Looking for ambitious tennis partner(s)

[QiRoy]

Hey peoplespeace,

I sense you're genuine about this and so am I.

To me Argentina sounds awesome (and relatively cheap from what you've said) considering what facilites you have access to for that membership cost.

Having said that, I'm open to other suggestions.

mix_ice, do you have any concrete places/prices with good facilites that you know of? Or are you thinking that there must be some cheap place in Asia and that it will be less expensive because you're already there?

I'm seriously open to suggestions, but for some reason Argentina is exciting me more than Asia at this point.

Also, I really do think that, as much as I don't particularly want to share video unnecessarily with the world, it would help everybody considering this mission, to make appropriate decisions about whether it would be right for them. And I guess it shows some level of credibility.

Plus, I don't want to be the guy that travelled half way around the world to train with a group of guys, and then realized that I'm no use to anyone and in the way because my level was.......well, on the wrong level, so to speak.

I'm willing to put a short video out there if you are peoplespeace.

[Devilito]

I’d personally do it in the EU. Somewhere like Portugal where if you’re smart with your money you can get by pretty decent. The advantage you have is every weekend you hop in a van and travel from tournament to tournament in various countries close by with relative ease and convenience. If I were to commit myself to such a serious endeavor I’d want to be busting out tournaments weekly or every second week. At that level, there is no substitute for match play.

[QiRoy]

Originally Posted by tennis_balla

I coach for a living, have done the whole traveling coach with a player in the past. If you're serious about this, personally I think you're in way over your head if you expect results. If you want to do it for the thrill and experience of it, than good luck to ya and I hope you enjoy the journey.

tennis_balla - Cool that we've got some experience here!

Out of curiosity, what would be the approximate cost for an average-to-low-end touring coach?

And how do you think this idea of peoplespeace could be tweaked to get better results? Or do you think it's the wrong way to do it?

[QiRoy]

Originally Posted by Devilito

I’d personally do it in the EU. Somewhere like Portugal where if you’re smart with your money you can get by pretty decent. The advantage you have is every weekend you hop in a van and travel from tournament to tournament in various countries close by with relative ease and convenience. If I were to commit myself to such a serious endeavor I’d want to be busting out tournaments weekly or every second week. At that level, there is no substitute for match play.

I was thinking about somewhere in the EU too for the same reason. Do you know of any appropriate places in Portugal?

Do you have much experience with Portugal-life?

[tennis_balla]

Originally Posted by QiRoy

tennis_balla - Cool that we've got some experience here!

Out of curiosity, what would be the approximate cost for an average-to-low-end touring coach?

And how do you think this idea of peoplespeace could be tweaked to get better results? Or do you think it's the wrong way to do it?

It depends how much you wanna spend time on court, if you want the coach to travel with you to tournaments and so on. Prices are always negotiable depending on whats involved. Not sure what you mean by average or low end. Besides, most guys just travel on their own and get coaching whenever they're back home or get a coach to come with them on the bigger tourneys if they can afford it.
Think of it this way, you can get a deal with a coach if you pay up front for lets say a months worth of training. That would say you some $$, but expect to pay his hotel, meals, travel expenses plus salary if you expect anyone to travel with you to tournaments.

[QiRoy]

@tennis_balla - thanks for the insight.

By average to low-end coach, I was meaning one that wasn't in demand by the top players and therefore financially out of reach.

[mix_ice]

Qiroy, well, compared to Europe, I'd assume Asia would have less expensive alternatives.. but I can probably check around Southeast Asia for possible venues that could suit a group of 4 players perhaps whose goals are all the same: that is to put in some serious work and not be afraid of taking risks in the goal of reaching the tennis level that each member would be capable of.

[QiRoy]

@mix_ice....Yeah, if you could have a check around, who knows what you might find. It seems reasonable to think there should be somewhere in Asia that would be cheaper than Europe. Although, Portugal and Bulgaria could be viable European options.

The Argentina option of peoplespeace seemed pretty damn competitive and peoplespeace already has a pretty good idea of venue and prices which is brilliant.

