From NTRP-based 3.0 to 3.5 by January 2014 (video diary)
- Thread starter TomT
- Start date
trader1499
Rookie
First off, that was me. Second I made the right call. Maybe you have crappy pc graphics, but you are welcome to blow it up and stop it at point of impact. It was out. I don't cheat.
trader1499
Rookie
Thanks for the work on our stats Tom. I appreciate the work you do. That being said. I suck. Hahaha
trader1499
Rookie
My footfaults are making me sick. I have to work on not doing that.
Topspin Shot
Legend
Tom, you can't be serving 50% second serves and expect to play decently. Until you get the topspin serve, just lay off the second a bit. Keep the slice, but hit it softly enough where gravity brings it in every time. It may or may not get attacked, but it's better than missing it every other time.
onehandbh
G.O.A.T.
It's possible to hit a topspin serve without bending your
back much. The key is to not toss the ball too
far to your left (if you're a righty). Instead toss it
less into the court.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Thanks Dimcorner and onehandbh. I'm taking your suggestions into consideration. I really would like to learn some sort of reliable spin serve that isn't just a giveaway shot. Hopefully will have at least the basis of a 90%-in second serve by next week.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Actually, it's often impossible to tell from the video because of the camera angle. Re the 2:14 ball, that ball could be clearly out in person and still look like it's in on video taken at that camera angle.
I feel absolutely certain that trader1499 calls them like he sees them, and that he's not the sort of person who would get any satisfaction from winning by cheating.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Thanks trader. The vids and stats are fun to do.
< 3.5 tennis is generally sucky tennis in a variety of ways. The important thing is that you're improving. Quite noticeably and rapidly compared to many players at our level, in my limited experience. I think I'm also improving -- just at a much slower rate than you are.
They don't bother me. However, yes, you might want to pay attention to it in case of future tournament situations, or when playing opponents who it might bother and who will call it. It's a simple fix.
TomT
Hall of Fame
I agree with your suggestion, Topspin Shot, and I've tried doing it in a couple of matches. But it just feels awkward to hit a pitty pat second serve. So, I usually just go ahead and hit it like I hit my first serve.
But I agree that that's not a recipe for success. Second serve % has to be over 90%. I hope I can learn to do it the way you suggest, ie., by using basically the same motion but just easing up a bit on it and also imparting some slice spin to it -- while continuing to work on developing an actual topspin (more or less) serve.
Avles
Hall of Fame
This is where I am right now with the 2nd serve and it's working out okay for me. I think you'll find that at the 3.0-3.5 level a medium pace spinny 2nd serve won't get picked on all that much, and that players who do try to tee off on it will make plenty of errors. I'd much rather spin a serve in and dare my opponent to hit a winner than just give the point away with a DF.
But I'm glad I'm not trying to tap the second serve in like I once did-- not only did that feel extremely wimpy, it was actually harder to be consistent with it because I was changing my motion so much between first and second serves. Now I just focus on hitting across the ball as much as possible on the second serve (while trying to impart a bit more topspin from the ad court), and I DF maybe twice a match.
I'm trying to increase racquet speed on that spin serve so it starts to resemble a genuine top-slice second serve... but for now it'll do....
corbind
Professional
Hey Tom, on your second serves are you aiming for the center of the service box? Don't know about you but often I'll literally look at the center of the service box and try to hit a second serve there. If I miss it will likely still go in and it really cuts down on DF%.
Even if they are predictably hitting the center of the service box, opponents hate those who get their serves in. They know they'll have to hit another shot and won't get free points. Or they may crush that fluffy second serve -- and it hits the fence or net. Make 'em hit one more ball is my motto.
Even if they are predictably hitting the center of the service box, opponents hate those who get their serves in. They know they'll have to hit another shot and won't get free points. Or they may crush that fluffy second serve -- and it hits the fence or net. Make 'em hit one more ball is my motto.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Thanks Avles.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Thanks corbind. Makes sense. I've definitely got to do something to reduce the DFs.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Video and stats from a league match played on Oct 1.
