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

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by barringer97

You need 10,000 hours to get to a 5.0. Can't do that in a year.

It's similar to a scratch golfer.

Good luck.

Hi Barringer97,

Thanks for posting.

I'm familiar with the 10000 hour rule. There is an interesting book about that which you might already know. It's called Outliers by Malcom Gladwell.

Although If you look close to it, it might take 10000 hours to unleash your full potential. And that makes a lot of sense.
But from person to person the limit differs. Not only as person (as I don't purely believe in talent), but as how we approach our learning process.
So, 2000 hours might translate to 8000 of an other in terms of comparative performance.

Thanks for wishing me luck, fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Stergios

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by 1980

This is an unrealistic goal I think. I've spent a lot of time moving from hobby to hobby and devoting exorbitant amounts of time trying to become good at this or that. Often times a year is long enough to become better than average at something, but it takes years to unlock the subtle nuances that only come from hard earned experience. That being said, when you aspire to absolute greatness, try your hardest and fail, you still end up being pretty damned good.

Hi 1980,

You got it very right indeed. And I can see some personal similarities here, I should say.

But what I wanted to point out is the last part of your comment. Which is brilliantly true. Even if you don't make it you still have gone far enough. How would even be possible to excel if not aiming hi? And what's unrealistic today might not be tomorrow.

Also well put by DakotaM in a later post which I'm going to address shortly.

Thanks for your input 1980.

Cheers,

Stergios

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by Phonco

Maybe if you're a 7ft tall player with a Isner/Karlovic caliber serve. You'd probably be able to take players to tiebreakers and break it down to luck. Karlovic is a guy I feel who has okay/sub-par strokes, but his serve is so good that he can compete.

On a more serious note, I'd say it's not impossible, but very improbable. I think it's possible to be able to hit at that level, but to "play" at that level is a different story. Personally I feel the higher up you go, the less it becomes about strokes and the more it becomes about intangibles/experience/mentality. That comes with lots of hours of playing.

You would need a few conditions to have chance at completing your goal.

-Great coach
- 5.0/5.5+ hitting partners who, for some reason, are dedicated to helping only you
-Athletically gifted, or came from another explosive type sport i.e basketball, track sprinter etc.
-Dedicate your life and play something like 10 hours a day, every day
-No injuries

If you had all this, learned everything right the first time, then you might hit your goal in one year. If not, then you'll at least be able to rally at that level.

My only proof is that I actually met someone who had very similar conditions, but his goal wasn't 5.0 nor was he under such a deadline. However, I still think your goal is still extremely improbable.

Hi Phonco,

Thanks for your elaborate post.
Well I'm not 7ft, I'm 6'2'' I think that's in the range. As for the rest here we are:

Haves

• A great coach, way more than 5.5. As well as some good hitting partners who are willing to help with this challenge.
  
• I have an athletic structure. Not to the extreme though. You will see some videos the following days.
  
• I have dedicated my life for a full year at least. I'm committed. I sold and put away 80% of my stuff and moved in a tiny studio in order to afford the project.
  
• I take quite seriously my body and I take care of it as much as I possibly can.

Don't haves

• I don't have a background of an explosive kind of sport such as basketball or football.
• Patience (although a lot of people will argue with me if they hear me say it).

Improbable? That's part of the challenge .

I'll keep you post it.

Thanks once again.

Stergios

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by Ryoma

Why a year? What not an hour? Don't let time stop you.

Hi Ryoma,

A year because it's a period of time I can afford to dedicate my self to it. It might be for longer. If I stay healthy and motivated to go on. And have the financial means to pursuit it.
But one year was a more feasible period of time to me personally. Logistically speaking.

Stergios

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by eidolonshinobi

I'm in the end of my second year (year 3 this summer) in my tennis journey and I'm a solid upper 4.0, can hang with 4.5s but not consistently. I played a lot...still playing.

I won't say that I don't doubt you...tennis is just so technical and so many strokes are needed to even be considered a 4.5 player.

Being athletic will help tremendously as I reached 3.5 within a year. But it just gets harder from there.

This was my progress:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3DBE7D128D2A8117

I dont have my first few months on here because I deleted my old youtube account. But pretty much a bunch of wall hitting and ugly playing. It hurts my eyes when I watch old video of myself playing but gives me motivation to always keep improving because I've already gotten so far.

Hi Eidolonshinobi,

What did you do to go to 4 so fast? What kind of schedule?
Do you mind sharing, briefly, the ups and downs through out your journey?

I enjoyed your videos. Well done! What others have to say about Eidolonshinobi's videos?

I'll keep you updated.

Stergios

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by iradical18

I'll not say it's impossible but to be at a legitimate 5.0 level in a year would be just shy of it. That said, I'm rooting for you!

Hi Iradical18,

Thanks for rooting for me. I appreciate it.

