Why Tennis Balls are an Environmental Disaster
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 28. 10. 2021
- Saving the planet... one tennis ball at a time.
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Iâll be honest, my mouth fell open when he said that most people throw away tennis balls after a single session. I can almost understand the top-level professionals, but I find it astounding that it could be the standard for most people playing tennis.
In my coaching center too many people who are at above intermediate level also use fresh ball for every session... But they give their used ones to us for drills...
Same. If I'm just hitting casually with friends or family, we just reuse old balls. If I'm playing a match for my highschool team, the we crack open a fresh can of balls, but we atleast reuse those balls for practice
As a 4 to 5 times a week tennis player, I can really relate to the problem of tennis ball waste, and whilst I know that people reuse them for drills or more casual tennis, once the pressure and fluff goes they are pretty useless for tennis. I can see it being a bigger problem than most people care to think about. We do need a technology to produce a much longer lasting tennis ball, by a significant amount. Perhaps a tax on balls that goes into research of this?
" most people throw away tennis balls after a single session" - Yeah right, that's a total LIE.
They're exaggerative narrative of 'Tennis Balls Pollute' means that they need to lie...
Where i play everyone plays them for about 1.5 to 2 months.
As a furniture designer i would love to have all those used tennis balls. I have already done a couch out of them for my home tennis club and everybody loves to sit on it.
Damn bro thatâs pretty fire đ„
please upload an imgur of this tennis couch you made, I gotta see this
Yeah. Please post a picture of it somewhere.
You didn't see the thumbnail pic where they harbor germs? lol just kidding though that's a great idea to reuse them.
would love a photo as well!
Wow I've never heard of this before, Thank you so much for making such an excellent video with all these details!
Two gods of tennis content talking to each other
@@toxihavoc â€ïž
Amazing
ily
Just doing my part for our favorite sport :)
Wow, I had no idea that tennis balls were such an environmental issue. Thanks for educating me! Good thing I'm so cheap I almost never throw out my tennis balls, but rather add them to my "for serve practice" bin. lol
I do the same move
Me too haha...
Samee
A better solution is to use metal or glass balls đ
@@Phurngirathaana perfect :) and they wonât cause any harm to yourself
We have a box for used tennis balls at our club, from which beginner players can take some whenever they like. They're also pretty good for practicing certain parts of your serve, even as an advanced player.
That way, they're at least getting used a bit more.
I think this is a pretty normal practice. My local club also does this. And increasing the playable life span of balls is great. But it does not solve the waste problem of the balls. And I think this video highlights some of the problems very well.
However, tennis has another problem: tennis strings. The waste from old string beds produced by tennis players is not insignificant. And here the products used in strings are not homogenous like tennis balls. The material composition varies, and this could be a challenge when sorting and recycling old strings.
Hitting the wall--particularly walls with a sort back area, I use dead balls so I can hit as hard as I want.
@@zsbacskai7331 Wasted space for courts? Are you saying tennis courts are a waste of space period. Or that they are inefficient with he way they are built? Because being a waste of space can be argued for literally every sport and entertainment center that is not used for housing or some infrastructure to provide an essential service.
as somebody who loves the environmental and loves tennis, i can't believe i never considered this! thank you so much for the video, i'm annoyed with myself
Lol why
All tournaments everywhere could donate their used tennis balls which would be given to any non professional anywhere. But, this would mean less money for Penn, Wilson, Daidem, etc. So, money runs the show. Always has always will.
There are many solutions, but all would mean less profit for tennis ball companies.
balls are unplayable after tournaments. I mean could only be useful for begginers/kids maybe
@@miguelgrilo5853 completely untrue. my friend lives next to wimbledon and had loads of balls end up in his backyard this year, and they're almost as good as new and very much playable.
@@alexandrosjones i actually never seen such balls, I just assumed based on my intermediate level experience.. I assume that with their power their balls with be unplayable... but if you say so, well haha
@@miguelgrilo5853 like mentioned in the video they only use the balls for 30 minutes maximum at a time. while they may be hitting with a lot more power than you and me, trust me the balls are still perfectly adequate for anybody who plays recreationally.
@@miguelgrilo5853 No, they stop using them before there is any real difference with the balls that could affect play. Ask any ball boy.
This might one of your best videos yet, both in theme and in visual design. Itâs crazy that such an integral part of our sport contributes so much damage. I bought a case of Triniti balls in January and have not looked back. They bounce better, they last a lot longer, and the sleeves are very slick. Highly recommend them.
I only by Triniti now and talk to everyone I meet on the court about them. Approx $1.00 more per ball but they last so long I do not mind paying for it.
Same. They last forever.
I was working on an alliance of tennis clubs that advertise free dog balls for the wider public in northern Sydney, but everything stalled out. I hope this video can give them a good push in the right direction. It's such a shame that tennis balls for dogs are even sold when there's so much tennis ball waste from tennis clubs. I want to make tennis balls for dogs in shops and pet stores a redundant product someday.
