My name is Sierra Valdivia and I'm a sophomore at Washburn University. My freshman year in High School I went out for tennis, I had never played the game before, but instantly I loved it. I was fortunate enough to be on the varsity team. My Junior and Senior year I placed 12th and 9th at state in doubles as well as 4th place as a team. I encourage every to try tennis because it is a simple sport that is for everyone to try no matter how old or young you may be.
You have to give it up for ESPN. I mean they provide almost all of our sports coverage, from basketball to tennis. Even if we may not see all the sports on TV, online, they provide access to all sports. Under "tennis" in ESPN, they provide everything that a fan or tennis player could want to keep up with the game. If you want to find tennis rankings, there it is, if you want to see the player interviews, there they are! ESPN also offers there Twitter feed right there on their front page. It gives you live tweets from people that ESPN follow who are tennis related to give you coverage about the sport. If you want to find tennis related articles good or bad, there they are waiting to be read.
As much as we try to avoid getting injured, there are always ways that we may hurt ourselves while doing everyday things. Playing tennis is not a dangerous sport, but like anything else, you run the risk of getting injured. Below is a list of a couple of common tennis injuries. Be sure to take care of your body first, make sure you aren't at risk for any other these injuries, they could take a while to recover from.
Sprained Ankle: A sprained ankle is common in any sport, but can be more common in tennis because of the amount of movement one may do. In tennis you move a lot side to side as well as forward and backward. You can avoid this injury by getting proper tennis shoes, perhaps wearing a brace or taping your ankle if you are known to have weak ankles, and properly stretching.
Shoulder Pain: In tennis, shoulder pain can come because of repetitive stroke motions. Usually you can get shoulder pains from overuse of serving, and hitting overheads. This injury can also lead to a torn rotators cuff, or Shoulder Bursitis. Both of these could happen as a result of not treating your shoulders correctly, or not taking breaks. One should do conditioning on the shoulder to make it stronger, continue to flex and stretch your shoulders for proper movement, and do not overload the amount of work you do.
Tennis Elbow: One can get this injury from other things aside from playing tennis. Tennis elbow is found is people who grip items for too long. Making sure you have a proper sized racket can help avoid this injury. Too small of a racket could cause you to squeeze too hard, while too big of a racket, could strain your muscles as well. If you have taken a break from tennis, it is a good idea to ease back into the routine of things rather than playing for 5 hours straight.
If you're like me, you like to know where everything came from, where it all started. Have you ever wondered where the game of tennis came from? Why is the word Love used in the game? Where did the scoring come from?
Here is a link that leads to an explanation of how tennis came about and the meaning behind some of the words.
I wish that I had time to come up with videos to show you all different drills, strategies, and strokes on playing tennis. Unfortunately, I don't have all the free time to dedicate myself to that. Instead, I have found some of the best YouTube channels of people who update their pages regularly on how to become better at tennis. With sports, it's hard to explain how to do certain things using only words, one of the best ways to explain something is through videos. These people have worked towards getting their videos out to the public to help them improve.
The Tennis Vault: This page is run by a man who calls himself Coach Kyril. His channel shows how to improve on certain strokes, and different ways to put all this to practice.
Tennis Coach TV: Another awesome channel that shows you how to improve your game.
Philipp Halfmann: Although this channel may look too intense, some people may benefit from this who are serious about getting better and competing. This channel shows mainly tennis workouts that help you stronger on the court.
We all love reading blogs, why? Because they give us new ideas, voice opinions, tell us stories,etc. Blogs let us connect with others who may have the same passions. I have a passion for tennis, and so that's why I created this blog, and I hope that other who enjoy tennis or what something new and exciting to do will also enjoy my blog and what I post. By no means is my blog the best, I think each blog has pros and cons. I have searched the internet for other blogs about tennis, and if you're curious, then check them out!
The New York Times: This blog is one that is all about tennis, and presents us with many different tennis news happenings around the world. Here you can find the lastest tournament results, interviews etc.
Love Tennis: This blog was created by everyday people who voice their opinions about the tournaments. They also keep up with what the tennis players are doing in their off time.
Tennis Blog: This tennis blog is created to help give people tips on how to improve their game. It also includes a question and answer of things you might not know about. Also included are interviews from coaches on how to improve and become more involved in tennis.
