Welcome One and All to the First Annual Box League Games!

Fuji

Legend
Welcome one and all to the first annual Box League Games!

As some of you may remember I did a blog regarding my tennis life many moons ago that crashed and burned due to personal issues. This time around I want to make a better and more comprehensive guide into the life of a mid range 4.0 player here in Canada. Being a 4.0 player here means I will be competing against players that are 4.00 to 4.99. The top end 4.0 players are what top end 4.5 players are in the USA. I'll be posting general information regarding my game, and the results of my matches throughout the next year, (or at least I hope to!)

Here is the meat and potatoes of the system we shall be working on here:

1) This is a box league format. You live and die by the box you are placed into by the reining president of the club.
2) Matches are to be played in sixty (60) minutes or less.
3) Matches are best of 11 games. First to six (6) wins. In the event of a five (5) all match, a tie-break shall be played to determine the outcome.
4) At the end of each season, results will determine which box you are placed into.

This time around will be my second “season” of box league. It's a continuous club competition that goes full year round to my knowledge. This season there are 11 boxes. I am placed in box 6, very middle of the road. Boxes 1, 2, and 3 are Open to 5.0 respectively. Boxes 4-5-6 are 4.99-4.0 respectively. Boxes 7-11 are below 4.0 ranging to 1.0. This season runs from November 20th, 2012 to January 27th, 2013. I have 7 other tributes in my box that I must compete against to be crowned champion of box 6 to advance further in competition.

The main goals of the league are to:

Get plenty of match experience over the course of this year.
Hone present skills and strokes to a higher level.

Some simple information about myself that has most likely be echoed for years around this forum:

I'm 6'0 tall / 180lbs / Young Adult
I play defensive tennis with offensive minded striking ability. I serve larger then average for my level.
I've played as high as top end 4.0 in the past for singles, but due to injury/burn out I dropped drastically in ranking.
I'm a complete gear head. Stay tuned for my delves into madness with different gear as I also heavily test string for “the other forum” and I test rackets as they come in for my shop.
I'll also be uploading videos of my strokes and match play as often as I can get a recording set up. Here is the first one of my serve taken by my coach.

http://youtu.be/g6Z0U6K3b4c
Last but not least, I with you all well and I hope you enjoy the journey to the depths of my tennis soul!

-Fuji
 
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Fuji

Legend
November 20th, 2012.

Hello fellow readers and sponsors! I'd like to thank each of you for making it past the first post without quickly clicking away in a bout of disgust! There are a few things I want to talk about tonight.

Regarding the serve video:
- Yes, I know I started way too far back from the baseline. I have since corrected this.
- Yes, my toss arm is too far forward, I also have been working on getting it to go straight up, rather than up and forward.

With that out of the way, on to the next topic.

Obviously this blog isn't going to be for a lot of people on this forum. I fully accept that, and with that I hereby accept the criticisms that will accompany this. All I ask is that you do not clutter this thread with stabs at me, I'd honestly much rather you private message me instead. I don't claim to be a tennis god, rather I claim to be a highly dedicated and motivated tennis player in pursuit of the sheer bliss of being the best I can be. It's going to be a long road filled with bumps and bruises, but I hope some of you can find the glimmer of entertainment I hope to provide with my plight.

Last but not least, I will be attempting to update this as much as I can with my tennis endeavours, but there will be posts that are longer then average making up for a few days worth of life. I apologise in advance to those looking for quick one liners, this isn't the reading for you!

Thanks again!

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
November 22nd

Hey all!

Nursing a bit of a shoulder niggle today and yesterday but I'm hoping it will be feeling good tomorrow morning. I have 2 hours of practice tomorrow which should be a good way to work out some kinks. Hitting with a player who came in top 3 for box 1 last season, and we normally have a solid hit. After that I'm practising with a futures player that is coming off injury so maybe I'll be able to squeak some points off him! :razz:

I'll check back in tomorrow with an update on how it went. Happy Thanksgiving / Black Friday for all those who have it this weekend!

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Hey all!

Hit this morning with good results. My backhand is hitting well, clean and out front! My forehand is starting to groove nicely as well, having a bit of issue with my foot work and making sure I take it out front but I like how it's starting to groove nicely.

Futures guy kicked my butt, he was taking it easy and he was hitting such a ridiculously heavy ball. In backhand to backhand rallies I was able to power him off the court. Forehands he just rocks me hard!

