Gamma Sports recommends:

1. 2x - A simple rule of thumb: Restring your racquet as many times a year as you play, on average, in a week. For instance, if you play twice a week, your racquet should be restrung twice a year.
2. Listen - When you tap a strung frame against your hand, fresh strings will produce a resonant sound or “ping”. While dead strings will produce a deep “thud”. So if you don’t hear a ping, it’s time to restring.
3. Haven’t Played - Even if you don’t hit one shot, your racquet will lose tension. If you haven’t played for a few months, you should restring. Even the perfect racquet won’t perform if your strings have lost tension. After all, your strings are the only thing that touches the ball.
4. No Control - When your strings lose tension, you have less control. So missing that cross-court shot by four feet doesn’t necessarily mean you are playing worse than you were last week. It could easily mean that your racquet needs new strings.

Sadly, there isn't one that is better than the rest. Everything can be good but ultimately it’s a matter of individual player preference. What may be best for one person may not be good for another. As far as racquets, the best way to determine which racquet is best for you is to try several demos. Decide which demo you like the best of those you tested and then try demos with similar specs but with slight differences until you find the one you like. Holabird Sports offers a demo program thru the mail and also in our showroom. Please visit our Demo Program page for more information. For additional information about selection, we recommend that you visit our section about Selecting a String and our section about Selecting a Racquet.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the game of tennis, power and control are complete opposites and do not go together. In order to get more of one you need to sacrifice a little of the other.

If you are suffering from symptoms of tennis elbow you should consult your physician for proper treatment and advice. In addition to proper medical treatment, there are certain strings and racquets designed to help.

• Softer, multifilament strings are best suited to absorb more shock. Some strings that might be ideal are Prince Premier, Gamma Live Wire, Tecnifibre NRG2, and Wilson NXT.
• Stringing the racquet at a reduced tension can create a softer more forgiving string bed.
• Getting a heavier racquet can also help alleviate symptoms. A heavier racquet defrays more of the shock from ball impact and less of the shock reaches your arm.
• As an additional note: Most of the Pro Kennex Racquet Line is specially designed for shock absorption. Some of the Wilson Racquets have a built in rubber gasket designed to dampen shock.

If you need additional help finding products with shock absorbing properties please contact us.

There are a few simple methods you can use to measure your grip size. Please visit our section about grip sizing to learn more. You can also click here for a printable grip sizing chart.

Most tennis ball manufacturers make different grades of tennis balls which usually include a practice ball, a championship ball, and a premium ball. If you are looking for something to fill a hopper for practicing, get the practice balls. For matches we recommend either championship balls or premium balls. Championship Balls are good quality and will work fine. Premium balls are constructed of the highest quality materials. For more information on the differences between specific balls please read the descriptions provided on the product pages.

Using pressureless balls is not recommended for regular hitting because they are heavier than regular balls and can put strain on the arm. The most common use for pressureless balls is in ball machines.

Tennis balls are numbered to help players keep their balls from mixing with those from other courts.

The ball you want depends on the court surface you will be playing on. Extra duty (or heavy duty) balls are designed for outdoor hard courts. Regular duty (or all court) balls are designed for clay, carpet, or indoor hard courts.

The simplest method of determining if a tennis ball is dead is to hold the ball up as high as your forehead and let it drop. If the ball bounce doesn't reach your belly button the ball is dead.

A special shoe is not needed to play on clay courts. There are some shoes designed specifically for clay courts, however; most shoes are designed for all court play and can therefore be used on both hard and clay court surfaces. An easy way to check if your shoe is suitable for clay courts is to look at the bottom for a herringbone tread pattern. A herringbone tread pattern looks like waves or a zig-zag. As long as your shoe has some herringbone in the traction pattern it should be okay for clay court play.

Your tennis shoes size is generally ½ size larger than your dress shoe size. The reason for the size difference is that you want room in your athletic shoes to allow for the naturally occurring foot swelling that occurs during physical activity. You should have a full or partial thumb width between the end of your big toe and the end of the shoe. If you wear shoe that is too small or tight you could end up with blackened toenails. If you wear a shoe that is too large it could cause blisters.

Tennis shoes are specifically designed for the sport and are therefore best suited. A tennis shoe is constructed to allow lateral movements more easily than shoes like running shoe which are designed for heel to toe movement. Tennis shoes will also help prevent your foot from rolling over and causing an ankle sprain when you make a sudden stop. Additionally, tennis shoes are constructed to resist the highly abrasive surface of hard courts and are more durable in areas that receive the most punishment during the game, such as the toe area and ball of the foot. If you are only playing occasionally a cross training shoe may provide enough support but is not necessarily suggested. Running shoes are never recommended for tennis play and can actually contribute to injury instead of preventing it. All shoes worn on tennis courts should have non-marking soles.