TomT (3.0) vs Opponent (3.5)
Location: Florence Hardy Park, Fort Lauderdale
Result: Opponent won 10-5
-----------------------TomT--------Opponent
First Serves In----------51%------------60%
Second Serves In-------48%------------94%
Total Serves In---------50%------------70%
Double Faults-----------13---------------1
Service Winners---------15---------------8
Aces--------------------1----------------3
Unforced Errors---------20----------------9
Winners----------------11---------------12
Games 1 to 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omLqK5VXOnQ
Games 6 to 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYe0CXrlnf4
Games 12 to 15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om-POXuWy_0
TomT (3.0) vs Opponent (3.5)
Location: Florence Hardy Park, Fort Lauderdale
Result: Opponent won 10-5
-----------------------TomT--------Opponent
First Serves In----------51%------------60%
Second Serves In-------48%------------94%
Total Serves In---------50%------------70%
Double Faults-----------13---------------1
Service Winners---------15---------------8
Aces--------------------1----------------3
Unforced Errors---------20----------------9
Winners----------------11---------------12
Games 1 to 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omLqK5VXOnQ
Games 6 to 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYe0CXrlnf4
Games 12 to 15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om-POXuWy_0
Nice match. I notice improvements in movement and anticipation. Still a little laggy at times, but definite improvement.
There are a few people in the league here that don't have a top spin serve, but just give it a hard slice serve as a second serve. Pretty effective at this level.
There are a few people in the league here that don't have a top spin serve, but just give it a hard slice serve as a second serve. Pretty effective at this level.
Baxter
Professional
I agree. Forget the kick or topspin serve. Just rotate your grip away from eastern to continental or beyond and voila!, instant slice serve. You can use it on your first as well occasionally to mix things up.
trader1499
Rookie
The problem is I don't know when the last time is that I actually worked on tweeking my serve. All I ever do lately is match play. Will have to work on it soon.
I am taking a day off today. I played the match against Omar and though I won, I was horrible. I felt so uncomfortable that I went for no shots at all. Totally different then my match the previous night when I beat the 3.5 in the other league. I couldn't find a 1st serve for the life of me. It was so bad the whole matc that when I was serving in the last game of the match, I was up 40-Love, but not because of first serves.
He probably thought I was nuts because serving at 40-love, I was so angry. At that point I dropped two points because I refused to hit a second serve. I just kept going for it hoping I would have something at least before the match ended. At 40-30, I said the heck with it and hit a second serve and won the match. I asked for a rematch because I didn't like how close the score was. I literally sucked the whole match! My shoulder needs a bit of rest because it is sore from all the matches so tonight off should be good.
I better work on my temper. I shouldn't be throwing my racquet at the fence after winning 3 points in a row and serving for the match. Hahahah This was probably my worst outbreak.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Thanks Dimcorner and Baxter. I have a match at 7PM this evening. Will do the suggested medium to slow speed slice on all second serves and see if my stats and results improve.
But I do want to continue to work a bit on off days on learning a topspin serve just to see if I can do it without much of a back bend.
There is one other consideration. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before. The relatively flat serve that I like to hit on both first and second serves doesn't stress my arm or wrist at all. However, when I hit a lot of spinnier types of serves I often notice some pain in the wrist. Probably I'm doing it wrong, ie., using too much of a wristy motion instead of just letting the grip and toss do the work. I'm going to get there a little early and work on hitting slices with a more continental grip, making contact a bit farther away from me via the toss, and minimizing any sort of wrist movement. If that doesn't yield a serve that I can keep in the court without stress, then I guess I'll just dink the second serve in for the time being until I figure this thing out.
LafayetteHitter
Hall of Fame
Looks like improvement in the latest videos. One thing I noted that surprised me is the 3.5 player doesn't ever split step, if he wants to hit 4.0 it will be tough with 4.0 serves not split stepping to get moving.
