Category: Balls

Posted on by

Save Money with Pressureless Tennis Balls

BABOLAT ACADEMY PRESSURELESS TENNIS BALLS
Save money. Use pressureless tennis balls.
As you can imagine, we spend a LOT of time hanging around tennis courts. Therefore, we spend a lot of time watching recreational tennis players. And as a result of this, we can tell you that most recreational players are playing with the wrong tennis balls.

We are not talking about color coding here. That’s a different issue. We are talking about regular players playing with regular tennis balls. Most of them are wasting their money and wasting their time playing with regular, pressurized tennis balls.

Regular tennis balls come in a can. That can is pressurized to 15 lbs per square inch over ambient air pressure. This is why it sounds like a soda when you pop the seal and open a new can of balls.

Just as a soda starts going flat the from the moment you open the can, tennis balls start going flat, too. From the moment you open the can, the balls inside start losing pressure. If you drop a new ball when you first open the can, it will bounce up to your belly button. Wait just two weeks and the same ball — even if it sits unused in your bag — will only bounce up to your knee.

This is because as soon as you open the can, the balls start losing air pressure and begin returning to balance with their new environment. Here in Calgary, this means that new tennis balls lose about 50 per cent of their bounce in about a week — even if you don’t use them.

Unless you are playing several times per week, pressureless tennis balls are not a wise way to spend your money. As we said above, even if you don’t use them, they will quickly go flat in your bag. A much better way to go is to purchase pressureless balls. Pressureless balls never lose their bounce. You can leave them in your bag all winter and they will bounce the same in the spring.

Pressureless balls use new materials technology to maintain their bounce. And contrary to popular belief, pressureless balls do not weigh any more or less than standard pressurized tennis balls. Today in our store, for example, we weighed six different models of pressurized and pressureless balls and all weighed exactly the same — 58 grams.

So unless you are tournament player who has to be accustomed to a very specific ball, there are almost no good reasons to be using old fashioned and expensive pressurized tennis balls.

Babolat ™ Academy balls are available in our southwest Calgary store. They can be purchased individually or in money-saving multiples. They are designed for use in teaching programs and ball machines, so they are extremely durable and long lasting. For most infrequent players, this is the best way to go.

We also offer a range of pressureless tennis balls for children, teens and adult beginners.

Pressureless Tennis Balls for All Ages

Posted on by

Squash Ball Test

Choose the squash ball that is best suited for your skill and fitness level. Your overall enjoyment of the game will go up while the potential for injury goes down.

This brief test is designed to help you figure out which of the four most popular balls is best suited for your equipment and fitness level. Infrequent squash players with older equipment will want to use one of the first two balls. Frequent players with the latest equipment will want to use one of the last two squash balls.

Score one point for each true answer. The ball with the most points is probably best for you and will ensure that you get the highest level of enjoyment from your squash matches. It is possible to score identical results in two categores. In that case, you can either choose one or play
with the ball that best suits your opponent.

Dunlop Max Squash Ball
Dunlop Max Squash Ball
Dunlop ™ MAX Progress Squash Ball:

  • I have played squash fewer than 10 times in my life
  • I frequently suffer from back, neck, leg or elbow pain after playing squash
  • I have reduced mobility due to age, fitness level or previous injury
  • I am more than 30 lbs. over ideal weight for my age, height and gender
  • I have played squash fewer than 10 times per year over the past 5 years
  • I have persistent difficulties with defensive boasts when playing with yellow dot balls (or, I don’t know what a defensive boast is so I am unable to answer this question)
  • I usually wear cross-trainers, running shoes, tennis shoes or basketball shoes when I play squash
  • My squash racquet is more than 10 years old
  • My squash racquet cost less than $100
  • I am under 10 or over 50 years old

Dunlop Yellow Dot Squash Ball
Dunlop Yellow Dot Squash Ball
Dunlop Competition Squash Ball:

  • I have played squash fewer than 50 times in my life
  • I have played squash less than once per month on average over the past 3 years
  • I am more than 10 lbs. over ideal weight for my age, height and gender
  • I have not played squash in the past 12 months
  • I am under 10 or over 40 years old
  • I typically experience discomfort and stiffness the day after doing 20 full lunges on each leg in rapid succession
  • My squash racquet cost less than $100
  • I play squash in order to get some exercise
  • I frequently experience elbow, back, leg or shoulder pain 48 hours after playing squash against an opponent of approximately equal skill

Dunlop Double Dot Squash Ball
Dunlop Double Dot Squash Ball
Dunlop Pro Double Dot Squash Ball:

  • I have played squash more than 20 times in the past year
  • I typically play squash at least once per week during squash season
  • I am less than 10 lbs. over ideal weight for my age, height and gender
  • I workout or train outside of squash (at least occasionally) in order to improve my squash
  • I play on a ladder, in a league or with a team more than twice per month during squash season
  • My squash racquet cost more than $100
  • My racquet is less than 5 years old
  • I typically experience no discomfort or stiffness the day after doing 20 full lunges on each leg in rapid succession
  • I only wear indoor court shoes when I play squash
  • When I play with single yellow dot balls, the ball often hits the back wall before bouncing twice on my forehand drives

Dunlop High Altitude Squash Ball
Dunlop High Altitude Squash Ball
Dunlop Pro High Altitude Squash Ball:

  • I regularly workout or train outside of squash in order to improve my squash
  • Double yellow dot balls regularly hit the back wall before bouncing twice on my backhand straight drive
  • I have played more than 200 squash games in the past year
  • I am over 10 and under 35 years old
  • I typically experience no discomfort or stiffness the day after doing 40 full lunges on each leg in rapid succession
  • I am training for a tournament or working toward becoming a squash professional
  • My squash racquet cost more than $200
  • I have not suffered a rotator cuff injury in the past 12 months
  • I do not usually experience leg, back, or elbow pain 48 hours after playing squash against an opponent of approximately equal skill
  • I am at or below ideal weight for my age, height and gender