Etiquette for warming up
- Thread starter Roddick85
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mikeler
Moderator
Read post #35 with regards to the dangerous urban myth I'm creating. The mini-tennis is just a gentler way of warming everything up.
sovertennis
Professional
Most advanced (eg college, tourney-level, pro) players begin their warm ups with some form of mini-tennis, but only with their teammates or coaches prior to the pre-match warm up with their opponent(s). You should not expect your league or tourney opponents to begin the immediately-before-the-match warm up with mini-tennis. Do not even ask. It's just not cool.
Full disclosure: I am a 4.5 USTA player and mini-tennis afficionado. There, I said it.
Full disclosure: I am a 4.5 USTA player and mini-tennis afficionado. There, I said it.
Mongolmike
Hall of Fame
pingu
Semi-Pro
I totally agree with you that sometimes people just can not seem to hit the balls back to you. I would notice their weak shots and use it as my advantage in the games.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
The problem still remains that you want to warm up gradually (ideally via some sort of rallying) and find your own shots and rhythm...
Overdrive
Legend
Also, I've seen people do this literally on purpose so they can fool you that they have a weak stroke or something..
Overdrive
Legend
mikeler
Moderator
That took a lot of courage to admit. lol
You must be a young guy. When I was young, I felt the same way. Age changes that.
tennis tom
Legend
No it doesn't, I play in the 65's and don't do mini tennis--only giving in to the unwashed masses changes that.
mikeler
Moderator
Just to reiterate, I don't do mini tennis either. You seem to have trouble understanding this point even though I keep repeating it. Do you stretch before you play? I never stretched when I was young but I do now unless I'm in a time crunch.
Relinquis
Hall of Fame
once you hit 30 years old, you'll at least need to warm up your legs, a light jog or something in order to have that bouncy movement around the court.
tennis tom
Legend
I was cajoled into "social" match just yesterday against two old farts who'd been playing all their lives and could not hit two balls back to me in the warm-up to save their lives, while I was feeding my balls gently right to them (but not into their bodies) like a ball machine. The really irksome thing about it is how entitled and unapologetic they are about it. My solution is to pull out as many practice balls as I have so I can get a warm-up too and not just be used as their ball picker-upper. Of course they don't have any balls of their own.
This chap also got all the rules wrong, but with a very authoritative air ( I just laughed since he was a visiting guest of a relative, and it would do no good to enlighten him since I hopefully wouldn't be playing with him again in the near future.) I got more practice from his equally clueless partner's shanked cross-courts that consistently came my way during the "warm-up".
I knew as soon as the match started, all those shanks would turn into winners and their true hacker game would emerge. They were hot for the first three games feeding off their innate high self-esteem, and the false sense of confidence I gave them by hitting the balls into the range during the warm-up, but I wasted them 6-1 after they lost their confidence. They do mini tennis because they don't possess the skills to rally from the baseline and prefer to talk at the net then learn how to play the game--social tennis. They don't want to put in the effort, time and expense to learn the game properly, so they remain life-long unashamed club hackers--they clean-up well for the buffet.
Yep, and how you do something is how you do everything. I didn't stick around for the happy-hour at the club feeding trough to further amuse them.
Yes, and look at the state of American tennis.
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tennis tom
Legend
I understood you, this is the internet--we're not here to coherently communicate, just to make points like in a tennis match.
I don't stretch for social matches, they're for practice, I stretch during those matches on each stroke. If you have correct technique, then each stroke is a stretch. Preparation for a tournament match is a totally different thing. I've done 15 years of yoga, I know how to stretch.
mikeler
Moderator
Really? OK, I feel like I'm arguing with LeeD now...
tennis tom
Legend
No not the demise, just a symptom of it. Those non-American players from poverty struck war torn nations aren't going to risk their scholarships and Miami beach by telling their tennis/basketball coaches they don't want to do mini-tennis.
"Upsetting" to me? How do you know my emotional state? Why do you get defensive when someone presents an intelligent argument? I've found more and more recently, when someone has the temerity to disagree with someone, people feel that's arguing and angry. In most of the rest of the planet that's just called conversation, discussion and exchanging views--better not go to Rome, you'd be annihilated by the flailing arms expressing opinions. Have Americans become that timid and whipped!
You don't want to take both LeeD and me on at the same time.
Costagirl
Banned
Some of the most arrogant people I have met have been in tennis. The bigger the ego the lesser the player so I've found. It's almost frightening how goofy some people act. Competitive league or not - they should know the warm up is not the time for heirs or a competitive nature. And even more so in a league, the captain should direct their players on court nature to be cooperative. Oddly these types tend to throw every shot they have out there in the warm up...sadly it's usually slice and dice nonsense. You correct. The warm up are the basics, swinging through the ball, warming shoulders and legs, etc. Pay no attention - pick a new court if possible and let the lower levels deal with it. Talk about taking the fun out of the game~
Well I am slightly over 30. I have bouncy movement just fine. Does warming up really help? I almost think it is a purely mental thing.
Here's what I don't understand. Where I play there are no timed matches, so people don't really put a limit on warmups. My captains will always tell the team to arrive a 1/2 hour early to matches to warm up. So to not give the captain a panic attack, I will arrive early, but I don't really warm up. Meanwhile, everyone on the team is doing this:
Mini-tennis
Groundstroke warmup
One person takes net
Other person takes net
Both people practice 6 serves from each side, sometimes more
More groundstroke warmup until captains exchange lineups
Then:
Meet opponent(s)
Mini-tennis
Groundstroke warmup
One person takes net
Other person takes net
Both people practice 6 serves from each side, sometimes more
Then the match starts. After people have been warming up for around 45 minutes! It's ridiculous! Especially when opponents want to do mini-tennis after they have already done a full warmup. I will often just do the bare minimum required for my partner to warm up, while trying to "nudge" things along and get the match started.
