Success at the Irish Open

Lucky enough to be able to make a trip to Kalamazoo last week first as a chaperone for my daughters model UN conference, then for some fun doubles. I played the mixed and men's 4.0.  My partner for the men's doubles couldn't make the trip, so I asked the tournament director if anyone was looking, and fortunately for me, I was able to play with a really consistent all court 4.0 player.  Our first round bye pushed our first round match to friday night, where we won in straight sets.  Early Saturday I got in the zone and my mixed partner and I won quickly, 3 & 1.   Second round men's was against a tough team that ended up winning the tourney, and we had our opportunities against them... up in the first set tiebreaker 5-2 and even with a set point 7-6.. a few shots different and it would have been ours.  Second set their serves were tough, and we lost one break to get lose it 7-6, 6-4.  BUT, I played my best and kept my cool - even on what looked like a bad call on a critical point.  I was able to be in the moment, not worry about mistakes and focus on the ball.  I felt like the mental game i've been working on was in place.   

Success of course depends on your goals.. mine were to have fun, play well,  be a good sport.  All of these tie together really to my own attitude on the court. My partner sent me the following email...  so, it feels like I WON this weekend's battle... 

Andrew:

Thanks for the fun tennis! We truly had a great time and played really good tennis… As FYI, we lost to the event champs and it could have gone either way… they deserve the victory as it was hard earned….. I cannot say enough about your demeanor in court and your level of play.. outstanding!!!

Strings - Multi, Gut and 'RacquetTune' App

I've been playing around with different strings and tensions in my Yonex Vcore 310Gs.   I started out using a yonex 16g multi, but it seemed to drop in tension and die quickly, so I started using poly mains with synthetic gut crosses, but due to some arm issues wanted something softer.  I'm finding how much of a difference strings make, and how much there is out there to know and try out!

A couple months ago I went to a very soft multi (technifibre xone biphase 17g and 18g) which I like very much for feel, control and power. However, I was breaking them really quickly. Sometimes in 3-5 sets. The 17g was actually breaking as bad or worse than the 18, (it breaks on the frame when i miss-hit). They call this 'shearing' when it breaks along the top.   I dont string my own rackets, so weekly stringing is simply too costly for me. 

Interestingly... I think I've found a way to extend the life of my strings, or at least keep them from breaking at the top when I mishit, by I placing one of those worm dampeners across the top. I like the feel of the dampener across the top (and yes, it is usta legal).  Better yet, I have not broken a string since doing this, I even have a dozen sets of play on a set of the 18g. The tension on the Technifibre is holding true, not much in the way of peeling/fraying strings... might change my take on using this stuff long term.

I've found the 17g plays the best of me in this racquet and will stick with it now. The 18 'feels better' on touch and spin shots but the 17 has treated me well for serves and groundies. There isnt much difference, but just enough.

I got a lot of advice to try Gut, and Gut mains with poly crosses. I had my stringer put in a bed of the Babolat VS team 17g, @ 57mains,55 crosses.   Unfortunately... I ended up not really liking this full bed of Bab 17 vs gut, I couldn't control it and seemed to launch a lot of balls. The tension dropped down to 34 pounds over time, and it didn't last very long (10 sets?) before developing serious grooves in the mains. 

4/27...
I currently have 3 rackets strung up with Technifibre HDX Tour 17g and really like it. I've gotten 17 sets out of one so far, it looks like it is about to break but is still playing well. I have 11 on another bed and it is still playing great, just starting to peel a bit. The 3rd is still new and I'll be playing with it this week and weekend at our usta match.

I still have a couple of packs of gut/poly (pacific/head hawk touch) that I want to try, but will wait til after the upcoming usta match weekend to put them in.

More info and string tracking on my spreadsheet, here: LINK

More later...

The "Bob" 2015 winter tournament

Getting ready for "THE BOB", playing with Denny Green against what looks like some really solid men's 8.5 doubles teams.  Looking forward to the competition, fun and hopefully some great tennis.

Looks like they will be streaming courts 1 and 2!

http://realtennisnetwork.com/bob/

Draws are out!
I play my first match friday night at 9:30 EST!

http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=159058

I think we got a good draw, first round a couple of young kids, both good players but we didnt draw one of the seeds, nor some of the better unseeded teams from around here.

