6 Gadgets Which Improve Your Tennis (Maybe??)

If you want to get better at tennis and improve your fitness, these gadgets maybe a starting point?

Tennis is a very physical sport. For example, the tennis serve represents a complex movement that requires muscles throughout the entire body to rotate in unison to deliver accuracy and power.

Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned veteran looking to get just a little bit better, there are a handful of tech gadgets you should check out.

These gadgets can track and analyze your swing, keep track of the score, and measure the speed of your serves, among other things.

1. Sony Smart Tennis Sensor

2. Zepp Tennis Swing Analyzer

3. Babolat Pop Tennis Wristband

4. Ball Coach Pocket Radar

5. Hit Zone Air Suspension Tee

6. Scoreband Play Wristband

Read more –>

 

Don’t overthink each point | AskThePro

I know this sounds pretty crazy, but you should not be trying to think while you are playing a point.

This idea goes against what our mind is telling us as well as what it is trying to do. We will usually have the tendency to try to work things out in our head during the exchange of shots in a point. Unfortunately, this will have a negative impact on all of the practice and training we have done, and it may cause us to make errors due to indecision.

It is much better to just play the point once it starts. [Just focus on bounce hit: Whisperer]

Before the point, choose one technique idea and one strategy idea to remind yourself how you would like to hit the ball and play the point.

After the point is over, assess what has just happened and repeat the one technique, one strategy idea. You may have to make some adjustments based on what the last point was like, but try to keep things simple.

On the changeovers you can have a little more detail in your own self-coaching, but overall, try not to over analyze.

Letting your body react automatically and instinctively gives you the best chance to execute your shot and play the point the way you want to. To do this, we need to have less going on in our head.

Don’t think during the point!

Steve Annacone, USPTA Pro

Badge 2023 Entries Now Open. Web sign up.

Entries are now open on our website for 2023 Badge.

We have a selection panel of 5 for Men’s Teams and 4 for Ladies Teams.

Selection will be based on last year’s Badge results, UTR ratings and Club Championship results.

If needed, we may have trials also for members and particularly new members.

Please note that certain rules have been clarified from the previous year and new rules have been added. If you could familiarise yourself with the revised rules prior to the competition starting that would be greatly appreciated.

Updated 2023-Badge-League-Rules

Factsheets for Thursday & Saturday are linked below.

2023-BADGE-FACTSHEET-SATURDAY.pdf

2023-BADGE-FACTSHEET-THURSDAY-LADIES.pdf

Nominations for Badge will close in early February 2023.

NOTE: You must be a Financial Club Member to submit an entry to play Badge.

Click here to sign up on our web site.

Virginia Longfellow
MLTC Secretary

MLTC Seaside Results

Congrats to a number of our club members who did very well.  Bede, Matthew & Milton were amongst the event winners.

MLTC Seaside Draws

Draw

Size Type Stage Consolation  
A Grade Mens Singles 32 Elimination Main Draw    
OMS-Tier 2 – OMS-Tier 2 Matchplay 16 Match Play Extra    
OMS-Tier 2 32 Elimination Main Draw    
OMS-Tier 3 – OMS-Tier 3 Matchplay 16 Match Play Extra    
OMS-Tier 3 32 Elimination Main Draw    
OMS-Tier 4 16 Elimination Main Draw    
Open Mens Singles – Open Mens Singles Matchplay 16 Match Play Extra    
Open Mens Singles 32 Elimination Main Draw    
A Grade Singles Women 8 Elimination Main Draw    
Open Womens Singles 8 Elimination Extra Custom  
Open Womens Singles 32 Elimination Main Draw    
A Grade Mens Doubles 16 Elimination Main Draw    
OM Doubles – Tier 3 8 Elimination Main Draw    
OM Doubles- Tier 2 16 Elimination Main Draw    
Open Mens Doubles 16 Elimination Main Draw    
A Grade Womens Doubles 16 Elimination Main Draw    
Open Womens Doubles 16 Elimination Main Draw    
A Grade Mixed Doubles 8 Elimination Main Draw    
Open Mixed Doubles 16 Elimination Main Draw    
Senior Men 40+ Singles 32 Elimination Main Draw    
Senior men 45+ Doubles 8 Elimination Main Draw  

