What Does Icing Mean in Tennis?

Tennis is a game that offers health benefits and psychological and social benefits. For having so many life-changing effects, it has attained popularity throughout the world. Hence people’s interest in tennis is gradually increasing. They find the commonly used term ‘icing’ in tennis. But what does icing mean in tennis?

Icing in tennis stands for a mode of practice followed by the tennis players. In such practice, they stop playing willingly. Such acts of the players help them revive their exposure. Eventually, the player or the whole team entertains the audience with a noticeable improvement in their game.

The very term ‘icing’ is used to relate to tennis in many ways. To explore details about it, continue reading the article.  

How Does Icing Help in Tennis?

In tennis icing helps in many ways, as stated below:

Getting Energized

Tennis players need to be strong enough physically. They get energized in many ways. Icing is one of them. As a player, you can accelerate your stamina level through the icing. To do so, you are to ice your muscles after completion of your playing tennis.

It’s not unusual that players get injured while playing. For such injuries, they may become fatigued. Then icing helps them accelerate the process of healing injury. For, when ice is applied to the muscles, it lessens the muscle pain and inflammation. As a result, the players can play for a long period of time with less tiredness.

In addition to icing muscles, the players are seen to intake cold sports drinks or icy water. For this, their body temperature rising is delayed or minimized. Consequently, the player’s body strength and endurance level are upgraded. But be aware of the fact that having plenty of cold water at a time might cause harm to you.

Excessive icing may cause severe injury to you. Being a very good way to keep up your stamina on the tennis court you must have an expert opinion to get the best out of icing.

Helping Reduce Injuries

Tennis players might get injured at the time of playing tennis. You need not be panic-stricken. So many ways are there to get relief from injury. Icing is one way to be chosen. 

In most cases, injuries result in swelling and inflammation in your body parts. Ice can be used as a great aid to comfort your injured joints or tissues. Consequently, you will notice a decrease in the swelling of that body part.

But a warning is there for you. Don’t leave ice on the injured body part for a long period of time. And ensure that you are away from any activity with injuries till complete recovery.  

If you have no prior experience, you may seek for doctor’s advice first. Then go for icing your injury. You may feel pain while icing the injury. In such cases, you should not hesitate to take medicine if required. But do so, as per the doctor’s direction. 

Enhancing Speed And Power

A well-responsive ball helps the tennis players perform with more speed and power. So, to turn it into a responsive one while hitting, you need to prepare the ball’s surface properly through careful icing.

To perform the task of icing the ball perfectly, you need to coat the entire ball surface with ice. The initial coating may be light. Next, press all sides of the ball evenly. You may do so by using a piece of cloth or your hands. Pay attention to any sort of imperfections or lumps on the ball surface. Flatten the uneven or rough surface with a final touch. 

To enjoy tennis playing to the fullest, don’t forget to prepare the ball. Just follow the steps as stated above. Thus, you can display your excellence, being speedy and powerful.

Impact of Icing on Tennis Ball

Different types of balls are used in tennis. They may be soft, hard, or hybrid. Before playing, the players ice the tennis ball. It is an age-old practice followed by the players. They treat such icing as a crucial game part.

It seems that the players are benefitted from such icing. Depending on the surface type and condition of the playground, they determine how much icing is to be done to the ball. The benefits derived from icing tennis ball are:

  • Helps control the ball.
  • Helps easy striking of the ball. For, the ball surface becomes smooth after icing it.
  • Helps the ball not to stick to the ground.

Sometimes it’s seen that the tennis balls are kept in the court-side refrigerator. It ensures the consistency of the ball bounce. Because, tennis balls these days are produced from hollow rubber cores, including a covering of woven cloth. Then steaming gives the fluffy exterior.

Inside the ball’s rubber core, there’s pressurized air. It helps the ball bounce. Keeping a tennis ball in the fridge influences the ball pressure and, consequently, its bounce.

But be noted that you are not allowed to do the ball icing more than twice a day. If you play in hot weather, you are likely to face problems. If your ball performance is not satisfactory, go for repeated icing of the ball. 

How to Get Rid of Icing on a Tennis Racquet?

The tennis players face problems when they find their tennis racquet getting iced. They try to get relief from such racquet icing. Removing ice from the racquet is a tiresome effort. 

Follow some tricks and techniques. Go for the solutions depending on the type of icing on the racquet. Usually, it is seen that your racquet outside or its strings or shaft may get iced.

Again, the icing might be gentle or stubborn. Hence you need to adopt different ice removal techniques as per problem requirements. Some of them are:

  1. To get relief from the racquet strings or shafts icing, you may take the help of a wire brush. Start brushing the ice after dipping the racquet in hot water.
  2. If you fail to get the desired result you may add dishwashing or oven cleaning liquid to the water. Thus, the racquet ice may be melted down quickly.
  3. To remove the outside racquet ice, rub the racquet grip with a piece of clean cloth soaked in the mixture of soap and hot water.
  4. If the racquet ice is not light and becomes persistent, use a commercial ice scraper. Hopefully, you will not be frustrated. 

How to Make the Tennis Ball Ice-free?

Problems like icing racquets might result from tennis balls icing. To make the tennis ball ice-free follow some dos and don’ts relevant to it –

  • Don’t try to remove ice by warming it up. 
  • Your initial step is to rub the ball surface using your hand or a piece of cloth. 
  • If it doesn’t work, keep the ball in a warmer place than the zing point. Wait for a while. 
  • Ensure that the temperature is not too hot. Thus, try to melt down the ice on the ball surface.
  • After melting the ice down, you may prepare the ball for the playground. 

The Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does icing mean in sports?

– In sports, the term icing refers to a type of defense. It is known as a side pick-and-roll defense. In this system, the on-ball defender applies forces so that the ball handler moves towards the sideline. Following this tactic, the ball defender keeps the ball handler outside the most vulnerable decision-making zone.

2. Does icing the kicker work?

-Icing or freezing the kicker is an act of timeout calling just before snapping the ball. The aim is to keep the kicker out of the routine. Besides, they are compelled to feel pressure for a long duration. Usually, the technique is applied when the game is played at the professional level. Its success is yet to be proved. 

3. What does icing the server mean in tennis?

– The ‘serve’ means a shot that initiates the beginning of a point. The player hits the ball with a racquet in such a way that it’s not trapped in the net. And the player on the opposite side finds it on another service box. Icing the server is done between the first and second serve. It means calling for a review by the returner and it’s done for any server like breakpoint and set point. 

The Last Words

The article presents a lot of information about – what does icing mean in tennis. You have seen various uses of the term in tennis. Icing the players stimulates the players. But whatever you do, you must follow the doctor’s or expert’s opinion. Icing your tennis muscles, you will become stronger enough.

It will make you more and more balanced. Because you will attain the desired coordination of relevant limbs. Moreover, to speed up the injury’s healing process, you may apply ice to the affected area. Besides health benefits, icing the ball increases the player’s performance. 

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