Stergios

[tennis_balla]

With enough proper coaching, dedicated and natural talent, a person could theoretically groove enough to have close to 5.0 looking strokes.....in practice.

The problem is, learning to play matches at the 5.0 level is a whole other discussion. Hitting the ball at a 5.0 level and playing the ball at a 5.0 level are 2 different things.

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by TomT

Well Stergios, I like your sig, but I think it's important to set realistic goals. If you're young, and fit, and have had some experience playing 'ball and tool' sports such as baseball, table tennis, squash, badminton, etc., and with a passionate commitment and many hours of diligent, tedious practice, then maybe you might reach a 3.5 to 4.0 level of competitive play in a year. The difference between that and a 5.0 player is, I would guess, beyond your capability to comprehend at this time. Anyway, I think it's beyond my comprehension at this time.

5.0 is a really proficient level of play. It's a long term goal (certainly much longer than a year) for somebody just starting out. Here's a suggestion. If you're really committed to and passionate about this, then put it out there. Start a thread on Talk Tennis. A video diary of your progress.

Hi Tom,

That was a very humbled and honest way to say it. Although I'll have to go for it. As I said earlier it's not a matter of a number. But moreover to challenge, slightly, what's possible today. And push the limits for others who might feel the urge, some time in life, to pursuit something similar with their favourite sport.

As for the video diary, it's a great idea and I keep thinking of it since I first reed your post. Should I do a separate thread or post on this one? What would you guys advise me? What's more appropriate?

Thanks,

Stergios

[marosmith]

Start a new thread with video of our progress. Make sure to get some current or past videos up soon so we really can see your stating point.

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by ShoeShiner

I think it is possible. 5.0 does not require much competitive/mental skill.

What is the reason to do such hurry? Why you have to do that?

If one does something too much, one must sacrifice something much too.
TIME, MONEY, HEALTH, FRIENDSHIP, RELATIONSHIP, etc.

Hi SS,

Well it's a matter of available resources as well as it adds up to the challenge . And more in detaile put in posts 83 and 84.

Cheers,

Stergios

[dr325i]

Originally Posted by eidolonshinobi

I'm in the end of my second year (year 3 this summer) in my tennis journey and I'm a solid upper 4.0, can hang with 4.5s but not consistently. I played a lot...still playing.

I won't say that I don't doubt you...tennis is just so technical and so many strokes are needed to even be considered a 4.5 player.

Being athletic will help tremendously as I reached 3.5 within a year. But it just gets harder from there.

This was my progress:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3DBE7D128D2A8117

I dont have my first few months on here because I deleted my old youtube account. But pretty much a bunch of wall hitting and ugly playing. It hurts my eyes when I watch old video of myself playing but gives me motivation to always keep improving because I've already gotten so far.

Check the post #48 above

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by mikeespinmusic

Haters gonna hate.

Yes it is possible. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I did it in 10 months. Or at least an equivalent level for Australia (Division 2) I did it because I avoided the politics, trained hard and dug in deep. and I'm now in Division 1. It also helps that I'm fast, young and fit...but the point is if you want it that much, the training and learning won't be a chore!

I also learned about lead...

Hi Mikeespimusic,

Congrats on your success. You deserve it.

Although I can't understand how a big of a differnce can make putting lead tape to a beginner's racket. Don't take me wrong. But if someone can't get to the ball how it can help him .

Of course I get the point. And after reading your post I'll try to learn more of the benefits offered of a customised racket. I might even play around with my racket after practice.

Thanks for giving me a thump up. It means a lot to me!

I'll keep you posted both of my tennis progress and my racket experiments.

Cheers,

Stergios

[Stergios]

Originally Posted by HunterST

Forgive me if I missed it, but I was wondering if you have an action plan. I know you gave up a lot to focus on tennis, but how much are willing (or able) to practice? Are you going to get lessons? Do you know where to find hitting partners and good coaches? Are you going to look for USTA tournaments?

This might be a good place to get some info on that stuff.

Hi HunterST,

Thanks for asking. No, you not missed it. Other than I have a great coach.

My daily schedule looks like this,

8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast
9:15 Gear checked and loaded
9:30 Arrival at tennis facility
9:45 – 10:00 Warm up
10:00 – 12:00 Practice session with coach (6 times a week)
12:00 – 12:30 Relax and snack
12:30 – 13:30 Light warm up, ball machine drills and serve practice (3 times a week)
13:30 – 13:45 Relax and snack
13:45 – 14:30 Stretch
14:30 – 17:45 Launch, relax, recover
18:00 – 20:00 Strength and conditioning (3 times a week)

I do think this is a great place to learn more. And it's a very active and alive community.

Once more thanks for asking .

Stergios

[luvforty]

ok, so this is a marketing campaign.

[rkelley]

I just saw this thread.

