Chinese Health Balls

Lightning tennis, upsets, drama and tradition - it's Wimbledon again

Last year this time, our attention was singularly and not surprisingly focussed on South Africa’s soccer pitches to the extent that for two magical months there seemed to be only one sport on Earth. This year balance has returned – and the Daily Maverick will be bringing all the drama from Wimbledon 2011, thanks to MICHAEL McCLELLAND. Here’s what you can look forward to.

Wimbledon is the most famous tennis tournament in the world, and for good reason. Wimbledon is where the best players play their best tennis. While the other major tournaments have seen relatively unheralded champions such as Thomas Johannson, Anastasia Myskina, Gaston Gaudio, and Svetlana Kuznetsova in recent years, Wimbledon has been dominated by Sampras, Federer, Venus, and Serena. In fact, even the two least impressive Wimbledon champions of the last decade, Amelie Mauresmo and Lleyton Hewitt, each held the number one ranking and won an additional major tournament.

The best prevail at Wimbledon because the fast grass courts of the All England Club favour shot-making over consistency. Federer’s great problem when facing Nadal at the French Open has been his inability to turn his beautiful ground strokes into winners on the slow red clay of Roland Garros. On grass, most of those perfectly timed shots are hit for clean winners. Similarly, Venus Williams’ high-risk game tends to break down when she is forced to hit shot after shot on clay. Her serve and ground strokes are hit with such pace she is able to finish most points before losing focus on grass.

Grass court tennis is so rewarding for fans because we get to see the greats implement their tactics. In 1997, Martina Hingis became a serve-and-volleyer after losing the first set of the final to Jana Novotna and proceeded to take the title in a flourish of tactical brilliance. In 1999, Pete Sampras coasted on his serve and lulled Andre Agassi into slowly paced rallies before slamming the door with return winners. In 2005, Venus Williams went from aggressor to defender against Lindsay Davenport to win what many consider the best women’s match of all time. And in 2008, Rafael Nadal hit volleys off those short balls he produces by hitting high to Federer’s backhand to win what most consider the best men’s match of all time.

Couple these tactical displays with the almost-awkward tradition of Wimbledon and you have one of the most idiosyncratic sporting experiences on the planet. It may be the only place where black girls from Compton, California, must dress up like debutantes and curtsy to the royal box before engaging in a screaming battle and a well-mannered Swiss in a cream-colored sweater vest can seem as formidable an athlete as Mohammed Ali. It is Wimbledon and we love it.

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Aka: Worry Balls, Stress Balls, Lotus Balls, Melody Balls, Therapy Balls, Therapeutic Balls, Exercise Balls, Chiming Balls, Baoding Balls, Qigong Balls, Meditation Balls, Cloisonne Balls, Iron Balls, Miracle Balls, Reflex Balls, Baichi (valuable balls), Baodjan Chu (health balls).

Presentinho do Sandro, adorei

Question by Rose : Is there a difference between a therapy and exercise ball? I just got out of a very intensive inpatient physical rehab program, and I have exercises I need to continue at home, as well as going to outpatient physical therapy. One of the items I need for these is a therapy ball. The ones they typically had me use while there looked different than your normal exercise ball. I’m not sure if this was just a difference in brands, or if there was an actual difference between a therapy ball and an exercise ball. I want to make sure I have the correct equipment to continue my recovery. Thank you so much!

Best answer:

Answer by maddoguc03 Most of the time I think exercise and therapy are used interchangeably.

However, I have noticed some brands are better than others. I purchased a ball from my physical therapist to use at home. That ball is alot sturdier than a ball I could find at Meijer, Target, or Wal-Mart.

Check with your PT. You may be able purchase a ball through him/her or check a medical supply store.

What do you think? Answer below!

No there isn’t if it is proper exercise ball.

I have been on a very intensive physiotherapy two-week program and we used those ball every single day. More than anything it is important to get the proper size for your physique. So say if you are male and very tall get the biggest that there is.

Also very important is that the ball is Anti – burst so you know using it will not cause you any more injuries. It is best to get it from reputable places and Amazon is one of them as you are offered refund should you get one that is damaged.

Also the advantage of getting a new one is that it will come with a pump and a booklet which will show you lots of useful extra exercises you can do with it. It can literally replace a gym if used to it’s full potential.

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