I'm finding it pretty hard here in Asia to hunt out tennis resources seeing as I can't speak Mandarin. Where are you based mix_ice? What languages can you speak?

[peoplespeace]

@ everybody....doing this in Europe would be great apart from two problems; one is the weather which is getting cold(er) and two is the cost of attaching a future level player to the group some 2-3 hrs/day, in Europe this i dont think can be done for 1usd/month as u can in other parts of the world. Playing tournaments is great fun, i love it, but given the time (and cost) of getting in a van and drive around southern europe, i dont see it taking me to future level in one year, although we could have a blast

Regarding Asia, of it is doable in Asia in dozens of different locations. Although shanghai or china in general might not be first choice for several practical reasons, including some mentioned by u QiRoy

Re video, pls go ahead QiRoy and share with the world, ill do so when I feel that I need or want to, and for the record, i would not mind the vox populi at all (I promise though at some point to post three videos showing my progress from early 2009 to late 2010). QiRoy, dont worry about ur level or "being in the way", as i said the greater the span of level in the group the more players are needed and also if ur a 3.0 player finding additional local players to play with is easy. Me Im going ahead now so if im alone I will make a set up intended for one person, in the sense that I will rent a studio or one bedroom apart, find local players to play with on an ad hoc basis and make an arrangement with a local future player. In this situation, if u were to join for one months in lets say Argentina i december, u would have an accomodation issue and the whole thing would change a bit compared to being a group of people starting together from the onset, living together, supporting each other, hanging out etc.

Thanks for the words of encouragement tennis_balla, sounds really interesting with ur coaching experience.

[QiRoy]

@ Peoplespace....You're completely right. Bulgaria's winter weather is NOT conducive to tennis. As for Portugal, I'm not sure, but I'd think that most of Europe would be pretty ****.

Okay, well I'll throw a video out there to hopefully get the ball rolling then guys. But first a bit of background....

So, I played when I was 9,10 and 11 years oldish. Then stopped. I'm turning 30 Next month.

Last year I took a complete novice friend out for a hit with my old prince lightning 90's We had maybe 6-10 pretty horrible hits in the first half of the year, then went overseas.

While overseas, I bought a new racket and think I had 2 hits with a friend in London with it.

Then, this year, with my novice friend, I had about 6ish more hits. Then had to travel for business/pleasure, so I decided to take my racket with me and see how much tennis I could get in and how much I could improve.

Since leaving New Zealand on the 29th of August I managed to have about 7 hits in Canada, 3 in Bulgaria and 3 1/4 in China. (The 1/4 being when I rolled my ankle).

About the video.....

Obviously there was no use me sending video of me hitting terrible shots into the net or sky. So, the forehand/backhand shots are 'best-of' (technique-wise) in my opinion. (Still a work in progress obviously)

I'm aware that a one perspective camera shot of snippets of shots aren't very accurate in judging my level. It's definitely lower than what I look like in this video, but I am reasonably confident that with some regular, descent, focused training and troubleshooting, I can become reasonably consistent. And my fitness and footwork surely can only improve seeing as I'm yet to focus on these points. I was horrified by how sluggish I was when watching footage back.

Unfortunately, the Great Firewall of China doesn't seem to like Youtube or Dropbox, so I'm trying to sort something else out now......

[Devilito]

I don’t think some of you guys realize what it takes to get to a solid open level, let alone a futures level. It’s one thing if some of you were top players before, took time off and want to “come back”. But most of you seem to have zero experience at a high level and hope that in your 30s or 40s you’re going to begin your progression. I have played challengers in my early 20s, stopped for 10 years and just recently came back. It is extremely difficult and a harsh dose of reality trying to get back into any type of form. I have a feeling I could out hit most of you and I wouldn’t even dream of playing a futures tournament at this point. Tony Lars is a good example of the minimum level you should be at to even begin thinking of doing what you’re doing. It think some of you are just straight up delusional.

