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If you are going to be any good at tennis there are two major things that you really need to know.  Once you have mastered these things you are looking at a much easier time trying to play.  However, if you are not playing as well as you should be, going back and taking some lessons in improving your skills as well as technique may be necessary.  The primary basis of tennis is to obviously bounce the ball back and forth across the center net, but actually ensuring that the ball goes where you want it to is going to involve some careful consideration to ensure that you are training yourself properly.

The first major thing you need to be aware of is you always need to be ready for the hit.  This means you cannot turn around and wave to your best friend or blow your special honey a kiss while you wait for the ball to come to you.  You need to focus on the ball and the exact location of the ball in relation to your racquet.  If you look away, lose your concentration or just lose the ball then you are not going to have a very good hit.  While not all hits need to be overly powerful it is important to ensure that you are making a conscious effort to get it over the net with each and every shot you take.

If you are not prepared to hit the ball either mentally or physically you are not going to play a good game at all.  You are going to practically hand the game to your opponent.  Ensuring that you are ready for the ball is not as difficult as you may think, but it is very much worth your time to ensure that you are prepped and ready to go.  Never waste time looking around at the crowd or trying to adjust your hair or clothes, they can wait – just ensure you focus on the ball.

The second thing that you always need to keep in mind is follow through.  If you are unsure about your follow through then you need to ensure that you practice it until you have it down cold.  A good effective follow through is a great way to help minimize some of the inexperience that you may have with playing tennis.  Of course the professionals are going to have a good follow through, but you can as well if you practice. 

Some of the things to keep in mind is the exact manner in which you are holding the racquet.  You also need to ensure that you rotate your shoulder correctly.  Not only will this help you improve your follow through, it will also reduce your risk of injury and ensure that you are able to have the power that you need in your follow through to put the ball exactly where you want.  You should also remember your stance.  This is one of the times when your stance will be the most important.

A poorly executed stance will result in a horrible follow through almost each and every time.  However, taking the time to finish up your follow through by keeping a good stance will go a very long way to ensure that your game is at top-notch level.  Never be afraid to ask for help in your follow through if you need it.

By Zul Affandy

As you can imagine there are numerous considerations that you should take into account if you are trying to select a suitable tennis instructor for a child.  What is suitable for an adult is not always the best match for a child and this can sometimes be a very difficult difference to distinguish.  What you determine as the first criteria is obviously someone who is skilled and talented as a player themselves, yet there are other criteria that should be considered as well.

Some of this criteria should include someone who is willing to offer up generous amounts of praise to your child.  While of course some criticism is necessary in order to actually improve you do not want an instructor that only criticizes your child.  Look for someone who also gives honest praise.  If they are simply dolling out praise just to make parents happy, you want an instructor who is handing out praise because it is deserved.  This will also go to show an instructor that pays close attention to the activities and behavior of the students as well which shows that they are highly attentive to the needs of your child.

Your next criteria should be an instructor who has patience with children who struggle to grasp the concepts set forth for them.  You need an instructor who is willing to work with your child whether they catch on perfectly after the first lesson or it takes then 20 lessons to learn how to swing the racquet without hitting someone.  The kind of continuity that this offers your child is very important and ensures that they will be able to really grow and learn with the same instructor and it also shows that an instructor is capable of adapting their teaching style based upon your child’s particular needs.

For children one of the key things to look for is an instructor who places the highest priority on having fun.  Of course producing star tennis players is great, but an instructor who is more concerned with his next Olympic entry than having fun is likely to drive away the hobby players, which is where most children fall in the spectrum of players.  Once your child grows older if they want to train for the Olympics then a different coach may be necessary but young children need to first have fun and improve their skills before moving onto worrying about being the best in the world.

As a good rule of thumb, you need an instructor who places a highly emphasized level on mastering all of the basics before moving onto advanced techniques.  What good does it do to sign your child up to 10 tournaments if they are unable to even properly swing the racquet?  You need to ensure that the instructor is willing to spend time on the basics until they are firmly mastered.  If they insist upon moving your child along without the basics fully mastered then you need to find a new coach.  Your child should never be pushed to a level that is beyond their capabilities for the time being.  They may suddenly have a breakthrough and rapidly advance, but the lessons need to follow their own individual skill levels.