Hopefully I'm going to be able to get some video of us hitting next week. It would be interesting to see the difference between us on film!

Anywho, work all weekend so no matches. Sent out the organizational email tonight for the league so it should be fun!

-Fuji
 
Canada.png


so, remind me, are you in the bit with the oil and the cowboys, the marijuana and the mountains or the flat bit in the middle?

:)
 

thejackal

Hall of Fame
best of luck in the league fuji.

I live in the part of canada with poutine. if you're ever in this neck of the wood we'll go hit.
 
best of luck in the league fuji.

I live in the part of canada with poutine. if you're ever in this neck of the wood we'll go hit.

I've been to BC a couple of times in the winter (to ski), always wanted to see a lot more of Canada.

might get around to it in the next few years as the last of our kids leave home (hopefully!)
 

Fuji

Legend
LOL! I'm in the bit with the oil and cowboys! :razz: BC is wonderful though, I've gone skiing there quite a few times and I swear it has to be one of the best spots in the world. Timbo, if you ever make it out to my neck of the woods I'd love to hit!

@Jackal Thanks! For sure I'd love to hit. I've never been able to make my way down east yet but I hope to make it out in the next few years. Likewise the offer stands for you to have a hit if you make it out west!

-Fuji
 

thejackal

Hall of Fame
LOL! I'm in the bit with the oil and cowboys! :razz: BC is wonderful though, I've gone skiing there quite a few times and I swear it has to be one of the best spots in the world. Timbo, if you ever make it out to my neck of the woods I'd love to hit!

@Jackal Thanks! For sure I'd love to hit. I've never been able to make my way down east yet but I hope to make it out in the next few years. Likewise the offer stands for you to have a hit if you make it out west!

-Fuji



Used to work in edm and it was a bit of a hellhole. Heard good things about cgy though
 

Fuji

Legend
Used to work in edm and it was a bit of a hellhole. Heard good things about cgy though

Really??? I'm born and raised in EDM. I definitely agree with your statement though, it's a bit rough around the edges to say the least. Cgy is a very nice place though, I really like it down there.

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Hitting booked again for Friday with a guy from box 1 and then a open player again. Should be interesting to say the least! Will post back saying how it goes! :)

-Fuji
 
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Fuji

Legend
Hey all! Sorry for the lack of an update.

Killed my shoulder somehow during my hitting session on Friday. It's really my shoulder blade but I've been doing rest and basic stretching to see how it's holding up. Feeling much better today though which is nice. I hope to get a hit in before weeks end however to test the waters.

First match should be coming soon, hopefully before finals!

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Hey all!

Exams this week so I don't believe any matches!

Stay tuned for next week! :D

-Fuji
 
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Fuji

Legend
Hey all, managed to sneek in a quick hit with an old friend today who plays solid low end 4.0 tennis. Was a pretty easy set we played that I won in a tie break, 7-6 (7-3). I didn't drop serve which is always a nice thing to have happen!

Still trying to work on some confidence issues with the forehand, but my backhand hit a ton of clean return winners and my twist serve was bouncing nice and high!

Overall a good hour long hit to relieve some stress of final exams!

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Looking forward to reading these updates. We get a front row seat to your tennis life. :)

I'm glad to hear it! I hope you stick around for the long journey that is box league life. I'm pretty sure it goes year round, if not there isn't much of a break!

Quick update: I'll be playing one of the biggest 5.0 tournaments in my province right before the Aussie Open next month. It will be the highest level tournament I've had the opportunity to play before and I hope that I can possibly pull off a first round upset! :razz:

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Hey all!

Just finished exams and recording my bands first EP. Exciting stuff indeed! Finally I get some time for tennis in the coming days. I still have lots to work on before my tournament, I just hope my preparation is up to par.

I really really want to get some ground stroke videos up soon. I just need someone to film me haha!

Hope all is well with everyone!

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Happy Holidays everyone!

Had my first hit in over a week due to the lovely busyness of the holiday season. I was rusty but it was tons of fun. I'm loving the PSL, as it's letting me hit freely with tons of depth and easy spin. Just really syncs with my game well.

I finally started addressing the take back issue on my forehand as well, so it's very DelPo like in the C shape. I'm absolutely stoked at how it's working out.

I have a lot to prepare for still however for my 5.0 tourney next week! It should be a fun experience though. I really really want to get some video if possible!

Keep safe all, and Happy New Year!

-Fuji
 
ouch, and if you win you ge tteh number one seed..

good luck!