TomT
Hall of Fame
I was wondering about your match with Omar, seeing the close score. So it wasn't that he was playing really well or tenaciously. You were just not playing up to par. Ok.
Anyway, yeah, definitely get a day of rest. Oh, and getting angry with yourself even though the points are going your way is quite understandable, although I agree that it will benefit your game to avoid getting angry when you make mistakes.
For myself, another goal is to play an entire match without commenting on my shots or my opponent's shots or anything. Just keep my mouth shut the whole match and not harbor any feelings about shots one way or the other. I think it will help me to stay focused.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Thanks LafayetteHitter.
Yeah, I think he's really talented, but somewhat lazy in his playing. Very laid back sort of guy.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Stats and video from Sept 30 Fall Season league match.
TomT (3.0) vs Opponent (3.0)
Location: Florence Hardy Park, Fort Lauderdale
Result: Opponent won 10-3
-----------------------TomT---------Opponent
First Serves In----------40%------------61%
Second Serves In-------48%------------94%
Total Serves In---------43%------------71%
Double Faults-----------11---------------1
Service Winners----------1---------------0
Aces---------------------2---------------0
Unforced Errors----------25--------------17
Winners-----------------10--------------13
Games 1 to 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JlftIsIp9w
Games 6 to 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vcrZ8lr92U
Games 10 to 13
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8pm95-gJB0
TomT (3.0) vs Opponent (3.0)
Location: Florence Hardy Park, Fort Lauderdale
Result: Opponent won 10-3
-----------------------TomT---------Opponent
First Serves In----------40%------------61%
Second Serves In-------48%------------94%
Total Serves In---------43%------------71%
Double Faults-----------11---------------1
Service Winners----------1---------------0
Aces---------------------2---------------0
Unforced Errors----------25--------------17
Winners-----------------10--------------13
Games 1 to 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JlftIsIp9w
Games 6 to 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vcrZ8lr92U
Games 10 to 13
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8pm95-gJB0
TomT
Hall of Fame
Stats and video from Oct 3 Fall Season league match.
TomT (3.0) vs Opponent (3.0)
Location: Florence Hardy Park, Fort Lauderdale
Result: Opponent won 10-8
-----------------------TomT---------Opponent
First Serves In----------60%------------45%
Second Serves In-------70%------------68%
Total Serves In---------63%-------------53%
Double Faults------------6---------------12
Service Winners----------3----------------7
Aces--------------------0----------------1
Unforced Errors---------19---------------31
Winners-----------------9---------------29
Games 1 to 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoaoN9D7BS0
Games 8 to 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9WXnzZ1q5o
Games 12 to 15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3mAnN8SGic
Games 16 to 18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ6myW6tOBo
TomT (3.0) vs Opponent (3.0)
Location: Florence Hardy Park, Fort Lauderdale
Result: Opponent won 10-8
-----------------------TomT---------Opponent
First Serves In----------60%------------45%
Second Serves In-------70%------------68%
Total Serves In---------63%-------------53%
Double Faults------------6---------------12
Service Winners----------3----------------7
Aces--------------------0----------------1
Unforced Errors---------19---------------31
Winners-----------------9---------------29
Games 1 to 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoaoN9D7BS0
Games 8 to 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9WXnzZ1q5o
Games 12 to 15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3mAnN8SGic
Games 16 to 18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ6myW6tOBo
corbind
Professional
How tall was this guy? Sheesh, looks like 8'1". Alright, well not that tall but too tall to pass at the net consistently.
1:48 -- Unfortunately there is no alternative but to lob him. Sure you could try to pass him but if he's 6'2" or so that gives you very little space to pass him. If you try to hit harder to pass him UE rate skyrockets. If you softly lob the guy (and extra screw you points for lobbing to his backhand) you'll win more points.
3:05 -- He did the lob to you. It was a short lob that hit the service line but still was effective. I'm tellin' ya lobbing guys works wonders.
