Indiana Jolly, and the Quest for the Holy Paperweight.

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 11:05 AM

Well friends, the time has come on this blustery snow day in New York to sit down and asses my goals and plan out a strategy for the short, medium and long term of my tennis playing.

This thread will chronicle my playing through 2011 and beyond.

I intend to share my goals in the hopes that writing them down and posting them publicly will help me adhere to them better, and force me to work harder to achieve them. I plan to document all travels and post up pictures and summaries of my adventures and misadventures along the way.

I am just getting over a back injury that has kept me sidelined for most of the past three months, and am looking forward to a great 2011 where I build upon the progress made in 2010 where I was finally for the most part injury free. My wrist is feeling great, and I didn't have to tape it at all last year, while the areas that were the last to shape up (FH Return, and short ball put away) have been cleaning up nicely while my forehand as a whole is coming around rather well. Lately I have been feeling pretty good about how I have been playing in tournaments and there is less of a gap between practice play and tournament play.

Now, to start with the goals. I will be mostly playing and concentrating on Men's Open Singles tournaments, however I will also play Men's Open Doubles tournaments, Mixed Open Doubles tournaments, and Men's 5.0 League.

Short Term: (1 Month/by Feb 15th)

1: Lose 15+ lbs. Due to limited playing combined with cold weather, and holiday merriment, I have added on some tonnage. This morning I clocked in at a staggering (for me) 183lbs. I believe my current ideal playing weight to be around 165lb, and while adding on about 10lb of muscle to that 165lb would be ideal, that is not a goal for the short term. I will be working out in gym 3x per week and cleaning up my diet.

2: Video myself hitting and serving. I have not seen myself hit since July, and I would like to see how things are looking currently.

3: Ease back into practice routines. For the next couple of weeks I will try to practice 2x per week, and then up to 3-4x per week. Normally I try to go back to playing full time right away and hurt myself again, so this time I am going to take it easy.

4: Practice my serve and regain my timing. Over the past 3 months I have been serving only when absolutely necessary to conserve my back, but as my biggest weapon it will require a great deal of sharpening.

5: Play 1 or 2 tournaments. Need to get back into the mode of regular tournament play after my poor showing at the national after Christmas.

Medium Term: (3 Months/by May 1st)

1: Build up leg and core strength and endurance. Last spring when I transitioned from my light indoor playing schedule to my full time outdoor schedule, my legs weren't strong enough to handle playing every day, and I struggled the first month, and had to cut back practice. This year I want to be sure to put in sufficient gym work to alleviate that. Also the off court work will take strain off my back.

2: Hit out more with my backhand and use it to attack more than rally. I get into the mode of defending with it too much.

3: Attack more with my FH return. I am often too passive with it, just floating the ball back deep and starting the point.

4: Play 5 tournaments. I should have a good base built up, and be into match play mode.

Long Term: (1 Year/by December 31st)

1: Improve my serve and forehand to become my two main weapons. If I am going to be able to hurt better players, these are the two things that are going to get it done.

2: Improve my transition game and net play. This along with my movement are my two biggest weaknesses, and will be vital in converting opportunities that I create with my weapons.

3: Improve my movement and balance. This is my biggest liability against better players, and nothing else I work on is of value if I am not in good position to hit quality shots.

4: Play 15 + tournaments. This year I played 17, and withdrew from one so 16 total. I think one per month is too few, and two per month is too many, so 1 ½ per month for 18 total would be ideal.

5: Play 2+ National tournaments. I have played 1 per year for the last 5 years, and would like to step up to at minimum two. Three would be ideal, but that would depend on finances and time off from work.

Year End: (By 12/31/2011)

1: Be ranked in the top 10 in Men's Open in the Eastern Section. My highest ever year end ranking was 12 last year, highest ever ranking was 3, also last year.

2: Be ranked in the top 100 in Men's Open Nationally. My highest ever National ranking was 111 in 2009.

3: Win 1 hard court, and 1 clay court tournament. Won 1 hard court tournament last year, been a finalist a bunch of times.

