Well, thank God you added that disclaimer "including but not limited to" otherwise I would think you are a man with no ambitions....
My Journey to 6.0 Has Ended... Can I Still Improve? (TennisProdigy Video Diary)
- Thread starter TennisProdigy
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Keendog
Professional
Hang on wait one page later you've brought back your journey? Is Collin Johns older than you? Cos you could just wait for him to break his hip or get dementia or something and goal achieved
TBH I feel much sharper physically and mentally now at 30 with my current lifestyle than I did when I was 20 in college
Wait until you're 35...
yossarian
Professional
...is there any activity you do solely because you enjoy it, or is there always some delusional ambition to go along with it?
TennisProdigy
Professional
Hmm... There is one such activity that comes to mind. However, I don’t feel that it’s appropriate to mention it in this public space.
Now with that being said, I have previously pondered if there happened to be duration world records in seconds/hours for shortest/longest time spent for said activity.
TennisProdigy
Professional
WildVolley
Legend
Me vs. @BallBag in our fated rematch! All I can say is that ballbag did not waste these last 2 years doing nothing, there were some serious improvements in his game!!! I still can’t believe that he’s rated 4.0 right now
Didn't watch all of it, but some very nice groundies from BallBag!
If he can improve his first serve a little (looks like he's letting the left shoulder collapse rather than going up to the ball, and he's over-rotating a little) and get a bit more comfortable at net, I think you'd get worked.
BallBag
Professional
Serve is not my friend right now. I'm trying to change 1 or 2 things at a time but it hasn't shown through in match play.
That forehand looks like Mannarinos
WildVolley
Legend
Well, your ground game is looking very nice.
My suggestion is to try to practice your serve staying sideways more. You have a bit of over-rotation, and if you could convert some of that energy into racquet head speed, you'd definitely get more pop.
BallBag
Professional
My hairline will too in a few years.
D
Deleted member 765152
Guest
That goes to show that you are a 4.0 right now which was my estimate.Me vs. @BallBag in our fated rematch! All I can say is that ballbag did not waste these last 2 years doing nothing, there were some serious improvements in his game!!! I still can’t believe that he’s rated 4.0 right now
Again I don't see you having a realistic chance against a 4.5+/5.0 MEP.
You said you played against a 6.0 and you think BallBag's FH is the most brutal FH you have ever faced??
BallBag
Professional
Maybe in UTR.
yossarian
Professional
Not bad. How high is your vertical?
BallBag
Professional
3" with a running start.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
OP is currently a 4.0 so 2/3 of the way to his goal?
J
J
BallBag
Professional
He is a computer rated 5.0. Obviously he was playing better when he got that rating but he did get it.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
So he was 85% of the way and has regressed?
He better hurry up before he is a 3.0, which is on the wrong side of the mountain...
J
BallBag
Professional
I don't know how it works. I'm just happy nobody has called me a 3.5 yet.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
yossarian
Professional
3.5
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
Hey, you won a doubles match against a former D1 5.0 and a C rated 4.5.
I saw it with my own eyes from the best seat in the house.
That's gotta count for something right?
J
BallBag
Professional
That went in the trophy case with my 5k rpm, 80 mph second serve.
Slowtwitcher
Legend
I got some climbing advice: drop 20lbs and it'll do wonders for your climbing.
PrinceMoron
Legend
Try holding the racquet with the grip so relaxed that only your little finger is in contact with the handle.
Might help you stop muscling the ball. Point the handle at the ball and swing. Turn your shoulders so you don’t look like you are trying to close the drapes
Might help you stop muscling the ball. Point the handle at the ball and swing. Turn your shoulders so you don’t look like you are trying to close the drapes
TennisProdigy
Professional
Journey is back on
Trying to achieve my goal in as little time as possible, gonna play a set vs. Collin late spring early summer to see where I’m at. Also to see where he’s at now since he’s a professional pickleball player.I agree with this statement. However, I must point out that 1. I don’t hit with anyone who has ballbags pace right now so now that I‘ve experienced it the next time we play my ground game will look a lot different.
2. Indoors is my least preferred surface. My favorite is clay followed by outdoor hardcourt. Only played grass once and it was teaching a group lesson to 3 kids so I cant reasonably judge that surface yet.
I’d estimate i play about a .75 level higher on clay (har-tru) compared to indoorhard and .5 levels higher on outdoor hard.
MEP and I have a match scheduled for next time he’s in DC, only time will tell what will happen. I will admit that I’ve only seen older vids of him when I made my initial post, recent vids of him show clear improvement. I’m actually much more excited to play him now that I can see that him and I are both still finding our respective ceilings.
I played with Collin when he was age 16 - 19, I don’t think I ever played with him after that although I watched him destroy my 5.5 friend who made UVA’s varsity team as a freshman and managed to get 1 atp point. This match occurred in 2015 I believe and I have video footage.
100% correct. Well I could def get to 142-145 (my all time low weight) I’m not sure if I could get below that comfortably. However, I’m not yet willing to make that commitment to my climbing however in the future I likely will.