4:52 -- Jesus Tom!
How do ya figure I know these things? Well looking at your video I AM that guy. I'm his height. I serve and volley. I'm the pest that comes to the net all day long just to make people miserable. So what ****es me off? What gets opponents more points than trying to blast passing shots through/around me?. Can ya guess? SKY BALLS!
Sky ball me to death. After running down a half a dozen I won't even come in past the service line because I'm tired of expending my precious energy. If you lob me I'll have to retreat from the net. At that point you can keep lobbing. I'll get to the lob but still not hit anything great back. Also, not that you've lobbed me and have me standing at the service line, you can try to pass me as I've just given up a ton of the net.
Sure guys will flame me for tellin' ya to sky ball the guy. I'm okay with that because I know what works. Notice your opponent kept winding up hitting "pro" forehands all pretty -- and long. Out. Going for the good look and have some fun. Well that just does not work. Taking pace off and being consistent wins in most rec tennis.
I do NOT advocate putting up sky balls all day long unprovoked. If you hit skyballs all day while you're both sitting at the baseline, well, that's just horrible. Legal? Sure is. Still a crappy way to play.
Yet if...
- You are in trouble (on the run barely getting to the ball) -- lob
- If the opponent is chewing on the net (he should not be that close) show him who's boss (you) -- lob
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TomT
Hall of Fame
I didn't ask him, but he's gotta be around 6'6", give or take. Moves good for his size, doesn't he? He's only 27, and I think he's got the potential to be a super good rec player if he can just harness that natural power and enthusiasm.
Yeah, I hit way too many balls within his reach both before and even after it occurred to me to lob him. He hit a lot of winners from the net. It was definitely the difference in this close match.
Yes. I agree. I need to work to get my lobs just a little bit lower, both to keep them in the court and to make them harder to run down.
Good shot, huh?
Totally agree, and I'm sold on the value of the lob. I'll be playing that guy another league match in a few weeks. It's also possible that we'll both make the playoffs and be matched up there.
Yes. Very good suggestions corbind. Thanks. Also, very interesting to find out that you're a tall guy, and that you don't like chasing down lobs when crowding the net.
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trader1499
Rookie
Close score. Maybe in the rematch you can get him. I remember when he showed up to my match, I was thinking "oh crap" since I'm only 5'9" Haha
TomT
Hall of Fame
He's quite talented I think. Only 27. Very strong and fit. Very enthusiastic. But also very impatient and inconsistent.
In the warmup, as he was hitting 90mph forehands, I was thinking, "OMG, how can I beat this guy?" Then, after several games and a plethora of errors, I was thinking, "OMG, how can I lose to this guy?" Of course I found a way. Once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
I was up 5-1. Then I was still up 7-5 after he played a few better games and I made some crucial errors on serves and groundstrokes. (Including, but not limited to, direct unforced errors, but more importantly errors in judgement and placement of my shots. I was setting him up to hit a lot of winners.) The match was mine for the taking. But I did not take it. Rather, I gave it away. I am the gift that keeps on giving. Oh, how I want to be able to say to my opponents some day, "The party's over. No more Mr. Niceguy!"
On a positive note, I did improve my serving percentages quite a bit. But it's still not good enough to win consistently. It's not just about the percentages. The serve can't be so slow that it's too easy to either hit well-placed and paced shots off it or to just chip it and come to the net. Either way I will have lost control of the point and will have to successfully execute more difficult shots than I would otherwise have to.
Practiced today with a guy in the Partner Program in preparation for my league match tomorrow with He Who Insists On Playing Only On Clay (actually, there's two of these, but one is only in the Partner Program). I found that the secret to me developing a consistent slice second serve that's easy to keep in and has decent pace on it is to toss the ball just a bit higher for a higher contact point, as I was missing into the net a lot.