I've mentioned that tennis requires certain gear (clothes, racket, balls, etc.) needed to play the game. Shoes are also a very important part needed to support your feet. In tennis, there are special shoes that one can choose to wear that may help them in their performance. What's so special about tennis shoes? Well number one, tennis shoes look awesome! There are many different styles and brands that you can choose from. Number two, tennis shoes are made to give extra support in your ankles. When playing tennis, yes you will move forward and backwards a lot, but you will also be shuffling from side to side. Tennis shoes are made to give extra support in the ankles, and extra padding in both your toes and heels. I still have my tennis shoes from 5 years ago, and those shoes are all torn up. If you look on the bottom, you can see all the places on your shoes that are worn out. The combination of different motions and the material the tennis courts are made from, really wears down your shoes. Below I have included a couple of links you can go to browse for tennis shoes, as well as some examples of what they look like. Enjoy!
Almost everyone now has social networking accounts such as Twitter and Facebook. I have searched for some of the great pages and people to follow/like so you can keep up with tennis!
Facebook
Tennis Channel- Like this page on Facebook and it will keep you updated with the latest behind the scenes from the Tennis Channel. This pages shows different drills, fashions, contests etc. that will keep your news feed full of exciting tennis!
US Open Tennis Championships: This is also an excellent page to like on Facebook because it keeps you updated with the latest scores, articles, and links to other websites that provide great news. This page also asks your opinion of certain tennis issues, players, clothing etc. that lets you voice your opinion with countless others!
Twitter
Celebrities/Tennis players: There are many tennis players that have their own Twitter accounts such as: Serena Williams, Andy Murray, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Nike Tennis: This account shows you all the latest Nike tennis gear. They also have photo shoots with tennis players and tips on how to get better at tennis.
The local girls high school tennis teams have wrapped up their 2012 seasons. I think it's important to be aware of all the local success we have in our high schools and colleges because it's what makes Topeka such as great place! I love seeing all the accomplishments that local kids have done in sports and we will take a look at the girls tennis teams have had around our area. Each high school usually has 6 main players that can qualify on the state level ( 2 doubles teams and 2 singles).
Hayden High School
The Hayden girls team did very well this year and took 3rd in 4A state. Only one of their doubles teams placed at state which were the pair of seniors who took 4th. The two singles players also placed 8th and 11th. The girls had a very successful season and you can read more here at CJ Online.
11 Topeka girls qualify for state in 5A tennis
While 11 local Topeka girls qualified for state, only a handful took home medals and did well. Topeka West's singles player took 4th while the two doubles teams took 2nd and 6th. Shawnee Heights single player took third while their doubles teams took 6th. Seamen's single player took 6th and in doubles the pair placed 4th. Full article at CJ Online.
I have great respect for people who decide to play sports in college as well as balance school. Many of you may know how hard school can be on its own, and having to have practices or training everyday can certain double the load! At Washburn University we have both a girls and boys tennis team. Girls usually compete in the Fall, while boys compete in the Spring. Unlike football or basketball, the tennis season is fairly short. In tennis, usually there are tournaments held that are called invitationals. There are usually only about 3 or 4 of these per tennis season, and this is when the athlete has the chance to medal. The girls tennis team has 10 players while the boys have 9. These players rather than having specific roles of just playing singles or doubles, they can easily go back and forth throughout the season depending on the coach's call. It would be a great opportunity to go watch the Lady Blues or the Bods compete when they play here in town! More information is in the link below.
This blog has hopefully helped you to become better at tennis and find out more about the game. I have posted many different drills, videos, strategies, news, fashion etc. about tennis and how to improve. For this post, I interview a very good friend of mine, who decided to just to go out for tennis in high school. This podcast hopefully will help you hear about her real life experience and how anyone can pick up the game if they choose to. Enjoy!
Tennis is all about movement on the court. To be able to move well on the court, one wants to be comfortable in the clothing that they wear. Clothing used in tennis is often made of a light weight dri-fit material that is usually a mixture of spandex, polyester and cotton. Players often use this material because it allows them to move faster and not have heavy clothing to slow them down. This material is also great because it soaks up sweat without getting heavy.
Many women tennis players either wear a tank top of some sort along with a tennis skirt. The tennis skirts have spandex underneath that is often used to hold the tennis balls similar to a pocket. Women prefer to wear the skirts along with a shirt, or they simply just like to wear a tennis dress that is made to play in with the same spandex material. Men often wear a dri fit shirt along with any pair of shorts they prefer. There are many different styles and types of clothing that tennis players can choose to wear during games.