Your final consideration should be finding an instructor that is certified.  This goes to help prove that they are capable of playing themselves.  It also allows you to feel comfortable knowing that they have to adhere to a specific set of rules and guidelines in order to actually be certified.  Many instructors that are lesser quality will not want to bother with the requirements to be certified, so this works as a very effective method to help weed out the instructors that are not as suitable for your needs.  Always ask about certification before you ask any other questions about their teaching style or even prices.  Without a certification, you do not want to work with them, and you should never send your child to them.

By Zul Affandy

As you can imagine tennis is a very high impact sport, this alone creates a huge need for a good pair of highly appropriate shoes that are designed to last a long time and ensure that you have the durability as well as comfort that you need.  If the shoes that you choose are not good for your skills then you are going to be looking at very sore feet and legs, potential problems with your back, a less than stellar game and massive discomfort.  This is simply not acceptable during the middle of a match.  You do not want to be uncomfortable so the need to have a good pair of sturdy shoes is greatly important.

You should first always ensure that you know the exact size of your foot.  This is not a case of guessing that your size is approximately an eight is good enough.  You need to know the exact size, without this information you could purchase the wrong size, which could cause your feet to be pinched, or could cause blisters if the shoes are too large.  If you are not positive on the shoe size that you wear you need to see a professional at the shoe store to determine your shoe size before you do anything else.

Your next step is to determine what type of foot you have.  The three major types are ideal, pronated and supinated.  Depending on the exact type of your foot, your choice of shoes will be impacted.  Not all shoes are suitable for all feet types.  If you have a supinated foot then you should not pick out a pair of shoes that are designed for the ideal foot type.  You need to know exactly how you stand on your foot in order to know the type of feet that you have.  An ideal foot would wear the shoes evenly all across the bottom.  Someone with a supinated foot would wear the shoes on the outside heavily, while the inside of the shoe was virtually untouched.  A pronated foot would wear heavily the inside of the foot and often the arch area is badly worn as well.  A pronated foot typically has a much higher risk of injury so having the proper shoes is not a luxury but a requirement.

Once you have determined shoe size and foot type you can then move onto finding the shoes that are most suitable for you based upon style and comfort level.  Many tennis players decide to wear a particular brand of shoe and only wear that brand.  This often happens simply because they find a brand that fits their foot well.  You should always stick to the brands that fit well before you start looking at new brands simply because you know how well the brand will perform.

If you can afford to purchase them, you should also look to purchase brand name tennis shoes.  While a lesser known brand is the perfect opportunity to save some money, they are not likely to be as comfortable nor last as long, which will ultimately make them a very poor decision.  Tennis is a sport where you are on your feet the entire time you are playing; this combined with the sudden movements means that shoes is not an area where you should be pinching pennies.

You also need to look for a pair of shoes that provides a great amount of lateral support.  This is what will help prevent your ankle from twisting as you run back and forth sideways across the court.  If your shoes offer no lateral support, you are increasing the risk of a sprained or twisted ankle.  Always ensure that you have plenty of lateral support before you purchase the shoes.

Your last consideration should be finding a pair of shoes that are lightweight.  Remember you will be moving quickly across the court so you need to ensure that you have plenty of energy, heavy shoes will weight you down and make it quite difficult to move as fast as you need to move.  However, a good sturdy pair of lightweight shoes that provide ample cushioning and lateral support will be your best investment.

By Zul Affandy

In tennis, it is essential that you have the right racquet according to your skill level as well as playing style.  If you have the wrong racquet, you will likely have problems with improving your game and really ensuring that you can play the best game possible.  A good racquet should help you improve slowly, while a poorly matching racquet can cause you problems with playing, much less improving.  If you are working with a good coach, they should be able to give you some tips on selecting the perfect racquet for your individual needs, however in the meantime there are some basic guidelines that you can follow to help you until you get the best advice from your coach.

If you are just an occasional player or if you look to start playing it would be a wise decision to purchase what is called a power racquet.  This is a racquet that is designed to give more control and support in how the racquet is handled.  This works perfectly for those with just beginning skills because it helps to compensate for the lack of skills that you have currently.  By providing a much larger head, you have a much greater area that you can hit the ball with.  This is very important for those who are not always the most accurate with their swings.  In addition, a power racquet provides a much heavier head, which is effective in helping to give more actual power when you are swinging the racquet; this allows greater force to hit the ball, which will provide a much stronger return.

