Tennis Information

How to Carry a Tennis Bag Properly

It may seem like a strange question to some people but a lot of new tennis players need to ask how to carry a tennis bag properly. Aside from looking like you do not know what you are doing, carrying the bad incorrectly can cause you injury, so it is something that you need to get right. Most people have a lot of weight in their tennis bag, so if that weight is not distributed in the correct way, you could be causing yourself some damage.

If you are competing in a tournament or match then you may well have a full tennis bag, including spare racquets, balls, drinks, food, a towel, a hat, bandaging and strapping, overgrips, sunscreen, maybe even a change of clothing and a set of toiletries to freshen up after the match. So when you put all of that into a tennis bag you are going to be carrying quite a weight.

You will generally see pros walking out to court with a simple one strap over their shoulder, which looks cool on TV and is fine for walking short distances when the bag does not have many items inside. However, of you have a 12/15 racket bag stuffed with heavy items then carrying this around for long periods is going to eventually cause you some posture problems if the weight is all carried on one side. So most large bags will have rucksack style straps to enable you to carry it on your back like a rucksack, with weight spread evenly across both sides of your body.

Another element of carrying the bag that you sometimes hear people asking about is whether the racquet head end should be carried at the top or the bottom. When you pick up your tennis bag, for most people it will feel more comfortable to have the racquet head towards the bottom/back end. It really does depend on the design of the bag though and the weight – so if you just have one racquet in your bag it will be easy enough to simply throw your strap over one shoulder to carry it. When you are carrying a six-racquet bag upwards, there will usually be different options for carrying – backpack straps, two handles or a shoulder strap. So choose whichever method is most comfortable and is best for your back.

For many tennis players, looking the part is very important. They want to have the best tennis racquet brand and the bag to match it. They want to look stylish and professional and they even get a confidence boost from it that can give them a competitive edge in a match.

There are many different bag designs to choose from, each with different ways of carrying. For example, rucksack bags that look like everyday rucksacks are popular, whereby you put both straps over your shoulders and the tennis racquet handle sticks out of the top of the bag.

Maria Sharapova has also helped to make women’s tennis more glamorous and fashionable with unique tennis bag designs that are completely different to the traditional style bags. As well as using nicer colour designs, you can buy a two-handle bag that is similar to an everyday handbag. There is another style of bag that is described as a two-way club bag which ‘allows you to change from practical backpack to functional club bag in a few seconds so you are super flexible in every situation’. So this bag is worn in style, whichever way the owner chooses to carry it!

Jeremy Barnes

I’ve played tennis since I was 5 years old. I played on my high school team and one year in college before I tore my ACL. It’s been about 3 years now since my injury, and I’ve been able to come back and play in some tournaments. Find out more about me here.

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