A winter of work, improvement and fun.

I have not posted a blog entry all winter, but I've been playing. My (golfer's) elbow is healing up, i'm playing again without a brace. The physical therapy was good, taught me some good exercises. My knees feel good (knock on wood).  No problems or pain, I think some of this is strengthing, and some of it was changing shoes. I currently have a problem with the knuckle on my index finger. I think it's actually from repetitive motion  using a roller mouse at work with that finger, or maybe I pulled a tendon/ligament. It hurts off and on, but I can still play.

 Typically I'm on the court 2-3 days per week, 4.0 men's doubles league on Thursday night and Monday night men's 4.0-4.5 doubles. A few mixed doubles and singles matches thrown in.    Mondays have been great tennis and good learning. The 4.5 guys hammer the ball and it has take some getting used to, but it makes some of the other matches almost seem slow. I've had to make my serve more consistent and make sure my footwork and technique is solid. I really have to be sharp, and in the moment for these matches.

Looking back at my results and stats (I'll put a stats post here later), I haven't really won that much, but I feel like my game has improved. I've been told that my game has improved this winter and I guess some aspects have.  My first serve is more consistent lately and I double fault less.  My returns are solid. My backhand is no longer a huge hole in my game, I can use it as a weapon in a lot of situations.  I have a few new shots like an out of the air topspin 'crush'.   My high end level of play has improved, but I also have fewer, and shorter periods where I'm playing horribly. I've found a few ways to relax and prep for a match both physically and mentally.  I'm wondering how this translates to match and tournament play, as i'll be out of my element in a new club/environment.  I'm still playing with the Yonex vcore, but I've added some weight, and experimented with some different strings with some good results


First serve - Returns - Backhand - Topspin Out of the air - Strings

First serves:
I had trouble holding my serve, still do sometimes. Some matches I would double fault 2,3,4 times a game.   I had to back my first serve off to 80% to gain consistency for a while.  I then found a few big points:
-Consistent toss
-Higher toss, and reach for the ball
-More legs, less arm
-More spin, up and over the ball
-More warmup time (I take as many serves as I can before the match. I'll even go hit serves against the wall before a match)
Now I'm able to hit out on my serves more often and get them in, but i'm finding it more important to get the first one in, and move it around the box that wail on the ball. I hit my 2nd serve the same almost every time now.. up and spin it in.  It doesn't always go where I want, so it mixes it up for the returner.

Returns:
When I started playing again two years ago, I was a terrible returner.  I would stand way back and try to anticipate the shot run to get it and try to get it in with too much swing.   If I wasn't missing the shot outright, I was setting up the net man for a poach ... especially on a high ball or kick serve.  I took a less on this a year ago, and have been practicing this every doubles match.  Our club pro returns Agassi style.. coming in and attacking the ball on the rise and punching it back.  He taught me the basics in a couple of lessons, and give me pointers when he sees me on the court playing doubles.  This has changed my whole game.   Even against a big server, I can usually bump the ball back. Actually, the bigger the serve the better my return.  I can hit it back to the server, angle it into the alley and direct it down the line past the net man (or right into him if needed).    Don't get me wrong, I still get aced sometimes, and still miss but I love returning now, almost more than serving.
The key to a good return for me is getting into my return stance physically relaxed, but mentally sharp to the point where I can see the spin on the ball toss, moving forward with a split step just before the hit then reacting to the shot.  If I over anticipate the shot by imagine the serve coming to my forehand, deciding I'm going to really attack this one, worrying about an ace... I'm in trouble. I have to have a clear mind for a good return of serve.

Backhand:
When I started playing again 2 years ago I was still hitting a one handed backhand. Didnt take me long to realize I could hit this 'sometimes'. I"m not sure if I just dont have the upper body strength, the right technique or what but after watching a few pros on video and weeks/months of getting killed in doubles on the backhand side due to my floppy one hander I decided to switch to a 2 hander.  I hoped to make it a weapon better than my forehand (which hasnt quite happenned yet).
 I starting hitting the ball against the wall all summer before I played and when I had a spare half hour... then taking a couple lessons, hitting on the ball machine in addition to match play where I used it on everything but dtl slices and volleys (which I still use a 1hbh). It has improved, and is no longer a gaping hole in my game... and it now can be a weapon (at times.) I even like returning from the backhand side in doubles as I can hit angles, or down the line 2 handers off the serve. 
Last weekend I setup a ball machine cross court to my backhand on a high speed, heavy topspin setting and alternated hitting back cross court, and ripping them down the line. I was able to take this into a singles match on tuesday and beat a guy I had lost to 3&1 last summer. In the first set he started hitting to my bh... but I put away a 2nd serve, followed by 2 points where he hit a cross court backhand to mine and I was able to rip a shot past him down the line. He 
So, make a decision, work on it over time (and it will take time.) 
It is still not 100%, but its coming along.