Stergios, give it a try. I'm with what appears to be the majority and don't think that a year to 5.0 is very likely, but who knows. I've hit with people who were natural athletes (this would not be me) and they can have beautiful strokes and movement and they rarely play. They weren't 5.0, but they were maybe a 3.5 level, but a 3.5 with the basic strokes to go much higher with practice as opposed to a 3.5 who's hacking and pushing the ball and getting wins, but will never get any better without totally redoing their game.

I don't know if anyone else brought this up, but one thing to think about is that you're going to have to hit a lot of balls. Be mindful of your body, especially your joints - shoulder, knees and back. Tennis is a sport of overuse injuries, and playing as much as you're going to need to you'll need to be careful. There are exercises that you can do to strengthen your rotator cuff in you shoulder - look them up on the web. They are very specific motions with light force. The knees - I don't know what you can do. Keep your back stretched.

Good luck.

[rkelley]

Originally Posted by barringer97

You need 10,000 hours to get to a 5.0. Can't do that in a year.

It's similar to a scratch golfer.

Good luck.

Let's do that math:

10,000 hours
4 hours per day practice
6 days a week
52 weeks a year

That's 8 years - the schedule above is fairly insane.

I understand and agree with your basic point that there's a certain number of hours that you just need to put in, but it's not necessarily 10,000 hours. It's going to depend on the person, the training, the coaching, etc. People get to 5.0 with way less than 10,000 hours. Some people could practice their whole lives and never get to 5.0 (I think this would be a minority assuming they were really interested in doing it, had the time, access to coaching, health is OK, etc.).

Just my unsubstantiated opinion however.

[doobiedoodoo]

Forehand, backhand, volley, serve....... apply 10000 hours to each and you get........

[WildVolley]

I'd bet against the success of this experiment, but I find it interesting anyway, and I'd like to see you document your progress.

My small piece of advice is going to be to take recovery and injury prevention very seriously. For instance, I'd start doing the thrower's ten exercises to protect your shoulder right now. One serious or not so serious injury could derail this experiment very quickly. A positive thing is today you can get very good information and training advice online to keep yourself healthy and give yourself the best odds possible.

Good luck.

[HunterST]

Originally Posted by Stergios

Hi HunterST,

Thanks for asking. No, you not missed it. Other than I have a great coach.

My daily schedule looks like this,

8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast
9:15 Gear checked and loaded
9:30 Arrival at tennis facility
9:45 – 10:00 Warm up
10:00 – 12:00 Practice session with coach (6 times a week)
12:00 – 12:30 Relax and snack
12:30 – 13:30 Light warm up, ball machine drills and serve practice (3 times a week)
13:30 – 13:45 Relax and snack
13:45 – 14:30 Stretch
14:30 – 17:45 Launch, relax, recover
18:00 – 20:00 Strength and conditioning (3 times a week)

I do think this is a great place to learn more. And it's a very active and alive community.

Once more thanks for asking .

Stergios

So that comes out to about 15 hours per week. With that schedule, you'll definitely be a good player. Especially if you're hitting with a coach who has played at the pro level. Not sure about 5.0 by the end of the year, but a great jump start to getting there eventually. Don't forget to actually compete as much as possible!

At the very least, it looks like you'll be having a lot of fun with that schedule. Are you going to be working at all or living off of savings?

[eidolonshinobi]

Originally Posted by Stergios

Hi Eidolonshinobi,

What did you do to go to 4 so fast? What kind of schedule?
Do you mind sharing, briefly, the ups and downs through out your journey?

I enjoyed your videos. Well done! What others have to say about Eidolonshinobi's videos?

I'll keep you updated.

Stergios

Hmm... I started with a lot of wall hitting just to get used to what hitting a tennis ball is like etc. Tried to find and figure out basic strokes through youtube videos and implementing them against the wall. Another reason why I did this was so that when I asked (or was asked) to hit with other people I would at least be able to do short rallies.

I found that rallying and hitting against the wall are completely different, once you've got a decent foundation against the wall you kind of have to start over when hitting with someone else.

I used to practice 4-5 days a week or so about three to four hours each time. I always started and ended practices with serves, I'd end up maybe serving 60-70 times a day. Not much but enough for me to get the placement and timing to improve.

Asked advice here, which is a double edge sword, a lot of the advice are good but take it in stride. Pick one or two things out and work on them per week.

It'll take time and a lot of dedication, but you can improve greatly if you're motivated. You have one resource I didn't have while learning, a coach. This will take you further faster than my journey. Self analyzing your strokes is really taxing, but having a good coach will really help you out.

Since I've moved to Taipei last August, I play once (twice a week if I'm lucky). Recently I found a great hitting partner so I'm out on the courts more.

Originally Posted by dr325i

Check the post #48 above

Haha thanks! I hope if you come back to Taipei before I leave, we can hit again.