[peoplespeace]

@ develito......i not sure what to say, as im not sure if u are serious about joining or not, but ill assume for a minute that u are!? What would be ur goal, what would it take to get u there and is that compatible with what we r talking about doin? Why not be concerned about that instead of being concerned or even irritated it seems, with the goals and assumptions of others? U believe u could out hit me and whoever, u could be right or maybe not (if that is u playing with the cap in the videos that u are linkin to on youtube). What I know is that if u had me and whoever plus a future level player to drill and match play with on a daily basis, that u would have plenty of opposition for that part of ur tennis development inputs to be in place, the rest is up to u, ur talent and hard (and appropriate) work. Playing tournaments is good for ur game but not if it takes alot of time away from working on ur shots, tactics, game plan, fitness, etc etc. But hey, u used to play challangers so that should all be 101 for u right?

[QiRoy]

@Devilito - Much respect for playing Challengers man! You obviously DO know what it takes.

I'm the first to admit that I don't KNOW what it takes. But I could take a guess, and say...."a hell of a lot more than what I'm doing currently! "

I don't EXPECT to do well at a futures tournament or even get that far, but one things for sure......if I don't try, I NEVER will.......and I'm not getting any younger.

The way I see it, if I spend some time dedicated to tennis for the first time in my life, then....at worst, I'll become a better player for later in life and have a cool experience.....at best, well, who knows.....depends how much and how quickly I can improve.

Obviously I can't speak for other peoples motivations, but I respect peoplespeace regardless, just for thinking outside the box a wee bit.....

As for the vid.....well, it's just got a lot 'hotter' in here. I think I've got a way to share it from China, now I've just gotta get over myself in the name of improving and add the link.

Bracing myself for the criticism......but please, please either make it constructive or funny:P

http://www.sendspace.com/file/duo71w

[QiRoy]

Delusional........has quite a nice ring to it.......

[Devilito]

Originally Posted by QiRoy

Bracing myself for the criticism......but please, please either make it constructive or funny:P

http://www.sendspace.com/file/duo71w

Don’t take it the wrong way, I wasn’t trying to make any of my comments personal, just a wake up call speaking from experience. I watched your video, you have potential. That’s all I can tell you. Another thing I can tell you is your footwork, preparation and shot recovery suck. BUT that’s to be expected. When you take lessons at 30 is a pro going to make you run and do sprints and work on footwork? Or are they just going to feed you balls and work on your strokes because that’s what you paid for. Also please don’t confuse footwork with fitness level. You can be a marathon runner or sprinter and still have horrible footwork when it comes to tennis.

A huge part of tennis at high levels is footwork. Standing still your strokes have solid mechanics. Once you start running your game goes from hero to zero. That’s all due to your footwork. Another mistake most people do in practice is they just rally back and forth. Back and forth I can give an ATP pro a good hit and practice. Back and forth is easy. In a match you will never be hitting “back and forth”. Everything will be on the run and end up looking ugly. What you have to do is develop practice drills that force you to move and recover.

The plus side is that at your age and ability I think with 1 year of intensive training you can definitely make a nice jump in skill level.

In terms of this entire project. I’d propose something along the lines of spending 6 months- 1 year before taking the time and money to do this to train and prepare for it. When you get together in a group you want to already be at a confident level so you can start hitting up tournaments and working on the little things intensively. The last thing you want to do is meet up and have to spend 1 year training hard just to get to the point where you should have been originally. Footwork drills, movement and some basic match play should be something you can accomplish on your own.

Not to mention that starting out the program by yourself original will get you into a proper shape that when you meet up you can start paying intensively without it being a shock to your body so you’re not wasting time on recovery and injuries.

[QiRoy]

@Devilito - Thank you so much for your post. I really, really do appreciate the time you've spent to be constructive and respect your experienced opinion.

What you said, resembles a lot of my own thoughts, but it's great to hear it from an experienced, high-level player. It gives me more confidence that my self analysis is at least 'in the ballpark'.

Yep, footwork is HORRIBLE at this point I know. And hero to zero once I start running, sums it up nicely! (Although obviously not a hero to begin with either) Do you know where I could find good footwork drills on the net by any chance? I've found a few that usually involve a ladder type grid and different patterns. Then, theres the fuzzyyellowballs footwork vid that was interesting. However, I haven't been on court enough to really get down to business and focus on footwork yet.