Dang, you must have been one big baby!
Slowtwitcher
Legend
Yeah we get you.
D
Deleted member 771407
Guest
BallBag
Professional
No insult intended. Common practice is to deduct a level from anyone posting a video. Two levels if you have anything to do with Texas.
In reality, everyone on ttw is a 3.5, other levels exist only on edited vids.
TennisProdigy
Professional
Which is why I make a point to post only “full sets” that show all points or uncut practice footage.
If I wanted to make a highlight reel I could easily make myself look like a top 300 player.
D
Deleted member 771407
Guest
Slowtwitcher
Legend
PrinceMoron
Legend
I played the number 1 from Afghanistan and he couldn’t look like a top 300 player even in soviet era closed circuits. I had imagined he would be like Bahrami, a hidden gem but his strokes looked like he had made them up. Really hit him as soon as he got out of his country.
If you want a reality check go somewhere like Madeira and play a seasoned old coach in high humidity on a slick court. The kind of vet who will never miss and run you round until you are dripping wet. Short little punchy strokes that are repeatable all day long.
And if that doesn’t convince you that you are in fantasy land sign up for a minor tournament in France that might attract a handful of top 300 French players - you won’t get a racquet on the ball.
If you want a reality check go somewhere like Madeira and play a seasoned old coach in high humidity on a slick court. The kind of vet who will never miss and run you round until you are dripping wet. Short little punchy strokes that are repeatable all day long.
And if that doesn’t convince you that you are in fantasy land sign up for a minor tournament in France that might attract a handful of top 300 French players - you won’t get a racquet on the ball.
TennisProdigy
Professional
When I was 19 (and a 4.0) and Collin was 16 (also a 4.0) we entered a $10,000 cash tournament at College Park in MD for fun and experience vs. good players. Denis Kudla was the top seed at about 16 years in age and #500 in the world or something like that.
Even just a couple years into the sport, Collin was already thinking about pro play. As @S&V-not_dead_yet said, those who create goals achieve more than those who do not, Collin reached a career high of 975 on the ATP tour and is now a pro pickleball player.
Anyways, I played against T. Huey, who several years later reached a career high of 18 in the world in doubles. I got blasted 6-0 6-0 off the court in less than 20 min, and not a single rally lasted more than 3 balls. His first serve often reached 130 mph and even standing as far back as possible, I could not react to it.
In Collins first round, he played against a guy in his mid 30s who reached a career high of 300 when he was grinding on tour. This player now played tennis just once every two weeks and entered this tournament to try to win some “easy” money.
Collin lost 6-1 6-0. This opponent clearly took it easy on Collin, but they enjoyed some decent rallies together. This guy did not have a big serve or big groundies, but moved beautifully and had amazing depth, placement, and consistency.
Collin’s opponent was fated to play against T. Huey in the next round, and after Collin’s dad saw that he said, “ah bad luck, I guess this is as far as you go huh,” blindly assuming a skill gap based on the power differences between the two players.
Collin’s opponent replied, “get ready to eat your shoe, I’ve never lost to Huey before.” Collin’s opponent won the match 7-6 6-1 doing an amazing job of neutralizing Huey’s big serve and powerful groundstrokes while playing patient and smart tennis not allowing Huey to attack yet also somehow forcing errors from Huey using a combination of slices, high topspin, angled short balls, among other tactics.
Tennis is not about beautiful strokes, or hitting hard shots, it’s about winning points by any legal means necessary by whatever method you desire.
I maintain that I could create a highlight reel only that allowed me to look like a top 300 player.
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D
Deleted member 771407
Guest
I agree with your point that just looking at strokes quality can't tell you exactly how good someone is. But to put it bluntly you don't even look like a 5.0 or even 4.5 if we only look at your shots and technique. Not a single strike in your videos looks like a top 300 player. How good your friends are doesn't really matter.
Edit : I missed your latest video where you improved a lot. You do look like a 4.5 now no dout. Still not a single point that's top 300 caliber sorry.
Edit : I missed your latest video where you improved a lot. You do look like a 4.5 now no dout. Still not a single point that's top 300 caliber sorry.
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BallBag
Professional
Thank you. I watched your videos in the other thread and I think your ceiling is way higher than mine.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
yossarian
Professional
I wish I had your confidence
You mean in the sense you would have similar shorts and shirt, and you also be holding a tennis racket, right?
Keendog
Professional
Massive insult to everyone in the top 300
TennisProdigy
Professional
Slowtwitcher
Legend
Sure thing bud.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
pencilcheck
Hall of Fame
Be like @MaxTennis and @TennisProdigy by posting videos to this forum. It doesn’t take that much work, just remember to buy a camera, camera stand and make sure to film it when you hit that’s it if you need help uploading video to YouTube you can google it too there are lots of tutorials
Slowtwitcher
Legend
So how come you can't do it?
BallBag
Professional
I don't know. I've focused all my energy on improving my serve and it's the only thing that hasn't improved since then. I watched the previous match and I thought my new and improved serve will make the difference but I'm not hitting it any bigger.
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