Staying Connected

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. 

Topeka State 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.

Washburn Tennis

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.

Washburn Tennis

People Like You

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!

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Preparing for the Court

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.  

iTennis

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.  

Suiting Up

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). 
                                                  

Picture Courtesy of Dick's Sporting Goods

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.