I'm from Sydney too and I have quite a lot of old tennis balls over the years that I have absolutely no idea what to do with (e.g. how to dispose them). Do you know if there are any organisations in Sydney that currently collect them?
Man that sounds great but I'm pretty sure that tenis balls by themselfs are dangerous for the dogs to play with :(
A better solution is to use metal or glass balls đ
Normal tennis balls are bad for dogs.
My source: Our dog had swallowed some of one, and because it doesnât break down, it damaged her intestine and she almost died. Cost my dad ÂŁ1800 in vet bills..
At my local hardware store there is a bin filled with old tennis balls.
Dominic Thiem would approve of this video. Heâs big on environmental issues, especially in the ocean!
It would be nice to have a compare video ex. Tennis vs. F1-formula.
If he really cared then why does he restring all of his rackets before each match? And why does he need them to be wrapped in plastic when they are restrung? Surely there are better ways to identify a newly strung racket. Even in the 90s, some players would restring after several matches. Now even rackets that don't get played are restrung. Terrible waste.
He claims he is, it's really just for PR. Wonder if people remember the irony of him holding up the card telling people to save the oceans while he was sat in his private jet...
He hasn't gotten vaccinated yet, but he is big on "environmental issues" ?
his sponsor Adidas is responsible for the ocean issue
"If you think its all doom and gloom don't worry" :)
"It gets worse" :(
I use a Pressure Tube so my Tennis Balls hold on till the felt is gone..
I also use Triniti or pressureless balls for training.
Dont get it why one would only train once with a can of balls, like who plays on that level where that matters đ
damn i didnât even realize pressure tubes were a thing lmao, but then again iâm just a watcher of tennis not a player so maybe thatâs why iâve never heard of it. but wow if you can re-pressurize tennis balls idk why more people arenât doing it đ especially people who just play for hobby and fun !
Thank you for this video - I had no idea how bad tennis balls were for the planet. Something must be done.
Heard that one before. Everyone says that but nothing is done about it. No one really cares.
I mean what tho?
@@LeSunshine9 did you watch the video?
@@monicafoley1136 so you donât either. Correct?
A better solution is to use metal or glass balls đ
I think tennis as a sport is extremely lucky to have you making videos. The editing, research, and passion you put into these videos are really inspiring. Keep up the good work!
As for many casual European players, we still use the same balls for months, sometimes years on end, hitting them at least once a week.
Here in Brazil as well. People will surely open a new can for special occasions, but most of the games are played with used balls. We use them up to the point they stop bouncing high enough, and even then they can still be repurposed as toys for kids and dogs, taking years to be actually discarded.
Every tennis player I know has sets of balls in a scale of worn out patterns and quality, which they chose from depending on the occasion.
It's completely alien to me the idea of amateur players throwing balls to the garbage bin after only 12 hours of use, seems too expensive in the long run.
Here in india we keep playing with the balls unless they loose bounce after that they can be used for cricket practice etc . Plus even though tennis balls maybe bad for environment they are still not the most bad thing . Maybe a procedure to represurize the balls can be found or alternative balls will be found and in around 10 years this problem will be solved
@@sehajveersingh7230 Good points
@@accretionescapee thanks mate
So cool that you've brought this issue to light, in conjuction with the whole Team Seas thing! Thanks
That's why I'm happy my club has switched to Wilson Triniti balls. They are shipped in big boxes that can be recycled and the balls last longer so the club is not opening new balls for their lessons. Just imagine each tennis cart in a club holds 4 cases of tennis balls which has 24 cans times that by 4 that's 96 tennis balls cans that can't be recycled.
Wonderful! What country are you in?
Really glad you were willing to put your channel on the line by talking about the unsustainable practices surrounding tennis balls.
I had no idea about any of this and found it extremely informative and eye opening.
Love seeing how all kinds of creators in different niches incorporate team seas. Well done!
omg I've been using the same 6 balls for the last 3 months, how can non-professional players throw them away after 1 session?đđđ
Love to see you upload my man - Cheers
Love these videos..feels like your uploading more often now
Wow this is crazy! Glad you made this! Editing on point like always đȘ
Great work! I really enjoy your content/channel and just wanted to say thank you. Truly great work.
Hey man love youâre content. Youâre videos are really interesting. You are so underrated. Keep it up!
The quality of your videos are really amazing..Talking about topics that everyone should know.
