A big breakthrough (4.0 vs 4.5)!

[jdubbs]

I'm 6 months in to my comeback..I'm a 4.0 with a goal of improving to 4.5.

Well, I put it all together yesterday, playing a very solid 4.5 who has beaten me handidly the last 5 times we've played.

We split sets (I had a set point in the first, and won the 2nd) and were halfway through the 3rd when our court time ran out, but more importantly, I played fantastic, hitting winners, playing defensive when needed, but staying aggressive. My opponent was amazed at my improvement.

The breakthrough? Fitness and footwork. I worked hard on building stamina by playing pickup basketball of all things. I was gasping for air and cramping playing basketball because its such an intense workout, but I started getting my wind after playing a few times. Playing yesterday, it all paid off...my only strategy was to get to every ball and run, run run. And my stamina was there like it never had been before.

My fitness also helped me improve my footwork to get to shots earlier and hit them better. I was hitting shots on the run i never hit before.

He would hit his severe angles, and I would get to them. He'd try drop shots, I would reach them. Lobs and I would run back and get them. I no longer admired my shots but assumed they would be coming back hard and at an angle.

If I could have nailed more first serves and cut down on the double faults (through in about 10) I would have won going away. Have I reached 4.5 level? No, but I feel a lot more confident, and fitness was the key to hit the shots I'm capable of. A great feeling.

[danno123]

Congrats. That's some solid improvement. I took 29 years off and I'll be 6 months into my comeback on 1/29. I'm hoping to be a solid 4.0 by then.

[fuzz nation]

Groovy!!!

Gotta love it when the hard work pays off and you honestly flirt with that "next level" for more than just a few minutes.

Sounds to me like the two improvements you're most aware of are your mental persistence and your preparation/movement. Setting up earlier on more balls will give you command over more of your shots more often. Keep after that habit and you'll be able to routinely play up closer to your potential.

Believing is believing! When you decide to get after every ball and not quit until the point is actually over, that can honestly demoralize some opponents right out of a match. That frame of mind can also keep you playing a stronger, steadier game when you're up and want to keep pressing your lead, but also when you're down and want to reel the other guy in.

If nothing else, that match should give you a strong reference to help you in the future - you now have a better grasp of the quality of game that you can sustain.

[Djokovicfan4life]

I could benefit a lot from improved fitness as well. I need to start running again.

[esgee48]

Good for you. Instead of basketball (I'm too short), I try to maintain fitness by running sprints and jogging on a track. 50 yard all out sprint, 100 yard jog, 50 yard sprint, etc. Do 1-2 miles of this and you can maintain fitness fairly easily. Just hate to do it in the rain.

[Totai]

Yous gots to be fits to plays tennis, yous donts plays tennis to be fits

[HunterST]

That's odd. I feel like there's just as much running in tennis as there is in basketball.

[Totai]

Originally Posted by HunterST

That's odd. I feel like there's just as much running in tennis as there is in basketball.

a 5v5 all court basketball game has much more running than tennis. Constant back and forth for 45 minutes

[Djokovicfan4life]

Less rest between bursts though.

[LeeD]

Basketball has allways been my idea of the best workout.
I actually like 3 on 3 halfcourt, because it's all acceleration and quickness, without that long up and down the court run.
Alas, physical prowess to improve my game has left me a while ago, what with sprained ankle, pinging knee, sore hips, so maybe bigger hitting is my next goal.
But YEA, great you are still improving, and you can now start to hit bigger with your new stamina and footwork!!!

[luishcorreia]

Physical fitness can have a great impact on your game. I dropped 10 kg (22 pounds) and started running (got the Nike+ device for ipod - now I am a running addict) 2 years ago and my game improved a lot

[jdubbs]

Well, I'd been playing a lot of doubles, which really is a poor workout, and hitting the treadmill, but don't push myself that hard. Also tried jumprope.

The thing is with basketball, that you have to run, or your teammates will be all over you. And it's competitive and I want to win, so I ended up running. 10 minutes in my first game I had to stop I was breathing so hard and cramped. But once I got my wind, the carry-over to tennis was amazing.

I've been working hard on my game, especially developing a consistent backhand, more topspin on my FH, a consistent 2nd serve, and following the Rafa strategy of "hit the ball as hard as you can...and then try to figure out how to keep it in" against superior opponents.

I was making progress on those fronts, but it took fitness and stamina to be able to get to balls early or on time and put the shots where I wanted them instead of reaching for a weaker shot.

