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Archive for the ‘Equipment’ Category

Posted on November 11, 2008 - by The Insider

Breaking News: Introducing the Limited Edition Barricade V Shanghai!

Adidas has contacted me this morning to inform me that they have launched a new product, the Limited edition Barricade V commemorating the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup and host city Shanghai, China.

As you can see from the picture they are only available in Flashy black and gold. The Chinese characters for “Shanghai” embroidered at the heel of the shoe and also printed on the outsole.

The shoes were worn by Novak Djokovic in the Masters Cup and they will be sold at around USD $120.00.

Posted on September 19, 2008 - by The Insider

Breaking News: Adidas Introduce Barricade Tennis Racket for 2009 Season

Adidas will be introducing a new racquet offering for 2009, which brings back the memories of tennis legends from yesteryear.

I remember when I was about 12 and the first pair of tennis shoes that I got were Adidas Barricade, and those shoes I probably had for a longer time than any other.

February 2009 will see the introduction of the Barricade tennis racquet from Adidas!

“Building on our footwear and apparel success adidas tennis feels the market is right for the return to racket production,” says Simon Cartwright, Vice President of Global Tennis. “We can now provide tennis players with everything they need to take part in one of the most popular sports in the world. Consumers can be assured that our new rackets will match the high levels of product quality so long associated with the adidas brand.”

The three racquet range will provide a racquet for every player level, tour player, club player and recreational. Each racket is
named after our benchmark Tennis shoes, Barricade, Response and Feather, and share similar characteristics.

Product Specs

Four Barricade models have been created; The Barricade Tour is designed for the “Tournament Player.” It is the heaviest at 330g and the stiffest of the new adidas rackets, ideal for fast swinging players who can generate their own power and look for additional control.

The Barricade Tour Light is 30g lighter, suiting good juniors, but it offers the same control with every swing. Both the Barricade Tour and Tour light come with and 18/20 string pattern to give excellent control and a crisp feel.

The third racket in this range is the Barricade itself; a lighter and less stiff version of the Tour racket with a 16/19 string pattern to ensure a forgiving and playable racket for competition players. The Barricade Junior, meanwhile, satisfies the needs of young budding tennis stars.

All rackets in the Barricade family feature the adidas POWER STRUCTURE TECHNOLOGY (PST). Three structures at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock act like the claws on the Barricade shoe to improve torsional stability. This technology transfers to adidas rackets by adding weight at the same points, putting pop into your shots and increasing the sweetspot.

Pricing

The Barricade range of rackets will retail for $185.00, and the Feather racket for $165.00, while the Response comes in at $145.00

Adidas rackets, which are made by leading tennis manufacturer Keentech, will be sold through adidas own retail as well as tennis specialty stores worldwide. The rackets will be available in the United States beginning February 1, 2009.

Posted on September 18, 2008 - by The Insider

New Yonex Racquet for Ana Ivanovic - RQiS 1Tour XL

It has been reported by on the baseline that the 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic will be heading to the Tokyo tournament with a new weapon in her bag.

The very short lived world number 1 player will be playing with the new Yonex RQiS 1Tour XL. The stick itself looks much live every other racquet from Yonex, but obviously with some advances in product quality and design.

According to Ana Ivanovic’s website, the racquet is currently not available to the general public, but will be very soon. I dont think this is a racquet anyone will rush out and buy, just cause Ivanovic changed!

Posted on September 18, 2008 - by Michael

Different Shoes For Different Surfaces

All players should use different shoes for different surfaces. The main 2 differences are hard courts and ’slippery’ courts. (eg clay, dirt and synthetic grass)

On the weekend I watched a young player slip over on Synthetic Grass during the warm up for his match. Synthetic Grass has a layer of sand over it making it slippery. He slipped because of his shoes. He was wearing his 2 month old, hard court shoes. He had left his grass court shoes at home this time. After falling and taking some skin off he forfeited the match in the warm up!

(in an upcoming article I talk about what you SHOULD do if you injure yourself in a match)

Amazing, you can do all this training and practice and something simple like keeping 2 pairs of shoes in your bag can determine how well you play. Simple really! I personally always have both sets of shoes in my bag. Even if I am playing a ‘hard court tournament’ I will bring my grass court shoes just in case. Why? Well I know that if there is a delay sometimes other ‘outside’ courts are used. This may mean different tennis centers are used and potentially they can be a different surface.

Be strict with yourself. Never wear your grass court shoes on a hard surface - not even once. The hard courts just strip the tread off - you want maximum grip when you need it.

