omg I love tennis. I had to idea this girly game could be so GOD DAM FUN! I started playing a month ago with my friend, and I just wish I had picked up this sport sooner. I want to play it every day all the time. I gave it a shot because I'm pretty good at ping pong and tennis seemed like the next step.

I highly recommend starting to learn this game with one of your friends. You can buy a racket for $15, and a can of balls for $5. The one thing I do suggest is to play with a friend who has never played tennis before either. I believe the biggest reason we stuck with in through the beginning when we sucked is because we didn't feel like we were holding the other person back, and when we got better we increased equally always being a challenge for the other.

But I do have some questions for senners that have been at this longer than I have:
I have a cheap $20 walmart racket. Am I missing out on a better experience of tennis because I don't have a $150 one? What's the bare minimum I should be looking for in a racket if I don't want to spend a fortune?

How the HELL do you put top spin on a ball?! I can slice it like a mother fucker, but top spin never works. I slice it with a downward diagonal chop, and that works, but when I try to put top spin on it with an upward diagonal cut... well I'm lucky if it even reaches the net.

How much does it usually cost to rent one of those ball-shooting things?

I don't know the answer to any of your questions, so I'll just say, gogo Tennis.

I played this game for Gameboy once.

DOOD! And Mario tennis for N64 was like the shit.

Really depends on what kind of racket you got for $15. The material of it could be plastic and be easily broken or ripped in a game. A softer material with more tension will be lighter and will probably last longer.

The shooting ball thingies should be expensive. I'd not get a $150 racket, though

How long is it gonna take MA to find this and say something helpful? He doesn't shut up about tennis.

Why rent one of the ball shooting things, when you can:

1) Play against the wall.
2) Play with a buddy.

And aside from that, I have a Wilson racket. It's old as hell though.

I have no idea.

Playing with a wall is pretty stupid since you can predict where the ball will go and just run ahead.
Playing with an irregular wall would be something more interesting I guess.

You put top spin on the ball the same way you do it in ping pong: Hit it with the bottom of the racket and "Lift/Fling" it back toward your opponents. It's all in the wrist.

OH and Tennis isnt a step up from ping pong...

PING PONG > TENNIS

I agree, somewhat, you work out more on tennis, yeah, but ping pong is a much faster game. It can get pretty intensive, you have to have a LOT of more reflects and a complete control of your hand/wrist. Tennis is less reflects and more OMG RUN.

Yes you are. Those cheap ass $20 walmart rackets don't deserve to exist especially if you're somebody who really wants to play this game.

I get my rackets here: http://www.tenniswarehouse.com/
Read the reviews people give on rackets, those are the X-factors.

What comes first is getting your tennis form right so for beginners and intermediate players I'd say you should just pick any solid racket. Hmmm I liked this: Head Radical. You can also find $70 dollar ones at walmart and those are good too. When you get your basics down, then you'll know what to look for in rackets: power, control, flexibility, etc etc... Here's the guide

Well as my tennis coach taught me, it's like brushing a ball. You want your racket to generate enough horizontal velocity to be able to drive the ball over the net but the key is to pay attention to the orientation of your racket face the moment your strings touch the ball. The face should be pointing downwards (like perhaps a 60 degree angle should suffice.) If you end up smacking the balls toward the ground a few feet away then that means you aren't proving enough "lift" with the brushing. Imagine that you want to carve out a cube from the tennis ball with your tennis racket

The common mistake most beginners make is having their racket face open unintentionally thus sending the balls sky high. It's easier to hit a ball with your racket facing the sky hence but with the plane of your racket facing downwards it's going to take practice.

The ideal contact point should be around your waist area. Start low like around the knees, make contact around the waist area, follow through (this is the most important part), and bring the racket over your shoulder (or just across your chest but whatever you do, you must maintain this low to high trajectory.)

It just takes practice. And if you record yourself playing, you can see what you are doing wrong with your form and figure out how to correct it.

I don't know how much it costs to rent those ball machines. I never really used those

And to all you noobs out there saying ping pong > tennis, I'll school you in BOTH blindfolded

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on May 14 2009, 8:14 am by MillenniumArmy.

^ 1v1 Ping Pong RIGHT NOW

You're Asian.



It makes sense. There is no point in renting a machine that shoots the balls at you, when you could play against a wall, or a friend. Cheaper, and will probably help you more. Both for predictable moves, and then later on, unpredictable.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT! The game "Tennis" for gameboy had Mario as the ref.

I prefer "Pong"

Yeah, like MA said, you might want to try to hold your racket with a "western" grip, which is basically holding it so that the frame is almost horizontal. When you swing, hit the ball and lift you racket so that the ball can actually go over the net. Also, like MA said, a $15 racket won't help you very much. You don't have to spend like $100, but something better will help you. I have a $75 racket, and I love it.

Damn you, MA. I wanted to teach CAFG about tennis.

And yeah, tennis is the best sport ever. It's so much fun, especially after you become a hardcore player.

Watch Prine of Tennis.

Is that some cartoon about an Asian kid who's crazy at tennis? I've seen it once, and I never saw it on tv again...

I REFUSE to ever lay eyes upon such disgrace.

Also, you could always look at videos of pros playing. This doesn't help much, but it may show you what you're doing wrong.

And MA, you don't shut up about tennis? O.o Do you watch tennis? Who's your favorite player? Mine's Nadal, 'cause he's amazing and awesome and left handed (I'm left handed too).

<3 Nadal