Grinders make me want to retire

[NLBwell]

We are taking the OP at his word that he is improving ASPECTS of his game.
However, we are pointing out that improving one or two aspects of his game will not necessarily result in winning more matches. Timbo and I both pointed out that he needs to round out his game more in order to be successful at winning more matches.

[InspectorRacquet]

Originally Posted by NLBwell

We are taking the OP at his word that he is improving ASPECTS of his game.
However, we are pointing out that improving one or two aspects of his game will not necessarily result in winning more matches. Timbo and I both pointed out that he needs to round out his game more in order to be successful at winning more matches.

Nail on the head right there.

Improvements can be so subtle but change so much, and at the same time be so big and change nothing as far as winning. Taking the OP's word that he is improving, it just sounds like the overall cohesiveness of his game isn't there - he may have improved, but if the rest of his game doesn't adapt to the grinder, results won't follow.

[Roddick85]

When I was talking to the pro when the league was over (he's the one giving me lessons), he said he noticed some improvements, but that since I've been working on specific things every session (worked on backhand slice, forehand, volley's, footwork), I haven't really integrated/merged everything together in my game which can be right since I take my lessons on saturday and go straight into the league on sunday to try to "digest" what I learned the previous day. I need to play more, but i'm struggling with my work schedule lately, in the summer it's easy to drive to the local park and practice after work, but in the winter here, my indoor club is 30 KM away from home, so it ain't as easy.

As I said before, the first 2 matches were against some people I had already beaten before. My last result against them were 2 wins 4-3 and 6-2 and that was before I had taken lessons. Now I loose 6-1 and 6-4 respectively, in my mind that's not coherent.

[andfor]

Sounds to me like you could use some match play lessons. Does your pro give those type of lessons? You could also find some books or tapes that would help with mental toughness, strategy and tactics.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by Roddick85

As I said before, the first 2 matches were against some people I had already beaten before. My last result against them were 2 wins 4-3 and 6-2 and that was before I had taken lessons. Now I loose 6-1 and 6-4 respectively, in my mind that's not coherent.

Sounds coherent to me.

I'm a 4.0, and I see a lot of people who are afraid to change/improve their game because it means they will lose matches they could have won. If you are adding these new tools to your game, it makes sense that you will stall a bit before you start seeing benefits.

If you can learn to take the net effectively, you won't be sorry.

[Roddick85]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Sounds coherent to me.

I'm a 4.0, and I see a lot of people who are afraid to change/improve their game because it means they will lose matches they could have won. If you are adding these new tools to your game, it makes sense that you will stall a bit before you start seeing benefits.

If you can learn to take the net effectively, you won't be sorry.

My next 2 lessons are all about my net game. Just doing some drills Saturday, the pro say's I have excellent reflexes so my net game should be better than what it is, but my technique is awful. Years ago, I used to play great at the net until I switched my grip to the standard continental grip. Since then I've been "shanking" volley's left and right and never getting it right. I know continental is the way to go but it feels so unnatural to me, I haven't developped a feel for it, particularly on the forehand side. When you always miss easy volley's and/or get passed, mentally you tell yourself OK I don't want to give away freebies like that, so I sort of resorted to staying in my comfort zone in the baseline, but it seems I can't properly finish points lately.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by Roddick85

My next 2 lessons are all about my net game. Just doing some drills Saturday, the pro say's I have excellent reflexes so my net game should be better than what it is, but my technique is awful. Years ago, I used to play great at the net until I switched my grip to the standard continental grip. Since then I've been "shanking" volley's left and right and never getting it right. I know continental is the way to go but it feels so unnatural to me, I haven't developped a feel for it, particularly on the forehand side. When you always miss easy volley's and/or get passed, mentally you tell yourself OK I don't want to give away freebies like that, so I sort of resorted to staying in my comfort zone in the baseline, but it seems I can't properly finish points lately.

Hang in there. Here, I'll help motivate you.

A guy with a great volley is Dead Sexy. It means he has great hands!

[blakesq]

Roddick,

I quit playing in high school my senior year (I thought I was smarter than my coach). Didn't play regularly for 14 years after that. Dumbest decision on my part. Now, I try to remember, I play for exercise, comraderie, competition. Winning is nice, but it is not the all consuming thing I used to think it was.

Perhaps you need to anylyze why YOU play.

[Power Player]

I agree with everyone. Forget about winning for a while and just focus on getting better. You will lose until you groove in the new techniques and concepts, but then you will start winning again and be playing at a higher level.

[Sakkijarvi]

Ok, I'm going to come at this from a slightly different angle. Along the lines of why you play, who you play, and why you play who you play on a given day.

