Dynamite86
New User
Hello tennis clan,
In the UK more and more tennis clubs are turning towards astro turf courts or artificial grass for their preferred surface. From what I gather it's to do with them being low maintenance and more importantly, longevity. I've played on various types of these surfaces; ones covered in sand, others with longer grass (called tiger turf) and others which are so worn it's like playing on highly polished wood flooring. I am not at all a fan. In my current league, I think 50% of the teams have astro turf. Personally, I hate the stuff. I think it encourages poor technique, it's difficult to move effectively, it's not at all like actual grass and is best suited to someone with a big serve. Being 5ft 7, I don't benefit too much! Also, the next person to tell me "It's good on your knees" - it just makes me laugh! Granted, when I'm about 60 I probably will appreciate the fact it's good on my knees, if not slightly sooner!
However, last year, in a league match I played at a club I'd never visited before. The courts - astro turf covered in sand. Me and my partner, both with a lot of court speed as an integral part of our game were absolutely shackled. Pushing off was a huge no no, sudden changes of direction resulted in falling @SS over t!t and the score always edging in our opponents favour, although did manage to stage a miraculous come back in one of the matches.
I've been scouring the web trying to find footwear suitable for this type of surface. Do I need something with a lot more grip? Do I need more pimple type grass shoes? Clay shoes? Do I need industrial boots? At a push, Ice Skates? My shoes at the time were Lotto Mirage 300. I would normally use Nike Air Zoom Vapor. I was slipping all over the place and just couldn't get any traction whatsoever. Does anyone have any advice in this area? It's likely I'm going to play on this stuff a number of times a year, so I might as well invest in a pair of shoes that will at least enable me to play a little bit!
Any advice would be very much appreciated
Thanks,
Dyna
In the UK more and more tennis clubs are turning towards astro turf courts or artificial grass for their preferred surface. From what I gather it's to do with them being low maintenance and more importantly, longevity. I've played on various types of these surfaces; ones covered in sand, others with longer grass (called tiger turf) and others which are so worn it's like playing on highly polished wood flooring. I am not at all a fan. In my current league, I think 50% of the teams have astro turf. Personally, I hate the stuff. I think it encourages poor technique, it's difficult to move effectively, it's not at all like actual grass and is best suited to someone with a big serve. Being 5ft 7, I don't benefit too much! Also, the next person to tell me "It's good on your knees" - it just makes me laugh! Granted, when I'm about 60 I probably will appreciate the fact it's good on my knees, if not slightly sooner!
However, last year, in a league match I played at a club I'd never visited before. The courts - astro turf covered in sand. Me and my partner, both with a lot of court speed as an integral part of our game were absolutely shackled. Pushing off was a huge no no, sudden changes of direction resulted in falling @SS over t!t and the score always edging in our opponents favour, although did manage to stage a miraculous come back in one of the matches.
I've been scouring the web trying to find footwear suitable for this type of surface. Do I need something with a lot more grip? Do I need more pimple type grass shoes? Clay shoes? Do I need industrial boots? At a push, Ice Skates? My shoes at the time were Lotto Mirage 300. I would normally use Nike Air Zoom Vapor. I was slipping all over the place and just couldn't get any traction whatsoever. Does anyone have any advice in this area? It's likely I'm going to play on this stuff a number of times a year, so I might as well invest in a pair of shoes that will at least enable me to play a little bit!
Any advice would be very much appreciated
Thanks,
Dyna