4: Be listed on the USTA Pro/Open top 500 ATP entry list. Because it would be fun to play some Futures qualies in 2012.

Final Goal:

1: Compete in ITF Seniors tournaments, and be ranked in the top 10 in the world.

J

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 11:06 AM

INFORMATION

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 176lb

USTA Rating: 5.0C

2011 Eastern Ranking: (To be listed.)

2011 Player Record: (To be listed.)

Most Recent Video: (To be listed.)

J

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 11:11 AM

Ok, time to suit up and get my fat *** into the gym and hit the practice court for a bit.

Don't know if I will be able to video this one, but will bring camera just in case.

J

Cindysphinx · 01-12-2011, 11:15 AM

5.0C? Did I miss an episode in our little mini-series whereby you played league and got a computer rating?

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

5.0C? Did I miss an episode in our little mini-series whereby you played league and got a computer rating?

Yes, according to the masses, I am now hiding at the 5.0 level, because I was too cowardly to play 4.0...

J

Cindysphinx · 01-12-2011, 11:21 AM

Do you mean 5.0 S or T?

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Do you mean 5.0 S or T?

No, I mean C.

J

J_R_B · 01-12-2011, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Do you mean 5.0 S or T?

No. Jolly played 5.0 league matches last year, so he is C rated as of 12/31/2010.

Good luck, jolly.

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_R_B

No. Jolly played 5.0 league matches last year, so he is C rated as of 12/31/2010.

Good luck, jolly.

Thanks, let's definitely hit this year, possibly when I play a Tiger tournament?

J

J_R_B · 01-12-2011, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J011yroger

Thanks, let's definitely hit this year, possibly when I play a Tiger tournament?

J

I'm trying to work some tournies into my schedule this winter, but yeah, for sure, I want to.

Cindysphinx · 01-12-2011, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_R_B

No. Jolly played 5.0 league matches last year, so he is C rated as of 12/31/2010.

Good luck, jolly.

Ah, OK. I did in fact miss that. Which must mean I missed some good stories!!

arche3 · 01-12-2011, 03:46 PM

I am going to copy and paste your goals and use it as mine. lol.

and lets hit some this summer!

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arche3

I am going to copy and paste your goals and use it as mine. lol.

and lets hit some this summer!

For sure man, just send me an e-mail.

J

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 04:35 PM

Ok, good snow day for me.

Hit the sauna for 15 mins to loosen up, got in a light 45 minute workout, hit for about 40 mins, then played a match against my buddy. After that I didn't want to serve anymore, so I just returned his serves for 15 minutes or so, and tried to be more aggressive with my returns, which lead to missing more, but got me into the mindframe of leaning into the returns a bit more.

I returned very well, not particularly offensively, but I missed very few returns. Felt pretty lost with my serve to start, but it got better and better as the match went on, I started to pick up the timing.

I hit too defensively off the ground, was very consistent, hardly missed, except for a few long, which tells me I wasn't swinging out enough, and putting enough action on the ball.

Passing shots were excellent, very accurate, putaways were pretty good, I only hit a couple of volleys, so can't really comment. I did miss two easy putaways off of mishit returns that barely made it over the net, so that kind of sucked, but all in all it was a positive practice, and I wasn't winded or tired after.

My back is a little sore/achey but no sharp pain, just the normal feeling of using something I haven't used in a while. Shoulder is getting a bit achey now too, but I was only serving at 60% effort, so it should rebound nicely by the morning.

I couldn't video today as there was too much stuff going on at the club, but if I hit tomorrow, I will try to get some.

Good practice, good workout, no Advil required. Positive first step. We will see how it feels in the morning.

J

arche3 · 01-12-2011, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J011yroger

Ok, good snow day for me.

Hit the sauna for 15 mins to loosen up, got in a light 45 minute workout, hit for about 40 mins, then played a match against my buddy. After that I didn't want to serve anymore, so I just returned his serves for 15 minutes or so, and tried to be more aggressive with my returns, which lead to missing more, but got me into the mindframe of leaning into the returns a bit more.

