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/
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Friday, July 25, 2014
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!
Friday, May 2, 2014
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.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
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!)
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!)
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
USTA League, weekend 1
I was invited to play on a men's 4.0 USTA team this season and the first round of matches was a lot of fun. Our team won 3 matches, and lost the last one to Traverse City, with 4 of the 5 matches going into a 3rd set tie breaker. I played 3 doubles matches, and we won 2 of them. Most important to me, I kept CALM and played well.
First match I played with a new partner and we pulled off a close one 6-4, 6-7, 10-3 in the t.b. I probably shouldn't have switched rackets before this weekend, I struggled on my serve and return, but everything else was working fine.
Second match was not so close, another new partner but we played well together... winning it 6-3, 6-2. My returns were really ripping and volleys were on the money. My only struggle was consistency on my serve... I remember double faulting 4 times in one game, but hitting a couple of service winners and my partner keeping us in on the other points to win that game.
The last match I got to play with my original partner from Saturday, but the match was a struggle. A struggle to keep calm especially the first set, and struggle to win points and games. We started out on the right foot, getting ahead 40-30 on my serve. I hit what looked like a winner, catching the inside of the line on a volley but the guys on the other team called it out. My partner couldn't believe it, but we didn't say anything to them about it, its their call after all. I also don't think it was intentional. He was looking at the side line and sometimes a ball on the line can appear out from that angle... but it was in. Unfortunately, I let this bother me instead of letting it go and we dropped my serve. This game was followed by a series of BOMB serves from the young guy on the other team. I haven't seen serves like this at the 4.0 level. It took me most of the first game to get used to it but then I started rocketing them back more often than not. My partner took most of the first set to get used to the pace and getting enough of them back to break... finally allowing us to get some momentum. We played really well at the end of the 2nd set. Everything was working for me including my first serve. We carried on strong into the set tiebreaker and blazed ahead 5-0 in the t.b, winning it 7-2. Unfortunately, the momentum didn't carry all the way through the 3rd set t.b., and we lost a close one 10-7. I double faulted once in tie break, made a few unforced errors towards the end but they hit some great shots to win it.
Results available here: USTA TENNISLINK
First match I played with a new partner and we pulled off a close one 6-4, 6-7, 10-3 in the t.b. I probably shouldn't have switched rackets before this weekend, I struggled on my serve and return, but everything else was working fine.
Second match was not so close, another new partner but we played well together... winning it 6-3, 6-2. My returns were really ripping and volleys were on the money. My only struggle was consistency on my serve... I remember double faulting 4 times in one game, but hitting a couple of service winners and my partner keeping us in on the other points to win that game.
The last match I got to play with my original partner from Saturday, but the match was a struggle. A struggle to keep calm especially the first set, and struggle to win points and games. We started out on the right foot, getting ahead 40-30 on my serve. I hit what looked like a winner, catching the inside of the line on a volley but the guys on the other team called it out. My partner couldn't believe it, but we didn't say anything to them about it, its their call after all. I also don't think it was intentional. He was looking at the side line and sometimes a ball on the line can appear out from that angle... but it was in. Unfortunately, I let this bother me instead of letting it go and we dropped my serve. This game was followed by a series of BOMB serves from the young guy on the other team. I haven't seen serves like this at the 4.0 level. It took me most of the first game to get used to it but then I started rocketing them back more often than not. My partner took most of the first set to get used to the pace and getting enough of them back to break... finally allowing us to get some momentum. We played really well at the end of the 2nd set. Everything was working for me including my first serve. We carried on strong into the set tiebreaker and blazed ahead 5-0 in the t.b, winning it 7-2. Unfortunately, the momentum didn't carry all the way through the 3rd set t.b., and we lost a close one 10-7. I double faulted once in tie break, made a few unforced errors towards the end but they hit some great shots to win it.
Results available here: USTA TENNISLINK
Shoes
When I started back in tennis a year ago, I bought some cheap Nike's and had problems with ankle roll over. I tried on a bunch of shoes, and found the Prince t22s to be very comfortable, but I've gone through 4-5 pairs in the last year by wearing holes in the toe (not from toe drag, just from regular play). So, I tried on a few pairs of shoes. I tried a Nike, Asics, the Adidas Baricade but none of them really fit me right. The Adidas Baricade had too much arch for me. I settled on a pair of Babolat Propulse 4 and am hoping that they will last longer. I've been wearing them for a couple of weeks now. They are much stiffer, and narrower up front but they fit ok. I've had a couple of rubs and a blister after the first weekend of play, but nothing really wrong.