Some different places in Topeka that you can go to purchase tennis clothing are:
Dick's Sporting Goods
Hibbett Sports
Target
Wood Valley
Also Online at:
Nike
Adidas
Tennis Warehouse
Here is a slideshow of many different kinds of clothing you can choose from.
We live in a world that is full of interactive technology that we depend on. Many of us carry our mobile devices constantly in our pockets, while checking it many times a day whether it's for social interaction, weather updates, texting, checking our online banks etc. So why not put tennis and technology together?! I have done some research online to find the best tennis apps available.
Tennis Score Tracker is an app in Apple that one can buy for .99. This app has two modes, the first one is for player to input their score in after each match to keep track of all their scores. The second mode is for observers, to record each point for an easier way to keep track. For more information go to BrightHub.
Tennis Dictionary is an app you can find for .99. The terminology in tennis can be confusing! One may even be embarrassed to ask what a particular term may mean! Tennis Dictionary lets you search specific terms, browse by category, or the most popular. For more information go to BrightHub
If you are looking to track the latest scores of tennis matches, the best app for you is the ESPN app. This app lets you choose your favorite teams or players and updates you with information on certain tournaments. This app is free, I highly recommend this app not only for tennis but for any sport you may follow! For more information visit Apple
If you're looking to play some tennis even just sitting at home! This tennis app is called Cross Court Tennis. This app can be played on the lite version for free, or the full version for 1.99. It is a tennis game app that lets you play in different tournaments, customize your character, or do career mode. I have played the lite version of this game before and it was pretty fun! Here is more information from The Best Tennis Apps.
A tennis racket is one of the most essential items needed to play the game. As a beginner, or even on the intermediate level, finding a good racket can be a difficult process! There are countless number of brands: Head, Wilson, Avery, Dunlap, Prince and many more that you can choose from. Not only are you having to decide between a certain brand, but also between grip size, head size, string tension, weight, etc. To be honest, the first tennis racket I owned and used for about 3 years was a basic racket that I bought from Walmart for twenty dollars. It was a Head brand and it worked just fine for me starting off as a beginner. Usually, unless you are a serious competitor who needs a specific type of racket, there are only a few different categories that you'll have to choose from. It doesn't really matter too much about what brand you choose to buy from, although I would advise to buy from one of the more mainstream brands (like the ones I mentioned above).
This picture helps give you a visual of the parts of the tennis racket so that you can choose the best one for you. Usually beginners start off with a larger grip size, head size and light in weight. This is the most basic specifications for a tennis racket, a big head size to give you a bigger target to hit the ball, and lighter in weight to help you be more mobile with your racket. My advice would be to go into a store that sells tennis rackets and get a feel for all of the different ones. If you are a stronger person, you may want a little heavier of a racket as opposed to one that feels like a feather. Picking a tennis racket that fits you is like finding the perfect pair of jeans, everyone is different and you have to find that perfect racket to help boost your tennis performance. Dick's and Tennis Express show some great ways to help find the best racket for you.
Some different websites and stores in Topeka with tennis rackets for you to browse are Wood Valley , Dick's , and Head.
Here are some articles from Yahoo, Steve Tennis and Squidoo that have reviews and recommendations about good rackets to use.
Hopefully now that you've been following this blog for some time, you're getting the basics down and may be ready for the next level. There are many leagues, lessons, and camps available for both adults and kids. This is a great way to interact and meet new people who love to do what you do. Besides getting to play more tennis, these camps and leagues are also great just to get away from the plain old boring work out sessions and play a little more competitively with others!
There are two main leagues for adults to sign up for that are great for competing and getting better. The first one is right here in Topeka at Wood Valley. Wood Valley offers great adult leagues and clinics. You can choose to enroll in a league, at any time of the year (because of the indoor tennis courts), and you will play competitively against other tennis players. Don't worry though! They put you in leagues depending on your level of play, so you don't have to freak out about not being good enough. Wood Valley also offers clinics for adults. These clinics are for both men and women, and there are intense one and casual ones. You can choose whichever clinic you would like based on what you plan to accomplish from it. Signing up for these clinics and leagues do require you to have a membership with Wood Valley; but there are so many other great pluses. Wood Valley offers: tennis, swimming, golf, gym, basketball, and so many other sports, so it is a great way to get involved and play all the tennis you want as well! Visit Wood Valley's website for more information.