The next racquet that is good for intermediate players is called a tweener racquet.  This tends to be much lighter than a power racquet and it provides you with a choice of a large or a small head to allow you to move between the two depending upon your exact skill level as well as how well you can play.  If your accuracy is good you can use a smaller head, if you are still working to hone your accuracy skills then a larger head will be a good idea even with this racquet style.  The good news about tweener racquets is that they are much longer than a power racquet.  This will allow you to learn more control as well as power from your own strength and skills, rather than just what the racquet provides you with. 

Your next step up the ladder is called a control racquet.  These are typically much heavier and provide a much smaller head size than a power racquet and many of the tweener racquets.  Before you move onto a control racquet, you need to have some fairly basic skills established first.  A control racquet will generally allow you to have more control during your game, but at the same time, you are losing some of the power that a power racquet game you to start with.  This makes it highly important that you are capable of providing enough power in your swing to handle the ball appropriately.  If you are not strong enough to handle it without a power racquet then you will need to avoid a control racquet for a little while.

If you are just starting to play tennis you should always seek the advice of your coach before you actually purchase a racquet.  If you have been playing a while then you should wait until your coach tells you to change to a new racquet.  This will allow you to use the racquet that is best suited to your particular skill level.  While your skill level does come into play, it is also important to ensure that you pick out a racquet that is appropriate for you based upon your size, for example someone who is only 3 or 4 feet tall would need a shorter racquet than someone who is taller.  Always take your time selecting a racquet to ensure that you are using the most appropriate racquet possible.

By Zul Affandy

If you have ever heard anyone talk about tennis elbow then you surely know that it is not a pleasant situation.  It can be rather painful and it is quite possible to do a lot of work to help prevent the injury.  However, if you do not treat your body nicely you are putting yourself at a much greater risk for the injury as well as others.  This is something that you should work hard to avoid, after all tennis elbow can cause serious pain that is not just whisked away with a heating pad.

You are first going to want to focus on prevention and in this spirit; it means that you need to ensure that you are getting the rest you need between playing.  This means there is no reason that you should go out and play a 4-hour tournament then turn around and practice for another 2 hours.  No matter what you think, this is not a wise idea.  Rather a better idea would be taking the day off after you have finished the tournament so that you can give your arm the rest that it needs. 

Take some time to get into good physical shape.  This includes ensuring that you strengthen your arms and back.  If you ensure that your arms and back are in good physical condition you will have the muscle strength built up that will help you to prevent the injury.  However, failing to make sure you are in good physical condition can make you exceptionally vulnerable to problems.  If you have problems with getting into good muscular shape, you should talk to your instructor or coach if you have one.  If you do not then turn to the internet to help you develop a good exercise routine that will effectively allow you to strengthen these essential muscles.

For those who do not play tennis for hours a day it is important to pace yourself.  This means no playing for four weeks does not give you the right to run out and play for 4 hours straight suddenly.  You should play for much shorter periods after you have had a long period of time away from the court.  Your arm is abused in the process of playing tennis and suddenly jumping in with both feet will put you at risk of wearing it out badly.  Instead, play much easier on your body and work to get back to the game that you prefer to play.  Remember, pushing yourself to achieve the results that you want may seem like a great idea, but pushing too hard will leave you with an injury.

Always stretch before you start playing a game or even practice.  In addition, you should stretch after you are done playing as well.  This will allow you to keep the muscles surrounding the tendon as supple as possible.  Often tense muscles can help factor into a tendon injury and will have you in pain quite quickly if you forget to stretch one day.  A few minutes of stretching can go a very long way towards keeping you in good shape and injury free.

The last major consideration that you should take into account is you need to avoid continuously repetitive movements that drag on forever.  If you are practicing a swing or a serve then that is wonderful but at the same time, you need to ensure that you stop on occasion to take a break.  This will be quite helpful in working with you to avoid injury.  If you are overworking your muscles without a break, you are putting yourself heavily at risk of an injury and you are not likely to enjoy the results.   Taking care of your body is the primary thing that you need to be concerned with, not trying to stress over practicing your serve for another two hours straight.  The time you spend on the court will be much more effective with a few small breaks sprinkled into the day.

