Seniors lounge (over 50) come on in.

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
Glad to hear your game is coming around!
I'm playing pretty well considering I can't play too much. My tennis schedule consists of a 1+ hour of practice (no serving) on Friday followed by league match on Sundays. Unless I opt out of league (if it's a weak team and/or if we have lots of guys available) then I hit a second time instead of playing a match.
Even though I get zero serve practice (because it's hard on my wrist) I have been serving much better in matches. I have reworked my motion/toss (to an extent) watching videos and shadow swinging with no racket. Very few df's and better placement (thanks to better toss). In that respect not playing many matches has been good for me.
Sprinting in the park with the dogs and skimboarding has really helped my movement - best it's been in 15 years probably thanks to all the sprints and fixing the hips.
I've played 5 singles matches in league, going 5-0.
1: guy was top few in league, I was underdog, beat him in marathon 7-5 in the 3rd. Great win.
2,3: Guys were solid, I would consider myself the favorite, beat both in 3 sets.
4,5: Guys were a level below, easy wins.
Played dubs twice, won both.
So 3 tough singles matches in which fitness helped me win the third (thank god no 3rd set TB lameness, I hate that about USTA).

Our team is going to win the league (local 4.0 league), we are 8-1 with 1 match to go. Last season there was a team made up of all self rates with a couple legit 4.5's and several strong 4.0's and they dominated. But they are gone, so our deep, solid team is doing well.
Anyway, I wish I could hit 3-4 times a week, I think I could be playing really well but hopefully the wrist will finish healing and I can do that in the spring. I would like to play USTA (the good guy I beat invited me to play on his team) but I would have to travel to play home matches and I don't have the time. Maybe when my kid goes off to college.
So all things considered, it's going well.

I am not getting a ton of play myself, about the same with a bit of practice and trying to only do one match a week but I am on two teams so I get used often for both. I am the opposite for success this season, as are both teams overall. Some guys it is their first rodeo at 4.0 and then there are a bunch of us that just hadn't played leagues for a while. We have progressively gotten better and grabbed some wins, but in the 40+ we are last and for the 18+ we are 9th out of 11. Lots of tie breakers we lost and close sets...just not getting the W's. I've played both singles and dubs and played top spots and the low court. And our top teams in both, many of the guys are playing both 4.0 and 4.5, so I don't feel too bad in those losses. I am just not there yet, but great watching them play (I mean, when I am not on the other side of the net get fed bagels and breasdsticks).

Awesome the wrist is holding up. I know when you are playing well and feeling good about it you wanna get out more, but sounds like a bit of limiting is allowing you to heal and play. Keep those winning ways!
 

atatu

Legend
Anyone playing those over 50 levels tournaments ? I played my first one this past weekend (over 50 4.5 level) and won it, it was kind of nice after getting completely crushed playing in a couple of 55's Nationals tournaments this past year but at least at the 4.5 level there aren't many guys playing these (we had a four player round robin).
 

S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
Anyone playing those over 50 levels tournaments ? I played my first one this past weekend (over 50 4.5 level) and won it, it was kind of nice after getting completely crushed playing in a couple of 55's Nationals tournaments this past year but at least at the 4.5 level there aren't many guys playing these (we had a four player round robin).

I didn't realize there were tournaments with simultaneous age and NTRP requirements; I'm accustomed to one or the other.
 
Anyone playing those over 50 levels tournaments ? I played my first one this past weekend (over 50 4.5 level) and won it, it was kind of nice after getting completely crushed playing in a couple of 55's Nationals tournaments this past year but at least at the 4.5 level there aren't many guys playing these (we had a four player round robin).

Nice win! [emoji41] Are you in Austin? If so I’ll reach out next time I’m in town if you are up to play? Best, BHBH


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norcal

Legend
Anyone playing those over 50 levels tournaments ? I played my first one this past weekend (over 50 4.5 level) and won it, it was kind of nice after getting completely crushed playing in a couple of 55's Nationals tournaments this past year but at least at the 4.5 level there aren't many guys playing these (we had a four player round robin).

Congrats that is awesome! I would like to play some age tourneys because I think my movement is a definite advantage over my peers (usually). Round robin format would be perfect as it's less pressure. Playing 55's nationals sounds intimidating for a hacker like me lol.
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
What's your knee issue? Smart of you to sit out so it doesn't get worse. I'm bad at sitting out.

