December 12th, 2008 — Book Review, Tennis
"Winning Ugly - Mental Warfare in Tennis - Lessons from a Master" has received acclaim from some of the biggest names in tennis today, including Jim Courier, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras just to name a few. The thing that makes this a popular book for improving your tennis game is the fact that it puts a serious emphasis on the importance of developing a mental strategy for playing tennis in addition to your physical strategy. "Winning Ugly" presents an approach to getting more out of your tennis game that is completely new and unique. Brad Gilbert has developed a unique formula for winning tennis game after tennis game simply based on improving your mental strategy in order to improve your overall performance. Brad Gilbert, the primary author for "Winning Ugly" is said to have a better understanding of the mental facets of tennis than anyone else out there.
Most experts will agree that their game play and winning capability have been improved by the techniques and tactics that are approached in this book. "Winning Ugly" is designed to improve the recreational tennis game quickly, as well as to go from amateur to pro in no time at all. All of the greats in tennis have developed a powerful mental game to accompany their physical capabilities, and "Winning Ugly" is teaching regular players how to do the same thing. If you want to get more out of your tennis game than ever before, this book is a totally new approach that you need to check out.
Winning tennis at the tournament level, or even the league level, is mainly dictated not by shot making but rather by conditioning on a mental and physical basis instead. This book is designed specifically to focus on the mental aspect of the game of tennis, giving tips that will help you focus about each point with winning in mind rather than having shot making in mind. It will help you take apart your opponent's game, and it will also help you take apart your own game so that you can win plain and simple, without any more complication than that. Additionally, simply reading this book and having it in your possession can afford you an excellent mental confidence that will help you win more matches.
If you are looking for a book that you can keep with you, in your tennis bag or on your desk, this is the book. If you are looking for a reference that you can regularly turn to for some mental boosts before your game, then this is absolutely the book that you have been looking for. Winning Ugly is a downright practical instruction book that gets to the heart of winning every match you play based on mental conditioning alone.
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December 4th, 2008 — Tennis
One of the most popular questions that brand new tennis players ask has to do with how to choose the perfect tennis shoes. With the right tips and tricks, choosing the right tennis shoes should not be difficult by any means. Tennis shoes are some of the most important pieces of equipment that you should have when preparing to play the game right. Here are the characteristics that you need to be looking for when it comes to picking the perfect pair of tennis shoes.
1 - Flexibility -
You need to choose shoes that offer the necessary amount of arch support but are still flexible rather than rigid. You should choose tennis shoes that can fit snugly to your foot while still lending the necessary amount of ankle support. Bend the shoe to see how flexible it is before buying.
2 - Durability -
The sole is the area of the shoe that is going to wear out more quickly than the rest. You should choose a tennis shoe that has a better quality and more durable sole in order to get the most out of your pair of tennis shoes. Keep up with new and revolutionary materials and buy top of the line whenever possible.
3 - Stability and Fit -
You should aim to buy a tennis shoe that has overall stability but still fits well and comfortably for that matter. Good tennis shoes are tennis shoes that are firm and protective of your ankle while still feeling fitting and comfortable so that you do not feel clumsy in them.
4 - Weight -
You want to choose a pair of tennis shoes that is fairly light weight, because mobility is absolutely vital when it comes to playing tennis right. For this reason, you absolutely do not want to buy shoes that make you feel weighted down.
5 - Breathability -
This is the ability to allow your foot some air to breathe. Your foot should absolutely never feel cooped up inside your tennis shoes. Make sure that your shoe has some means of getting air to your feet if you want to have the most comfortable fit possible.
6 - Comfort -
Overall, you will be able to tell if a pair of tennis shoes fits you properly or not just by feeling out your overall level of comfort when they are being warn. Put on a good pair of socks and move and jump around a bit to try the shoes out before you make a purchase. Do you feel like you can move quickly and nimbly across the court? Then you probably have a winning pair of tennis shoes.
7 - Popularity -
While you should not allow popularity to be the determinant factor in which tennis shoes you decide to purchase, you should pay attention to what the top ten tennis players are wearing. As long as the tennis players aren't being sponsored, their personal pick of tennis shoes may give you some decent insight into what type of shoes to buy for yourself.
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October 24th, 2008 — Book Review, Tennis
When it comes to the mental game of tennis, this is an area that every single player must master, and there is always room for improvement. This book offers an in depth look at numerous mental strategies that any player can put into practice in order to learn to play consistently, no matter how high the stakes may be. Whether you play tennis for fun on the weekends or you are a serious competitive player, this book has much to offer.
We weren’t quite sure what to expect, since there have been so many books written on this subject, but overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the insights offered and the overall quality of the content. It’s not often that you come across something new in terms of handling your mental game, so even if you are a pro, this is a book that is well worth reading.
The first section deals with how to handle the pressure that can come with playing tennis competitively, or even just for fun against your friends. This is an area where most of us could use a little improvement and we found it very useful in handling stress. In fact, it can also carry over to other areas of your life as well. The discussion on productive worry versus unproductive worry was fascinating and deserves to be read more than once.