The second league for adults is a national league called USTA. USTA stands for United States Tennis Association and our is known as the USTA Missouri Valley which includes the central states. You do have to pay for a membership with USTA as well. With this league, it is a bit more competitive, you have the opportunity to travel within the central states to play different tennis tournaments. Quite a bit of the tournaments are played here in Topeka at Kossover. This association is great because you become a part of a community where you can interact with people who play tennis all over. For more background information and membership sign up, visit USTA.
If you have any younger kids that you would like to get involved in tennis at a younger age, here are many links for camps as well!
Who are some of the current greatest tennis players of our time? This week I'm going to talk about a couple of players who are currently the best at the game of tennis. These players are inspiring not only because they play tennis, but their approach to life and the dedication and heart they put into playing tennis.
You may or may not know who this is, but you soon will. Rodger Federer is currently one of the best tennis players in the world. Rodger is from Switzerland and competes in tennis tournaments worldwide. Rodger is currently number 1 in the ATP (The Association of Tennis Professionals) Rankings and holds countless number of records, wins and streaks. He has won 17 Grand Slams, which is the biggest tournament held worldwide for tennis player, and currently hold the reccord for most won. He also ties for the most wins in the Wimbledons, another worldwide tournament at 7 wins. Not only is Rodger known for his performance on the tenins court, but also for the inspiration he gives others. He started the Rodger Federer Foundation which is a foundation to help African children to be able to attend school and gain an education. Rodger continues to be a great role model on and off the court. For more information about Rodger, visit the Rodger Federer website.
Maria Sharapova is a female singles player from Russia. She is currently number 2 worldwide in ATP Rankings. Maria has won over 25 championships from various tournaments worldwide. It has not been an easy journey for Maria, she has overcome numerous shoulder injuries and surgeries. She struggled her way to the top, working her way up the rankings, and then constantly falling back down. Dedication cannot even describe Maria Sharapova and what she has battled through. Only currently did she fight her way up back to the top ten as well as winning a Grand Slam and Olympic Silver Medal this year. She moved the the United States and has lived all over. Maria also has a foundation where she became a Goodwill Abassador for United Nations projects. She also has started funding for the children in Chernobyl, Belarus and all those affected by the incidents in Chernobyl. She is also has her own candy line called Sugarpova. For more information visit Maria Sharapova Official Website, and WTA,
In tennis, one of the most crucial aspects of the game is serving. Any player who has an outstanding serve will always be in the game no matter how bad they are playing in other parts. No matter what, if you can always win your serve, then you will always be at least tied with your opponent. Whats the best way to get better at something? Practice. That's the same way to get better at serving in tennis.
Earlier I mentioned that serving is somewhat like an overhead except further back from the net. This is true, but there is more routine to serving than hitting overheads. When serving, you get two chances to get the ball over and inbound to your opponent. Usually, the first serve is the one where you want to try and do your best and faster serve, if that one fails to be in, then on your second serve do you lighten up a little bit and work on just getting the ball in to play out the point. The best serves are the ones that are fast and hard for the opponent to return. If you serve the ball and the opponent fails to return it, it's called an ace. To get better visuals on how to serve, here is a picture of the court we used earlier.
When serving, you start back at the baseline. You will go back and forth each point, always serving behind the baseline from the right side of the dash to the opposite side right service box and from the left side of the dash to the opposite left service box. If right handed, you will always face the right sideline while serving. One of the hardest things about serving is your toss. It is a good idea to practice your toss many times before actually serving. You want your toss to be about double your height, and in front of you, but within your reach. Once you get the hang of your toss, you want to practice throwing the ball up and the swinging through. Your swing will be much like that of an overhead swing, you want to make contact with the ball when it's at the peak of your reach and swing down across your body. As you toss the ball up, you should squat down, extend up, and then forward to make contact with the ball Make sure that your toes are point in the direction that you want the ball to go, which is at a slant.
Here is a video to help you see everything I just explained. Keep in mind that this video is just showing practice serves, and that's why sometimes he's serving from over the baseline.
In the previous posts, I have been explaining the basics of tennis and so now you all should be ready to go! Oh, but wait! I've forgotten to mention one of the most essential things needed to play tennis: where the tennis courts are located! Some people many know of local tennis courts around town, but some others are well hidden. There are many tennis courts located in Topeka and they are all very nice facilities.
