Tennis season is starting on monday for our school, and the weather so far has been quite bad. I played at our courts today and there was soo much wind it was hard to keep the ball in on one side and hard to get the ball over on the other-and in addition to that it was freezing. Anyone have any tips for playing outside when its really windy and cold?
Playing outdoors with cold windy conditions
- Thread starter LarougeNY
- Start date
Silentgunz
Rookie
man my coach person that teaches me told me since its windy u need to slice ? wat the crap im confused...
Voltron
Hall of Fame
He's a dumbass, slice makes the ball FLOAT, thus it gets blown around by the wind more. If you can slice VERY low and effectively, fine, but for us mortals, slice is a no-no IMHO.
Silentgunz
Rookie
good thing i never listen lol, shes a USPTA and a National Junior tennis coach though, but sometimes i got a feeling she dont know wat shes talking about... like she told me to use a eastern for my serve... and she never teaches you anything like when i see her teaching ppl their holding there racquet wrong and she doesnt tell them to change it..
BTW, wat does USPTA stand for lol ...
Last edited:
chess9
Hall of Fame
It's all a matter of acclimatization. 
Here's a true story. I was playing men's doubles from 8-9 p.m. indoors when it was 5 BELOW zero in England. I was wearing about 500 pounds of insulated clothing, jock straps, anti-gravity vest, you name it, to stay warm. I walked out of the courts in the freezing wind, and lo and behold two teenage girls dressed in shorts and short sleeve shirts, under the lights were banging tennis balls. With the wind chill factor it must have been 10 below. I yelled at them "Churchill would have loved you girls!"
In England they play in the rain, snow, wind, you name it (except heat, which they rarely have to worry about).
So, stiff upper lip, lad.
-Robert
Here's a true story. I was playing men's doubles from 8-9 p.m. indoors when it was 5 BELOW zero in England. I was wearing about 500 pounds of insulated clothing, jock straps, anti-gravity vest, you name it, to stay warm. I walked out of the courts in the freezing wind, and lo and behold two teenage girls dressed in shorts and short sleeve shirts, under the lights were banging tennis balls. With the wind chill factor it must have been 10 below. I yelled at them "Churchill would have loved you girls!"
In England they play in the rain, snow, wind, you name it (except heat, which they rarely have to worry about).
So, stiff upper lip, lad.
-Robert
Silentgunz
Rookie
dang thats crazy, i would never play if it was below 5 zero
It's all a matter of acclimatization.
Here's a true story. I was playing men's doubles from 8-9 p.m. indoors when it was 5 BELOW zero in England. I was wearing about 500 pounds of insulated clothing, jock straps, anti-gravity vest, you name it, to stay warm. I walked out of the courts in the freezing wind, and lo and behold two teenage girls dressed in shorts and short sleeve shirts, under the lights were banging tennis balls. With the wind chill factor it must have been 10 below. I yelled at them "Churchill would have loved you girls!"
In England they play in the rain, snow, wind, you name it (except heat, which they rarely have to worry about).
So, stiff upper lip, lad.
-Robert
I'm a brit and what you said is so true. Apart from the heat bit, the hotter the better for me. I have played in 44 degrees celsius before and was fine. I just needed a lot of water!
I played yesterday when it was about 35 degrees, which wasn't bad, but the 29 mile an hour winds was... I really found no rhythm and found it extremely difficult to do anything. Balls would float long when hitting with the wind and when people would hit against the wind to you they drop a few feet short and drive you crazy.
Tryouts on Monday here are predicting snow, 25 degrees, and 23 mile an hour winds. Awesome.
Tryouts on Monday here are predicting snow, 25 degrees, and 23 mile an hour winds. Awesome.
grizzly4life
Professional
tennis season starts on monday in new york state???
or am i missing something? not new york? or does weather vary greatly in the state??
me thinks they won't be playing outdoors in syracuse on monday... not with the 12 feet of snow they got.
or am i missing something? not new york? or does weather vary greatly in the state??
me thinks they won't be playing outdoors in syracuse on monday... not with the 12 feet of snow they got.
grizzly4life
Professional
you must be joking..... wow, maybe i should get out and play here in toronto.
TonLars
Professional
Yeah its tough. Here in MN theres plenty of wind, snow and cold. Youll have to bundle up for the cold, but as you get warmed up and into the match you can probably shed some layers.