I returned very well, not particularly offensively, but I missed very few returns. Felt pretty lost with my serve to start, but it got better and better as the match went on, I started to pick up the timing.

I hit too defensively off the ground, was very consistent, hardly missed, except for a few long, which tells me I wasn't swinging out enough, and putting enough action on the ball.

Passing shots were excellent, very accurate, putaways were pretty good, I only hit a couple of volleys, so can't really comment. I did miss two easy putaways off of mishit returns that barely made it over the net, so that kind of sucked, but all in all it was a positive practice, and I wasn't winded or tired after.

My back is a little sore/achey but no sharp pain, just the normal feeling of using something I haven't used in a while. Shoulder is getting a bit achey now too, but I was only serving at 60% effort, so it should rebound nicely by the morning.

I couldn't video today as there was too much stuff going on at the club, but if I hit tomorrow, I will try to get some.

Good practice, good workout, no Advil required. Positive first step. We will see how it feels in the morning.

J

How old are you? That is a lot of physical pain issues. You sound like me. Im 45.

J011yroger · 01-12-2011, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arche3

How old are you? That is a lot of physical pain issues. You sound like me. Im 45.

28 I think.

I stopped counting when I hit 22.

Actually though, the only thing that was a real wear and tear issue is my back which has been chronically bad since I was about 14, and it can be good or bad for weeks or months at a time.

All my other injuries were outside influences, my wrist was caused by an accident at work, so I can't blame old age for that one.

Aside from a bad back and a freak wrist injury, I am in pretty good health, aside from aches and pains from playing too much or just general muscle soreness.

J

TonLars · 01-12-2011, 06:04 PM

Subscribed.

Good luck mayne!

accidental · 01-12-2011, 06:40 PM

Dont you have to be 35+ to play itf seniors? thats an extremely long term goal lol

BounceHitBounceHit · 01-12-2011, 06:56 PM

Good luck J-Man!

I too am subscribed.

And may I suggest you buy and read 'MindSet'? It is the best book I've read on the mental side of the game (I am currently in the process of reading it to pen a review for TTW)

Best,

BHBH

sphinx780 · 01-12-2011, 07:15 PM

Finally a thread worth checking back on regularly, subscribed indeed. Good luck dude and glad to hear your body's cooperating!