I am a 4.0, so that makes me not great, not horrible. Like all clubs we have the usual selection of players, including the 3.5 - 4.0 'grinder' (or retriever, pusher, whatever term you want to use -- guys that have no power and get every ball back). We have one guy in particular that a lot of 4.0 guys don't want to play, and he's our ultimate in-house player of that type.

Now I get why guys don't want to play our King of the Grinders. He plays every ball the same, all out, no matter the score. Soft serves, never double-faults. Waits for your errors, quiet guy so when the opponent evidences the slightest (or more than 'slight') external, no doubt he draws power from your emotion. He is a robot. Lots of slice, backspin, drop shots, lobs. A real mental grind playing this guy.

I schedule a few matches a month with this guy. He hasn't beaten me in two years. But I can't say he's fun to play, not like my main baseline hitter buddies. It's a commitment to play him, and I do it for the challenge and for the workout, although he gets a better workout than me because I run him all over the court while dominating the center (high ground).

But here's the thing. To play this guy I have to be in the right mindset. If I had a tough day at work, and feel tired or impatient, solly cholly, I cancel. When I play him, it's all about spinning in nothing serves and never double faulting. Getting him on the run and wrong footing him. And embracing 12+ stroke rallies for a lot of the points. And not over-amping on his zilch serve.

But really, if this was all there was to tennis, I wouldn't waste my time with it. Wasn't it Vic Braden that used the term "athletic arousal"? I think it was. Anyway, these guys like King Grindboy, also tend to be really boring, zero personality types that get their rocks off I gather ... with this whole schtick. Good for them I guess. But once you prove to yourself that you can dig a hole for the wife's new clothesline ... maybe get a few blisters on your hands ... it's not like you need to rush around and dig hole after hole. In other words it is boring, a chore, and usually not a buddy across the net. Sometimes an oddball. And their style just doesn't get me fired up ... deadly dull.

So since tennis is for fun, friends and fitness, I hit with a nice group of guys, and they are my age and some juniors that hit. Win, lose, lose, win, win ... it's a lot of fun. I am not going out there hunting down an army of grinders to fill my schedule with, due to the fact that there is nothing to prove beyond the occasional beating and it just isn't any fun. I tip my hat to their style, persona ... keep moving along Bubba.

[jjaded]

Everyone who goes to the net a lot gets passed a lot, don't let it discourage you.

[Roddick85]

Originally Posted by Sakkijarvi

Ok, I'm going to come at this from a slightly different angle. Along the lines of why you play, who you play, and why you play who you play on a given day.

Of course I don't earn a living playing tennis, it's a hobby, I play for fun but I also enjoy good competition and I do have goals/objectives in terms of what I expect out of my game, it's what keeps motivated. I don't really play to get in shape, as i'm already in good shape and I workout off the courts.

I've been playing tennis on/off for the last 15 years. It's only about 2 years ago that I started to play regularly, 52 weeks a year as opposed to playing only in the summer as I wasn't part of any indoor tennis club. Before that, I used to play multiple sports all at once, I wasn't bad, but I wasn't exactly impressed with my performance either, and when i'm not performing the way I want, I don't have fun. With that in mind, I decided that instead of being average at a few sports, I would just stick with one and be the best I can be, no matter what. Tennis was always my first love, and I thought I had better skills in tennis than the other sports I was practicing.

It wouldn't be an understatement to say I live & breathe tennis every minute i'm not at work. I've played over 80 matches in 2012 alone + numerous practice sessions. I spent my entire vacations playing matches everyday. I calculate my own personnal statistics. I invest a lot of time in the game, so I do have expectations. As some people said, perhaps I should just focus on getting better than worrying about losing, didn't really saw it this way until yesterday, but perhaps once i'm done paying my "dues" with the lessons/new skills, I will rise above my current level.

As for who I play? Pretty much anyone, from total random strangers I contact from my club's partner list or in the leagues, to childhood friends I first started tennis with. At the end of the day, I don't really care who I play against as long as i'm playing someone that will give me a decent challenge. Sure I hate playing grinders/pushers etc... but I have to accept that they are a part of the tennis reality. Do I get frustrated against them? Totally. Will I give up playing them? No because I believe one fine day, I will beat them easily. While yesterday I was frustrated, part of it was the grinders, but also my own unsatisfactory results and the fact that my lessons have yet to fully match my expectations.

[OrangePower]

Originally Posted by Sakkijarvi

Ok, I'm going to come at this from a slightly different angle. Along the lines of why you play, who you play, and why you play who you play on a given day.

Enjoyed reading your post.

Except for this part:

To play this guy I have to be in the right mindset. If I had a tough day at work, and feel tired or impatient, solly cholly, I cancel.

You make a committment to play (and the other guy is scheduling his time also), and then back out on the day because you're not in the right mindset to win? That's pretty lame I think.