Fiend at Court Unplugged
This weekend, the Fiend at Court has been exploring gift ideas for serious tennis players. Friday led off with the “Ultimate Stocking Stuffer List for Tennis Players.” Yesterday’s topic was the “Ultimate Tennis Equipment Gifts for Players.” Today I am wrapping up (see what I did there?) this three part series by writing about Technology gifts. These items are generally non-tennis specific gifts that are perfect in a tennis context.
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Digital Action Camera
A player who is intent on improving their level of play should review video of their matches on a regular basis. While pretty much everybody has a smart phone that is great for short clips, I have found that capturing lengthier video of match play is best done with a dedicated camera.
I use a GoPro camera and have always been very pleased with both the quality of the video and the ease of use. As a bonus, it doesn’t take much space in the racquet bag. Certainly other models of digital action camera will also work just as well.
For recording tennis matches, all that is needed is a camera, a microSD card, a housing mount for the camera, and a flexible tripod. For tennis I have found a flexible tripod to be generally more practical than the four-point bungee fence mounts that other sites sometimes recommend. Usually there is a windscreen on the inside of the fence that prevents those devices from attaching to the fence. The flexible tripod is simply much more versatile.
Additionally, I jumped the gun a little bit. If you are going to gift a flexible tripod to use in conjunction with a digital action camera, you should consider one that comes with a clip for a mobile phone. More detail on why is provided in the next section.
The GoPro camera makes an excellent gift for any serious tennis player. As a bonus, there are many other areas of life outside of tennis where a GoPro camera can be a lot of fun.
Mobile Video Accessories
Chances are most players have a phone that will already capture video. I use my mobile devices in situations where I want to look at short clips. A mobile phone is perfect for rapid iteration when a player is working specifically on technique. It is easy to get instantaneous feedback using a mobile device.
Sometimes I have the Fiend at Court Spousal Unit hold the phone and take short clips. At other times, I have found it useful to mount the phone on a small tripod using a mobile phone clamp for this purpose. Kicking up it up a notch to the next level, a Bluetooth remote shutter button is amazing for starting and stopping the video.
Because my eyes aren’t what they used to be, sometimes I take my iPad on court simply for the larger screen size. When using the iPad, a much larger clamp is needed. I have also found that it is convenient to go to a full-size tripod in that case.
Any or all of these mobile device accessories are perfect gifts for a serious tennis player.
Player Analysis Technology
Competing in tennis requires a high level of fitness. Feedback in that area can be provided by a general category of device known as “Player Analysis Technology.” At the consumer level a Heart Rate monitor or a pulse oximeter make great gifts for tennis players.
As a side note, I do not generally recommend smart watches for tennis players. Any any device that can receive and display wireless messages is explicitly prohibited by the rules of tennis.
I regularly use a Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor with chest strap. That device records data to an adjacent mobile phone. Since the H10 cannot display received messages, it is fully in compliance with the rules surrounding player analysis technology. I did a full post on this topic previously in “Training with a Heart Rate Monitor.”
A Pulse Oximeter is a training device for measuring oxygen saturation in the blood. It is useful for monitoring training fatigue. I wrote about how that device can be used previously in “Pulse Oximeter Training.” As a sign of the times, I also think it is advisable to have a pulse oximeter available should anyone in your household be diagnosed with COVID-19. An oxygen saturation rate below 90% means that it is time to go to the hospital.
Leaf Blower
A leaf blower is hands down the most effective device for clearing puddles off a wet tennis court. Recent advances in lithium-ion batter technology means that it is now possible to have a fully powered electric leaf blower that does the trick.
The Fiend at Court household has one of these. The fact that we only have one has led to standoffs over who has top priority for it when we are playing at separate sites on rainy days. We have the larger backpack model. I have witnessed the Pickleballers on adjacent courts use the smaller stick model to great effect.
Just last Friday we used our leaf blower to… follow me closely on this… clear leaves off a tennis court. It is also regularly used as one would normally expect a leaf blower to be used for normal yardwork chores.
Summary
Those are my top ideas in 2020 for non-tennis related equipment that almost every tennis player would be thrilled to receive as a gift. I would love to hear about any suggestions for additional items in the comments.
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