When I asked the coach in Shanghai about the level of my footwork (wanting him to confirm it was crap and give me some direction) he said, "well, you got to the balls that I was hitting to the corners". I tried to get more in depth, but he struggled with his English and my Mandarin is even worse.

In terms of the project, well, I understand that you think being at a confident level to begin with would be best. I agree. It sounds like peoplespeace might already be there level-wise. As you could see, I'm not, but the idea really resonated with me and depending on the goals and levels of the others in the group, I think it could still be worth a shot for me and at this stage December this year suits me.

Anyway, thanks again for your time Devilito. I really am grateful for it.

I'm interested to hear peoplespeace's 2 cents too.

[Devilito]

Originally Posted by QiRoy

@Devilito - Thank you so much for your post. I really, really do appreciate the time you've spent to be constructive and respect your experienced opinion.

What you said, resembles a lot of my own thoughts, but it's great to hear it from an experienced, high-level player. It gives me more confidence that my self analysis is at least 'in the ballpark'.

Yep, footwork is HORRIBLE at this point I know. And hero to zero once I start running, sums it up nicely! (Although obviously not a hero to begin with either) Do you know where I could find good footwork drills on the net by any chance? I've found a few that usually involve a ladder type grid and different patterns. Then, theres the fuzzyyellowballs footwork vid that was interesting. However, I haven't been on court enough to really get down to business and focus on footwork yet.

When I asked the coach in Shanghai about the level of my footwork (wanting him to confirm it was crap and give me some direction) he said, "well, you got to the balls that I was hitting to the corners". I tried to get more in depth, but he struggled with his English and my Mandarin is even worse.

In terms of the project, well, I understand that you think being at a confident level to begin with would be best. I agree. It sounds like peoplespeace might already be there level-wise. As you could see, I'm not, but the idea really resonated with me and depending on the goals and levels of the others in the group, I think it could still be worth a shot for me and at this stage December this year suits me.

Anyway, thanks again for your time Devilito. I really am grateful for it.

I'm interested to hear peoplespeace's 2 cents too.

Try this 3 part video for court positioning and recovery. Something which you are not doing at all from that clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4A5xX_vn1I

Watch this clip of Federer and see how he recovers after every ball hit. He doesn’t just hit and stay in one place and wait for the next ball. Watch him move side to side by side stepping. In your clip you turn sideways, drop your racquet and start running with big steps. You should keep your racquet at ready at all times and take small quick steps so you can set up properly for your next shot. Compare it to your own video and try and imitate him next time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Def7iMP8G0M

You need to start doing drills that juniors do. Like do line sprints side to side and in a star shape to the service lines. Real sprints too not just lackadaisical.

Here is another good one if you’re hitting against a wall. Notice the footwork even while waiting for the ball to come to him from the wall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWnx-WXq0T8

PS: Don’t worry so much about peoplespeace. You’ve stepped up to post a video of yourself playing. He hasn’t. You can’t just ask people to move half way across the world with you without letting them know a lot more about you. Especially how you look/play etc.

[QiRoy]

Wow, thanks again Devilito!

I can't reach youtube here in China at the moment, but as soon as I can I'll be studying those links.

I can't do any running at the moment anyway because of my sprained ankle, which funnily enough happened while trying to up the intensity of my footwork

Cheers for the help!

[West Coast Ace]

Originally Posted by QiRoy

When I asked the coach in Shanghai...

Where do you hit in Shanghai? I've been going at least once a year since '05 - not a lot of courts or good instructors. Century Park is huge - the gov could put a dozen courts in there an still have a ton of room.

And as far as the project, I've seen Shanghai get a lot more expensive since I started going. I like the idea of Asia, but would look for cheaper cities.

[QiRoy]

Hi West Coast Ace, I was hitting at the Regal East International Hotel Courts. I write about the prices in an earlier post.

They're the courts that I'm using in the video btw.