By the way, I noticed that He Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken has been relisted in the B Division for the Fall Season league. I was thinking that maybe he did it to submit a higher self-rating, but his rating is still 3.0, so I have no idea what happened. I'm going to email him later to both schedule a match and find out what happened.
corbind
Professional
Yea Tom, being 6'2" made me gravitate toward the net and subsequently be repelled from the baseline. Being tall at the baseline can be good for reach but height at the net can be used to a much greater advantage. Anyway...
I only watched the first video but before I even watched I looked at the numbers you supplied. When I saw your serve percentages were up significantly I was sure you'd won. Yet you lost by a few games which meant, well could be anything. But my first thought was too many "hero shots" which we're all guilty of. Going for more than we can reasonably expect to get half of them in. Essentially unforced errors.
Nevertheless, in watching the first video I though your patience was really quite good. I was cheering at the screen again. I'm such a sap. But you seemed focused on YOUR SHOT and if you hit your shot right you'd focus on the rest after. Your patience does pay dividends. I saw it.
Sure there are some shots where we go, "What the..." but it actually make videos fun to watch, too. I do the same when watching mine. Also, that kid you played is, well, I was wondering how he's a 3.0. I mean he has some serious potential. He has ability we all can see but he ****es it away with too much zeal. If a guy is 6'6", comes to the net a ton, has reasonable coordination, and doesn't have tennis ADD -- he's gonna be a monster. For that kid I can see this working...
I only watched the first video but before I even watched I looked at the numbers you supplied. When I saw your serve percentages were up significantly I was sure you'd won. Yet you lost by a few games which meant, well could be anything. But my first thought was too many "hero shots" which we're all guilty of. Going for more than we can reasonably expect to get half of them in. Essentially unforced errors.
Nevertheless, in watching the first video I though your patience was really quite good. I was cheering at the screen again. I'm such a sap. But you seemed focused on YOUR SHOT and if you hit your shot right you'd focus on the rest after. Your patience does pay dividends. I saw it.
Sure there are some shots where we go, "What the..." but it actually make videos fun to watch, too. I do the same when watching mine. Also, that kid you played is, well, I was wondering how he's a 3.0. I mean he has some serious potential. He has ability we all can see but he ****es it away with too much zeal. If a guy is 6'6", comes to the net a ton, has reasonable coordination, and doesn't have tennis ADD -- he's gonna be a monster. For that kid I can see this working...
- Ditching that painful-to-watch, miserable 2nd serve
- Rather serve a slower 1st serve for all his serves maybe 60-70% speed
- At his height, no need to jump up on the serve
- Having some patience of WHEN to attack (not crushing FHs into the fence)
- Because of the HUGE differential of his FH and BH -- learn BH shots to an average level
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corbind
Professional
Alright, back to the lobbing thing. Who's your favorite practice partner? Mr. X? Alright, well go get Mr. X outta bed cuz you boys are about to become used to the lob. Warm up however you normally do. But you're gonna take turns. One guy will ONLY LOB (let's say that's you for now). Even on balls Mr. X hits short you're still gonna lob.
Mr. X is not going to lob any shots under any circumstances. You lob, he his anything but lobs. Playing points without serving doing the aforementioned for 10 minutes at a time. Then switch. Mr. X is not the lobber and you'll do anything but lob. Try hard. Try to win points or at least not lose them.
Why do this? Most guys suck at lobbing and they suck at overheads or hitting lobs back. It gives both guys the task to work on something they never work on. If you do this drill you'll be shocked at how much better you'll get (and how much more comfy you'll feel) in those situations. It's all about repetition. You cannot expect to do well lobbing, or returning one without having done it many times. If I lived down there in FL we'd be out on the courts under the lights right now.
Mr. X is not going to lob any shots under any circumstances. You lob, he his anything but lobs. Playing points without serving doing the aforementioned for 10 minutes at a time. Then switch. Mr. X is not the lobber and you'll do anything but lob. Try hard. Try to win points or at least not lose them.