A slight pull on the back of the knee - sore and tight. Did it three matches ago, so should ahve sat out for those but we have some team members that aren't making themselves available so I HATE defaulting matches and play. Ended up defaulting because I couldn't play last night, so that is still bugging me, but I was starting to get to where I couldn't fully bend down without pain. I am stretching and such at least and will try to get a light hit in this weekend.
 

Pete Player

Hall of Fame
We lost second round flat! My partner put up a fight with his opponent in the singles though.

I was not feeling quite as strong as usual. Eyes were somehow like if I were in hangover or something.

Ended up going out the next day to subside a group for doubles and that may have been enough. Were delirious in fever of 38.5, nearly two and a half higher in Celsius to my normal and had a really nasty caugh for two weeks still after two days of high fever.

Feeling better now, but still has a minor caugh. Next round in the end of this month, but I’m not playing.

However I signed in on a tourney halfway next month in singles. Will see, how that turns out. Not being able to see the ball this fall, but once for a little time in practice. Last time out i hit a couple off the rim and even a pure misshit without even touching the ball, which is really unheard of.


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No more on -sorry, again on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are subject to disclaimer
 

atatu

Legend
Congrats that is awesome! I would like to play some age tourneys because I think my movement is a definite advantage over my peers (usually). Round robin format would be perfect as it's less pressure. Playing 55's nationals sounds intimidating for a hacker like me lol.

Yeah, I definitely fall into the hack category at the Nationals tournaments, there are a lot of bad ass tennis players over 55 apparently. On the other hand there are usually some mere mortals you could draw or play in the consolation draw and Peachtree City (Hard courts) and Savannah (clay) are both nice places. I haven't been to Boise (Indoors) but I'm thinking about it.
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
Ughhh, the way Fed is playing against Tsi Tsi is exactly the issue I am having now. Obviously not at the same level, lol. But in how points play out, where he gets a point started with decent serving. Starts working on setting up points, but makes uncharacteristic errors. Like, a lot. Is that really just a sign of age?


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movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
Ughhh, the way Fed is playing against Tsi Tsi is exactly the issue I am having now. Obviously not at the same level, lol. But in how points play out, where he gets a point started with decent serving. Starts working on setting up points, but makes uncharacteristic errors. Like, a lot. Is that really just a sign of age?

Fed's match against Djokovic was remarkable - he kept points short and very sharp. I didn't expect that result. Djokovic is in very good shape and I think that he could outlast Fed in a long match.

I have not watched Fed - Tsitsi yet but it may be that Fed is playing fairly risky shots to keep the points short and higher risk means more errors.
 

Pete Player

Hall of Fame
Started to run. First jogging, cannot call it running, 7 k and the pulse diagram showd like a VOmax test.

Second run @ 6:50 a k and was able to run thru the whole, yet little shorter track having bpm up to zone 3, max 80% of my calculated max, which I think might be a touch on the low. Still really awfull.

I’ve been wearing the Garmin watch since last March every day also sleeping. The suggested VOMax is now at 41 mmol/kg. Last time doing a ladder test on wattbike I got it up to 48, but weighted about 2 kilos more than now.

Started a program with Garmin community running coach for 5 k run. First test run is scheduled in January. Gonna take the Benchmark run, nine minutes, tomorrow morning as a warm-up for ice hockey. First time in twenty years dressing up as goalie...

Have had some mental prep already watching the goalie of all times.


#ragdollPete on the ice tomorrow!

With the running thing my reconstructed hamstring reminded me being there. As the post. Cutaneus nerve got a touch mullested in the operation it started itching again putting more load on the leg. Hopefully it’ll adopt soon. Otherwise this quest may turn into even bigger torment.




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No more on -sorry, again on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are subject to disclaimer
 
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movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
Always glad to see another runner here. I've been picking up the pace this week. 5 on Tuesday, 6 yesterday and 6 today. Goal is 20 miles this week which I don't think that I've done in a long time. I would like to do a 40 mile week - last time I did that was June 2017. Stamina for tennis goes way up with regular running.
 

Pete Player

Hall of Fame
Always glad to see another runner here. I've been picking up the pace this week. 5 on Tuesday, 6 yesterday and 6 today. Goal is 20 miles this week which I don't think that I've done in a long time. I would like to do a 40 mile week - last time I did that was June 2017. Stamina for tennis goes way up with regular running.

