NTRP 0 to 5 in a year? Is that possible?

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by Phonco

...For Stergios, it seems like you have great tools at your disposal. With quality partners at your disposal, you should be able to get used to high level play and figure what you need to compete at that level physically regarding strokes and fitness. At that point, the only thing that should hold you back is the mind. It's similar to why a successful junior career doesn't translate to the pros. It's not just the strokes, its that they just need to figure out how to put it all together i.e. Federer compared to Hewitt. Unlike the body, the mind doesn't have a limit nor can it be measured. Some people are mentally tough, some are strategic geniuses, and some people just get it. Ultimately, I think that will be your biggest challenge. You just got to know how to win.

Who knows? Maybe you're one of those types of people. Another Deion Sanders in the making.

Good luck!

Wow what a comment; I'm humbled with your openness on the general idea.

I didn't know Deion Sanders before your comment. He has an interesting life as I read a little on him. I might also check his book.

I do have a great team and with out them this project would have been out of question most probably.
As for the mind game I have taken a note as many of others have mentioned it as a crucial part of the game. Though I do my best for it as I mentioned earlier. But if you have something in mind that I might be missing or you think it will give me an extra boost, please let me know.

And thanks once again for your uplifting comment. Much needed .

Cheers,

Stergios

[Stergios]

UPDATE:

Hi Guys,

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm getting to all the comments in here. As I take note on advice and new ideas. If you have asked me something that I haven't answered yet, I will soon as I'm getting to them in a linear order.

Although, I'm tempted to answer some great posts on the spot as I'm reading them, I keep my self in order .

Cheers,

Stergios

[robert]

Originally Posted by KineticChain

No. Maybe teaching pro you mean?

He got 2 ATP points.

[jmnk]

Originally Posted by robert

He got 2 ATP points.

could you cite a name of that alleged player?

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by TomT

I agree Stergios, and understand that really you're aiming to be the best player you can be a year from now. Me too.

The number (5.0 playing level) gives you something concrete to shoot for, but, given your circumstances, it isn't a realistic goal in my opinion. I think it's important to set goals that you have a realistic chance of achieving if you work hard and patiently. I think that a 3.5 to 4.0 level of play is achievable, for you, in a year. From there, given another year of hard and patient work, then 5.0 is, conceivabley, within your grasp.

In any case, I wish you good fortune in your tennis quest/experiment.

It will be interesting to see how you progress during the coming year. I hope you continue to inform via the Talk Tennis forums. I feel sure that I'll learn some things that will help me to improve.

A new, separate thread would be my choice -- and, it's ok to duplicate posting of any videos you post in this thread in the new, separate thread tracking your progress.

I think this will not only help to motivate you, but it will motivate others as well, while also probably providing lots of helpful tips and suggestions for diet, rest, preparation, practice, and match play. Plus, many years from now, when you're in your Golden Years (65 and over) you will be very glad that you kept an organized video diary of this...)

Hi TomT,

I wanted to answer to your comments as as soon as I read them. As you're giving such a good feedback and Ideas. Although as I mentioned earlier today it might take a day or two. Apologies.

As DakotaM and others did, you got it very right. The aim is to be the best possible in a year from now. And I'm glad we share this same goal .

Of course its a bold goal. But that's part of my character. Although very quite outside I'm always aiming for the best. The main Idea was to challenge what's possible today. Take it further and share it with others. And that's why I considered a playing level of five to be the appropriate for the project.

Thank you for wishing me luck. As I've said before it's much needed and always welcomed .

And as I mentioned in DakotaM's previous comment, I have recently commit my self to share what I learn from this project in this forum as well as my Wordpress site.

A separate thread will be created as I see others will agree on that too. And as you advised I will post any updates such as my serve progress in that new thread too, so it would be complete.

To be motivated is essential for the successful completion of the project. And to possibly motivate others a part of it.
On a personal note, let me acknowledge you that this discussion has given me tons of extra motivation and I'm thankful I took the step to share this project with others.

The feedback I already have taken on my serve is beyond my expectations. And it will serve well on my progression. I'll try to provide as much as possible useful info in here the following day, weeks and hopefully months to come.