Up tomorrow, a solid 4.0 who has beaten me 3 times since my comeback after a decade off, though we haven't played in about a month or so. He loves to drop shot me and hit sharply angled backhands that are hard to get, but isn't near the player yesterday's opponent was.
It'll be interesting to see how I do, I could choke in the face of a light-hitting, crafty opponent. I'm just going to continue to hit my shots hard and place them carefully and run run run...let's see what happens. It's not about winning or losing, it's about progression...though let's face it, I hate to lose

[Ajtat411]

Only problem with playing basketball as a fitness routine is that you can potentially get hurt or banged up playing basketball.

I don't know about you, but when I play basketball I usually go for rebounds and post up so there will bound to be some knee to knee bumps and people stepping on your foot or you landing on someone's foot. If you're more of a spot up and shoot player than that's no big deal.

Good job though on recognizing fitness and footwork go hand and hand and playing your game.

[jdubbs]

I'm with you on getting hurt playing ball, so I'm going to limit myself to 1-2 times a week, and mostly just run the floor, not bang down low or try to be a rebounding machine. Limit my jumping too. But yeah, you're right, you can get hurt so have to be careful.

[Djokovicfan4life]

Originally Posted by Ajtat411

Only problem with playing basketball as a fitness routine is that you can potentially get hurt or banged up playing basketball.

It's just pick up games. It's not like he's going up for a slam dunk and getting hacked by Dwight Howard.

[Ajtat411]

Originally Posted by Djokovicfan4life

It's just pick up games. It's not like he's going up for a slam dunk and getting hacked by Dwight Howard.

Yeah, it depends on how hard you play, but I'm just competitive so I tend to get hurt in sports like basketball.
Basketball is not tennis, it's harder to dodge a guy driving into your chest on purpose.

[LeeD]

Actually, it is...
Not that the guy I'm guarding is going for a 360 lefty slam, but you gotta cut off the showboaters, the leapers, the "tough guys", and pester the shooters, or you give them confidence and they just hand it to you. Basketball 3 on 3 is just as serious as 5 on 5 high school and junior college, but lots more screwy stuff and some long lean players also.
It's a question of pride. Much more so than tennis. In tennis, the victor can often go to the practiced and experienced. In Bball, it's a given EVERYONE gets the practice and experience, and you're testing your manhood out there, if you choose to step onto the court. All that trash talk, all the posing, all the behind the back and stepback blocking stuff, you gotta step up and force them to take you seriously.
Gotta admit, I was quite the failure in KezarStadium's 3 on 3 league, but I got to guard some future NBA players, and quite a few college players who didn't make the pros.

[HunterST]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Actually, it is...
Not that the guy I'm guarding is going for a 360 lefty slam, but you gotta cut off the showboaters, the leapers, the "tough guys", and pester the shooters, or you give them confidence and they just hand it to you. Basketball 3 on 3 is just as serious as 5 on 5 high school and junior college, but lots more screwy stuff and some long lean players also.
It's a question of pride. Much more so than tennis. In tennis, the victor can often go to the practiced and experienced. In Bball, it's a given EVERYONE gets the practice and experience, and you're testing your manhood out there, if you choose to step onto the court. All that trash talk, all the posing, all the behind the back and stepback blocking stuff, you gotta step up and force them to take you seriously.
Gotta admit, I was quite the failure in KezarStadium's 3 on 3 league, but I got to guard some future NBA players, and quite a few college players who didn't make the pros.

Wooow, you played with pro tennis players, 5.5s beg you to serve your 105 mph serves to them, AND you've played basketball with guys who went on to be in the NBA. Kinda strange that high level players like that would want to play 3 on 3, though.

[LeeD]

Are you kidding me?
At least a quarter of NBA's D squad pros play in KezarStadium's 3 on 3 league nowadays. Most teams, there's at least TWO current college players, and they never get near quarters.
The team I subbed in, the center was an all star from RiordanHigh, at 6'9". The PF was LoyolaMaramounts starting PF, one of the guards was playing 2 guard at CCSF, and we didn't go anywhere.
We played a team that had KevinJohnson AS A BACKUP. Kevin of the PhoenexSuns.
Do some research on SanFrancisco's KezarStadium league. Probably at least 50 players who made the NBA played in those games.

[NLBwell]

Basketball is the best workout to improve for tennis - it gets you in shape, creates explosive movement, and makes your footwork quick. I played far more basketball than tennis growing up and was always extremely fast around the court UNTIL I tore my ACL taking a charge - and the opponent just went right through my knee. So there is a good and bad to it. It was worth it for the 25 years I did play basketball.