I don't or very very rarely watch tennis. Last match i watched was easily a good 10 years ago, yet these videos are super entertaining. When you can make videos where people have little to no prior interest in the main topic of your videos, you know you're making some great content! Keep it up Cult Tennis đ
This was a mystery that has revealed to me just now. Thank you cult tennis for this video. Keep your content unique đđŒ
I never knew this, I hope the situation improves for the better to make the balls more sustainable. #TeamSeas
let me provide a solution ... in Argentina I started a local movement among some players ... in which each one breaks their tennis balls ... puts them in 5-liter or more water bottles and together with first-use plastics. .. we transform it into eco-bricks ... which are then used for multiple purposes ... and the cost is 0 dollars
Your idea is great but even I have a idea why not flat all the tennis balls and use them for various sports fields like hockey aur and a soft floor option there are super ways , (one idea was to fill trillions balls in boeng 707 and send it to space đ)
My capstone design project for my bachelor degree was building a large scale device for a local tennis club to repressurize their balls. I've long since moved away, so I don't know for certain, but I hope they're still using it.
awesome!
Great video as always mate :) Very eye opening how big of an impact the tennis balls has on the environment
Man no way!!
I'm staying hopeful for the future!!
1:38 that sound is SOO satisfying
I am thankful to you for the content. Luckily i found your channel on CZcams now i can learn more about tennis rather than just playing it.
The fact that this video has significantly fewer views than your others is extremely depressing. Thank you for your suggestion of the Wilson Triniti balls - I'm going to pick some up tomorrow.
Thank you for making this video and bringing light to this topic, I had never thought about it before
Very important video! Thank you for educating me about this!
You can repressurize old tennis balls in a corny keg if you want to reuse them till they are bald.
Great video as usual. Thanks for the info. Donating to TeamSeas now.
Anyone here ever played with those recycled/recyclable balls? How do they play compared to traditional balls?
I tried triniti. They are okay for practicing. But I would play a match. But try yourself, you might like it.
What a great video editing, so insterresting and cool. Keep the great work
Our Cult leader only speaks when its absolutely necessary.
I have been using a tennis ball pressure can for years. Stores the balls in a pressure volume so it can be used again.
Best Tennis CZcams Channel ..................Greetings from Germany!
Man , you always make dope videos
Love the Team Seas concept. I just found it about it yesterday after watching Mark Robert's video. I will definitely donate đ
One of the best channels on CZcams (not just Tennis related)
In the State of Hessen, Germany, we had to play with triniti pro balls this year for the first time. People hated it and for some it lead to arm problems.
Really? Iâll look up more details later. Shame he didnât address this.
What sort of issues did people experience and why?
You typical tennis arm, as the vibration per shot was more intense. I had no issues, except rallies were way longer and I had to put in a dampener, as the sound without it was horrible, like a car crash đ
There was a lot of backlash, even the biggest national tabloid âBILDâ reported on how playing with âeco ballsâ ruined the game for some, which is a bit exaggerated (as expected by this newspaper)
@@dmnkhs Do you think people would get used to them or does Wilson need to redesign them?
@7:17 those arenât tennis ball thatâs a tree that drops really big green fruit. Nearly tricked me!
Thats why i use pressureless balls. You use them much much longer so you dont need to keep buying.
I use babolat gold academy balls.
A better solution is to use metal or glass balls đ
@@Phurngirathaana The fuck are you on bro
@@Phurngirathaana yeah mate. Let me get my glass tennis ball for the comp lmao.
Cult tennis is the gift that keeps on giving
Another brilliant video, glad to see a topic that regardless of tennis level we can all contribute to
excellent, yet alarming video. thank you for posting it.
Some links would have been dope for those ball recycle places
My friends and I try to get as much use out of a can of balls as possible, but I find using old balls hard on the elbow.
Never thought about this! Great video
Not a tennis fan. Been watching your channel for about a month now. Think itâs amazing that even with your love for the game you are aware of this is issue and bringing awareness to it!
Why u donât like tennis?
Thank you for this video!
What a great video! Thank you
As a non tennis player, I didnât know that the lifespan of balls was so short.
Thank you for this video! Becuase of this I negotiated to put a recycle bin for tennis balls in the local club I play in.
At my club my coach repressurizes his balls as long as he thinks they still have a ok amount of fluff, so their lifespan is basically doubled
Superb video
LETS DEMAND BETTER FOR THIS SPORT
In love with this channel
I was thinking about waste and tennis... as my local club goes thru so many balls, and when you watch the pros smash sticks, basically turning them into garbage, and when you re-string a stick, that left over racquet string waste.
Seriously. I go to a nice spot in Maine in the summer Iâll be honest there are two tennis courts that people can sign up to play on. The woods around it are littered with old tennis balls that cleared the fence. Itâs kinda sad really.
Great job with the research, cult tennis!
I love this channel so much
I never realized u could only use a tennis ball like 2 sessions
As much as I love unboxing and using pressurized balls. I'm willing and going to make the change over to renewable balls. Ordering some Trinitis now!
Really appreciated this video. Will be looking into some more sustainable solutions.