By Zul Affandy

Who ever knew that there was a lot of decisions involved in picking out a tennis ball?  After all, they are green or yellow and fuzzy.  The biggest decision that you would think you should have to make is picking the color that you want to use.  Yet there is actually so much more that people generally do not think about.  This is an amazing discovery to most people, because honestly a ball is just a ball right? Of course a ball is a ball, but at the same time you could not play tennis very effectively if you were trying to use a basketball or even a football and vice versa.  This has created the need to have specific balls that are specifically designed for the sport you are playing. 

The differences in the types of places that you can play tennis has also made it very necessary to take the time to really go in and ensure that you have the right balls for the type of playing that you do.  For example, there are two primary types of balls.  This is aside from the slight differences in color; the difference tends to lie in how the balls are constructed.  There are pressurized balls and those that are pressureless.  The difference is inside of the ball, for example, pressurized balls are filled with either air or sometimes nitrogen inside.  However, pressureless balls are just a solid core that has no air or gas inside.

The primary benefit is often the costs, if you are just beginning to play then the pressurized balls are generally much cheaper, however they tend to lose their bounce as the air escapes slowly about a month after they are opened.  This means that after a while you will need to replace them, pressureless balls on the other hand do not lose their bounce, but after a while the fuzzy felt that provides some friction when playing will wear off.  This means that they will still need to be replaced, however they can be used much longer before needing to be replaced.

Now that we have covered that you are feeling as if you are a tennis ball expert, however, there are still something’s that you need to know.  For example, each pack of tennis balls is clearly marked with a label that says either High Altitude, Extra Duty or even Regular Duty.  The difference in the balls at this point will have a huge impact upon the actual way that they play while you are using them.  Using the wrong ball at the wrong time can create a bit of a problem, however choosing the right ball is important.

The first type is the High Altitude; these are designed to be used in places that are very high above sea level.  The pressure inside of the ball has been adjusted to provide the optimal bounce at a level of approximately 4,000 feet or higher above sea level.  This type of ball would be highly inappropriate for use in a tennis court that is deep inside a valley or anywhere else that is not high above sea level.

Another type is the Extra Duty; these balls are designed to be a bit more durable than Regular Duty.  The primary purpose of an Extra Duty ball is to be used on tennis courts that are grass or even asphalt.  They tend to hold up much better against the very tough surfaces and ensure that even on a grass surface you can get the bounce that you need to be able to play effectively.

The last type of ball is the Regular Duty ball; these are designed to be used primarily on surfaces such as indoor tennis courts and even those that are made from clay.  Typically, these balls are designed for the majority of players to get used.  It is important to realize that if you do play tennis on a hard surface or even grass tennis court with a regular duty ball that you will be lucky to get a single game or two of use from the ball before it is necessary to replace them.

By Zul Affandy

Stefanie Maria Graf is a former World number 1 player in women’s tennis. Her performance depended mostly in her powerful forehand because of which she was nicknamed Fraulein Forehand. She even cultivated an impressive slice backhand and consistent volley. Her serve was so accurate and powerful that it travelled at the speed of 180 km per hr, which was one of the fastest serve. She not only had an amazing footwork but also her strokes were very powerful.

Graf’s first tournament as a professional was played in October 1982, Germany. In that match, she lost to Tracy Austin, who she defeated twelve years later. Although she didn’t win any titles for the next three years, her rank was steadily increasing and her skills improved rapidly. Defeating Chris Evert won her first tour title in April 1986.

When tennis was re-introduced in 1988 Olympic games after forty years, Steffi Graf took full advantage of it by winning the Olympic gold medal in the singles. The same year she won all the four Grand Slam singles titles, making her the only women tennis player to do so. This feat of hers’ was declared as the Golden Slam. She is also the only female to win all the four Grand Slams, Wimbledon Open, French Open, Australian Open and US Open, for four times each. During this period the US Open and Australian Open were played on grass unlike now where all the venues have clay court. So Graf has the credit of playing on all kinds of tennis courts. From French Open in 1987 to US Open in 1996, she played a total of thirty-six Grand Slam singles tournaments, in which she made it to the finals of twenty-nine tournaments and won twenty-one of them. 

For three hundred and seventy seven weeks Graf was ranked the Women’s Tennis Association’s Number 1 player. Any male or female tennis player could never set this record. She won a total of seven Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles. From the 1987 French Open to 1990 French Open, Graf made it to the finals of thirteen Grand Slams consecutively and won nine of the thirteen.   

