Enduring friction from shoes is inevitable when matches extend to a third set. However, there are steps you can take to help prevent blisters from developing. Here are some of our tips for preventing blisters on your feet.
Tennis feet
Friction blisters often occur on the tips of toes and heels, but you can protect your skin with proper socks. Acrylic and moisture-wicking socks, for example, are better at preventing blisters than cotton socks. There are a variety of performance socks that can ensure comfort and support for your feet.
Keep your feet cool and dry with the Feetures Elite Light Cushion Quarter Tennis Socks. These low ankle socks feature moisture-wicking fabric and high density cushioning that will protect areas of high impact. If you prefer crew length tennis socks, consider the Thorlo Experia ProLite Crew Cut Socks or the Nike Court Multiplier Cushioned Socks to aid in blister reduction.
Some players have experienced blisters when they wear new shoes. To break in your new kicks, wear them for short periods at first. Then, keep them on for longer intervals as time passes. There are also different lacing techniques that can limit the slide in your tennis shoes.
Casual observers of the game of tennis might be confused as to why Williams lost her cool over a simple officiating call. However, the fact of the matter is that foot faults are called very inconsistently, meaning that players regularly overstep the line on serve, but are not penalized for it.
If you find yourself on the opposite side of the net to someone who is consistently making foot faults, it can be tough to know how to handle the situation. For the majority of tennis players, line judges will not be present, so you just need to use common sense.
Service Line: 27 feet wideThe service line runs parallel to the net and marks the halfway point between the net and the baseline. It also marks the end of the service boxes. However, unlike the baseline, it extends only to the singles sidelines. Any serve that lands beyond this line in the court is out.
Center Service Line: 42 feet long (21 feet on each side of the court)The center service line runs perpendicular to the net and meets the service line to create two equal-sized service boxes.
Doubles Sidelines: 39 feet longA few feet outside of the singles sidelines are the doubles sidelines. These sidelines run perpendicular to the net and define the side boundaries of the court for doubles matches.
Helpful tip: Keep a retractable measuring tape in your tennis bag and measure the height of the net before playing. There are enough variables in tennis already, so I always urge players to make sure they control the factors that they can whenever they step on the court.
Recreational PlayThe recommended measurements for recreational play are slightly shorter. 18 feet between the baseline and the backstop and 10 feet from the sideline and sidestops or 7 feet from the net post.
Thank you for the useful info on your site. Can you tell me what the stndard length of a net should be. If the posts are 3 feet outside of the doubles court lines how much is allowed for the static hook and winder spindle on either side.
Great question! Nets made for singles and doubles play are 42 feet in length. The width of a court including doubles alleys is 36 feet and the net posts are required to be placed 3 feet outside the doubles sideline. If we take the quick total (36+3+3) that gives us our 42 feet, which the net needs to cover.
While tennis offers a unique and enjoyable physical activity for young and old alike, it also requires special considerations to avoid injury, particularly to the lower extremities like the feet and ankles. Achilles tendonitis, ankle sprains, and plantar fasciitis are a few of the most common causes of foot and heel pain on the court.
Several key factors contribute to the development of heel pain and foot injuries among tennis athletes. Understanding these risks and taking simple steps to mitigate them can prevent foot injuries from developing:
A game of tennis requires your hands, arms, and feet to repeat the same motions many times as you serve and return the ball. These repetitive motions can wear on the plantar fascia as well as the muscles and ligaments in your feet and heels.
Setting aside proper time to stretch and warm up your muscles (including the ones in your feet!) can make a big difference in how capable your plantar fascia and other muscles and ligaments are able to perform without damage.
Any imbalances in musculature in your feet will limit full range of motion and alter your running and walking gait, which in long term can cause problems and overuse injuries. There are two kinds of musculature in your feet, extrinsic and intrinsic:
For the feet muscles, wearing shoes is like putting a cast on your arm after a bone break: without regular use, the muscles atrophy quickly. When the smaller intrinsic muscles with fine motor skills atrophy, the larger extrinsic muscles start to compensate. Slowly, they are overused, developing trigger points and tension that will further cause more problems.