(i sat with the Flex Infinity guy at the tennis in Hobart on sunday, says he is selling as much of the stuff as he can make..)
 

Fuji

Legend
ouch, and if you win you ge tteh number one seed..

good luck!

(i sat with the Flex Infinity guy at the tennis in Hobart on sunday, says he is selling as much of the stuff as he can make..)

Thanks bud! I saw that number 1 seed thing too, what luck eh? It's all good though, I'm more worried about my first round match! :razz:

Really? I'm surprised but very happy for him. I still want to give it a try one of these days... Maybe this summer/spring when I can really put it through it's paces! Haha!

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Hey all!

Figured I'd update after my pair of crushing losses!

In the first match I played against an elite level junior, I lost 6-2, 6-1 after having 4 service games at 40-0 (in which I was broken!) It was a ton of fun and I really learned a lot on how to deal with heavy kick. Next time I play him I figure I'll have a better chance of taking a set off him! I really need to learn how to close better on my big chances. With my serve as big as it is, you'd think I would be holding a lot easier and more consistently. Lots of long rallies and good games which result in my loss in just under an hour and twenty minutes.

My consolation match was today and I got absolutely rolled by the 5th seed. He is one the best players I've ever played. I lost 6-2, 6-2 / 4-0 4-0 (scoring is to only 4 games in consolation due to time restrictions) and he just absolutely dominated me. He is a past multiple Open and 5.0 winner which doesn't make me feel too badly. Just amazing game and he was the worst match up possible for me. Huge serving at which he can hit 115MPH on a regular basis, and he softballed the heck out of me from the baseline. His soft slices were staying ankle height most of the time and I was forced to hit ridiculous buggy whip shots to even stay in the point due to my height. Amazingly good player, and amazingly difficult to play.

I still have so much to work on, but I feel as though this tournament really helped my game develop and expose some of the huge weaknesses I still have. Next tournament I hope to be playing a 4.0 and make it deep in the draw. Training has to start getting harder as this was an abysmal start to the new year season!

I hope to get some box league matches in soon!

Thanks for following! Will update soon.

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Hahaha oh he's one of the most naturally talented players I've ever had the chance to watch! Amazing to see how big he hits at eye level.

-Fuji
 
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Fuji

Legend
Injuries and exams suck, but my shoulder is getting way better thanks to physio and CharlieFederer's tips!

Hitting serves at about 80% which for me is massive right now. I'm happy with how it's coming along, and I cant wait to get in match play again soon.

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
So tomorrow is my first match since the gnarly shoulder injury. First real match since my tourney almost two months ago. Excited to see how it turns out.

Wish me luck! :razz:

-Fuji
 

Fuji

Legend
Are you mostly recovered now from your injury of fully recovered?

Hey all,

Terrible day today. Got the yips for the first time in probably 5 years. It was such a rookie mistake on my part. We warmed up for way longer then usual as he had a court booked before ours, and we practised using practise balls. As per rules of the league, it's pretty standard to use a fresh can for the match. Here's where it all went to hell. All I had with me were fresh Penn Marathons. For those of you that don't know, they are the fastest ball made right now that we can get our hands on, and I'm at a 3000ft elevation. Needless to say they are like lightning. We end up switching from the half dead US Opens, to these evil balls, and it was like the game suddenly got a million times harder.

I quickly go down 3-0, as he breaks. Yips are in full effect by the 4th game. My hands are literally shaking from what I assume is nervousness, (YIPS), and I can barely serve. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, I twinge my shoulder. It's nothing huge, but I got very panicked about injuring it again, and resorted to hitting ugly topspin serves. Double fault away the next service game, and I'm down 4-0. The guy hits the weirdest "pancake" serve I've ever seen, and places it decently well. I was so far gone mentally that he quickly closed out 6-0.

Since we're first to 11, he wins the match by default. Nice enough guy to deal with, and we finish the next 5 games in a blur as he closes out 11-0.

So there's my story of the yips. I haven't ever gotten so nervous playing tennis before, I don't know what happened.

On the upside: A few hours later the NCAA Div 1 chair tennis player I hit with last week, offered to hit again. It was waaaaay more fun and I ended my day on a great note. We were tied at 3 games all before we ran out of court time. It's honestly the most fun I've had playing in a while, as he hits just a perfect ball to line up with mine.

Anywho to answer questions!