Topspin shots out of the air:
Taking the ball out of the air and ripping it with topspin would have been frowned upon by my junior coach. I learned to punch volleys, usually down the line unless up close in the court.   But I've learned to hit a new shot this year... topspin out of the air.  I like to take them just above my shoulder,  high to low but can also even pick em up waist high and hit a good shot over the net and in.  I can hit it forehand or backhand. If my partner gets lobbed I can usually slide over there and hit it back with power... the only problem is that I like to hit this cross court , and since my partner usually switches I have come close to hitting a couple of people and even pegged one poor lady right in the back of the head.  I'm working on hitting that same shot down the middle or down the line effectively... guess I'll have to work on that one or be more selective about when I hit it.


Strings 
Strings are a whole blog entry to themselves... I will however link a couple of good sites and discussions:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=524922

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=515637

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=498285

http://www.stringforum.net/

ProAm

I had the opportunity last week to play in a pro-am event to benefit the petoskey community tennis courts.  What a fun local fundraising events with 8 teams, kids events and lots of community out to watch and support the event.

My partner was the local h.s. coach John Boyer who played for Alma college. He,has a big serve and great net game, always in place and covering the court well.  He carried us the first set, with big serves and putaway volleys.
I held my own, and  I played well the first set, so-so the second, and then out my mind during the 3rd 8 game pro set.  Everything was clickin, returns were rockin, angled and dtl volleys winning points and my serve damm near perfect. I was kicking serves, then banged 3 aces down the T on the ad side, amd against a young guy who plays Div. 1 college tennis.  I think the score was 8-3, & we finished 3rd in a really solid group of players. 
Fun tennis!

Real Tennis Network site... very cool!

Check this out.....   very cool new site and http://realtennisnetwork.com/

The site includes:

1. A Daily Video “Quick Tip” on a broad area of topics that I have put out on my own or from questions that have been asked from you.

2. Weekly Audio Podcast where I interview Experts from all around the world on how you can improve your game. So far I have:

Roy Emerson (28 Grand Slam Titles.  Only player ever to win all 4 in singles and doubles))

Emilio Sanchez (Formerly Ranked #1 in the world ATP Doubles and has the largest tennis Academy in Europe)

Andy Fitzell (One of the countries leading researchers in stroke technique talks about myths in technique)

Peter Burwash (Davis Cup player for Canada, Professional Coach and Owner of PBI International – 5 star Tennis Resorts)

Jorge Capestany (PTR and USPTA Master Professional wrote the “On Court Guide to Tennis Strategy” (we talk about how to beat a team that plays one up and one back and a steady baseliner).

More already recorded and ready to go

3. Video Instruction where I get deeper into specific subjects that YOU are specifically looking to learn more about though my own knowledge and other experts.

Nagging Injuries

Somehow I've hurt my ankles to where I cannot play.  It is the outside of my left foot, under the ankle bone, and extending up my Achilles a bit.   Icing helps, but I'm taking the week off of tennis to recoup.  I wonder if it was my new shoes not being quite right for me, or the running shoes I bought in florida and have only put about 10 miles on so far, or a combination of the two.  I'm thinking of switching shoes.. which I hate to do with only a couple weeks on the new. I'm looking for something more durable, and with decent padding/support.  The Yonex shoes look the best on paper, but only one pair has a warrantee...I might order and try them on, otherwise I'll go back to my Prince T22's although I want to see if a different kind of shoe would help with my sore knees.

I guess this is a good chance for my arm to rest too... my wrist has been sore since I jammed it, and my inner elbow tendon has been sore for a long time.  I was hoping switching racquets would alleviate that, but only time will tell.  I wonder if the new racquet has anything to do with my sore wrist. (what a drag it is getting old!)