Throwing a ball in the bin is a dumb move. An overwhelming majority of the most casual players cannot even distinguish between a new ball and a flat ball - just leave them on the club table or by the side of the court, a use will be found for them
Outstanding video!
Great video but I have not heard 1 good review of the triniti balls and personally don't like the way they play.
Fantastic video! It's a shame these trinity balls are so expensive.
Thanks for informing this..
Excellent video!
I hit with my tennis balls for maybe 4-5 sessions and then keep them as a practice tool when I wana just hit out like 20 serves.
Eventually I will have to get rid of some but yeah it's crazy how wasteful it is.
Been watching tennis for sometime now but never thought about this issue
Great initiative to keep the planet and make the sport green
Cult tennis is actually the best CZcams channel
Well I'm happy i paid for curiosity stream even tough i haven't used it once.
I switched to the Triniti because of the issue of waste. They're great balls and they last much longer. I also love the cardboard tube. Would be incredible if they eventually make them fully recyclable. I'll have to look into the ball recycle program to see how to get a box at my courts
+1 for Triniti
Love US Open feel but they don't last at all
@@40rods From what I've noticed, the Trinitis never lose their bounce. The cover just wears thin and they start to sound like racquetballs and the bounce off the court starts to get inconsistent (probably because they no longer 'bite'). That said, one tube lasted for 5, 3-set sessions with my hitting partner over the course of 5 weeks. Probably well more than 100 games as we're pretty evenly matched. They're in my serve practice bucket now, but that is what I call longevity. And since they're still bouncy, I didn't even dispose of them like I would a pressurized ball.
I had no idea tennis balls saw this little use in their lifespan. Kids and families probably use tennis balls until they break but professionals use them for 30 minutes then throw away. Unbelievable
Amazing video!!!!
Usually the whole "donate 1$, remove 1 pound of plastic from the seaside" boils down to whatever company/NGO paying 20 cent/hour to someone who needs the job in an underdeveloped country at a spot where there are tons of plastic. Thus turning a huge profit on good people's acts and intentions. I'm not saying this project is doing so, just warning people who may not know about the practice.
That being said, amazing video as always. Very interesting, informative and entertaining!
Iâve been playing tennis since I was 3 and didnât even think about the environmental costs of a ball, thatâs crazyâŠ
OMG do you feel bad? Do you repent? Are you a terrible human being?
@@kikamen No. I actually just ordered a 24 case of balls yesterday
My match play ball go into my hopper for serve practice. I've only bought 2 cases in the past 2 years and I still have most of those balls.
When I use pressurized tennis balls, I only open 2 cans at a time and use a ball saver to store them when not it play. And I get a 20-30 hours of play from 2 cans of pressurized balls. But when teaching my girlfriend to play tennis, you need a lot more balls than that, so I was looking for pressure-less balls that feel the same as pressurized.
Discovered the Wilson Triniti line of balls at at local tennis shop and now I swear by them. They feel as good as a day's worth of play old pressurized balls left in the ball saver. A box of balls 72 balls lasts more than a year. And the box now even comes without the individual cardboard tubes to pack them into packs of 3. That saves me even more time when I have to load the hopper with dozens of balls.
Being a tennis fan has never made me feel so guilty until now đ
7:16 the woods behind every tennis courtđ
Though I remember nothing better than hitting that flat tennis ball out of the court like I'm hitting a home run get that shit outta here đđ now I just hit it at the fence, I mean through...
In Europe, Tennis-Point is spreading recycling boxes especially for Tennis balls, such as the Wilson box in the video.
I would greatly appreciate if the outer layer will be made of natural fibres instead of the plastic ones. I sometimes see particles flow around me after big hits, some of them even fly into my mouth. And most balls look like shoven after just one hour. I occasionally pop one or two of them, even when they are new.
The Trinity ball is no solution however. These are terrible cannonballs, my arm even hurts when I just think about them. The pro version is no better.
I'm curious about the recycling of tennis balls. Wondering if there are solvents or other VOCs used and how things balance out in a total life cycle perspective. If anyone can comment with resources that would be cool.
Every open drain in my city has tennis balls in them. They're everywhere.
pro tip: if you stay in the stadium long enough, you can just ask for a ball that the match was played with
Please do an episode on poly strings. I play with full bed of Völkl Cyclones but it does go dead after 2 weeks of play (4-5x sessions per week). I canât help to think thatâs terrible for the environment as Iâm cutting the strings each time. Yet with different companies using different additives, thereâs no way it can be recycled?
Having played tennis in Zambia for years, I can confirm tennis balls can be used for years. Rain, sun, mud, dogs, tennis balls can still be used in a match
and here i am using 2 year old ball still
Really, really good video. I will at least switch to Triniti even though I use balls a lot longer than good players, and have been known to sift through the trash :)