Well, you cannot really call me a runner. But you gotta do something to get into better shape and able yourself do better in the specific sports, you want to make proggress.

Pushing the limits, ground up and get to the next level.

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No more on -sorry, again on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are subject to disclaimer
 

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
I should play around with that stuff on my watch. There's a ton of data on these watches but I pay more attention to how much I'm doing than I do on performance in general. It's easier for me to find this stuff on the website than it is to look for it on the watch.
 

Pete Player

Hall of Fame
I should play around with that stuff on my watch. There's a ton of data on these watches but I pay more attention to how much I'm doing than I do on performance in general. It's easier for me to find this stuff on the website than it is to look for it on the watch.

The best feature, I think is calculating the recovery time. Otherwise one could easily push it too hard and get no gain.

Also the training with bpm zones is nice, if the max is anywhere near the watch gives you an idea, how fast or straining excercise will suite you for a given target. Yet a coach myself, it is really straight forward for beginners as well. You don’t need to know zit, but by following the indicators get better results.


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No more on -sorry, again on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are subject to disclaimer
 

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
I’ve seen that when running outside. I’ve been mostly doing weights and yoga for several months and it’s time to get back to cardio. It would be nice to workout three hours a day.
 

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
I ran three miles of intervals this morning and an hour of tennis hitting this evening. I'm still rusty on tennis but it's my cardio fitness that's causing frustration. Basically not being able to manage footwork and intensity as well as I'd like. I've logged 23 miles running but it's low-intensity stuff. I'd like to do forty miles in a week as challenging intermediate goal. Doing distance is not difficult - it's finding the time to do it and also not neglecting strength, flexibility and balance.

What's even more important, though, is pace. I know the pace that I need to be able to maintain to play tennis well and I suspect that it will take a few months to get there. Strength, stamina and flexibility require an incredible amount of work to get back when you've lost them.
 

S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
I ran three miles of intervals this morning and an hour of tennis hitting this evening. I'm still rusty on tennis but it's my cardio fitness that's causing frustration. Basically not being able to manage footwork and intensity as well as I'd like. I've logged 23 miles running but it's low-intensity stuff. I'd like to do forty miles in a week as challenging intermediate goal. Doing distance is not difficult - it's finding the time to do it and also not neglecting strength, flexibility and balance.

What's even more important, though, is pace. I know the pace that I need to be able to maintain to play tennis well and I suspect that it will take a few months to get there. Strength, stamina and flexibility require an incredible amount of work to get back when you've lost them.

Wow! You're going to be one fast demon on the court!
 

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
Wow! You're going to be one fast demon on the court!

I'm just trying to get back to where I was. It may not be possible. This getting old stuff is brutal.

I was chatting with a coworker in the locker room yesterday. I've known him since the 1980s and he all-of-a-sudden started showing up in the gym. I asked him why and he's getting PT via exercise. He has disc problems. He's 63 and he said that a lot of people have them but the problems are undiagnosed. He's seen specialists and the options are not great. He saw a surgeon and the surgeon said that he would probably try everything else and eventually come back to him.

So take care of your body - it's the only one you have for now.

I'm going to try to get in a few more miles today - should be good for 25 miles this week.
 

Pete Player

Hall of Fame
I'm just trying to get back to where I was. It may not be possible. This getting old stuff is brutal.

I was chatting with a coworker in the locker room yesterday. I've known him since the 1980s and he all-of-a-sudden started showing up in the gym. I asked him why and he's getting PT via exercise. He has disc problems. He's 63 and he said that a lot of people have them but the problems are undiagnosed. He's seen specialists and the options are not great. He saw a surgeon and the surgeon said that he would probably try everything else and eventually come back to him.

So take care of your body - it's the only one you have for now.

I'm going to try to get in a few more miles today - should be good for 25 miles this week.

Even with rigid regime taking care of your core and strength in general, joints and spine is inevitably going to wear out.

Not one of elderly and even younger players, but many have hip replacements, knee supports, if not knees of steel, sewn or stabled ligaments etc.

People may look healthy on the surface, but suffering disc prolapses of different range of severity. Some suffer symptoms, they haven’t recognized being in conjunction with their spinal health, either those mentioned above or wear, arthritis kind of continuous pain.

For instance, I’ve suffered numb arms and hands for ages. Never really thought it being else, but bad posture on the sofa. Have been watching telly hands above my head instictively. Hence that is a common way to relief numbness in the hands and arms, culprit being pinched nerves between joints C5 thru C7.


