Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Sassy Girl Tennis (TM): Tennis Toe YUCK!!! How to protect your pedi 101 ...

Sassy Girl Tennis (TM): Tennis Toe YUCK!!! How to protect your pedi 101 ...:         I'm a girly girl~ I like to look good.  I also like to play hard, and my feet and toes have paid the price big time.  Some ...

What the Felt?? Types of tennis balls.

A funny today.... WHAT THE FELT????

"What? I'm not using your balls.  I bought a can of clay court balls just this morning on the way to the court!!!  Your balls are not soft court balls!  Yes they are! no they are not !  I'm not using your balls I'm using my balls! This is not fair."  Unfortunately, Clay balls did not win.  They were thrown to another court.  I was giggling on the inside cause this was a real huge argument.  I mean one lady stopped at Publix on the way to the courts to buy her balls, her soft court balls (we starting play at 8am.) That is serious ball commitment. These ladies have "BALLS" ;) … and some serious ball issues.  They were protecting their balls.  I was just laughing at how many times they said "No not your balls... my balls".  I know there are different types of balls, used on different surfaces.  But are these fuzzy balls all that much different?  That's why I had to ask…  should you ever come between a lady and her soft balls?  How about her hard balls?  Must we protect our balls at all costs ? Do we need to carry several types of balls in our bags?  Do we use someone else's balls?  


So here's what I learned as I did a little research today.




It's All About the Felt~ what the felt? 

The balls are similar in size and weight and must bounce between 53 to 58 inches when dropped from a height of 100 inches. "The only difference is the felt", claims Jason Collins, global business director for Wilson tennis balls. The felt of the extra-duty ball (hard court balls) has a high nylon content combined with wool, has a looser weave and is slightly thicker than the regular-duty. The felt of the regular-duty ball(soft court balls) has a higher wool content and a shorter nap. The subtle differences apparently directly affect the speed, bounce and durability of the ball.  


So what the heck is the nap?   It's the fuzz, the fibers that surround the ball.  That's why all of the pros are looking at their balls... they are examining their balls before they serve it up.  They are looking for the perfect fuzz... a nice bit of fuzz on their balls, not patchy or fuzz sticking out, apparently that slows the ball down.  Wet balls can create problems and slow your game down as well.  We want our balls fresh, fast and bouncy on every surface. ;)


So there you have it… Pay attention to your balls, examine your balls, protect your balls, be selfish with your balls, keep your balls dry, fight for your balls!!!  It's all good fun for tennis!!!