(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best tennis equipment

Icebreaker merino wool. Do you have any? It is amazing. My husband swears by it. Apparently it doesn't stink. I can smell everything though ;)

These shorts would greatly improve my way of life. Now that it's warmer, I found that have I less workout shorts than I thought. I cannot work out in pants. it's miserable. They are a bit pricy though.

this tank top is a bit less ;)

Also, nice portable toilet. I got a kick out of that! Here you go!

I'm assuming ballport = ball hopper/ ball bucket?

This is the ball hopper I have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MKQ23W/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0019F03MK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0S45BQRV0SH9NWD8H488

Very durable since it's metal and it make is easy to pick up balls.

In terms of practice, it's great for doing serve practice or drills off of ball feeds.

Overall I tend to practice more without the ball hopper as I tend to hit around or play games with my hitting partner.

But the times when you want to get a lot of repetitions within a short time frame, the ball hopper is invaluable.

As far as balls. I just tend to use Penn Championship extra duty. I can pick up a box of 20 cans from Costco really cheap. I usually open half and put it into the hopper then just add balls from practice sessions and matches.

I started playing last year in August and have been playing quite a bit. I bought this racquet from a local tennis shop. A guy I was hitting with added some lead tape in various places to make it heavier. https://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Performance-Tennis-Racquet-Lightweight/dp/B0765CR73W

I feel I need a second racquet to have. I am playing 3-4 days a week. Still pretty inconsistent with it. I might be a 3.0 by now, but not sure.

I am 6 ft tall and 180 lbs. I move well on the court and can run down balls. My arms are decently long.

Any suggestions for a racquet? I am mostly playing doubles now but want to play more singles. I am looking at getting some demo racquets sent to me and trying some things.

Should I get a heavier racquet? Also, if it matters, I am primarily playing on Tru-Clay.

Thanks for the response!

I honestly just picked up whatever my dad had spare and we would play. It was somewhere around the 300g mark with a grip of 4^1/4. That suited me quite well.

I don't know what a good head size is or what I used. I'm guessing it was more of a standard size, whatever that was. Probably a tweener?

I also don't know where I could get good used racquets. This is the first time I'm actually venturing out on my own to buy equipment.

Edit: what would you think of this one?

Yes it fits in there without the can. Just barely. Bear in mind my receiver extension is a little longer than normal since it's an A5 (the position you see here is the sba3 fully collapsed), and I have a 11.5" barrel. It will actually fit in there with a 20rnd mag seated.

There is a front zipper pocket there as well that perfectly fits a mag.

Wilson Advantage III Triple Bag - Black/Red https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AYGLUHG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_Ua3eicRZhwbvG

As a tennis player something like this seems like it would work super well. I haven't personally tried it seeing that I don't suffer from hand salsa when smashing.

Buy them from amazon here.

What's your upper limit? I started playing seriously this April and I got this based on reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Head-Liquidmetal-Tennis-Racquet-Grip/dp/B000LGA3BY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319651247&sr=8-1 It's been AWESOME! Incredibly light and big head. I've loved it.

Hitting on a wall is, in all seriousness, one of the great joys and pleasures in my life. Most of the time I use the low compression balls that are used to teach kids. You can take full swings and control the ball with ease,
low compression training tennis balls.

your best bet is to find a well liked and well reviewed professional to teach you how to serve...and then practice like crazy between lessons: http://www.amazon.com/Tourna-Sampras-Ballport-Holds-Balls/dp/B0019F03MK

I would suggest Penn pressureless balls. I bought some on amazon about a year ago to use with a ball machine. Let me tell you, Penn pressureless balls last forever. They still bounce great even after the beating that my ball machine has given them. Here is a link to them on amazon, but I'm sure if you look around you can find an even better price (I only paid 32 dollars for the bucket.)

http://www.amazon.com/Penn-521835-Pressureless-48-Ball-Bucket/dp/B0019Y52MM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372788024&sr=8-1&keywords=penn+pressureless+tennis+balls

There are some very affordable Tube Quivers that will meet your requirements. Although the suggestions here for poster tubes or PVC are cheaper, they are not nearly as durable or well suited for convenient carrying. For $20 something like this not only conceals, but protects your arrows:
http://www.amazon.com/October-Mountain-Products-Arrow-Holder/dp/B00BY5XFZM

Now if you decide to go another route, then at the very least protect your fletching with a pod. That way even if they're all bunched up against each other they won't be ruined:
http://www.amazon.com/SIMS-VIBRATION-FLETCH-POD-6PK-CLEAR/dp/B006QP788A/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0D9CM8DZWFDBCTJSSVG2

Just a personal recommendation (racquet preference obviously varies person-to-person) -- I've been playing with the Head Microgel Radical MP since I was in high school and it's really been a great "intermediate" racquet for me ever since (I cycle between three at the moment).


It's a little bit smaller than some other beginner/intermediate sized racquets at 98 sq/inches, but as you develop as a player the extra feel and control make a big difference. Best of all, it only retails for $89 these days even though it used to be a top-of-the-line racquet for Head.

I use Tecnifibre Pro Players overgrips. Superb grip without the sticky feeling that tacky grips usually have, and fantastic feel as well. Djokovic supposedly uses the non-preforated version (Pro Contact) which I haven't tried.