A panel of judges of the Associated Press declared her as the greatest female tennis player of the twentieth century, in December 1999. Graf’s twenty-second Grand Slam title was her final one in the 1999 French Open. She retired in the same year and became the highest ranked player to retire at third position in the world.

Her father Peter Graf, who was an aspiring tennis coach, was responsible for introducing her to the world of tennis. Although her training started at the age of three, she began playing on the court from the age of four. Her father kept a close watch on her routine and lifestyle. She was always expected to practice and that was the reason why she didn’t socialize much. But this narrow focus drastically improved her performance. But later on in life, she was involved in a controversy of Graf tax scandal as she had some issues with her father. After retiring from the tennis circuit in 1999, she began dating Andre Agassi, who himself is an ex-World number 1 male tennis player. They both got married in October 2001 and Steffi gave birth to their son Jaden Gil, four days after their marriage. Their second child, a daughter, Jaz Elle, was born in October 2003.

By Zul Affandy

Martina Navratilova is an ex-World number 1 female Tennis Player. Born on October 18, 1956 in Czechoslovakia, she became the citizen of America in 1981.Her stepfather Miroslav Navratil was her first coach. Martina won the Czech republic national tennis championship at the age of fifteen. At the age of seventeen, she got her very first professional singles title when she played the match in Orlando, Florida. She became a professional tennis player in 1975.

In 1975’s Grand Slam singles tournaments, she was one of the finalist in both the Australian Open and French Open, but she lost in both the finals to Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Chris Evert, respectively. The same year, she even lost in the semi finals of the US Open the same year after which she made her mind to get the green card of United States. In 1978, Navratilova got her first victory in the Grand Slam singles at Wimbledon and at the same she acquired the world number 1 rank after defeating Chris Evert.  

Navratilova was a women of great power and aggression because of which she raised the level of competition. Initially she was on the heavier side and she had to struggle a lot to get into shape for tennis. In this regard Nancy Lieberman, a basketball player, helped her. She underwent severe levels of fitness and exercising which finally got her into shape. She even learned the technique to use graphite racquets, which made her one of the most dominant tennis player.

She again beat Evert in the 1981 Grand Slam singles, in Australia Open. The next year she won the French and Wimbledon Open. In 1983, she won in three out of four Grand Slam events. She had scored the best ever-professional winning percentage as a tennis player. She retaliated back by winning the French Open Grand Slam of the year 1984, which she had lost in 1983. This superb victory was called the Grand Slam by the president of the International Tennis Federation, Philippe Chatrier. From 1982-1984, she lost only six of the singles matches.

Navratilova won women’s doubles titles in all the four Grand Slams of 1984. From 1985-1987, she won six out of eleven women’s singles final Grand Slam tournaments. Steffi Graff started to play in 1987 and from the beginning she gave a tough competition to Martina Navratilova. Graff defeated her in her first Grand slam in the finals of French Open. Navratilova gained back her title by defeating Graff in the 1987 Wimbledon Open. Navratilova’s won her final Grand Slam singles in 1990. Her name was included in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the year 2000. 

The left-handed athlete was known to be the greatest tennis player, be it singles, doubles or mixed doubles. She was the second best female athlete of the twentieth century according to Steve Flink. From 1965 to 2005, she was named as the greatest female tennis player by Tennis magazine.  In her career, she won a total of thirty one Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, which is also a world record, eighteen Grand Slam singles titles, ten Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and nine Wimbledon women’s singles titles. She has won one hundred and sixty seven single tournaments and one hundred and seventy seven doubles tournaments, which is an open era record. Navratilova won seventy-four matches consecutively, which is the third longest winning streak in women’s tennis history. Along with Margaret Smith Court and Maureen Connolly Brinker, Navratilova holds the record for the maximum consecutive Grand Slam singles tournament championships.

By Zul Affandy

If you are trying to get started in tennis you have no doubt discovered that many of the different pieces of equipment that are necessary are a bit expensive.  However, if you are willing to purchase some equipment used you can save a lot of money.  The problem becomes determining what you can really purchase used without putting yourself at risk for injury, or even potential frustration.  Savings money should never be a greater priority so it is important to follow the advice that is listed here if you are considering buying any used equipment.