Interestingly, I had some pain under my knee caps off and on and this seems to have diminished. I havent reduced my time on the court at all. However, it seems like the outside of these is lower, and I find my ankles sore after a couple hours of play, and the top of the shoe rubs on my ankle a bit but maybe this is just because they are new.
May 8:
I have abandoned the Babolat shoes. My ankles ended up so sore I could hardly walk, and had to take a week off of tennis. I went back to an old pair of my T22's, and my ankles were fine. Maybe it wasn't the shoes, and just an injury... but I never had ankle problems before and that was right where these were pressing on my feet.
Alas, my T22's have holes in them, and I want to try another shoe to see how it affects me and how it lasts. After reading reviews, and talking to tennis warehouse about it, I ordered a pair of Yonex Powercushion D's and they fit great right out of the box. They are noticeably lighter than my T22's. I wore them yesterday for 2 hours, a lesson and singles match (although my singles match was under an hour.. i won the 2nd set in 16 minutes) and didn't notice that I had new shoes on... The are VERY soft under my feet. My ankles and knees didn't and still don't hurt. My knees are not sore under the knee caps where they usually get sore. I know this is only 1 outing, but so far I'm really happy with these shoes. This evening will be a better test as I'm playing competitive doubles, and we have a usta match next weekend where I'll play 3 matches.
I'll post back regarding how the comfort is long term, how they hold up, and if I need the warranty how it is handled by Yonex/TW.
Interestingly, I had some pain under my knee caps off and on and this seems to have diminished. I havent reduced my time on the court at all. However, it seems like the outside of these is lower, and I find my ankles sore after a couple hours of play, and the top of the shoe rubs on my ankle a bit but maybe this is just because they are new.
May 8:
I have abandoned the Babolat shoes. My ankles ended up so sore I could hardly walk, and had to take a week off of tennis. I went back to an old pair of my T22's, and my ankles were fine. Maybe it wasn't the shoes, and just an injury... but I never had ankle problems before and that was right where these were pressing on my feet.
Alas, my T22's have holes in them, and I want to try another shoe to see how it affects me and how it lasts. After reading reviews, and talking to tennis warehouse about it, I ordered a pair of Yonex Powercushion D's and they fit great right out of the box. They are noticeably lighter than my T22's. I wore them yesterday for 2 hours, a lesson and singles match (although my singles match was under an hour.. i won the 2nd set in 16 minutes) and didn't notice that I had new shoes on... The are VERY soft under my feet. My ankles and knees didn't and still don't hurt. My knees are not sore under the knee caps where they usually get sore. I know this is only 1 outing, but so far I'm really happy with these shoes. This evening will be a better test as I'm playing competitive doubles, and we have a usta match next weekend where I'll play 3 matches.
I'll post back regarding how the comfort is long term, how they hold up, and if I need the warranty how it is handled by Yonex/TW.
Monday, April 14, 2014
New rackets...Yonex VCORE Tour G (310)
I switched rackets last week, and couldn't be happier with my new Yonex VCORE Tour G (310). The vcore has a great feel, is quick and precise at the net, flexible and still packs a punch on ground strokes and serves.
Before this, I had been using the babolat aero pro drive which was stiffer with lots of power when you hit the sweet spot... but anything off the sweet spot felt like hitting the ball with a board and vibrated right up my arm. I was looking to switch to something a bit more flexible, with a bigger sweet spot and of course easier on my arm. I was leary to switch and give up any performance that I thought my racket provided. I read a lot of reviews, researched the technology and demoed a good variety of racket models, sizes and weights (including the vcore 330) but right away the 310 felt the best.
The Yonex absolutely has a bigger sweet spot. Off center hits don't vibrate as badly or feel so stiff, especially at the top of the racket. I also think that the Yonex gives me good power when I swing hard but with more control. It has excellent feel and precision for punch and touch volleys. Most importantly, it doesn't hurt my arm! I played a drill Friday morning with the babolat, and my arm hurt afterwards to where I had to ice it down. Saturday I played 2 doubles matches, and Sunday a singles and doubles match... my arm felt fine and I was hammering serves right into the 3rd set tie breaker in the final match with no problem. My elbow had no pain the next day, but as I played through the week I did get some soreness... so its not a silver bullet but I hope combined with some softer strings it will help.