Not a doctor, but had tennis elbow. I couldn't lift a frying pan off the stove without pain in my left arm. I wore one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WNS4XLO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EHD4xb8XRTQ44 during my workouts for about 3 months. The first week I wore it all day at home and took 400mg of ibuprofen to help with inflammation. Icing it down after a workout will help too. I also used a lacrosse ball to massage the forearm muscles. Some biofeeeze works good too.

I no longer have any pain or have to wear the compression sleeve. Hope it heals soon.

I'm dating this girl who's a serious tennis player and I wanna get her a nice racquet as a gift but I'm not sure if she already has it. I went with this one if anyone's curious. Is it a good one?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00O087NTO/ref=ya_st_dp_summary

I know how you feel, my big dog Tuesday seen here with a paczki on his head in celebration of mardi gras is getting to that age.

I also have my little boy Fenrir who just turned 3 this month.

last but not least, I have Star fox i found her wondering the streets a few weeks ago and I am trying to find a forever home for her. I was able to find her original owner who had given her to a guy who also gave her away to someone who let her go because she pooped on the floor.

all of my dogs are going to need some balls they can play with when we move to our new place WITH A YARD!!!!!

Teddy Bear

Alright I found the ball: https://imgur.com/wB58ItG

Usually when he's done playing with it it's just a little more inflated than the ball in OP's video, and the picture I linked is about how full it somehow magically fills itself back up.

No promises on this magic happening on any subsequent giant tennis balls or anything obviously.

It looks like it used to say "US OPEN" on it so I'm fairly certain this is the one: https://smile.amazon.com/Wilson-Boxed-U-S-Jumbo-Tennis/dp/B000LPW2UU

I thought overgrips was the thing you slide onto the handle to give it a larger diameter for people with bigger hands so you can grip the racket correctly to prevent tennis elbow.

Either way, I see you like the little snake under the tape for that added texture, have you considered getting a tennis "contour" grip instead? It comes with that texture (although it'll have a more uniform spacing). I absolutely love it on my tennis rackets.

Let's see...

Question 1:

Do you mean face up vs. face down? This won't matter unless your racquet is asymmetric. An example would be the several of the Head/Ektelon racquets where the order of the crosses matter. In these cases, you would simply need to be aware of which side you start your crosses on. For these types of racquets, there are typically specific manufacturer instructions that can be found online (e.g. link; checkout the Head Black Widow for a specific example of mounting instructions). For racquets with normal grommet systems, you don't need to worry about the orientation so much.

Question 2:

Same as #1 above, this will depend on the individual racquet. These racquets tend to have fan-like orientation of strings at the throat (Think the Head throat design). Typically, the last cross will have a "hard weave," where if the first main to be crossed is "lower" than the others, your cross will start by going under that string. From that, you can predict how to begin your crosses at the head of the racquet. If you're ever worried, take a picture of the racquet's strings at the start of the crosses before cutting them out (just make sure they were strung properly to begin with!).

Question 3:

I've personally used one by Gamma (link it was basically the only one I could find when I was looking for one) and it has worked great for me. I've heard that others also really enjoy ones by Alpha, although those can be difficult to find and I haven't actually tried it myself. My method for starting the crosses is:

1. On the side opposite to your starting knot, weave the first cross (backwards)
   
2. On the emerging side, ensure you have enough string to reach the tension head. On this same side, add starting clamp to the string outside of the racquet and flush against the side of the frame
   
3. Using the other side of the string, weave the second cross, pull tension, then clamp
   
4. Weave third cross, pull tension, then clamp.
   
5. using the loose string near the starting clamp, pull tension, remove the starting clamp, and use your second clamp (previous on cross #2) to clamp this cross down
   
6. Tie the end knot.
   
   I use this method to avoid pulling tension directly against the frame to minimize stress on the racquet. Many people will argue different methods are better than others online, but you will find what works best for you/your racquets. However, your specific situation is different.
   
   One trick when mounting (since I've used the Gamma stringers before) is to first ensure that your mounting towers are far apart, then adjust the mounting points at 12 and 6 o'clock such that your racquet somewhat "floats" over the middle of the turntable just enough such that you would be able to fit your fixed clamps at the top of your frame for the first cross. If it's still not possible to fit them up there, then you'll likely need to simply use a starting knot (see the link the other poster provided), and weave the first cross, tension (to tighten the knot), weave the second cross, tension, then clamp with a fixed clamp. This isn't ideal, but would be unavoidable if your clamps can't fit at the top cross. Some methods exist where you could start by weaving your second cross first, and then looping around to your first cross, which then jumps to the third...etc. Personally, I think those methods cause excessive string contact on the outside of the racquet so I typically avoid them where possible unless a manufacturer directly recommends it.
   
   Question 4:
   
   You can use an extra shoelace or toothbrush moistened with some rubbing alcohol. With the shoelace, just rub it back and forth on your clamps/tension gripper. YouTube also has some videos on this, I think. Depending on the color of strings you've been using, you can sometimes see the residue that gets removed.
   
   Sorry this became another wall of text! What type of racquets do you own or expect to string most frequently?

> I generally play with a new set of balls any time i'm hitting with someone on my level, then throw them in my hopper after for practicing serves/ hitting with someone new to the sport.
>

I play mostly on clay courts... I just use the penn championship regular duty . I've found them at the local walmart for much cheaper than online.

I will never say no to tennis balls. All different kinds of balls:

• Average ones
  
• For clay
  
• Something exotic that I wouldn't otherwise get for myself
  
• Some regular balls but a bit higher quality
  
  ​

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