Nike Air Court Ballistec 4.3 Men’s Shoe Review
The Nike Air Court Ballistec 4.3 Men’s Shoe is Rafael Nadals shoe of choice. This review comes direct from the Tennis Warehouse and comes with a 6 month durability guarantee.
Archive for: Shoes
HEAD Trinergy – Accelerate Your Speed
The new HEAD Speed Pro II is now available, featuring the innovative HEAD TRINERGY technology. The Trinergy provides better shock absorption, energy transfer and acceleration than previous versions.
Signed Andy Roddick Babolat 2012 Propulse 3 Shoes
Babolat has announced that their star player, Andy Roddick, will be wearing Propulse 3 shoes at the Australian Open 2012. The 2012 edition has great durability and has even more comfort that previous years.
Roddick’s signature shoe will be available starting January 1, 2012.
Juan Martin del Potro’s possible 2012 Australian Open outfit
I found these pictures of JM del Potro’s possible outfit that he is going to wear for the Australian Open 2012. Is green on the go this year in Melbourne?
Thank you Nev1.
Oh, and by the way, here are some more pieces from his collection:
Once again, thank you Nev1!
Rafael Nadal’s rumored outfit for Australian Open 2012
I found these pictures of Rafael Nadal’s possible outfit that he is going to wear for the Australian Open 2012. Love the colors!
Thank you Nev1.
Roger Federer’s rumored 2012 Australian Open outfit
I found these pictures of Roger Federer’s possible outfit that he is going to wear for the Australian Open 2012. Red and blue, again!
Thank you Nev1.
Maria Sharapova Shows off her Cole Haan Spring 2011 Shoe Collection
Earlier this year, tennis superstar Maria Sharapova unveiled her Cole Haan Spring 2011 shoe collection. In this video, she talks about how she is inspired by street style and how she sees girls wearing accessories in different ways. She also talks about how she brought flats to the Cole Haan brand and that they have really evolved since they are nw being released in so many new colors for the collection.
Power Cushion: New Range of Tennis Shoes from Yonex
Yonex have just released their new range of tennis shoes. Yonex says that the new 3-Layer Power Cushion now absorbs 30% more shock and provides 5% more repulsion than the original Power Cushion.
There are 7 new tennis shoes in the line-up. The Power Cushion 307, $125 USD is above left (also in black and yellow, below, special for clay surfaces) and Power Cushion 108, $90, right.
Find more info at Yonex or buy at Tennis-Warehouse or tennis retailers worldwide.
Tennis Ball Nike Hypermax NFW Shoes
The Tennis Ball Nike Hypermax NFW (No Flywire) features a Tennis Ball colored upper made of Tennis Ball felt and mesh. The upper sits on a White/Yellow midsole and the Visible Air Unit features a Yellow chamber. The Tennis Ball Nike Hypermax does not feature Nike’s Flywire technology while the GR/PE/Team colorways feature the technology.
The Tennis Ball Nike Hypermax NFW is set to release later this Summer.
Maria Sharapova in a New Cole Haan Advertisement
Enjoy a brand new Cole Haan ad featuring Maria Sharapova. This new spring campaign features bags and the Nike Zoom Flywire Shoe.
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.
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.
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