Our feet are always smashed and compressed inside our shoes, often too narrow for the toes to move. The narrow toe space in footwear creates weak toe abductors and tight adductors, which prevents your toes from spreading wide naturally.
If you wear flip-flops as footwear of your choice when you are not in the tennis shoes, you need to know that flip-flops force your toes to increase the gripping action, which can cause chronic tension in the flexed position and eventually alter your balance.
Occasionally, you may want to walk around barefoot or in minimalist footwear, so you would exercise the muscles in your feet during body movement. You will feel the ground differently; you will create a new sense of balance and develop a light foot strike, which will help you to move lighter on the tennis court.
After only a few weeks of strengthening your feet muscles, you will notice a better movement on the tennis court, and if you have been experiencing aches in your knees, or tightness in your calves or glutes, you may be surprised that these will go away. Make sure to give your calves a good stretch and myofascial release regularly!
Foot and ankle injuries happen all the time in tennis. It comes with the territory. Players are continually running up and back, jumping, and stopping, and starting on hard surfaces. These actions set the scene perfectly for frequent injuries.
Certainly, tennis players can take steps to protect themselves from foot and ankle injuries. Wearing shoes designed for playing tennis is essential. Also, maintain muscle strength and flexibility and always remember to stretch before playing. Finally, treat any injury promptly by contacting Megan L. Oltmann, DPM and Craig B. Frey, DPM, our two expert podiatrists here at Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland. Tennis players and other athletes in Cuyahoga, Summit, Portage, and Geauga Counties can count on our years of experience treating sports injuries. Call our office in Solon, Ohio at (440) 903-1041 or request an appointment online.
Each year, the tennis tournament Wimbledon hosts over 600 players hoping to take home the championship title. Although the competition is canceled for 2020, these same players are home practicing to stay in shape for the next big tournament. However, for some of these athletes, injuries will hold them back.
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Many studies have focused on the plantar pressure characteristics of specific movements and footwork in tennis. However, little research has been conducted for exploring the foot characteristics among tennis professionals' daily habitual paces. This study aims to examine the pressure profiles associated with foot posture and balance abilities of elite tennis players during normal gait to understand how foot loading patterns result from habitual paces that may be derived from intensive tennis training and competition. A cross-sectional comparative study is conducted on 95 male college elite tennis players (mean age: 20.2 1.2 years) and 100 male recreational tennis players (mean age: 19.8 0.9 years). Bipedal plantar pressure distributions (PPDs) associated with arch index (AI) and centers of gravity balance are explored through the plantar pressure device. The foot posture is estimated to determine the rearfoot postural alignment. During the midstance phase of walking with a normal gait, the bipedal AI values of the elite group are significantly lower, indicating that they have high-arched feet. Additionally, the elite group experienced higher PPDs at the lateral regions of their longitudinal arches and heels and relatively lower PPDs at the medial portions of both feet. Rearfoot postural alignment resonance analysis of the PPDs suggests that the elite group experienced foot supination associated with cuboid dropped. Moreover, the right foot bears heavier centers of gravity balance in the present study. The elite tennis players in the study are categorized as having high-arched supination with cuboids dropped when performing daily habitual paces. This finding warrants further investigation into the correlation between possible injuries and daily habitual paces that may result from tennis' intensive training and competition.
Tennis players can experience a variety of foot injuries caused by the repetitive movement required, constant side-to-side motion, and quick stops. All can be hard on the feet and ankles. Other causes include:
Often, a tennis player will suffer a sprained ankle during a tennis match or while practicing. A sprained ankle happens when you land incorrectly on your foot and twist or injure the ligaments on the side of the ankle. 2ff7e9595c
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