In summary: Warmup - way overdone.
mikeler
Moderator
I'd go crazy doing that!
I guess that explains how you have managed to get your head so far up there.
tennis tom
Legend
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
tennis tom
Legend
Very intelligent comment and what I'd expect from a 3.5 team captain. And you want to start a tennis league, that's one I'd advise people to avoid. Hack away.
Mongolmike
Hall of Fame
If that is a normal course of things, I can see why you would not like it. I agree. Your experience might not be the norm for everyone else tho.
As has been explained, not everyone has the luxury of being able to take open courts 1/2 hr before their scheduled time. And maybe they had to drive 20-30 minutes to get to the court. And they might be older, and we do take a bit longer to warm-up the old worn-out knees, ankles, and shoulders.
So a few stretches once you reach the club, then 10 minutes of scheduled warm-up is barely enough for most of us. I know for me, 6 serves ain't gonna do it!
So for some of us, there is a clear frustration aspect trying to warm-up vs some jack-hat who is smashing balls all over the place and we spend most of the time retrieving errant balls instead of calmly and fairly warming up for 10 short minutes to prepare, as limited conditions are more the norm.
Overdrive
Legend
"People used to diasgree and still be friends". - Clint Eastwood
Roddick85
Hall of Fame
I'll guess everybody is different, but I find the 15 minutes warm up we do at the club more than enough. Unless your partner shanks ball left and right, if you can get a decent rally going in the center without missing a ball, you'll hit enough strokes to be properly warmed-up. Generally speaking those that warm-up for longer than that tend to turn warm-up rallies in actual match rallies. I'd rather save my energy for the match!
I agree with some of the previous post about mini-tennis. I totally hate mini tennis!:twisted:
beernutz
Hall of Fame
I've only played league since 2005 but never in my life have I done mini-tennis with my opponents in a warm up. The warm up activities with your own team look pretty accurate and the rest of the warm up you describe with opponents looks accurate except some players opt to skip the net warm up and a significant number only hit maybe 3 serves from each side, sometimes 3 serves total. I think the only time warm ups have extended to 45 minutes were when someone was late showing up and rather than default them we just kept warming up.
Most people over 65 hit with classic strokes and a lot less pace than the generation or two behind them. With a more modern forehand - and particularly some of the extreme grips kids these days use - it is much harder to hit both gently and the full length of the court. The mini tennis allows them to go at a slower pace, but still exercise the correct stroke mechanic.
I would agree that it is likely a waste of time for seniors.
mikeler
Moderator
Good point.
sovertennis
Professional
"Upsetting" to me? How do you know my emotional state? Why do you get defensive when someone presents an intelligent argument? I've found more and more recently, when someone has the temerity to disagree with someone, people feel that's arguing and angry. In most of the rest of the planet that's just called conversation, discussion and exchanging views--better not go to Rome, you'd be annihilated by the flailing arms expressing opinions. Have Americans become that timid and whipped!
Can you imagine what mini-tennis must be like in Rome?
Can you imagine what mini-tennis must be like in Rome?
Ironwood
Professional
Years ago, I was to play the final of a regional bank men's singles play down that had taken place over a couple of months. No big deal, just a company recreational event. It started to rain before the match, so it was moved to an indoor club and we all drove over. When I took the court with my opponent, he had a warm up partner come out to hit with him and I was left standing there until the match started...we only had the one court available to us. He wouldn't exchange any balls with me. I managed to take 3/4 practice serves and as we were renting court time, it was game on with no warm up. I lost the first set and won the next two....but I'll never forget how unsporting he was!
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
Whenever I ask people to just catch my serves and hit them back or catch them and serve them back, they look at me like I have 5 eyes and 7 legs. I just gave up and now just ask if they want to return serves or catch em. 90% want to return serves. It IS very annoying when they hit them all over the court. How the heck are u supposed to warm up that way?
mikeler
Moderator
I bet it rocks.
Technically your opponent is not required to warm you up in USTA which I think is a bad rule. For a company recreational event, that is REALLY lame.
I just hit most of my serves out far enough where they can't get them.
dizzlmcwizzl
Hall of Fame
Me too ... I feel bad doing it, but I have decided if you are going to spray returns all over the place I will sevre all over the place and make you track them down instead.
I have enough confidence in my serve that I am never worried about placement, I just want to loosen the appropriate muscles. So serving to a spot 3 feet wide of the box serves my purposes just fine.
tennis tom
Legend
cork_screw
Hall of Fame
Lol, I think we played against the same guy. I had someone do the exact same thing. Then I remembered when I was first starting out, I was hitting unintentional drop shots and just tried to calm my nerves, but was still getting pissed off. Next time hit with your left hand and your left hand will probably be 2.5 status and he can experience some drop shots and odd angles on your end and he'll feel your pain. That's what I'm going to do next time I warm up with someone like that.
Sakkijarvi
Semi-Pro
Q. Ever had something similar happen to you?
A. Yes. Once I approached the net and informed the guy of how the pros warm one another up, sportsmanship, and mutuality. Having to explain that to a grown man, husband and father ... sheesh.
A. Yes. Once I approached the net and informed the guy of how the pros warm one another up, sportsmanship, and mutuality. Having to explain that to a grown man, husband and father ... sheesh.