MLTC Newsletter – 27th Dec 2022

Manly Lawn Tennis Club Newsletter – 27th Dec 2022

Vale Basil South – I am very sad to inform our members of Basil South’s passing. Born in the UK, Basil joined the club in 2000, after retirement from a long and productive career in senior management at the Shell Oil Company. He played social  tennis for many years on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and was a regular attendee at AGMs. Basil’s funeral is scheduled for this Friday at 2.15pm at Macquarie Park Crematorium.

Public Holiday Tennis Times

Sunday 1st Jan (3 courts 10am to 6pm)

Monday 2 Jan (3 courts 7am to 6pm)

Social courts 12-3pm other times please book online.

Best wishes,

Virginia

MLTC Secretary

www.manlylawn.com.au

 

MLTC Newsletter – 20 December 2022

 Manly Lawn Tennis Club Newsletter – 20 Dec 2022

Merry Christmas everyone, thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed our Christmas party. It was great to see so many tennis members and guests filling the Clubhouse. 

This newsletter includes information about the upcoming Seaside Tournament, New Members’ Court Times, Members’ court information, First Aid Officer.

MANLY SEASIDE

After a three year absence the Seaside Tournament is back! From 26th December till finals on 31st December please come down and enjoy the tennis and have a drink. If anyone has their RSA and wants to help out behind the bar, let myself or Milton know. If anyone can spare an hour or two to supervise signing in of non members also let me know. [email protected]

Members Courts – a few reminders & updates – please read!

  • Saturday afternoons from 1pm to 4pm is Club Social
  •  A court captain puts people into groups, You play 8 games and then mix around.  
  • All members are encouraged to join in Club Social for at least one set.
  • Outside club social hours on Sat ie. 11.30am to 1pm and 4pm to 6pm, members are welcome to put on their own sets
  • Tuesday afternoons online court bookings – 2 courts available for max 1 hour per booking between 4pm and 7pm.
  • This is run on an honesty system to allow all members to have a chance to use the 6 available 1hr time slots.
  • The 6-7pm time slot is very popular. In the interests of sharing these courts between more members, we are trialling a new rule that you can only book this time slot every 2 weeks. If, after 48 hours of bookings opening (ie by Thu for the following Tuesday), the court has not been booked, anyone may book it.
  • We will look for feedback both during and after the trial.
  • Thursday evenings – 3 courts 4pm to 6pm, 4 courts 6pm to 8pm, 2 courts 8pm to 10pm. 
  •  There is no court captain after the earlier Thursday afternoon social finishes so we ask players attending on Thursday evenings to ensure everyone mixes around.
  • We would love to see more players using these courts on Thursdays. 
  • Coaching – there should be no paid coaching of members during members times. If you wish to coach (or be coached) please hire a court from Scott.

 

We do appreciate there are a wide range of levels at the club. Our aim is to offer a range of times for players to book courts to play with their own group and opportunities to mix in with others. Doing this helps club members feel welcome, encourages players to improve and creates a good club atmosphere. We thank everyone for their cooperation and understanding.

First Aid Officer – If anyone would like to volunteer for this position please let me know. The job entails keeping the first aid kit updated and organising a first aid course for members every other year.