For wind, theres lots of different things you can do to help your play. When youre against the wind, youll have to fight like hell. Hit out on the ball since its not going to go long often. Drop and short shots also will be more effective when you have the chance since theyll die in the wind. With the wind, youll obviously have to ease up, but you should think agressively strategically since the wind will help you out. Against the wind is the defense, and when youre with the wind you can feel comfortable with the opponent not being able to hurt you with really anything. Stay patient and keep the pressure on them, and then take more opportunities to come in to the net. They wont be able to lob you basically. Otherwise in general, the wind forces alot of errors. Try to be as patient as possible and the consistent player to win. You need to be able to adjust and move better as well; many of the errors in the match will be caused by the ball taking weird pathways. Anticipate and adjust.
For wind, theres lots of different things you can do to help your play. When youre against the wind, youll have to fight like hell. Hit out on the ball since its not going to go long often. Drop and short shots also will be more effective when you have the chance since theyll die in the wind. With the wind, youll obviously have to ease up, but you should think agressively strategically since the wind will help you out. Against the wind is the defense, and when youre with the wind you can feel comfortable with the opponent not being able to hurt you with really anything. Stay patient and keep the pressure on them, and then take more opportunities to come in to the net. They wont be able to lob you basically. Otherwise in general, the wind forces alot of errors. Try to be as patient as possible and the consistent player to win. You need to be able to adjust and move better as well; many of the errors in the match will be caused by the ball taking weird pathways. Anticipate and adjust.
Narcissist
Semi-Pro
In England they play in the rain, snow, wind, you name it (except heat, which they rarely have to worry about).
So, stiff upper lip, lad.
-Robert
Yup. I brushed patches of snow off the court before playing last year!
Bagumbawalla
Talk Tennis Guru
Wear wool socks and layers of clothing that will wick away the sweat. You do not want to be wearing clothes that are damp. Cotton is bad under these circumstances.
You can cut out the toe of an old tube sock and slip it over your hand and racket handle to keep your hand warm until you warm up (warning: you will look ridiculous).
Wear a ski cap, or something on your head to help prevent heat loss.
Wear the minimun amount of clothes you need to stay warm. Warm up gradually.
Hit the ball solidly. Keep your motions/strokes simple/compact.
You can cut out the toe of an old tube sock and slip it over your hand and racket handle to keep your hand warm until you warm up (warning: you will look ridiculous).
Wear a ski cap, or something on your head to help prevent heat loss.
Wear the minimun amount of clothes you need to stay warm. Warm up gradually.
Hit the ball solidly. Keep your motions/strokes simple/compact.
Today might be the first day i'm going to play outside since like october! The weather here has been terrible and snow has been dropping but for the past 4 days there was no snow and it's melting away. Also, the weather is starting to get warmer (thank god). So yeah I hope I am able to play and no more snow comes. Our tennis season started last monday but, too much snow.
dump everything to the guy's backhand or weaker side.
hit flat. hit hard if going against the wind, hold back if with the wind.
dress appropriately during play.
on days like this, you are playing the element more than the opponent.
bring a jacket (even an extra long sleeve shirt), gloves, and a warm hat.
my teammates and even coach laughed at me. but after our cold windy match, they stopped. i had my warms ups, extra shirt, and running gloves on. warm as a kitten. they all freeze thier butt off while we waited and "cheer" on the rest of the matches to be over.
they had on t shirt and shorts.
me, dressed like winter time!
ain't no fun to freeze your butt off and get sick after your match.
hit flat. hit hard if going against the wind, hold back if with the wind.
dress appropriately during play.
on days like this, you are playing the element more than the opponent.
bring a jacket (even an extra long sleeve shirt), gloves, and a warm hat.
my teammates and even coach laughed at me. but after our cold windy match, they stopped. i had my warms ups, extra shirt, and running gloves on. warm as a kitten. they all freeze thier butt off while we waited and "cheer" on the rest of the matches to be over.
they had on t shirt and shorts.
me, dressed like winter time!
ain't no fun to freeze your butt off and get sick after your match.
Redflea
Hall of Fame
I'm used to the opposite end...here in SoCal we get warm to hot very windy days (known as "Santa Ana" conditions) where winds from the inland areas blow towards the coast. Results in very windy, warm, and dry weather that sucks the moisture out of you like a sponge. Chapped lips, crackly skin, and the ball moving around all over the place, as the winds can get very gusty and unpredictable...