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No more on -sorry, again on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are subject to disclaimer
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
Mine is the c5/6 impinmgement, as they call it. Still get numbness down the arm and have some ROM issues in the neck.
 

Pete Player

Hall of Fame
Is this something to get checked preemptively? I asked my friend and he said no.

Yeah. As long as there is no pain. Also there is a regime of workouts. Kind of work around, but in certain cases the condition shall not get healed.


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No more on -sorry, again on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are subject to disclaimer
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
Last make up match tonight but what a fun match it was. Got to play dubs and with a guy on the team I had never played with. Another I wish I had video on with a lot of great 4-8 shot rallies, and a few 10+ rallies. We couldn't get over the hump on some of those points and went down 4/6 (correction after I saw scores posted) 3/6 4/6, but just enjoyed all of it. And I've been invited back to play a few teams again, so I am weighing options yet again.May take a season off to get back in shape as I've done in the past, but also been stepping up and playing so much better the end of this season I do want to play and start getting those 'W's' again too. And REALLY want to get back to singles, but that is going to definitely take a season of training.

Good news is, even with a bit of knee issue, everything else held up well enough to actually finish a season. Happy and grateful for that.
 
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norcal

Legend
Nice, glad to hear your game is coming around and your body is holding up! I've been hitting a couple times a week in between the rain but have held off serving due to a sore elbow (golfer's) which hurts when I serve. Too bad, was serving really well, I think I just served too much too soon (and probably too tense during matches). Hand/wrist is doing a lot better but it's always something!

My coworkers are great cooks/bakers so I'm eating tons of yumm/bad holiday food while trying to stay fit, not a good combination. Opted out of our group hit Sunday because it was still just 40 degrees at 8:30 am! F that noise, that's too cold lol.
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
Nice, glad to hear your game is coming around and your body is holding up! I've been hitting a couple times a week in between the rain but have held off serving due to a sore elbow (golfer's) which hurts when I serve. Too bad, was serving really well, I think I just served too much too soon (and probably too tense during matches). Hand/wrist is doing a lot better but it's always something!

My coworkers are great cooks/bakers so I'm eating tons of yumm/bad holiday food while trying to stay fit, not a good combination. Opted out of our group hit Sunday because it was still just 40 degrees at 8:30 am! F that noise, that's too cold lol.


Bummer on the GE, but you know the drill of rest and stretching, so that should heal up quick enough. But yeah...all this holiday food and drinks are killing me. I mean, I was fat in April, so it isn't like I JUST started eating and drinking too much. lol.

We played that match last night at 7p and it was only 50'ish, so I was layered a bit. Felt cold to start but once we got into it I was back down to shorts and just a light pull-over.
 
Last make up match tonight but what a fun match it was. Got to play dubs and with a guy on the team I had never played with. Another I wish I had video on with a lot of great 4-8 shot rallies, and a few 10+ rallies. We couldn't get over the hump on some of those points and went down 4/6 (correction after I saw scores posted) 3/6 4/6, but just enjoyed all of it. And I've been invited back to play a few teams again, so I am weighing options yet again.May take a season off to get back in shape as I've done in the past, but also been stepping up and playing so much better the end of this season I do want to play and start getting those 'W's' again too. And REALLY want to get back to singles, but that is going to definitely take a season of training.

Good news is, even with a bit of knee issue, everything else held up well enough to actually finish a season. Happy and grateful for that.

Congratulations! I love the can do attitude!!!


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Pete Player

Hall of Fame
Sixth week on my 5k plan commencing. Hit new lactate threshold last thursday at 5:19/km and VOmax has risen up to 45. Fitness Age is claimed to be 20 y. Hard to believe beng in the top-15% in something at all.

Tennis, however is not going too good. Have been losing all but the first match this season and not been able to see the ball at all. Didn’t pay off to go to sensomotoric coaching to switch off the reflex of closing my eyes while hitting the ball. The coach told, there would’ve been one appointment left in the regime and I am now thinking, if I should go to kind of finish it off, yet no more in belief, that it would help me any.


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No more on -sorry, again on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are subject to disclaimer
 
Ughhh, hate that. Heal fast man.



That is what I was thinking. When I had wrecked my ankle and also when I had th knee issues, I would just get on the ball machine and and hit to keep from feeling lazy.

Sports med guys says no hitting at all for at least 3 weeks! [emoji3]


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