Court Times

Monday Nil

Tuesday

3 courts from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm

2 courts from 3.30 pm to 7.00 pm

Wednesday

2 courts from 7 am to 9 am

Thursday

2 courts from 10 am to 1 pm during badge season

4 courts from 1 pm to 4 pm

3 courts from 4 pm to 6 pm

4 courts from 6 pm to 8 pm

2 courts from 8 pm to 10 pm

Friday

4 courts 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm

Saturday

6 courts from 11.30 am to 6 pm

(Social 1 pm to 4 pm)

Sunday

3 courts 8 am to 2 pm

2 courts 2 pm to 7 pm

 

Public Holidays 3 courts 7 am to 6 pm

Best wishes,
Virginia
MLTC Secretary
www.manlylawn.com.au

 

Tennis Intelligence: It Takes Pyramid Power | ATP

Too often, the average player’s focus is on their “Hardware” — coordinating muscles to hit the ball.  True, for most, just coordinating your body to consistently hit the ball week in and week out is difficult to say the least. It quickly becomes very frustrating when playing in the wind, changing court surfaces or against, what I will call, an awkward opponent.  And escalates even faster as we age and our muscles lose strength and coordination.

Our Hardware skills pathway includes three essential skills which underpin any tennis stroke: ball watching, balance and rhythm.  The basic Tennis Whisperer program teaches the development of the core supporting muscles to both enhance those skills and prevent injury.  As an example, just improving your ability to “really see the ball” rather than merely trying to “watch” it during play can go a long way to improving your consistency — at any age and stage of tennis. These basic skills can be taught or refreshed at any age.

But Hardware is only one part of the equation. Hardware is very much about muscles, joints and physical traits. “Software” is brain perception, action and decision making. Software is what often gives a player a head-start on those who might be physically stronger, quicker or, dare I say, younger! And from time to time, a win against the ‘better hitter’.

Your neural system is the third part of this equation, and in basic terms, connects a player’s “Software” to their “Hardware”.

Software should be view as a “Pyramid”. At its base be more aware of your end of the court:  basic court positions when returning serve or covering the net.  And the positions change depending on the opponent and the conditions.  For the more powerful opponent, it’s better to play further back when returning serve — not only to give yourself a little more time to watch the ball, but more importantly to ensure you’re moving forward into the shot to stay on balance. This is why Nadal, one of the best players in the world, plays so far back to improves his balance by moving forward into each shot.

Moving up the Pyramid, and still at your end of the court, where you stand in the court, particularly in dubs,  has a huge impact on your ability to stay in the point. For example, at ANY level of tennis, Tennis Physics means that EIGHTY PERCENT (80%) of shots fall in a two (metre) circle around the middle T of the serve line. Merely standing in that circle guarantees you’ll get a shot at most balls — you might not make the shot but you’ll be in the point.

As the Pyramid narrows, and looking at the opponent’s end of the court, action and decision-making comes to the fore.  Your focus is on the Hardware of the opponent.  Do they have any “obvious weaknesses” — not just the weaker backhand side but where do they consistently return the ball? Any physical limitations in running down lobs?  Are they comfortable hitting volleys or overheads? Are they comfortable moving forward, backwards, sideways? What did you learn from the warm-up? [You didn’t try to win the warm-up, right??]

Even further up the Pyramid, and still at your opponent’s end of the court, your focus is on the opponent’s Software.   How can you identify and find a way to exploit their limitations? Where do they stand in the court, to return serve, at the net etc?  Do they stand too close to the net and therefore are suckers to a simple lob return?  What’s their state of mind at different times of the match?  Do they rush under pressure?  Consistently miss first serves on game and tie breaker points??  How can you adjust your Software and Hardware to take full advantage of your observations during play??

And lastly, at the very Pyramid Top, and now we are back to your end of the court, what’s your decision-making style to analyze opponents during match play.  It’s the rare player who can change their Hardware midpoint to hit a different shot under pressure. Even rarer, the player who can consistently play more than one type of game — to unsettle an opponent and match the conditions. For most of us, suffice to say, it’s better to rely on a simple ritual to prepare to play each point — at least to start out each point standing in the right position and with a calm mind.

Tennis is a great game.  And you’ll get so much more enjoyment by NOT leaving your Software on the sidelines. And who knows, perhaps a few more wins.

© Rob Muir, USPTA
Tennis Whisperer

 

Latest Manly News & Events

POST OFFICE

Manly’s new Post Office has finally opened its doors this week, nine months after our Post Office and Shop were wrecked by flood water. 

The new PO is around the corner at  Raglan Street.

