50 for 50 Idea # 25: Pay more attention to your equipment

posted on: July 10, 2018
author: Brian Lomax, Ed.D.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?!”

That’s what I said after using a polyester string in my tennis racquet for the first time in my life. The year was 2005, and I couldn’t believe the combination of power and control that I was experiencing with this string. It was like magic. Everything went in the court; My confidence was soaring. I was playing so much better because of my strings! And I had no idea that a simple equipment change like string could make such a difference.

Up until that time, I had been stringing my racquets with a relatively cheap synthetic gut string, and was unaware of recent breakthroughs in string technology. But in 2005, I was playing a lot of national tournaments and I got my ranking high enough that I qualified for a sponsorship package from Babolat. Included in the package were several reels of their Pro Hurricane polyester string. I decided to give it a try and it didn’t take long for me to lament my lack of knowledge about this key piece of equipment for a tennis player. After trying it out just one time, it left me wondering what could have happened in some of my previous tournaments if I had strung my racquets with polyester instead of synthetic gut. Oh, what could have been!

The lesson for me in this episode was to pay more attention to my equipment and to stay up to date with the latest technology breakthroughs and trends in tennis. For a tennis player, this includes not only string, but racquets, shoes, grips, bags, sunglasses, clothing, analytic devices, towels, first aid gear, various braces, hats, water bottles, coolers, etc. I dedicate a lot of time to making sure I have all of the equipment I need and that it is in good condition.

Idea # 25 – Pay attention to your equipment/gear

The quality of your equipment can have a big effect on the quality of your performance. That’s what the above story taught me. So it behooves you to pay attention to your gear to make sure you are using the equipment that best fits you and it is of good quality. For example, think about shoes for your sport. Could you play your sport well if you wore flip-flops? Probably not! I know that’s an extreme example, but footwear matters and you should make sure you have what you need in that area. The same goes for everything else you use to play your sport. Paying attention to the details matters in any high performance pursuit, not just in sports.

A great source for staying up to date with the latest in gear in your sport is magazines and websites that publish reviews on sport equipment. For tennis, Tennis magazine does a good job with racquet and shoe reviews, and websites like Tennis Warehouse and Tennis Express do even more. These are great resources, and I’m sure there are similar ones for other sports. Find out what they are and subscribe to them if you can. The more you know, the better you will be.

Go next level on paying attention to all of your gear, and you may see your performance go to the next level as well. What equipment could you change and/or upgrade in the next month?