Tennis Racquets are a piece of equipment where being new or used generally does not matter.  However, while it is ok to choose used from a price perspective without jeopardizing safety it is also important to realize that you need to know exactly what you are looking for in a tennis racquet before you ever buy one used.  If you are trying to find a power racquet and end up buying a tweener then you have just wasted your money.  However, if you are looking for a racquet and manage to find one that is a level up, such as looking for a power racquet and finding a tweener then you can purchase the higher level racquet and hang onto it for later on.  It is still important to use the recommended racquet in the meantime however.

Tennis balls are one of the biggest expenses that people tend to have simply because they need to be replaced so often.  Generally speaking it is best to avoid used balls unless you know for sure that they are not pressurized.  If you suspect that the ball is a pressureless and it still has a suitable fuzzy felt surface then you may be able to save a few dollars.  However, you should check to ensure that they are the right type, remember tennis balls come in Basic, Extra duty and high altitude models.

The tennis bag is another place where you can save some money and buy used.  As long as you carefully check the bag you should make out fine picking up a used model.  This will allow you to reap some huge financial benefits.  Key things to check are the zippers, pockets, the straps and any hardware that the bag includes.  You do not want anything that is damaged.  Additionally, you need to ensure that the bag is the suitable size.  You are not going to save any money at all if it is the wrong size for your needs.  You will still ultimately purchase a new bag in the correct size so avoiding this hassle is best.

The final pieces of equipment that you can buy used without problems are the various tennis clothes that you pick out.  This is a great way to get a good deal on the tennis clothes that you need.  However, while clothing is fair game, shoes are off limits. Never purchase used tennis shoes.  You do not know how the other person has worn them; you do not know if they are worn out and the chances of used tennis shoes have less lateral support is quite high.  This increases your chances of injury ultimately.  Take the money you saved from buying the other equipment used and make sure you put it onto a good pair of tennis shoes that fit you properly.

By Zul Affandy

Many people do not realize that beyond the initial beginnings of tennis that the sport can actually be very dangerous.  Yet at the same time even those who do realize that it is dangerous often do not realize just how important it is to have a good sports medicine doctor that you work with.  Most tennis injuries are caused specifically by the sport itself, which makes the need to have a sports medicine doctor quite large.  If you are playing tennis at an advanced level or even professionally or semi-professionally you must have a good sports medicine doctor.  Those players who are on the lower levels can typically avoid using a sports medicine doctor; however it is still a wise decision to have a doctor.

If you are injured for any reason due to playing a sport, which includes tennis seeing a good sports medicine doctor can often speed up your recovery time greatly.  While you may not realize it, taking the time and effort to find a good doctor can ensure that you are not sitting around in pain struggling to find a doctor that can see you after you have been injured.  Being able to simply call someone up to take care of your needs is very important, however waiting until after you are injured is a recipe for disaster, especially since not all doctors take new patients at all times.

You should take your time selecting a good sports medicine doctor.  With the list of acute injuries for tennis being rather large it is important to ensure that you are working with someone that you trust.  You also need to ensure that your doctor is highly experienced in sports medicine and is readily available in the event that you have a problem.  For example, if it would take two weeks for you to get an appointment with your chosen sports medicine doctor it would be a very wise decision to search for a new doctor that could see you sooner.

In addition to helping you stay healthy by treating your injuries a good sports medicine doctor should be able to help you prevent injuries as well.  They should be able to recommend specific exercises and safety equipment that will help you to avoid being injured.  If you are working with a doctor that barely wants to ever talk to you then again you need to find a new doctor.  Sports medicine doctors are typically quite hands on, however there are some that are just not as hands on in their treatment methods.  Typically a hands on doctor will give you much better results.

If you do not already have a sports medicine doctor picked out you should consider talking to your coach or instructor to see whom they recommend.  Most coaches are fairly well aware of which sports medicine doctors are good and which are not as effective at treating tennis injuries.  You may also discover that simply by taking the advice of your coach that you find the absolute best sports medicine doctor that is in the area. 

Remember, one of the biggest keys to preventing injuries is prevention itself.  If you want to avoid being injured it is important that you establish a good working relationship with your sports medicine doctor before you are injured.  This will allow them to help you in prevention, and help you treat the injuries themselves much faster when they do occur.

By Zul Affandy