Why do this? Most guys suck at lobbing and they suck at overheads or hitting lobs back. It gives both guys the task to work on something they never work on. If you do this drill you'll be shocked at how much better you'll get (and how much more comfy you'll feel) in those situations. It's all about repetition. You cannot expect to do well lobbing, or returning one without having done it many times. If I lived down there in FL we'd be out on the courts under the lights right now.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Apparently you're young enough that you haven't begun shrinking yet.
I used to be about 6'1", but have shrunk about 1.5" according to a recent measurement. That seemed like a lot to me, but when I asked the nurse (when I was having a recent checkup) she said that it's not uncommon to have shrunk vertically by a couple of inches or so by the time one reaches one's 70s. I'm almost 66 so I guess I'm on track to be about 5'11" by the time I'm 70. If I live to be 90 I suppose it's possible to be about Ken Rosewall's, or at least Rod Laver's, height in their primes. Now if I can just figure out how to play like them then my tennis future looks rosy indeed. Yes, I still made too many unforced errors of the sort of just missing more or less routine shots, but I made many more errors of the judgement and shot selection type, which shows up in the stats as winners for my opponent.
The thing I'm most excited about these days is that even though my Crohn's remains active my fitness is improving. For example, I didn't hit any sort of wall in my last match (18 games). That is, I felt fairly energetic right up to the last shot of the match. This means that improvement of the sort that affects results is a realistic possibility.
Yes, patience and focus.
I agree. He's got some serious potential. Mostly a matter of harnessing that natural power and zeal. He's way taller than 6'2". My guess is about 6'6". I'll ask him next time we play. If I was a coach I'd love to have somebody like that to work with.
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TomT
Hall of Fame
This is a fantastic suggested practice drill. I'm definitely going to do it. There are several players who would be quite amenable to doing it. Thanks corbind.
Actually, I already played/practiced today (video highlights will be posted later), so we would more likely be sipping our favorite cocktails enjoying a lovely South Florida October night, such as I'm doing right now even as I casually type this reply.
trader1499
Rookie
He's quite talented I think. Only 27. Very strong and fit. Very enthusiastic. But also very impatient and inconsistent.
In the warmup, as he was hitting 90mph forehands, I was thinking, "OMG, how can I beat this guy?" Then, after several games and a plethora of errors, I was thinking, "OMG, how can I lose to this guy?" Of course I found a way. Once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
I was up 5-1. Then I was still up 7-5 after he played a few better games and I made some crucial errors on serves and groundstrokes. (Including, but not limited to, direct unforced errors, but more importantly errors in judgement and placement of my shots. I was setting him up to hit a lot of winners.) The match was mine for the taking. But I did not take it. Rather, I gave it away. I am the gift that keeps on giving. Oh, how I want to be able to say to my opponents some day, "The party's over. No more Mr. Niceguy!"
On a positive note, I did improve my serving percentages quite a bit. But it's still not good enough to win consistently. It's not just about the percentages. The serve can't be so slow that it's too easy to either hit well-placed and paced shots off it or to just chip it and come to the net. Either way I will have lost control of the point and will have to successfully execute more difficult shots than I would otherwise have to.
Practiced today with a guy in the Partner Program in preparation for my league match tomorrow with He Who Insists On Playing Only On Clay (actually, there's two of these, but one is only in the Partner Program). I found that the secret to me developing a consistent slice second serve that's easy to keep in and has decent pace on it is to toss the ball just a bit higher for a higher contact point, as I was missing into the net a lot.
By the way, I noticed that He Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken has been relisted in the B Division for the Fall Season league. I was thinking that maybe he did it to submit a higher self-rating, but his rating is still 3.0, so I have no idea what happened. I'm going to email him later to both schedule a match and find out what happened.
He was a bit intimidating to me at first, but like always, I believe in myself and fight and sure enough he was no match for me.