Oh and I never thought about the value of this documentation in my later years. But this couldn't be more true! Good point.

Cheers,

Stergios

PS. I'm geting on the rest of your post bellow as I ran out of the number of allowed emoticons.

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by TomT

It's a great goal for a great game. One thing is sure. You WILL get lots better, and I have no doubt that in a year's time you will be able to kick my butt in a tennis match, and, if you pay the round trip airfare, then I'm willing to come over there and prove it to you. Or, you can come to Fort Lauderdale, USA. Either way works for me. (Though, I prefer visiting Greece. I hear the scenery, and the architecture, and the weather, and, oh yeah, the women over there are very beautiful. Plus, I like the food. A lot. )

TomT,

It is a great goal indeed and I'm happy you seeing it as such.

I don't know if I'll be able to kick your *** . But one is certain and that's that I'd take any given opportunity to play you by the end of the year.
And I'm honestly keeping a note for this idea.

Oh and you heard right, all of that can be found in Greece : ).

Cheers,

Stergios

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by LeeD

While there ARE MichaelJordan's, TonyGonzalez's, Dion, Bo, JohnLucas's in the world, they come once a decade, and they KNOW it from age 6, have persued sports since then, and burned out or got injured by the age of 35.
If you KNOW you are THE athlete of the decade, you would not have gotten married and raised kids before your attempt to get good in sports.

Hi LeeD,

Althogh by the age of six we only knew I was good at fixing and occationaly braking things . I'm awkwardly lucky I don't have kids and I'm not married just yet .

Stergios

[TomT]

Originally Posted by Stergios

TomT,

It is a great goal indeed and I'm happy you seeing it as such.

I don't know if I'll be able to kick your *** . But one is certain and that's that I'd take any given opportunity to play you by the end of the year.
And I'm honestly keeping a note for this idea.

Oh and you heard right, all of that can be found in Greece : ).

Cheers,

Stergios

Ok Stergios. Thanks for your replies. I'll be watching your threads (videos and comments) and progress during the coming year. I'm just getting back on the court after being sick for 2 months. It feels great. Was able to actually play competitive sets (only 1 each day) Wednesday and Thursday.

It looks like we're both pretty motivated. But a word of caution, don't get too cheerfully 'high' on the motivation thing because there will be times when you won't be very cheerful about getting out on the court to practice, but that your commitment requires you to do it anyway. That is, things can get a bit tedious at times ... seem like a 'chore'. But this is where the serious passion and capacity for working toward your goal, for improving, comes in -- enabling you to work out of ruts that you might (and probably will) get into, and move from one plateau to the next.

Cheers,
Tom

[LeeD]

If you never were an athlete as a child, you will never be one now.
It starts around 6 years old, when you find you can run, throw, jump, catch, and react quicker than any other kid in your class.
I knew it by 2nd grade for sure.

[TomT]

Originally Posted by LeeD

If you never were an athlete as a child, you will never be one now.
It starts around 6 years old, when you find you can run, throw, jump, catch, and react quicker than any other kid in your class.
I knew it by 2nd grade for sure.

Me too. I actually won an award for being the best all around athlete in my high school my senior year (a long time ago ... athletes are on average quite a bit better now, I think). But alas, time and lots of wonderful partying over the years, has taken its toll.

[LeeD]

I was the worst ever starting PF my senior year, and for sure, the worst ever OLB in Varsity football.
Of course, I was 5'6" and 117 lbs. when I graduated....

[TomT]

Originally Posted by LeeD

I was the worst ever starting PF my senior year, and for sure, the worst ever OLB in Varsity football.
Of course, I was 5'6" and 117 lbs. when I graduated....

Anybody who plays varsity high school football at that size has my respect. We had a 5'6" fullback. But then he weighed about 190 lbs. and he was pissed off ... all the time. He was like this angry, furious bowling ball rolling down the field. Absolutely minimal athletic ability, but strong as a bull. With, I'm guessing, about the same IQ. You did NOT want to get in his way. Unless you knew stuff that he didn't. Which of course a lot of people did. So, he got tackled a lot and remained frustrated and angry. Great blocker though.