I have added 7 different tennis facilities on this map, each of them labeled with a little blue ticker. Now although these are all great places to play there are many other places to play around Topeka usually located at the various high schools. The reason I did not include these on the map is because while most of the courts are in the open, you may need permission to use them from the school. Places on the map that I know are definitely free to the public are the Lake Shawnee courts, Washburn Courts, and the Shawnee North Courts. The other facilities: Topeka Country Club, Kossover, and Wood valley do require certain memberships or signup to access the courts. Below I have added the links to the places that do require memberships so you can read more about how great they are. Topeka Country Club Wood Valley I could not find a link for the Kossover Tennis courts, but here is a phone number to call for information: (785) 273-0030
Hopefully you are now motivated to get on the tennis court and get playing! Now that you know the basic rules of tennis it's time to move on and learn more. In tennis, there are 3 basic strokes that one should learn. These four are: overhead, ground stroke which consists of both backhand and forehand, and volley. We will go into more details about each stoke individually now.
Volley
The volley can be one of the trickiest strokes in tennis. This is because a volley is typically hit close to the net, causing players to have to react quickly to shots. The volley should just a simple "punch" of the racket straight forward. It doesn't require you to swing all the way through, if you do this, most likely the ball will always go out of bounds or into the net. In volleys, if you are going to hit it on your dominate hand side, use one hand, punch the ball forward, and step forward with your left foot. If it is on your non dominate side, you are going to put two hands on the racket your non dominate hand on top, while your dominate hand is below it. As you punch, step forward with your right foot this time. The volley is used more in doubles, because one player is closer to the net during a point. However, once a player gets the volley down, it can be an awesome stroke, and fun to use.
Forehand
The forehand stroke is the most basic stroke seen in tennis, it is also referred to as a ground stroke. This stroke is a one handed stroke that is hit with a player's dominant hand. Many players prefer to hit with their forehand, because it is their strongest hit. Unlike a volley, a ground stroke is one where the ball bounces before the player hits it.
Backhand
The backhand is just the opposite of the forehand. The back hand requires two hands to hit the ball on the player's non dominant side. The back hand can usually be a difficult shot for many to become consistent at simply because one has to be sure to get the proper technique.
Overhead/Serve
The overhead shot is exactly as it sounds, an overhead hit. Although this shot seems like it should be pretty simple, it can be tricky. An overhead is usually hit somewhere close to the net, when the opponent has either purposely or accidentally lobbed the ball. An overhead is just like a serve except a serve obviously is further back and you get to throw the ball up. The key to an overhead hit is to tuck the racket back behind your back before making contact and then swinging through the ball while keeping your eyes one it. The serve can be a little more tricky, but is the same concept.
This instructional video is awesome at explaining these many strokes thoroughly while also giving you visuals to proper positioning.
Here is also a great website for further explanations about the strokes of tennis:
Over the next 5 months I will be updating this blog with new weekly posts about the game of tennis. Each post will have a certain "theme" involved with it that ties back to the game. This weeks theme will be about the basics of the game of tennis.
First, we will start with scoring. Check out this awesome video that explain step by step about the scoring.
The two opponents take turns serving back and forth for an entire game. Opponents do not just play one game to determine the winner. There are 6 games in a set and best of 3 sets in a match. This means, you play your opponent until you win 6 games. Once you have won 6 games, this means you are up 1 set to 0. You then play until the person wins the best out of three. There are many different national leagues around the world with many different rules. Some leagues play to 8 games, some play best of 5 sets.
Now, we can continue on to the actual tennis court, and how it is broken down. Depending on your style, you can choose to play singles or doubles. Many people who play singles are often self motivated, while doubles players often rely on each other to work together to win games. Both singles and doubles are equally fun, and I advise you to try both!
The line across the middle represents the net. In singles, the line marked singles sideline is the out of bounds like, in doubles, the line mark doubles sideline is.
Hello! Welcome to Tennis 101, the first thing you need to know is that tennis rocks!! I have created this blog for anyone who is looking to pick up a new sport, trying something new, or getting better at tennis. Over the next four months, I will be updating this blog with many things including, the basics of the game. different drills to do, proper techniques, proper clothing apparel as well as racket to use and many more. Stay tuned for awesome videos, pictures and many more!! Sierra