I will probably play him again though. It was fun. Do not mention the guys name who disappeared and came back to the division. I suppose I'm not 5-0 anymore. Hahah He has to enter it. He knows it because he even asked that day. Anyhow Good luck with Dan. Hahaha I'm not sure if I will play him. What's the point of playing clay when I don't even like it... You know.. There are a lot of people in both leagues and in both divisions I can play with. There is always the playoffs, but that will be on hard court for sure.
In the 3.5 league, when I signed up, I didn't expect to win any matches, I'm now in first place in my division right now with a record of 3-1. I'm taking the next couple days off. My shoulder is on fire from all this serving and I want it to rest so I can feel good in the upcoming matches.
Your serve doesn't have to be that fast, but it doesn't have to be that slow either. I don't get punished consistantly on mine. Well tonight against the 3.5 I did at first, but I decided to hit with a lot of spin that made it bounce up higher. I was also placing my second serves to his back hand on purpose. I got tired of him hitting winners. He has good ground strokes and certainly was no pusher. It was almost 3 hour long match that I won 3-6 6-4 7-5. His friend is the one who gave me my first loss in that league so he had a little scouting on me beforehand. hahaha.
corbind
Professional
0:45 – He smartly lobs as he’s desperate (and luckily gets the point)
1:26 – try a lob to his BH side
1:45 – the only shot choice here is lob to his AD side (if he “smashes” it will be with his BH)
2:25 – I like your sequence of shots here (smart play)
3:27 – YES TOM! Power to the man (you)! He was hugging the net so you lobbed him. He got back there but look at what he did with your lob. I was laughing actually (and just watched it again and chuckled).
3:39 – Am I there on the sidelines coaching? Did you hear corbind in your ear? “Tom, lob this too-tall sucker! Wear ‘em down. It’s the 4th round and you gotta wear make him run. Do it to him!” I actually laughed harder on this one because it was immediately after the previous lob point. Man I’m excited!
So he ran back and got it. Word to the wise. When you hit good lobs like those two move in almost to the service line (well perhaps for you 4’ behind the service line) in anticipation for his weak, lobby return. You’ll be able to tap it for a drop shot or angle it off for a winner. Notice you hit his lob to his FH! Never hit to a guy’s FH side from there unless you go for a winner. If you can’t hit your FH CC for a winner then just hit it to the ad side corner and hope his BH sucks.
4:01 – Nice you selected to lob to the deuce side. The court is longer so better odds of you getting it in. Granted, if you hit it short, he’ll clobber his FH smash but the court’s longer so your lob will go deeper. Love it. 4:08 liked your “take this sucker” smash. Looked just like your service motion
corbind
Professional
0:41 – love shot selected
1:15 -- He called your serve out???
2:03 – you’re toast. I can’t believe he gave you another shot…and you gave him another one! Fun to watch actually cuz you both were dead meat.
3:47 – I’d like to see this a lob to the ad side (prevents him a FH smash and court is deeper) 3:49 – Love ya man. Too tall hates you. In fact he wants to stick that racquet right, er, well you know. You’ve lobbed him lots now and it WILL take a toll (even on a fit guy like him).
Just watched your lob again. Great execution. See he’s at the fence when returning your lob so that alone makes it a great shot on your part. Also notice how he walks when that point is over? Head sunk, walks slow. He’s tired and sad. Been beaten by your lob.
Gonna make you the Lob Master. Who cares what 4.0 “players” think – it’s effective and this is one of many clips that shows it. Besides, you’re not gonna be hitting blazing winners past Too Tall. Sure you’ll remember that one great shot you hit. But usually there are ten that go out.
corbind
Professional
1:21 & 1:45 – nice shots. Look at the energy he’s expending to get to it! A lost point but the correct shot with the benefit of slowing him down for subsequent points. By now he should be cheating more (not coming in as far) since you’ve been lobbin’ him. But that does not seem to be the case…
3:39 – lovely shot!
3:41 – Guess it’s good to be 8’10”…
3:52 – Did he really get that in just one bounce? If so I’d probably cry. Or burn his car.