We also enjoyed the section that covered giving yourself permission to miss. So many players end up getting all worked up over missing a shot that they end up shooting themselves in the foot and blowing a match because of it. This is just the tip of the iceberg – there are far too many great points to list in this review.
This is an ideal book for a beginner to read, since it will give them a firm mental foundation that they can use to build their entire game around. This is one of the few books we wish had been around years ago when we were first getting started. If you have a child that is taking up tennis, this is a great book to give them, and it is also ideal for junior players that have a little more experience, but aren’t quite up to their best yet.
Even people that have played tennis for years will be able to get quite a lot out of this book and we found that it was easily one of the best we have ever read on the mental game of tennis. If you do get a copy, keep it handy and go over some of the sections multiple times. You can never be too prepared mentally and this book offers a great smack in the face when you need it the most. It’s a book that you’ll want to go back over the night before a big match, just to make sure you have your head on straight.
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October 10th, 2008 — Book Review, Tennis
The Dummies series has quite a following and these books specialize in breaking down everything complex about a subject until everyone can easily understand it. This latest Dummies book focuses on tennis and was written by John McEnroe’s son, and also features a forward from this well known player. This is the kind of teaching that many of us wish we had when we were first starting out and although at times it can be a bit simplistic, there is much to be learned here.
The first portion of the book goes into the absolute basics of the game, how scoring works and what to expect. This portion is actually useful for those that just like to watch tennis, but they’re not quite sure what exactly is going on. Once you get past the first section, you get into more actual tips and lessons and that is when it starts to get really good.
We thoroughly enjoyed the second part, which gets into learning the right techniques from the start and how to get the basics under control. After that, the third section will help you take the skills that you’ve already learned and walks you through how to apply them step by step. This kind of instruction is very valuable and makes the book a very useful training tool.
The fourth section is intended for those that are truly passionate about not only playing tennis but following the sport. It gets a little heady in there at times, but once again, the information is all very good. The book wraps up with some great tips and some top ten lists of the world’s greatest players. A bit on the filler side, but once again, those who truly love tennis will appreciate these final additions at the end of the book.
Don’t let the title fool you, there is still good stuff in this book for professional and advanced tennis players. It never hurts to keep on top of your game and to read all that you can about the sport. We learned quite a few things by reading this book and getting a different insight on something is always useful. It may not be the best instructional tennis book out there, but it does come pretty close.
The intended audience for the book is the absolute beginner and it does offer a strong foundation that will help these players get started on the right foot. We highly recommend the book to new players and to kids that are just getting started. Many of these lessons would cost quite a bit more if you got them in person from a pro, and while it is important to learn tennis with a coach, this book can pick up the slack and offer some interesting new techniques and drills that can be incorporated into your existing lessons. It’s a solid read that’s engaging and informative.
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October 3rd, 2008 — Product Review, Sunglasses, Tennis
One of the biggest problems that tennis players face is being able to function in bright sunlight, and see a ball that is hurtling at them from many different directions. If you have difficulty picking up a ball in sunlight, or you just have found that it’s too bright outside and it’s interfering with your game, a pair of sunglasses may be just the ticket. However, traditional sunglasses are not typically suited to tennis playing and may in fact make the problem worse.
To answer this problem, many manufacturers are moving towards making specific tennis sunglasses. These are designed to answer the most common complaints tennis players have about being able to see the ball and still function. There are numerous different designs that are currently on the market, and while many are good, the majority fall short of their promises.
Bolle’s Tennis Vigilante sunglasses were a pleasant revelation when we gave them a try. Unlike many tennis sunglasses, they are easy to wear, and do not slip off, even if you are sweating heavily. The frames are lightweight, and the overall look is very sleek and sharp. The lenses are polarized, and above all, it is the lenses that make these sunglasses worth every penny.
When you put them on, you immediately notice that the glare is reduced and clarity is improved. Although there is no correction in the lenses, they do actually make things crisper through the way that the lenses are made and colored. There is actually quite a big difference when you put them on and then take them back off. The quality was very high and we found that you really could see the ball better, even in fast competitive play. Low light wasn’t a problem for these glasses, either. They did just as well at twilight as they did at noon – a feat that many other glasses simply can’t match.
These are a great gift for tennis players that have issues with seeing the ball and picking it up with glare, or for those that are constantly playing tennis in a variety of different conditions. As the sun’s UV rays become more intense, it’s never been more important to protect your eyes. This particularly true since research has shown that extended sunlight exposure on unprotected eyes could lead to future problems such as macular degeneration.
Our one main issue with the sunglasses is that they really only come in one size. For junior players, women or those with smaller heads, they may not fit correctly. It would be nice to see this line come out in a variety of different sizes so that all players could benefit from them. All of that aside, these are quality tennis sunglasses and they are more than worth the price. We found that they really did work, and many other people have reported similar results. If you’re looking for a solid pair of sunglasses that can get the job done, these are about the best on the market.
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