Redflea
Hall of Fame
Bioflex? I fear to ask what it's made from...anything like Soylent Green?
You aussies and your court surfaces...first I hear about artificial gass and sand, now bioflex...
http://www.bioflex.ch/bilder_new/top_view_800.jpg This is bioflex.
Haha, I live in America
. The indoor court we've "trained" at (where I have skipped every practice) is made of the above. The old surface there was carpet, not sure why they changed it.
Either way, it doesn't help to play on bioflex when the actual surface we'll be playing on all season is clearly a bit different... though I wouldn't mind playing on rebound ace..
Haha, I live in America
. The indoor court we've "trained" at (where I have skipped every practice) is made of the above. The old surface there was carpet, not sure why they changed it.Either way, it doesn't help to play on bioflex when the actual surface we'll be playing on all season is clearly a bit different... though I wouldn't mind playing on rebound ace..
Redflea
Hall of Fame
http://www.bioflex.ch/bilder_new/top_view_800.jpg This is bioflex.
Haha, I live in America
Either way, it doesn't help to play on bioflex when the actual surface we'll be playing on all season is clearly a bit different... though I wouldn't mind playing on rebound ace..
Oh right...I mistook you for AndrewD.
Wow...that stuff looks horrendous...have you ever played on it?
http://www.bioflex.ch/bilder_new/top_view_800.jpg This is bioflex.
Haha, I live in America
Either way, it doesn't help to play on bioflex when the actual surface we'll be playing on all season is clearly a bit different... though I wouldn't mind playing on rebound ace..
Looks VERY slippery when even the slightest bit wet (like shoes being wet from outside or something like that).
Redflea
Hall of Fame
Yeah...it does look like an accident waiting to happen, doesn't it. I am SO spoiled living in a year-round tennis climate...
Well, today was the first day I played on the Bioflex (which also happened to be the first day of tryouts...).
First I'll inform you all of how bush-league my school is, then we'll get on to how poor the surface is. We have approximately 30 kids trying out for the team. Tryouts were supposed to be this week outside on our 5 hard-courts by playing challenge matches, but due to poor weather, tryouts are based on a bunch of drills inside on the bioflex, for 1 hour, on 2 courts...
First, there's a few minute warm up where 6-7 people stand on each side of the two courts and just hit balls, and they go everywhere since half the kids trying out have no control. Then we played King of the Court (singles on one court, doubles without the option of choosing your parter on the other). For singles, best of 3 points, king always returning, doubles the same only first to 3 points. Then we played around the world once, and that was it. This is how they plan on selecting our team. I probably hit a ball about 15-20 times the other day.
Anyway, on to the bioflex: this is without a doubt one of the absolute worst surfaces I have ever seen. The ball has no predictable bounce whatsoever; it varies from tile to tile. The tiles also bend and so on when you make a quick stop, so there are places where you can hear the bioflex slapping off whatever is underneath it since it's curved upwards whenever you step on it. It's just terrible to play on. Words cannot emphasize just how bad it is.
First I'll inform you all of how bush-league my school is, then we'll get on to how poor the surface is. We have approximately 30 kids trying out for the team. Tryouts were supposed to be this week outside on our 5 hard-courts by playing challenge matches, but due to poor weather, tryouts are based on a bunch of drills inside on the bioflex, for 1 hour, on 2 courts...
First, there's a few minute warm up where 6-7 people stand on each side of the two courts and just hit balls, and they go everywhere since half the kids trying out have no control. Then we played King of the Court (singles on one court, doubles without the option of choosing your parter on the other). For singles, best of 3 points, king always returning, doubles the same only first to 3 points. Then we played around the world once, and that was it. This is how they plan on selecting our team. I probably hit a ball about 15-20 times the other day.
Anyway, on to the bioflex: this is without a doubt one of the absolute worst surfaces I have ever seen. The ball has no predictable bounce whatsoever; it varies from tile to tile. The tiles also bend and so on when you make a quick stop, so there are places where you can hear the bioflex slapping off whatever is underneath it since it's curved upwards whenever you step on it. It's just terrible to play on. Words cannot emphasize just how bad it is.
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