01-12-2011, 11:05 AM	#1
J011yroger G.O.A.T. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 11,443	Indiana Jolly, and the Quest for the Holy Paperweight. Well friends, the time has come on this blustery snow day in New York to sit down and asses my goals and plan out a strategy for the short, medium and long term of my tennis playing. This thread will chronicle my playing through 2011 and beyond. I intend to share my goals in the hopes that writing them down and posting them publicly will help me adhere to them better, and force me to work harder to achieve them. I plan to document all travels and post up pictures and summaries of my adventures and misadventures along the way. I am just getting over a back injury that has kept me sidelined for most of the past three months, and am looking forward to a great 2011 where I build upon the progress made in 2010 where I was finally for the most part injury free. My wrist is feeling great, and I didn't have to tape it at all last year, while the areas that were the last to shape up (FH Return, and short ball put away) have been cleaning up nicely while my forehand as a whole is coming around rather well. Lately I have been feeling pretty good about how I have been playing in tournaments and there is less of a gap between practice play and tournament play. Now, to start with the goals. I will be mostly playing and concentrating on Men's Open Singles tournaments, however I will also play Men's Open Doubles tournaments, Mixed Open Doubles tournaments, and Men's 5.0 League. Short Term: (1 Month/by Feb 15th) 1: Lose 15+ lbs. Due to limited playing combined with cold weather, and holiday merriment, I have added on some tonnage. This morning I clocked in at a staggering (for me) 183lbs. I believe my current ideal playing weight to be around 165lb, and while adding on about 10lb of muscle to that 165lb would be ideal, that is not a goal for the short term. I will be working out in gym 3x per week and cleaning up my diet. 2: Video myself hitting and serving. I have not seen myself hit since July, and I would like to see how things are looking currently. 3: Ease back into practice routines. For the next couple of weeks I will try to practice 2x per week, and then up to 3-4x per week. Normally I try to go back to playing full time right away and hurt myself again, so this time I am going to take it easy. 4: Practice my serve and regain my timing. Over the past 3 months I have been serving only when absolutely necessary to conserve my back, but as my biggest weapon it will require a great deal of sharpening. 5: Play 1 or 2 tournaments. Need to get back into the mode of regular tournament play after my poor showing at the national after Christmas. Medium Term: (3 Months/by May 1st) 1: Build up leg and core strength and endurance. Last spring when I transitioned from my light indoor playing schedule to my full time outdoor schedule, my legs weren't strong enough to handle playing every day, and I struggled the first month, and had to cut back practice. This year I want to be sure to put in sufficient gym work to alleviate that. Also the off court work will take strain off my back. 2: Hit out more with my backhand and use it to attack more than rally. I get into the mode of defending with it too much. 3: Attack more with my FH return. I am often too passive with it, just floating the ball back deep and starting the point. 4: Play 5 tournaments. I should have a good base built up, and be into match play mode. Long Term: (1 Year/by December 31st) 1: Improve my serve and forehand to become my two main weapons. If I am going to be able to hurt better players, these are the two things that are going to get it done. 2: Improve my transition game and net play. This along with my movement are my two biggest weaknesses, and will be vital in converting opportunities that I create with my weapons. 3: Improve my movement and balance. This is my biggest liability against better players, and nothing else I work on is of value if I am not in good position to hit quality shots. 4: Play 15 + tournaments. This year I played 17, and withdrew from one so 16 total. I think one per month is too few, and two per month is too many, so 1 ½ per month for 18 total would be ideal. 5: Play 2+ National tournaments. I have played 1 per year for the last 5 years, and would like to step up to at minimum two. Three would be ideal, but that would depend on finances and time off from work. Year End: (By 12/31/2011) 1: Be ranked in the top 10 in Men's Open in the Eastern Section. My highest ever year end ranking was 12 last year, highest ever ranking was 3, also last year. 2: Be ranked in the top 100 in Men's Open Nationally. My highest ever National ranking was 111 in 2009. 3: Win 1 hard court, and 1 clay court tournament. Won 1 hard court tournament last year, been a finalist a bunch of times. 4: Be listed on the USTA Pro/Open top 500 ATP entry list. Because it would be fun to play some Futures qualies in 2012. Final Goal: 1: Compete in ITF Seniors tournaments, and be ranked in the top 10 in the world. J __________________ I'm your huckleberry... Last edited by J011yroger : 01-12-2011 at 11:17 AM.

01-12-2011, 11:06 AM	#2
J011yroger G.O.A.T. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 11,443	INFORMATION Height: 6'3" Weight: 176lb USTA Rating: 5.0C 2011 Eastern Ranking: (To be listed.) 2011 Player Record: (To be listed.) Most Recent Video: (To be listed.) J __________________ I'm your huckleberry... Last edited by J011yroger : 01-28-2011 at 07:25 AM.

01-12-2011, 11:11 AM	#3
J011yroger G.O.A.T. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 11,443	Ok, time to suit up and get my fat *** into the gym and hit the practice court for a bit. Don't know if I will be able to video this one, but will bring camera just in case. J __________________ I'm your huckleberry...

01-12-2011, 11:15 AM	#4
Cindysphinx G.O.A.T. Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 14,090	5.0C? Did I miss an episode in our little mini-series whereby you played league and got a computer rating? __________________ -- Random Error Generator, Version 4.0 -- Master Moonballer

01-12-2011, 11:21 AM	#6
Cindysphinx G.O.A.T. Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 14,090	Do you mean 5.0 S or T? __________________ -- Random Error Generator, Version 4.0 -- Master Moonballer