[tennisbuck]

Well I think you can probably get to 3.0 or 2.5 relatively quickly through some "intense training". However it will be hard from there and I see moving from 3.0-5.0 in 8 months which would be about what you would have left as reletively impossible.

[LeeD]

Ha ha....
Our two running backs, Al Allston (6'2, 220lbs, and WayneMcConico (6'3, and 210lbs.) were all city and all state NorthernCalifornia.
I never failed to tackle either one on one on one drills. That's offensive lineman, one of them behind 5 yards, and me on the defensive side, taking on the lineman, who usually weighed in over 230, up to 275 lbs. The lane is 7 yards wide, and I gotta stop them for less than a 5 yard gain at worse.

[kpktennis]

Well Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi from Pakistan supposedly started tennis at age 14 and was a Top 20 Jr. by age 18 and turned pro the same year so I guess anything is possible. Although the former seems 100% impossible to me it is corroborated by the player himself according to interviews I read but I have to think there's some embellishment in there somewhere

[tommyfr]

Well according to ATP website and his bio there he started playing tennis at 12, and before that practiced cricket (hand eye coordination, stroke mechanics) and swimming.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/P...q-Qureshi.aspx

So far all those stories of people starting tennis at 14 or later and later became worldclass have never been confirmed, as far as i know.

For boys there is a technique -coordination winownwide open up to age 14, for girls it closes a bit already at 12.

so an adult starting in his late 20s, very difficult to get to advanced level 5.0 at all, maybe after 3 years.

The Pak doubles player above became top ranked jr at 18 , 6 years later (NTRP 6.0).

[TomT]

Originally Posted by kpktennis

Well Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi from Pakistan supposedly started tennis at age 14 and was a Top 20 Jr. by age 18 and turned pro the same year so I guess anything is possible. Although the former seems 100% impossible to me it is corroborated by the player himself according to interviews I read but I have to think there's some embellishment in there somewhere

Apparently he is an exceptionally gifted athlete and tennis player who had the benefit of all the necessary advantages as a youngster. Given this, I don't think it's that far fetched to have reached world class playing level in 5 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisam-ul-Haq_Qureshi

[TomT]

Originally Posted by tommyfr

Well according to ATP website and his bio there he started playing tennis at 12, and before that practiced cricket (hand eye coordination, stroke mechanics) and swimming.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/P...q-Qureshi.aspx

So far all those stories of people starting tennis at 14 or later and later became worldclass have never been confirmed, as far as i know.

For boys there is a technique -coordination winownwide open up to age 14, for girls it closes a bit already at 12.

so an adult starting in his late 20s, very difficult to get to advanced level 5.0 at all, maybe after 3 years.

The Pak doubles player above became top ranked jr at 18 , 6 years later (NTRP 6.0).

Ok, so he started playing tennis at 12, reaching top tier world class level in 6-7 years. This is more plausible. Was he world class level, just not top tier, during his 5th year (ie., at 16-17)?

[TomT]

Stergios, your thread (and a few others) has motivated me to start my own sort of diary or journal thread tracking my comeback from 36 years away from tennis and also from my most recent Crohn's disease flare up.

I'm going to start it later today (here in the tips/instruction forum) after I get done editing some video from a set I played on Thursday March 7 with one of our fellow Talk Tennis members who was in Fort Lauderdale with his family.

Looking forward to following your thread(s). Best wishes as always.

[kpktennis]

http://sonyarehman.wordpress.com/201...ss-of-victory/


The bio on the ATP site is put together weird... but in this interview he clearly says the first time he set foot on a tennis court was 14.

"When I was 14, my mother took me to the tennis courts to see if I had any talent in tennis. The coaches at the court were really surprised that it was my first time."
------------------


By age 16 the ITF picked him up for sponsorship..

"In 1997, his father, Ehtsham, wrote a letter to the International Tennis Federation for his son to be one of 10 juniors on their annual development programme. “If I had not got onto that course, I would have had no chance and would have probably studied at college in the [United] States,” said Qureshi."

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEU...a-Qureshi.aspx

Sorry, hastily put that together, gotta hit the sack, interested to see what you guys think though