So why different shoes?

There are 2 main things to look for when deciding what shoes to wear when. Cushion and grip pattern.

On a hard court surface the pattern does not matter as much as the cushion. Having extra padding, cushioning, gel, air - whatever the technology - is important.

Elite players notice the difference between a good and inferior pair of shoes. Always purchase shoes with padding at the front as well as the heel. This subtle and overlooked difference can be the difference between you feeling light or heavy on your feet.

I remember playing in shoes which were the model down from the top model. It felt like I was playing in thongs. Tennis players spen alot of time on the balls of our feet - jumping for smashes, recovering from a wide ground stroke, going forward on our volleys. You really notice the difference with extra cushioning at the front.

The other reason why cushion matters on hard court is the heat of the court. Playing on a hot court in the middle of the day can be very draining. You need a large buffer between you and the court to keep that heat away from your feet.

Cushioning also - obviously - protects you from injury. By the shoe absorbing the impact - it stops you from taking the impact to your ankles, knees and leg muscles. You also want some ankle support.

Ok, now ’slippery’ surfaces. Clay, synthetic grass, grass etc. Cushioning and durability is less important. It is more about the tread pattern typically you want a shoe with the majority a heringbone pattern. The rubber can actually be softer so the shoe can mould to the surface of the court. The old Dunlop Volleys are a great shoe for these conditions - however - offer very little ankle support or cushioning.

NEVER wear your shoes on the wrong surface. You need your slippery tread to be fresh, not worn from use on a hard court. And Vice Versa.

Keep both pairs in your tennis bag if you are going to an event and there is a chance between playing on either surface. It can be the difference between winning and loosing.

I also recommend playing on both surfaces regularly. Playing on slippery surfaces is a completely different game to hard courts. They are both very enjoyable. We are going to discuss some surface strategies in an upcoming article.

Posted on July 23, 2008 - by Michael

Wear a Wristband

Wristbands, they sometimes are a little forgotten. Well here is an insight, they are not a fashion accessory - they are a performance enhancing tool !! Ok, why?

They are used to do a few things. Firstly, to wipe your forehead to stop sweat dripping into your eyes and secondly to stop sweat running down your arm, hand and onto your grip.

Remember in a previous article I talked about keeping a loose grip for more power?. I also talked about keeping your grips fresh and moisture free to keep the grip sticky.

Getting the picture? Yep, wristbands increase the life of your grips, keep moisture away from your hand and grip, therefore allowing you to continue to grip the racquet lightly!

Most people would never think of wristbands having an effect on their strokes - but indirectly they do !!

Having said all that - some top players dont wear them. See the articles pictures. You can now make up your own mind if they will help you!!

Exciting news readers !! All I will say is check out The Tennis Times. http://thetennistimes.com

Posted on July 18, 2008 - by Michael

Different Shoes for Different Surfaces

Elite level players will use different shoes for different surfaces. The main 2 differences are hard courts and ’slippery’ courts. (eg clay, dirt and synthetic grass)

There are 2 main things to look for when deciding what shoes to wear when. Cushion and grip pattern.

On a hard court surface the pattern does not matter as much as the cushion. Having extra padding, cushioning, gel, air - whatever the technology - is important.

Read the full article at The Tennis Times http://thetennistimes.com

Posted on July 17, 2008 - by Michael

Talk to Your Towel

Talk to your towel For singles players The Tennis Court can become a lonely place. There are so many things going on out there and it is left to you to process them all and work out what to do.

Well here is a tip. Pretend, in your mind that your towel is your new best friend and coach. Take him or her with you all over the court. Your towel follows you down each end of the court and every time you need a chat do it! (You can actually wipe your face and forearms with it too !)

It may sound strange, but by talking to your towel - probably not too loud - you are actually talking to your self, and having to construct your thoughts in a coherent way. Therefore the jumbled ideas in your head become clearer. Listening to yourself or asking yourself questions, you WILL give your self answers.

There is a great book called ‘The Inner Game of Tennis’ and early in the book it talks about Self One and Self Two. You become the player and the coach. Talk about what to do next, if you are feeling tired etc. IT is also a way for you to ‘vent’ and become more relaxed afterward.

By talking to the towel you start to ask the coach in you clear questions and YOU WILL get answers. Remember not to talk too loud, maybe you dont need to actually say anything out loud, but just go through the process and see how that goes !

Thanks for listening and keep the feedback coming in.. It is great to hear !!

Michael