I'm at probably 70-80% depending on the day. My serves are fine when I'm stretched out and warm, but warming up is still a bit tender. Not the greatest sign, but it's improvement from where I was last month, where hitting above my shoulder caused massive throbbing pain. I have the pain in the middle of my shoulder blade / rotator cuff. It's just ugly. Thanks to CharlieFederer however, it's showing signs of improvement.

The shoulder is affecting my mental game more then anything though. I become afraid to really swing out on my serves for on the off chance it will pinch again. I think the Yips was a pretty good sign of that today.

Cheers,

-Fuji
 

TomT

Hall of Fame
Just checking out and enjoying your thread Fuji. Would love to see some videos of your playing.
 

Fuji

Legend
Just checking out and enjoying your thread Fuji. Would love to see some videos of your playing.

Thanks a lot Tom! I definitely want to try and get some video soon, the only thing is, is that I need a third person to record on court due to the way the indoor courts are set up. (It's just a "rubber" tarp all the way around the courts, no way to hang a camera or phone up.)

I'm aiming for this spring for outdoor to get a couple match play videos up! :)

-Fuji
 

TomT

Hall of Fame
Thanks a lot Tom! I definitely want to try and get some video soon, the only thing is, is that I need a third person to record on court due to the way the indoor courts are set up. (It's just a "rubber" tarp all the way around the courts, no way to hang a camera or phone up.)

I'm aiming for this spring for outdoor to get a couple match play videos up! :)

-Fuji
The solution is a tripod. I've decided to get one after trying out a camera hanger rigged out of a wire clothes hanger on an extremely windy day.

The tripod only needs to extend to about 42 inches to get a satisfactory perspective. Higher is better, but then you have problems with tripod stability unless you want to spend a few hundred dollars. You can get an adequate tripod for basically pocket change.

Looking forward to your vids and tracking your thread Fuji! Best wishes to ya.
 

Fuji

Legend
Hey all!

Thanks for the tips Tom! My ladyfriend has more then enough photography equipment, I hope to borrow it one day soon to get some good footage!

Figured you guys would get a kick out of this:

Changed my service motion pretty much completely. I finally figured out what was still irking my shoulder blade, and it was the way I was "dropping" into trophy position. It's amazing that with abbrivating my take back and drop, how much more power I'm able to get, and how much shoulder is feeling 1000 times better. I was able to go and hit extremely comfortable first serves with 99% pain free. I'm so happy that I finally figured out a way to address the issue.

I still will have to get the technique checked out, as I know it's a bit funky toss wise and the way my body torques up definitely is a bit different then normal. Also forgot to add, I switched to a pinpoint stance a while ago. Noticing much better results on my serves. It feels even more natural then platform did, (and I was such a huge advocate of platform!) It's amazing that I didn't experiment earlier, as I am just hitting the cover off the ball. It's still a bit unreliable, but technically April still counts as my off season before outdoor where play gets serious, so I have some time to work on it.

I based it off the Sam Groth model of serving. For those of you who don't know who he is, here is one of my favourite serving videos on Youtube of a pro!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC6BvMSpeOM

This style of serving provided the biggest hit serves of my life, which simply astounded me. It's the first time in my life where I felt that my serve was truly "high level". (What made it better was the Div 1 guys who were playing on a court next to me commented on how big it sounded!) I'm starting to sound like a few other posters on here, but I was extremely happy with how well my serve progressed because I toyed around with a new motion. I can't wait to use it outdoors where it will be an even bigger weapon. I really want to get video to see exactly what I'm doing, as my spacial awareness is sometimes a bit skewed when it comes to serving.

Anywho, Hope everyone is a having a good weekend!

Cheers,

-Fuji
 
hello mate!

that package has come back to me! Would you believe that, when you weren't home to sign it, they just returned to sender???

all the damn way from Canada to Australia!!!

I'll resend it a different way..

as for me, 'the beast' is proving epic! beating people I haven't beaten before, very happy!
 

Fuji

Legend
hello mate!

that package has come back to me! Would you believe that, when you weren't home to sign it, they just returned to sender???

all the damn way from Canada to Australia!!!

I'll resend it a different way..

as for me, 'the beast' is proving epic! beating people I haven't beaten before, very happy!

Hey bud!

That's unreal! I can't believe they would send it back half way around the world LOL! Let me know if you want some shipping costs paypal'd your way!

The Beast looks so solid. I really want to demo the lighter version that is all lime green, just look the paint haha!

-Fuji
 
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