Looking at the technology, Yonex really did a great job with the engineering to make this so. Check it out: http://www.yonex.com/products/tennis/racquets/vcore-series/vcore-tour-g (click on Product Technology about half way down the page) The YONEX ISOMETRICTM design explains the extended sweet spot, the 3D "VECTOR SHAFT" provides a stiff backbone to remove any twist. The shaft uses Neo CS Carbon Nanotube technology for flexibility, increased spin and control, and even the grip helps reduce vibration on your wrist, elbow and shoulder.
The change was easy for everything but serves. When I first tried the vcore demo for a doubles match I played great, ripping service returns and placing touch volleys right where I wanted them to go. I found it quicker, and there fore easier to react quickly at the net... (The specs say 10.9 unstrung... almost the same as my old racket... but I think it is much more head light, or at least feels that way!) . My only real struggle with the racket change was on my serve, for two reasons. The flexibility causes it to sit on the strings just a bit longer, which takes some getting used to. Also, my timing was off at first as the new racket comes around faster than my old one. I should have probably hit with it more, and waited to start playing matches with the new racket, but I was excited to use it so I jumped right into USTA match play. I was missing a lot of serves the first match. I double faulted 4 times in one game (although we actually won that game!) ... when my server was going in, it was really ripping. My kick seemed to be a bit higher, and it felt like I was getting more power on flat serves from the 'bounce' on the strings. To solve this, between matches I went into a racket ball court and hit my serve the same way about 100 times. This seemed to help me with my timing, and the last match of the USTA weekend I hit some great serves and only double faulted a few times... no more than normal... and by the end of the match my serves were really working well.
note after a few weeks... I still dont feel that I get the same precision on my serves as I did with a tightly strung babolat, but it's worth the tradeoff.
Before this, I had been using the babolat aero pro drive which was stiffer with lots of power when you hit the sweet spot... but anything off the sweet spot felt like hitting the ball with a board and vibrated right up my arm. I was looking to switch to something a bit more flexible, with a bigger sweet spot and of course easier on my arm. I was leary to switch and give up any performance that I thought my racket provided. I read a lot of reviews, researched the technology and demoed a good variety of racket models, sizes and weights (including the vcore 330) but right away the 310 felt the best.
The Yonex absolutely has a bigger sweet spot. Off center hits don't vibrate as badly or feel so stiff, especially at the top of the racket. I also think that the Yonex gives me good power when I swing hard but with more control. It has excellent feel and precision for punch and touch volleys. Most importantly, it doesn't hurt my arm! I played a drill Friday morning with the babolat, and my arm hurt afterwards to where I had to ice it down. Saturday I played 2 doubles matches, and Sunday a singles and doubles match... my arm felt fine and I was hammering serves right into the 3rd set tie breaker in the final match with no problem. My elbow had no pain the next day, but as I played through the week I did get some soreness... so its not a silver bullet but I hope combined with some softer strings it will help.
Looking at the technology, Yonex really did a great job with the engineering to make this so. Check it out: http://www.yonex.com/products/tennis/racquets/vcore-series/vcore-tour-g (click on Product Technology about half way down the page) The YONEX ISOMETRICTM design explains the extended sweet spot, the 3D "VECTOR SHAFT" provides a stiff backbone to remove any twist. The shaft uses Neo CS Carbon Nanotube technology for flexibility, increased spin and control, and even the grip helps reduce vibration on your wrist, elbow and shoulder.
The change was easy for everything but serves. When I first tried the vcore demo for a doubles match I played great, ripping service returns and placing touch volleys right where I wanted them to go. I found it quicker, and there fore easier to react quickly at the net... (The specs say 10.9 unstrung... almost the same as my old racket... but I think it is much more head light, or at least feels that way!) . My only real struggle with the racket change was on my serve, for two reasons. The flexibility causes it to sit on the strings just a bit longer, which takes some getting used to. Also, my timing was off at first as the new racket comes around faster than my old one. I should have probably hit with it more, and waited to start playing matches with the new racket, but I was excited to use it so I jumped right into USTA match play. I was missing a lot of serves the first match. I double faulted 4 times in one game (although we actually won that game!) ... when my server was going in, it was really ripping. My kick seemed to be a bit higher, and it felt like I was getting more power on flat serves from the 'bounce' on the strings. To solve this, between matches I went into a racket ball court and hit my serve the same way about 100 times. This seemed to help me with my timing, and the last match of the USTA weekend I hit some great serves and only double faulted a few times... no more than normal... and by the end of the match my serves were really working well.
note after a few weeks... I still dont feel that I get the same precision on my serves as I did with a tightly strung babolat, but it's worth the tradeoff.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)