tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51492655733734384672024-03-05T17:04:52.901-08:00Tennis in the Little Red Dot (i.e. Singapore)IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149265573373438467.post-5965128940864782492012-04-15T09:21:00.003-07:002012-04-26T07:16:29.907-07:00Coffee with tennis - usefulQuite a few internet articles out there advise against taking coffee before tennis.<br />
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I disagree.</div>
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I use it when I play tennis.
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Coffee, or the active ingredient caffeine, used to be banned in competitive sports up until <a href="http://www.wada-ama.org/en/Resources/Q-and-A/2011-Prohibited-List/" target="_blank">2004</a>.</div>
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<u><i>A word of caution</i></u></div>
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<i>I have been taking coffee for a while now, so I have some immunity to the adverse side effects. </i></div>
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<i>If you are new or are a light coffee drinker, do take or use what I say with caution.</i></div>
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<i>On the other hand, those folks that are heavy coffee drinkers, this might not work for you.</i></div>
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<u>Benefits to my game</u></div>
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1) Personally, it makes me react faster and concentrate better.</div>
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2) If you like playing at the net, it works splendid.</div>
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3) Towards the later stages of a long session, I find myself having more concentration and energy than the other folks.</div>
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<u>How I use coffee</u></div>
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<i>Bear in mind that I take coffee during tennis for the benefits to my game, not to enjoy the drink.</i></div>
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<i>So the way I prepare or consume it may be slightly offensive to the coffee connoisseurs out there</i>.</div>
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I prepare a mug, around the size of a cup.</div>
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I usually use the cheap 3-in-1 coffee mixes (<i>as warned, I am in this for the benefits to my game!!</i>), add a bit of hot water to dissolve then fill up the cup with ... chocolate milk.</div>
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Why chocolate milk? Here are some articles on <a href="http://www.chocolatemilk.com/after-workout/" target="_blank">it</a> helping recovery after exercise. <a href="http://www.poweringmuscles.com/main_news.php?id=28" target="_blank">Another</a>.</div>
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And yes, if you do it correctly, you, my dear sir, are going to be bringing a cafe mocha to tennis !!!</div>
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If you don't have the chocolate milk, not to worry, a regular coffee works as well.</div>
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I also bring some isotonic sports drinks to tennis. I prefer un-carbonated ones such as <a href="http://www.yeos.com.sg/h-two-o/original/" target="_blank">H-TWO-O</a>.</div>
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Ok so far?</div>
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Now here's the slightly tricky part.</div>
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1) Before the game starts, I take a big gulp of coffee.
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2) Then during breaks, I take a mouthful of coffee and a mouthful of the sports drink.</div>
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Ok, so anyone of you out there that aren't disgusted, can read on.
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Ok, the reason I'm doing what I'm doing is as follows - </div>
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I want the level of coffee in my body to be enough to give me the benefits but not the adverse side effects.</div>
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<i><span style="color: #990000;">Slightly Technical bits starts: </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i>T</i><i>he following are the technical explanation which some of you might want to skip.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">If one considers caffeine a drug, then the technical explanation is as <a href="http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/content/BPL_Images/Content_store/Sample_chapter/9781405150460/9781405150460_4_001.pdf" target="_blank">follows</a>.
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<span style="color: #990000;">Page 2 and 3 will explain what I hope to achieve. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The big gulp in the beginning is similar to what pharmackinetics call a "Loading Dose".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">This brings the coffee in my body to what I hope to be above the "Minimum Effective Concentration", but not high enough (I hope) to be above the "Minimum Toxic Concentration".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">To mitigate against the side effects, I prefer to sip in small quantities during breaks etc.
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<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The sips during breaks are basically me trying to get the graph on page 3, "LD (oral) followed by oral maintenance dosing".</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #990000;">Technical bits ends.</span></i></div>
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<u>More precautions</u></div>
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Each person will eliminate (the technical term for getting coffee out of your system) at different rates.</div>
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I would advise any of you out there if you are planning to try this out to be careful and do in moderation first.</div>IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149265573373438467.post-86711229974603421032012-03-09T23:08:00.002-08:002012-03-09T23:39:48.171-08:00Help for Tennis elbow, also Golfer's elbow too!<br />
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Just for Tennis elbow sufferers.</div>
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/phys-ed-an-easy-fix-for-tennis-elbow/?em" rel="nofollow" style="color: #234786; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;" target="_blank">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/phys-ed-an-easy-fix-for-tennis-elbow/?em</a><br />
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Quoted from the 2009 NYTimes article "After less than two months of treatment, the researchers terminated the experiment. The early results had been too unfair. The control group had showed little or no improvement. But the rubber-bar-using group effectively had been cured. Those patients reported an 81 percent improvement in their elbow pain and a 72 percent improvement in strength. "</div>
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This is the product</div>
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<a href="http://www.thera-band.com/flexbar.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #234786; font-size: 14px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.thera-band.com/flexbar.html</a></div>
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Here's the exercise:</div>
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<a href="http://info.thera-bandacademy.com/flexbarelbow">http://info.thera-bandacademy.com/flexbarelbow</a>
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I got it, I used it and now I'm pain-free.</div>
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Another tennis friend used it, and is now also pain-free.</div>
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He had previously had at least 2 pain injections which only gave temporary relief.</div>
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I also discovered that I had <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golfer's_elbow" target="_blank">Golfer's elbow</a>, not Tennis elbow.</div>
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It still worked, though you will need to do a "reverse twist", as follows:</div>
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<a href="http://www.hygenicblog.com/2009/09/29/reverse-tyler-twist-with-the-thera-band-flexbar-for-golfers-elbow/">http://www.hygenicblog.com/2009/09/29/reverse-tyler-twist-with-the-thera-band-flexbar-for-golfers-elbow/</a>
</div>IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149265573373438467.post-84405212254436317672012-03-09T22:41:00.004-08:002012-03-09T22:58:32.943-08:00Tennis Gear<br />
I'm using the Dunlop Aerogel 200.<br />
Check it out at<br />
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/DAG200/DAG200Review.html<br />
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It's a 'tour' type of racket. Meaning that you will need a fuller swing for groundstrokes.<br />
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I feel that with this racket, if I hit harder, my groundstrokes seem to have a better margin of error.<br />
The control and feel is excellent.<br />
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As a rightie with a 'functional' slice backhand, its control has given me an added dimension in terms of some interesting angles cross-court to my opponent's ad court.<br />
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It's not light. Close to 12 ounces or 337 grams.<br />
Despite that it's been great at the net for reaction volleys.<br />
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For the serve, I feel that it needs more swing and flatter motion to get any power on the 1st serve.<br />
But this is a very consistent racket on serve, you won't be getting many double faults if you already have a consistent 2nd serve.<br />
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Overall, I am really pleased with it especially with the improvement on my groundstrokes.<br />
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I would recommend it to anyone that has been playing for a while using the bigger frames that want to try to go to the next level and develop a fuller swing and also add better control on their groundstrokes. Its good control will be extra forgiving for this type of transitional player.<br />
<br />IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149265573373438467.post-34904703618779380152012-03-09T22:38:00.000-08:002012-03-09T22:38:05.887-08:00Tennis Plan A not working?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the guys that I've been playing with for a long time told an interesting tennis tale:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white;"><i>I remember a player at X's session that, other than serving, would just stand near the net to play volley and smashing. He is good at that. But smart opponents would hit balls to bypass him. Lobs and hitting only to his partner all the time to avoid him.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I happened to partner him a few times. In the last one, which I promised myself never to partner him again, the opponents did just that and I have to return all the balls all the time. I had tried to hit the ball hard enough so that the opponents have a little more difficulty to handle the return.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>At one point, he actually shouted to me that I need not hit the ball hard all the time. WTH? OK, I hit them softer. This actually gave the opponents more time and accuracy for their shots. All the more that none of the balls go to this guy. We lost 6-0 and he didn't want to talk to me nor shake hands after the set. Me neither.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>It made me very moody after that set.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><var id="yiv1838420977yui-ie-cursor"></var> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For many other partners, most of them would give advice on how to counter the opponents, who to attack and how to. You learn new tricks with them. With that guy, you learnt not to partner him.</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My own thinking is that s</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ometimes, if something is not working (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I define not working in the most quantifiable way in that if you keep losing points</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">), you need to change your plan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This guy that we are talking about, not only is his team losing, people are not hitting to him ... why does he still want to stick to the same plan of waiting at the net until his team gets beaten 0-6?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One has to ask if he cannot even think of doing something different?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How about just staying back at baseline and go to "2 back" instead of one at the net and one at baseline?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can understand where he is coming from, in terms of varying pace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes varying pace can get you points with opponent making errors, but it really is a personal thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Varying spin is easier for me than varying pace. But it's easier said than done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a very good point made that other partners will offer advice on the opponent and overall approach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my playing together with other partners and from my personal experience, I have found that talking to your partner or another guy to change his game has almost never worked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's be realistic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only way people can change their game at our level is to observe and learn and also try new things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We don't have coaches. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Among the folks I play with, we talk more about the ATP pros' games, their strengths and weaknesses compared to analysing our own or our other friend's games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes a good way to learn is to lose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If your weakness is very obvious, and your opponent has enough sense, he will exploit your weakness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If a lot of your opponents do it enough, you will get a lot of practise on your weakness until it may become less of a weakness ... </span></div>
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</div>IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149265573373438467.post-33817138582005432082012-01-21T05:24:00.000-08:002012-04-26T07:15:28.766-07:00Playing Tennis with GlassesI have been wearing glasses most of my life.<br />
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If I play tennis, I do the following things to cope with the spectacles.<br />
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1) Wear spectacle hooks.<br />
They keep the glasses secured cos you don't want them to drop on the hard tennis court and break your lenses.<br />
Happened to me once. Never again.<br />
<br />
Here's a link <a href="http://hockgiftshop.com/2010/05/22/spectacle-hooks/" target="_blank">link</a> to a cheap online merchant that sells in Singapore.<br />
SGD$1.50 per pair, but you got to pay a bit more for the shipping.<br />
I always bring an extra pair in the tennis bag. They are pretty light, anyways.<br />
<br />
2) Bring a clean and dry towel.<br />
The glasses could get blurry with oil and sweat.<br />
In the tropical climate I play, it happens. Frequently.<br />
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Towel them during changeovers.<br />
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3) Fitover sunglasses for mid-day games.<br />
I usually play in the late afternoon to evening.<br />
I wouldn't recommend games in the Singapore mid-day sun cos of the sun exposure.<br />
<br />
When I was younger, I played too many times in early afternoon sun, and well ... I reckon I look a lot older than my age as a result of it. Folks I know, tell me too. Too late for me.<br />
<br />
But ... recently, I got invited to play with an old classmate that was came back to Singapore for a short visit, and the only time our host could get a court was at 1-3pm.<br />
<br />
I used a <a href="http://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/Polarized-Fitover-wraparound-Running-Sunglasses-Black-/190628720041?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c625b6da9" target="_blank">fitover sunglasses</a> I got from ebay and it was working very well.<br />
I even forgot I was wearing one until the game was over.<br />
The link looks expired, but you can still search for "fitover sunglasses" in <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3686.m570.l1313&_nkw=fitover+sunglasses&_sacat=See-All-Categories" target="_blank">ebay</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_scat_2578968011_ln?rh=n%3A2578968011%2Ck%3Afitover+sunglasses&keywords=fitover+sunglasses&ie=UTF8&qid=1333296988&scn=2578968011&h=510bfd21889526ddc6baf81d340486f2d16fd70b" target="_blank">amazon</a>.<br />
ebay seems to have cheaper ones.<br />
<br />
So from my experience, this product will not only shield your eyes from the bright sun, it also allows you to see the ball.<br />
The price as of writing this is USD$13 with shipping.<br />
<br />
Nice.<br />
<br />
<br />IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149265573373438467.post-80591268452804748822012-01-16T06:04:00.000-08:002012-02-13T23:36:50.423-08:00Read up - A tennis classicObviously, a blog like this should have a reference to the master pusher himself.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Ugly-Mental-Warfare-Tennis--Lessons/dp/067188400X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326722318&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Brad Gilbert's Winning Ugly</a></div>
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It's great reading for the recreational player.</div>
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For folks just picking up the game, it's helpful in terms of understanding this deceptively simple yet complex game we all love.</div>IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149265573373438467.post-82005999698974478742012-01-16T05:47:00.000-08:002012-02-13T23:37:37.926-08:00Cement walls for tennis fences?<div>
This must only happen in Singapore ...</div>
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Why do so many condominium developers put concrete walls to fence their tennis courts?<br />
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I mean, don't these guys know that the balls are just gonna rebound back into the middle of the court or bounce them out of court into the bushes or carpark?</div>
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C'mon guys, please just put the regular chain fence.</div>
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The chain fences absorb the impact and land the balls usually nicely into the sides of the court.</div>
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Your tennis playing residents and guests will thank you for it.</div>IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149265573373438467.post-52079169344847104912012-01-15T09:55:00.000-08:002012-02-13T23:40:55.228-08:00Tennis after Wet weather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQDrwLvZvE8BEkvicDNnShi-k34RAjoZHqteBCGPy6gugdSSEfUWRk-PM_5ZgEF7J8db7pLwMes_4zxxwYH2Llk2JXBwnraRiTZqTiFYfWtsPfxOcg8oEv28beubdxo-7ChWxpoGKiLA/s1600/Roller+on+a+wet+court.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQDrwLvZvE8BEkvicDNnShi-k34RAjoZHqteBCGPy6gugdSSEfUWRk-PM_5ZgEF7J8db7pLwMes_4zxxwYH2Llk2JXBwnraRiTZqTiFYfWtsPfxOcg8oEv28beubdxo-7ChWxpoGKiLA/s320/Roller+on+a+wet+court.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Playing after wet weather?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">All of us have been through it. At least, in rainy Singapore...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">You are all ready for the game, then one or two hour before the game, it starts to pour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">And it stops ... 30 minutes before the game is supposed to start.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">In Singapore, you get two kinds of weather - dry or wet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Playing tennis in Singapore means you got to get use to dealing with a wet court.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">The folks I play with have two general attitudes to wet courts, one will like to work the court rollers til the court is nice and dry. The others start playing in the puddles after some cursory rolling cos, after all, it could start raining again during play, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">So ... what are things to expect when you play on wet/semi-dry courts?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">1) The Balls <i>will</i> Skid.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Initially, if the court is really full of puddles, balls may skid easily and add a very unpredictable bounce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">This happens commonly on serve or off strokes that have underspin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Dealing with it requires some adjustment. Such as backing a half step to a full step while preparing for a return.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Mentally allow yourself more time to adjust after the bounce. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">If it really skids bad and you can't reach the ball, it's ok, your opponent needs to deal with it too. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">So here's how to use it to <i>your </i>benefit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Think more slice serve, especially on the second serve, and the occasional underspin </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">on the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">ground strokes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Aim at the puddles. haha. I mean, if you really <i>can</i>, wow, I'm impressed with your technique.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">2) Bounce, or lack of.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">The water absorbed by the wet balls </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">(for lack of a better word)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"> will make them travel slower, bounce lower, heavier to hit and service tosses lower.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">I don't really like to warm up my serve on wet balls. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">I feel that my regular service motion may get spoilt. I'm finicky that way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Ground strokes that you hit that should be landing deep will not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Hit harder. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Or hit higher, aim for a higher clearance above the net to get a deeper ball in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Btw, in my experience topspin somehow does not work well on wet balls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">On the serve, be prepared to get your face wet when your racket hits the fuzzy green thing and squeezes out the water onto you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">You should get it more when you go for the slice serve as you swipe across the ball. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Just think of the crazy spin your serve will get when it skids off the puddles to comfort yourself ... </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">and just wipe off the dirty court water off with your sleeve or dry towel during changeovers. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">No pain no gain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Playing against big hitters?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Think <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pusher_%28tennis%29" target="_blank">pusher tennis</a> ... <i>but with a variation</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">As a pusher on a wet court, I like to hit soft and aim at the "T".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Big hitters aren't usually used to hitting wet balls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">They will try to put away the short ball and ... based on their own adjustments while hitting the wet balls before attempting the put away, will usually overhit. Point to you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">3) Wet equipment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Be prepared for your socks to get soak thru. You could be running for most of the game in wet shoes. Having an intact outsole i.e. one without worn out holes will delay the onset of this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Having a spare pair of socks could help? I dunno, probably.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Do remember to let the balls dry off after the game.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Always a nasty experience to discover that all the balls you have are wet when you are just ready to start playing the next time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Before serving, I sometimes like to hit the wet balls on the court to speed up the drying process. Sometimes hitting a dry ball especially on the first serve just feels righ</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: x-small;">t...</span>IPushInTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573639844700912141noreply@blogger.com0Singapore1.352083 103.8198361.098096 103.503979 1.6060699999999999 104.13569299999999