MANLY EVENTS

Manly Art Gallery & Museum – until 26 Feb

Fair Play bridges the gap between sport and art, domains that have long been considered natural enemies. 

Ruth Downes: Barely Wearable displays thirty ‘wearable’ artworks constructed from an extraordinary range of materials, including aircraft headsets and coffee capsules. 

Northern Beaches Writers’ Competition 2023 – until 31 March

This year’s theme is something that has affected every one of us this year – ‘Rain’.

Writers are invited to enter stories of 2,500 words, plus an image, to tell stories that are ‘not being told’. Details here

New Year’s Eve – 31 Dec

Fireworks will light up the sky in Manly Cove again this New Year’s Eve at 9pm.

There will be road closures around Manly to keep everyone safe, with large crowds expected on the night. 

Aboriginal Heritage Walk – 16th January

Manly Dam from 9am – 10.30am. Details here

Sun Run – Saturday 4th February

Dee Why to Manly.  7km and 10km distances

More details and registration here

Cole Classic Ocean Swim – Sunday 5th February

1, 2, and 5km courses.  More details and registration here

Here’s Why You Play WORSE In Matches | ATP

Have you ever experienced hitting an amazing shot when you know it “doesn’t count”?
For me it usually happens on a casual swing at a serve that landed a foot out – so I call it out and just let’r rip.
No pressure. No expectations.
Amazing how those swings feel so smooth, and yet the result is a booming shot that paints a corner.
Just like hitting in practice, right?
In practice you aren’t concerned with winning or losing so everything is smooth and relaxed.
Effortless.
So why the 180 degree turn around in match play?
It comes down to one ugly word.
Fear.
Now that the shots you’re hitting really “matter” your mind is racing and the feeling of fear takes over:
Fear of embarrassment
Fear of letting down your doubles partner
Fear of disappointing your teammates or coach
Fear of losing to a weaker opponent
Fear of losing your reputation as a player
Unfortunately, most tennis players treat fear as the problem when it’s actually just a symptom.
Once you understand what the root cause of your fear (and how to best manage your particular issue –emphasis added by Tennis Whisperer) is it melts away leaving you free to play your best tennis.
Source: Jorge Capestany, USPTA

2023 Badge League Rules (WIP)

Please see attached the Rules for the 2023 Badge League.

Please note there have been changes made to the rules. TNSW is  working on a video presentation to help understand some of the changes made.

The rules will also be updated online shortly for you all to reference.

PLS CONTINUE TO CHECK FOR ANY REVISIONS.

SYDNEY BADGE LEAGUE
Metro Sydney
Tennis NSW

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Plantar Fasciitis Is a Real Pain: symptoms, treatment and prevention | Tennis4Life

The pain starts when you wake up — a stab in your heel when you get out of bed, an ache when you put weight on your foot. The condition is persistent and common; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 10 percent of people get it.
Plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tight band of tissue on the bottom of your foot, can happen to anyone, said Dr. Eveline Tan, a podiatrist at Northwestern Medicine, but it occurs more frequently in people who are on their feet for long periods of time. “It’s probably more common than most people think,” she said, noting that she’s seen a resurgence of patients with the condition as more people have been returning to post-lockdown life. On Monday, Tiger Woods posted on Twitter that he withdrew from a golf tournament because he has developed plantar fasciitis in his right foot, making it difficult to walk.  The condition can be agonizing, but it’s generally temporary, and there are treatments and preventive steps people can take to ward it off.
Is there any way to prevent plantar fasciitis?
“No one is safe from plantar fasciitis,” said Dr. Amiethab Aiyer, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine. And if you’ve had plantar fasciitis before, you’re more likely to develop the condition again in the future, he said. But there are ways to reduce your risk.  If you’re increasing your level of exercise, build up gradually, and incorporate rest and stretching into your routine, especially stretching your hamstrings, calves and feet, Dr. Walton said. Even stretching your calf over a stair at work or home can help add flexibility, Dr. Pandya said.
Here’s what you need to know.  Read more —>