Tennis Accessories: The Foolproof Way to Up Your Game

While watching a match between two professional tennis players you cannot help but feel awe at their skills. You watch as each shot is perfectly executed, the topspins, slices, serves, etc and you wonder how they do it. Then, as you are sitting at the edge of your seat wondering to whom the next point will go your TV screen freezes momentarily. After cursing the weather and your bad luck you notice something on the racquet of the serving player, wondering is this the secret to their success, this small attachment to his racquet. The answer to this question is both yes and no.

The object in question, attached to the players racquet is what is known as a "dampener," one of a broad range of tennis accessories that will improve your game but, make no mistake, will not grant you skill or expertise. Used by professionals and novices alike, such devices have been devised and perfected by many a professional for the sole purpose of hitting that yellow ball. In this guide I shall explain many of these accessories as well as give my take on which should be recommended.

Dampeners:
The first accessory to your game has already been mentioned. By now you should have made a few guesses as to what these little devices do, but if you have not already devised, they are installed on your racquet as a means to reduce the shock produced when performing strokes. The genius of having one of these installed on your racquet is that, while reducing the shock (and also the vibration to your arm) many dampeners tend not to reduce the "feel" of the strokes, allowing for more power with less injury. Personally, my dampener of choice would be the "Pete Sampras Tourna Vibration Dampener." These small and aerodynamic donut shaped inserts not only reduce the shock, but also the annoying "pinging" sound from my racquet. The only downside to this product is that it has a tendency to fall off after heavy use.

Lead Tape:
A warning before I discuss this particular addition to your racquet: lead is known to be a cancerous material and this particular device is no exception. On that note, used properly lead tape can prove a great asset. The role it plays in a person's game varies dependent on how the tape is placed on the racquet. For greater control, the lead tape would perhaps need to be added to the racquet's handle rather the head. On the other hand, if power is preferable to control, a strip or two at the tip of the head would suffice. The final usage of this useful attachment would be in reducing the torsion of the racquet during off-center hits. Personally I would go for the Gamma brand of lead tape but in this matter I doubt using a different brand would produce any significantly different results.

Grip Tape:
Yes, another tape accessory, and yes it's something that you're likely to already have on your racquet. Grip tape's true importance in a game spans much more than a simple cover to your racquet's handle and decoration. Given the different brands and styles of the tapes, they can perform their functions to varying degrees of effectiveness, namely that function being in reducing the number of blisters one gets in the midst of a game. If you play as heavily as I do then you should know first hand that blisters are a player's worst enemy. Thus grip tapes come in to soften the pain, maintain a better hold on your racquet, and to fit the grip better to the size of your hand. For this particular accessory I would suggest, again, using the Gamma brand. Typically tapes come in sets of three, perfect for overwrapping or spares and all in all a good bargain.

Strings:
Again, probably one of the items you already have on your racquet, but nonetheless an important one, strings determine to varying degrees what kind of shots you are able to perform. While certain strings allow for greater top spin or have higher durability, others are rigged for greater control or power. Ultimately it comes down to your preferences as each string type is made to the specifications of a different style of play. Strings come in several varieties from natural and synthetic gut to multifilament and hybrid strings, all made with varying materials each with its own costs. For this particular product I cannot offer a recommendation for, as I said before the type varies with the style of play.

Guard Tape:
The final accessory I shall mention is indeed another type of tape. Guard tape's primary function is in bolstering the dexterity of your racquet, or more specifically protecting the head from abrasions and scratches. Though personally I have never used it, guard tape in a sense defends your frame from all the nicks and dents that it can accumulate while being accidentally scraped on the ground mid-game. This will save a great deal of money in the long run for who wants to have to buy multiple racquets due to a broken or irreparably damaged frame. Granted the tape will have minimal protection for those who have a tendency to throw their racquets mid-swing, but nonetheless it will prove useful in your matches.

There is the last of the accessories that I shall mention. There are of course many more accessories but of them these are probably the most useful during a match