament finally became accessible to foreign players. Until 1912, the court the players 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’s enthusiasm for the French Open tennis tournament held at the Roland Garros stadium, dates back to a competition fought 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 return home the cup and was held at a stadium named after the World War I ace Roland Garros. The name has stuck since then.

The term ‘open’ was has been used since 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 in some novel prizes.

Apart from the usual winners’ prizes, they also give prizes called ‘Prix Orange’ for the most correct and press-friendly player, ‘Prix Citron’ for the player with the strongest personality and ‘Prix Burgeon’ for the one the best new-comer of the tennis year.

About the Author:

The General Psychology of Tennis (Part 2)

The fast, erratic, 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 interesting type of character.

The most unnerving player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court under the command of an ever-alert mind. This/her is the player to 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 antagonist 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 bitter end, with never a thought of changing his gameplan.

He is the player whose psychology is fairly easy to work out, but whose mental viewpoint is hard 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 pattern, and then plan your game along the lines most 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 account. We hear a great deal about the “shots players have made.” Few understand the importance of the “shots players have 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 explain. A player drives you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and having reached it, you drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is shocked and put off his stride, knowing 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 stolen some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his/her chance of error, just because of 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 put the ball out of his/her reach, while you would only have been winded to no avail.

Let’s suppose that you had made that shot down the sideline. It was a seemingly 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 ought never to have had. Second it also worries your opponent, because he thinks that he has lost a big opportunity.

The psychology involved in a game of tennis is very interesting, but easily understandable. Both player begin with equal chances. However, once one player has gained a real advantage, his/her confidence goes up, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental standpoint becomes poor. The sole objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thereby maintaining his/her confidence.

If the second player pulls even or draws 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 inevitable defeat into a probable victory. The case of the other player is the reverse. He is likely to lose confidence and play worse. The breakdown of his game plan soon follows.

About the Author:

The Psychology of Tennis (Part 2)

The fast, unpredictable, net-rushing tennis-player is a creature of impulse. There is no real strategy to his/her game, no comprehension of your game-plan. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, no consistent thinking. It is an fascinating sort of character.

The really unnerving player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court at the command of an ever-alert mind. This/her is the player to learn from. He is a player with a definite intention. A player who has an answer to every query 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 fixes his/her mind on one plan and sticks to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the bitter end, with no thought of changing his gameplan.

He is the player whose psychology is fairly easy to work out, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he never allows himself to think about 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 tenacity of purpose of Johnston.

Pick out your type from your own mental pattern, and then plan your game along the lines most 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 viewpoint. Luck, so-called, is often grasping the psychological advantage of a change of flow in the game, and turning it to your own advantage. We hear a lot about the “shots players have made.” Few understand the importance of the “shots players 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 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 surprised and shaken, understanding that your shot could just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to try 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 taken 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 just say 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 readily understood. Both player start with equal chances. However, once one player has gained a real lead, his/her confidence rises, 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 holding his/her confidence.

If the second player pulls even or pulls ahead, the inevitable reaction occurs with an even more drastic 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: