Olympics Tennis

If you’ve seen the new Nike Air Courtballistec 1.3 sneakers, you’re probably loving what you’ve seen and heard. Unfortunately, the prices for these run really high. If you find yourself in a situation where those are out of your range, the 1.1 or 1.2 Courtballistec sneakers maybe be just what you’re looking for.

These both have very similar looks and feels to the Nike Courtballistec 1.3, and they really don’t sacrifice much in terms of features and overall performance. They’ve been around for a little longer, so the 1.3 is new and improved, but it gets its foundation from its predecessors.

The Nike Air Courtballistec 1.2 offers excellent stability and durability for any competitive player who is all over the court. It offers the DragOn X technology to prevent wear and tear on the toe, and also showcases an air sole that is usually left out of cheaper Nike shoe models.

While we found that the 1.3 runs a bit small, the 1.2 sneaker fits exactly as it should, so rest assured that any online purchases should go right along with your normal shoe size. It didn’t take too long to take the stiffness out of these, and they’re also lighter than the 1.3 sneakers.

The tread pattern on these sneakers really makes them adaptable to hard, clay, and grass courts. The flexibility of these is really attractive for those who play competitively, or have the privilege of access to tennis courts with multiple surfaces.

In terms of the 1.1 model, the prices are great and they feel just like the 1.2 model. While they do show a little more wear and tear over time than the 1.3 shoe, they’re cheaper and the wear really wasn’t so bad. These are ideal for casual tennis players looking for something that might last them a few years.

Like the 1.3 model, the 1.1 runs half a size small, so anyone wearing a size 12 will want to go with 11.5. It sounds strange, but all online reviewers seem to agree about this too. The 1.1 is also the lightest of the bunch, which I didn’t mind at all since the ankle support was more than adequate.

The Nike Air Courtballistec 1.3 would definitely be my recommendation for anyone who plays at a competitive level. Anyone who plays once or twice per week, casually in matches, and seeks out a reasonably priced sneaker with high quality performance will be pleased with either the 1.1 or the 1.2.

Rafael Nadal loves a good tradition. Having worn his trademark headband and sleeveless shirts for years, he’s generally resistant to change. This, too, was the case when he was asked to switch sneakers.

While the switch was a big deal to Nadal, it seems like he’s become well accustomed to his new sneaker and he’s got to love the colors too. His sneaker is black, white, and a classic gold, giving him just enough flare to go with the classic neutrality the shoe brings.

The shoe can look great, but most want to know how it feels. After breaking in, we found the Nike Air Courtballistec 1.3 is even more comfortable than the popular Nike Cages and Breathe Frees from previous generations.

Weighing in at 17.7 ounces, they’re actually quite heavy. Due to the architecture of the sneaker, the weight is distributed in such as way so that the sneaker doesn’t weigh you down. We were definitely light on our feet, and you have to assume that Rafael Nadal and many other pros wouldn’t settle for a heavy feeling sneaker either.

Perhaps this is due to the new LunarLight technology, which features some first of its kind padding at the shoe’s core. Then there’s the DragOn X, which lends support to the toes (especially the big one) to make sure that collisions with the front of the sneaker are minimal. Anyone who plays enough tennis knows exactly what we’re talking about here.

If there’s anything bad to say about these sneakers, the bad we experienced took place during the first day or two. Out of the box, these are very stiff sneakers. Don’t wear these out for the first time to a critical match. Walk around in them for a day or two, practice in them, do what you need to do to break them in.

For those concerned about the wear and tear that hits all tennis shoes, there’s a little comfort here knowing that Nike gives you a six month guarantee regarding any wearing down of the sneaker. If you send the sneaker back and prove that there’s wear beyond what’s reasonable, they’ll give you a voucher for equal value to the sneaker. Not bad.

All in all, the pros wear this for a reason. It’s a great sneaker that gives you everything you’d looking for in a tennis shoe. Shop around a bit to find the best deal, because they’re out there. Good luck!yea

For all around performance out of a player’s racquet, the Head Liquidmetal Instinct might be one of the best choices around. We found it had no true weaknesses, and plays just as well at net as it does from the baseline.

The racquet only weighs about 11.1 ounces strung, making it extremely light and comfortable, yet still strong enough to handle heavy balls from your opponent.

We loved the way the racquet connected with our strings, and we were able to place the ball around the court as well as any racquet lets us. While it’s light and it has a bigger head, in no way will it limit your game.

One thing the Head Liquidmetal Instinct does do better than the Radical Mid-plus is providing pop (as long as you swing hard because of the light weight). On serves and ground strokes, we felt the power was easier to generate, yet still control. We had no problem placing serves or hitting strong second serves. It was one of the most dependable racquets for serving we have ever tried out.

The light weight of this racquet may lead some to thinking they need to swing much harder than with heavier counterparts, but make no mistake: this racquet gives you all the power you’ll need.

Additionally, it almost seems like it was built for players who apply heavy spin to their shots, which we absolutely loved, being the topspin fiends that we are.

The natural power this racquet gives is a great thing, but may be a little confusing at first. While the power is certainly there on full swings, it gives a little back when you’re attempting to block or chip a shot. You’ll need to get accustomed to swinging a little harder in these situations, but the light weight should make it easier to do than with other racquets.

All in all, there’s nothing bad to really say about this racquet. It has great control, a great chassis, and it worked really well with our advanced games. If you’re in the market for a racquet, you must at least demo this one.

A now classic racquet, the Head Liquidmetal Radical comes in two sizes for the competitive player. First, we will take a look at a popular racquet used on the pro circuit, the Head Liquidmetal Radical Midplus.

While this racquet is a bit on the heavy side, it actually lends itself well to smooth ground strokes as a result. Everything feels steady and firm due to the racquet’s weight, and the spin it puts on the ball is great.

When serving, the Liquidmetal Radical mid-plus gave us excellent control over the ball, and each serve felt great coming off the racquet. Returning serves at high speeds was no problem either.

Perhaps our favorite element of the racquet was the effect that it had on our ground strokes, as the control and spin the mid-plus allowed us to put on the ball was really one of the best we’ve ever experienced when testing a racquet. No wonder it’s such a popular seller!

While the mid-plus has a somewhat small frame, which gives the racquet its excellent sense of control, anyone looking for a larger racquet head should strongly consider the over-sized model.

While most experienced players will generally frown upon an over-sized racquet, we had no qualms with it here. The control that’s usually sacrificed with an over-sized racquet didn’t seem to be much of an issue this time around.

Serving is extremely comfortable with this racquet. It packs a good deal of power with an easy swing weight. The control is there, and with the head size, the Head Liquidmetal Radical could become a nice weapon for a serve and volley player.

The only drawback we noticed while trying this Over-sized Liquidmetal Radical was it didn’t quite generate as much spin as we wanted. This is obviously not a problem if you tend to not hit with a ton of spin, but just don’t expect to slice and top spin your way to victory with this racquet.

Anyone looking for a steady racquet to complement their advanced game will be really happy with the Head Liquidmetal Radical. We certainly were.

Many people don’t realize the absolute variety of treatments contained in a typical massage chair. Massage chairs use advanced technology to provide full body massage capabilities. Add advanced sensor technology combined with sophisticated software equals massage therapy bliss. Here are some of the best massage treatments in massage chairs today.

The shiatsu massage treatment is a great way to go. Shiatsu provides an overall massage but also targets different acupoints throughout the body. These acupoints are stimulated to help induce total relaxation and enhance the flow of energy in the body.

Shiatsu has been around for centuries. It is thought to be a descendent of ancient Chinese medicine. It is also derived from acupuncture. Shiatsu uses pressure to stimulate the acupoints to relax the body.

Normally, massage chairs have built-in sensors to create a map of the body. This virtual map can be done in three dimensions. The coordinates and location of different important points of the back and neck are notated. The massage chair it then uses this information to provide a customized shiatsu massage.

If you are on your feet all day, then having a foot massage brings great relief. The feet get tired, achy and sore when used all day. Massage chairs have foot reflexology massage treatments. It uses a combination of technologies to deliver a soothing and relieving foot massage.

Reflexology foot massage is based on the concept of stimulating different points on the soles of the feet. These points are believed to be linked to other parts of the body. When stress activates your body for action, a reflexology massage helps to reverse this process and bring calmness and relaxation.

There are a few different techniques for accomplishing the foot reflexology massage. Some the size manufacturers use reflexology nodes while others use reflexology plates. Air compression is almost always used to squeeze relieve the tension and the feet.

There are specific massage techniques that are great at relieving tight muscles. Many people have soreness between the shoulder blades. Many times tension can build up in this area. Massage chairs come with a kneading massage that is perfect for loosening and penetrating these tight muscles.

One technique that is particularly effective but hard to find is the sway technique. This sway technique uses a side to side motion with parallel movement of the rollers. This is a perfect way to loosen up the larger muscles of the pack. This gentle sway motion is very relieving and penetrates tight muscles.

Stretching should be part of your daily exercise routine. It is important to stretch out the body to maintain flexibility. Massage chairs have incorporated different types of stretching systems. Some massage chairs have upper body stretching while others have a lower body stretching.

The stretching will hold my feet in the leg rest. The leg rest is raised and then it is successively lowered. There are three successively lower points which provide the stretching. This provides great relief of my lower back while stretching the main joints and muscles of the lower body.

Remote controls are common with massage chairs. Typically they are hardwired and contain an LCD screen. There are automatic massage functions which run the entire chair. Normally, there are a variety of manual functions allowing you to target the massage where you most need it.

There are many massage chairs on the market today. Do yourself a favor and stick with the top brands. The top massage manufacturers make the most reliable massage chairs and provide the most comprehensive warranty coverage. A massage chair is an investment in your longer term health and well-being. Take your time and find the perfect massage chair for you.

One of the best new racquets for the intermediate tennis player happens to be the Head Liquidmetal 8. Like the rest of the racquets in its series, a very healthy balance of power and control sums up this racquet and gives a level of comfort on the court to many of its owners.

Weighing in at less than a pound, owners of the racquet can easily hit their shots early due to their success in executing fast swings with the racquet. Net play is just as easy, as the light weight once again lends itself well to volleys. A huge sweet spot on the racquet makes things less intimidating in an otherwise challenging situation.

While this racquet is suited for intermediate players, it lends itself well to advanced tactics, spin being one of them. This gives the racquet nice longevity, as it might take some time before a player grows out of it.

The racquet’s strings are very conducive to topspin and slice shots, and Head’s unique “Total Sweetspot Construction” is largely responsible for this. This new technology will probably find its way to other racquets to come out of the Liquidmetal line in the future.

While most lightweight racquets with big heads help out big time in the power department, the Liquidmetal 8 does this successfully without sacrificing too much control. Many of its owners cite this quality and view it as one of their favorite elements about the racquet.

The ball will not fly off your racquet like it would with other racquets with similar specifications. This racquet is great for the player wanting to make the next progression without breaking the bank.

We see this racquet as the ideal 2-3 year racquet for someone looking to rapidly advance their game. If you’re a more casual player and looking to play a few times per year, this is the type of racquet that could easily find its place in your life for many years to come.

The Head Liquidmetal 8 is overall one of the best oversized player racquets you can find in a nice price range.

The following story is one of persistence and perseverance. Through a lot of hard work over the years, Anna Chakvetadze has made it in the tennis world. Outranked by many on the junior circuit and never the most able player in Russia during her childhood, Chakvetadze fought hard to climb the ranks as a junior.

Chakvetadze took a few years as a pro before finally finding her way in 2006. With wins in Guangzhou and Moscow at the end of the year, Chakvetadze broke through as a pro. This was the beginning of a run that would bring her game to another level.

Having your family nearby can be a great thing for such a young talent, especially when the tour can be so demanding with travel and photo shoots.

Anna is not afraid of her beauty and as you can tell by the pictures; her personality is front and center. She likes sports cars, the faster the better and has her own collection to prove it Anna was on top of the world during the tennis season in 2007. Her return of serve was considered among the best in the game. Her ability to switch from defense to offense helped her elevate her game to #5 in the world. She reached the semifinals of the US Open and the Year Ending Championships. In all she had wins over both Williams sisters and Jelena Jankovic to go with 4 more titles in her collection.

While Anna was on top of the world, things changed at the end of 2007. In December of that year, her home was attacked by robbers and she was literally tied up with a gun held to her. The burglars seriously beat her father as well, and over $300,000 in things were taken from her home. Like anyone else who might experience this, the event had a very serious impact on Chakvetadze’s emotional state.

As a result, the 2008 tennis season was very difficult for Chakvetadze. She did her best to return her focus to her tennis career, but struggled in her tournaments, as her number five ranking steadily dropped.

In 2009, Chakvetadze is still fighting as hard as she can to restore her spirit and bring herself back to her previous state. While this will be a difficult task to say the least, the New York crowd at the US Open is well aware of her struggles, and will be behind her in its desire to see her return to her 2007 form.

Chakvetadze fights on despite the events of December 2007. She does her best every day to steadily move on, and while she lost $300,000 in goods, she still has her talent and health from here.

The Russian Anna in tennis who gets the most attention is Anna Kournikova, but there is another Anna from Russia whose tennis is on the same level, whose looks are more than pleasant, and whose story is more inspiring. Anna Chakvetadze has been a strong presence on the tennis season these past few years, and worked through much adversity during her childhood to make the pro circuit.

Chakvetadze took a few years as a pro before finally finding her way in 2006. With wins in Guangzhou and Moscow at the end of the year, Chakvetadze broke through as a pro. This was the beginning of a run that would bring her game to another level.

Chakvetadze kept her family close to her during her ascent, and this greatly benefited her mental state. It’s often difficult for a young pro to travel around the world alone, without the support of their family. Photographers and magazines quickly took on to Anna’s looks, and she became the focus of many photo shoots as well.

In 2007, Chakvetadze really hit her stride. Her return looked better than ever, and through the course of the year, she won five tournaments. This brought her to a career best #5 ranking, and she capped off a great year with a run to the semifinals at the US Open.


2007 did not end on a bright note however. On December 18, 2007 burglars broke into her home, tied her up at gun point. Her father was not as lucky as he was beaten severely. The robbers stole over $300,000 worth of jewelry and cash. While the stolen assets can be replaced, the psychological damage inflicted on this day has scarred the Great Russian. She went from cloud nine to being tied up at gun point. Such a traumatic event has ruined many a life and all we can do is hope that it does not claim her as well.

As a result, the 2008 tennis season was very difficult for Chakvetadze. She did her best to return her focus to her tennis career, but struggled in her tournaments, as her number five ranking steadily dropped.

In 2009, Chakvetadze is still fighting as hard as she can to restore her spirit and bring herself back to her previous state. While this will be a difficult task to say the least, the New York crowd at the US Open is well aware of her struggles, and will be behind her in its desire to see her return to her 2007 form.

Chakvetadze fights on despite the events of December 2007. She does her best every day to steadily move on, and while she lost $300,000 in goods, she still has her talent and health from here.

My brother who is a fit man used to joke when I went off on my 2000 km cycling trips that it was never the couch potatoes that got sports injuries. And sure enough when I hurt my knee cycling that summer I had to agree that he had a point. But this didn’t stop him from kicking around a soccer ball or doing light weights on his press bench at home, or playing the odd game of squash.

When I first heard about tennis elbow, I wondered if that was only for the competitive players who played tennis for hours on end every day. And if not, Id have to warn my brother to go easy on the squash, just like he had done with my cycling.

Tennis elbow, which is known as lateral epicondylitis, is apparently an extremely common injury. Pretty much if you’re a frequent tennis player, you’re at risk of having a case of tennis elbow. And, surprisingly enough, given its name, it affects a good number of people who don’t play tennis at all.

Tennis elbow is often caused by repetitive strain or overuse, which is provoked by the repeated bending back of the wrist against resistance. As suggested by its name, you can get tennis elbow from playing tennis, badminton or squash. It also is caused by excessive wrist use.

It typically occurs in the tendon of the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle. Come again, youre probably saying! The extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle is approx. 2cm below the outer edge of the elbow joint of your humerus bone. You’ll notice a tenderness in this region and perhaps some inflammation. More noticeable is the weakness in the wrist when doing simple tasks such as opening a door handle or shaking hands with someone.

To date, there is no one single treatment which is totally effective. However, there are a number of treatments, in combination, that help reduce the occurrence of tennis elbow. For starters, you definitely want to ease off the tennis or whatever triggered your case of tennis elbow. Then you can apply ice or a cold pack to the elbow for 15 minutes, as many as 6 times a day. You might choose to wear a brace or support approximately 10cm down the forearm, and specifically not on the painful area.

And finally as tennis elbow is considered a soft tissue injury, you want to carry out a comprehensive rehabilitation program. You also want to consult with a sport injury physician, as they may recommend a steroid injection or massage therapy or even an operation.

Sometimes called ‘Rafa,’ Rafael Nadal is a native of Spain who has made a massive impact in the world of tennis.

Born June three, 1986 in Manacor, Mallorca, Rafael Nadal is the son of Sebastian and Ana Maria Nadal.

Standing 6′1′ and weighing 178 lbs, Rafael Nadal turned into a professional tennis player in 2001 after having played since four years of age.

Under the steering and teaching of Toni Nadal, his uncle, Rafael Nadal commenced learning how to play tennis terribly early in life as is evident from his early championship.

Toni, who remains Rafael’s coach, is a particularly crucial part of this kid’s success.

In 2005, he won 11 titles and also caught recognition as the ‘Most Improved Player’ for 2005 as named by the ATP.

In June 2006, Rafael Nadal won his second Roland Garros crown and also scored his hundredth claycourt career victory.

That same month, Rafael Nadal turned twenty and finished his teenage years with major success. It was during these years that Rafael Nadal won sixteen career titles, which tied the record for the most titles won by a teenager.

Even though Rafael Nadal is right-handed, he plays left-handed and produces a backhand using both. As with most top athletes in their sport, Rafael Nadal is managed by IMG and is frequently found in Nike attire.

Fans who would like to ask a signed photo or just send Rafael Nadal their best wishes are advised to do so in care of his professional association.

If you are asking for an autograph, be sure to include a SASE ( self-addressed stamped envelope ) along with your request.

Popular items to have signed include blank index cards and photos. It is usually recommended that fans not send any item that they can’t afford to lose, for example prized possessions and/or restricted edition collectibles.

As with all mailed autograph requests, there is no guarantee of an answer. For this reason, many fans simply wish to request a signed photo.

Depending on the sportsman’s schedule, autographs could be authentic, secretarial, pre-printed or even impossible to provide. Patience is the key to requesting autographs by mail, particularly when you are talking about an athlete as popular as Rafael Nadal.

Letters and requests should be mailed to: Rafael Nadal ATP Tennis 201 ATP Blvd. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082.