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Equip Yourself for the Court: Tennis Bags, Grips, and Other Game Gear

It doesn't take much, gear-wise, to play tennis. A racquet, good shoes, and comfortable attire are basically all you need.

Although there's nothing in the official tennis rules requiring them, there are some "extras," that make playing the game more enjoyable and convenient. Top among these is a good tennis bag

Other items, such as grips and overgrips, will help you get the best use from that one indispensable piece of equipment: your racket.

Here's a quick look at tennis accessories you may want:

Bag

Your racket may have come with a head cover, which is fine and will provide some extra protection, but the bags we're talking about resemble gym bags.

Some tennis bags have large outside pockets to accommodate the head of a tennis racket while letting the handle sticking out. A better choice is a tote or specialized duffel style bag that will hold your entire racket inside it. Some bags are made to hold two, three or even five rackets this way.

You'll be putting other things in your tennis bag, too. Get a bag that can hold all of the following (think of it as your tennis tool box):

• Water bottle or energy drink
• A can of tennis balls
• Extra shirt or two
• Towel
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen or sun block
• Hat or cap, preferably one that can be rolled up or crushed without being damaged
• Wristbands
• Headbands
• First-aid items, such as adhesive bandages (Band-Aid type)
• Extra pair of shoelaces
• Snacks
• Any vitamins or nutrients you like to take to help you sustain energy and stamina
• And, of course, your racket

You'll find a huge variety of specially designed tennis bags these days to choose from. There are many styles, sizes and price ranges, so have fun and shop around a bit.

Water Bottle

You know you should drink plenty of water while exercising. In tennis, this admonition is even more important. It's a strenuous game, and if you don't drink enough water (or other fluids, such as sport drinks), you can experience fatigue, muscle cramps, and loss of focus and motor coordination. You even risk heat stroke.

If you're going to be playing all day, bring several bottles of water. Sports or energy drinks are great as a supplement to water for replacing the electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium) that your body loses through exercising.

Towel

Take a towel along to your games for wiping off sweat. Sweat can run down your your arm and onto your racket handle, making it harder to grip. Just about any towel will do, but you might want to make it a white one to fit the tennis "look." There are also towels sold as tennis towels.

Headband

A terry-cloth headband will help keep sweat out of your eyes. This takes on extra importance if you wear eyeglasses.

Wristbands

If sweating is a particular problem for you, and it's interfering with gripping the racket, consider getting a couple of wristbands to wear while you play. They're inexpensive, so you can take several along. You can switch to a dry band whenever the one you're wearing becomes completely saturated with perspiration.

Sunglasses

Oftentimes you'll find yourself playing into the sun. Good sunglasses can make the difference between an enjoyable time and a miserable one. There are even special tennis sunglasses you can buy.

If you already wear glasses, add a pair of lightweight clip-on suglasses to them. Those big squarish wrap-around dark glasses, which can go over a pair of regular glasses, are another choice.

With sunglasses or regular glasses, be sure they're strapped to your head with a cord of some kind. Otherwise, a vigorous game will send them flying in no time.

Replacement Grips, Overgrips, Add-On

Although similar in some ways, these have somewhat different purposes from one another.

A replacement grip is just that: it replaces the original leather or synthetic grip that came on your racket. Why replace the original grip? Because it can and will become worn and dirty. You'llprobably want to replace your grip at least once a year--possibly more often if you play a lot.

Some tennis players replace the grip when they decide they would like one with a different feel to it than their original one.

So-called firm grips transmit the full feeling of the ball hitting the racket to your hand. Many players like that, despite the shock it transmits to the arm. A cushioned grip, conversely, will dampen that effect, providing more comfort to your hand.

When people talk about grip "feel," though, they're usually referring to its adhesiveness:

Soft grips offer the least friction and are the best for avoiding blisters, but they are the hardest to control--that is, they can easily slip or twist in your hand.

Tacky grips are moderately sticky. They provide a good measure of friction and are probably a good choice for most players. They do increase the risk of blisters on your hand, though.

Tennis food for thought Bill Tilden on what makes a tennis star: "Champions are not born. They are made. They emerge from a long, hard school of defeat, dis-encouragement, and mediocrity, not because they are born tennis players, but because they are endowed with a force that transcends discouragement and cries 'I will succeed.' "There must be something that carries them up from the mass. It is that something which appeals in some form to the public. The public may like it, or they may dislike it, but they recognize it. It may be personality, dogged determination, or sheer genius of tennis, for all three succeed; but be it what it may, it brings out a famous player. The quality that turns out a great player, individualizes his game so that it bears a mark peculiar to himself." --from The Art of Lawn Tennis, Introduction to Part IV

Sticky grips are very easy to grasp due to their roughness. They may make it more difficult to quickly switch the postion of the racket in your hand, though. And the blister risk is at its maximum.

You can buy a replacement grip yourself, but putting it on your racket is something you'll probably have to ask or pay an expert to do. Your tennis pro shop is the likeliest place to find someone with the experience to do it.

Overgrips and overwraps go over your regular grip. Made in a variety of materials, they can be used to provide more or less adhesiveness, according to your need. You should always think of them as temporary, though.

Overgrips are often used to fatten a racket handle and to provide more feel. The proper way to install one is to tightly wind it diagonally up your regular grip, starting at the butt end of the handle. You hold it into place by overlapping the first wrap, then taping it down.

Replace overgrips after about five or six matches or after a similar amount of practice time. It's easier for the average person to put on an overgrip than to replace the so-called permanent or regular grip. Still, this is another job your pro shop staff could do for you.

Fortunately, overgrips cost much less than replacement grips.

Add-On is a relatively new alternative to overgrips. It's a flexible, self-sticking material that allows you to build up your racket grip quickly and easily, and you don't need experience to do it right the first time.

Like overgrips, Add-On can change the feel of a grip as well as fatten the handle if that is what you need.

String Dampener

String dampeners (also called vibration dampeners) reduce the vibrations of the ball hitting the racket surface, thereby reducing shock to your hand and arm. This lessens the danger of developing tennis elbow. You'll find that quite a few tennis stars regularly use dampeners.

There are many brands and styles of string dampeners, all of them pretty cheap. If you're really feeling the shock of the ball when you play--especially if you're starting to feel some aches and pains in your arm--adding a dampener to your racket would be a smart move to make.

Tennis Bags & Accessories

Buy.Com
Our top recommendation for tennis bags and racquet grips and overgrips.

Tennis Gear at Amazon.com
World's biggest online bookstore now offers an impressive selection of tennis bags, overgrips and tennis accessories of all kinds.

Online Sports
If you need it for playing tennis, Online Sports probably has it. They have the portable tennis systems, ball machines, tennis balls in bulk, special tennis sunglasses, videos on coaching tennis, and more.

Tennis Magazine
In addition to great tennis instruction, keep up with the latest in tennis gear with professional reviews and articles. Subscribe online for best price.

Swanson Vitamins
I've been buying my vitamins and supplements from Swanson for years, since long before they went online. When you buy from Swanson, you can be sure you're getting the stated amount of the exact ingredients advertised on the label. I've shopped around, and their prices are almost always the best, too--with savings of up to 75% off. Consider this to be one of the strongest personal recommendations you will find on this site. -- Steve Smith