4:09 – Now it’s personal. Time to take out his dog. Another one of those and it’s his wife.
4:14 – Well here’s my general rule about returning a big guy’s serve. If he hits a good one (flat and hard) it will come from the sky compared to short guys. If you stand where you do against normal players well you’ll be returning balls by your ears or higher.
So you have a difficult decision to make: move in closer to return or move back. Move closer is an great advantage because you get it on the rise and can get it back before the big man gets up to the net. Steal his time. The bad is you need to have faster reflexes and be better at half-volleys. Move back 5’ and the ball may by then be on the way down.
Yet if you wait for his serve to bounce, reach the apex then descend to belly height you’re returning from the back country. By now the big man is at the net waiting for you to hit to him. Also the court seems smaller the farther back you stand (smaller angle to keep the ball in). Also, as you move back to return he can hit softer/wider serves and you won’t get to them.
Against all servers I stand inside the baseline often 5’ in taking ‘em on the rise. Against tall dudes I’ll move in even closer because their serves will come down (and bounce up) at steeper angles. I’ll only back up if the big man is good and hitting their big, flat serves at me for nice body shots.
EXPERIMENT
Next time you play this guy try standing well in on some serve returns and way back on some. Experiment and see what works. I know from watching the video it’s not fun returning balls up by your eyeballs. Also notice Too Tall’s general moves.
- Stand close in returning serves (more so on 2nds) and come in to net
- Stand farther over to try to return serves with the FH (which he can easily run around on slow ones)
- Come in on all balls mid court
OVERALL
I think you did well. Only lost by 2 games. Your serve percentage was fantastic, you did not hit a ton of UE. The numbers show patience. Don't know how HE got 30 UE and 30 winners. Well I do know his winners mostly were tapping cookies at the net. Although they are winners they are not like baseline winners. Either way I think you did well in the competition and guys like him are just tough to play. I still say burn his car. (for those just tuning it having not read anything else - I'm just kiddin'. Don't mess with his dog or wife either).
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TomT
Hall of Fame
I hope he fulfills his potential, but not until after I play him again.He was a bit intimidating to me at first, but like always, I believe in myself and fight and sure enough he was no match for me.
You're still officially undefeated as of 3:43 today.
Dan and I decided to reschedule. He's got some important stuff to do regarding his lawyer thing, so we will most likely play on the weekend. He'll play you on hard courts. He does me anyway. I just told him that I (and my knees) don't like the unevenness of the clay, the bad bounces, the slipping and sliding, and also I don't like having to pay $10 to play a match on a public court (even though Dan paid for the time we played on clay, and would probably do it again if he wanted to play on clay that much -- because I really can't afford it).
Sounds good. I'm looking forward to playing you again.
Yeah, some sort of medium speed serve with spin that you can always get in is the ticket. When I finally develop something like that then I'll be using it on first serves as well.
TomT
Hall of Fame
I watched all of these points again. Your comments are right on as usual and appreciated. There were a few times that I did really like the way I developed the point but just barely missed the winning shot. Keeping sufficient focus right up to the last contact of the last stroke in a point has proven to be quite difficult for me.
TomT
Hall of Fame
I think the serve he called out really was out. The video can skew the perspective. Tnen again, we all make mistaken line calls from time to time. I give my opponents the benefit of the doubt on my calls, and assume they're doing the same and calling them as they see them on their calls.
Lob Master. Hmmm. Ok, I guess. But it sounds sorta like lobster. Bottom dwellers. I think I'd rather be the straightforwardly menacing Shark Man (predatory, high on the food chain), the light-hearted yet dangerous Tommy Topspin, or perhaps the mysteriously sinister Mysterious Dealer of Tennis Death. But I suppose that Lob Master is a start. How about the slightly more catchy and dignified Master Of The Lob? (Then there's the terrifyingly sprightly Lobber Clobber, or the asymptotic Infinite Lobber, or, my current fave, LobboTommy.) Whatever we (yes, "we", for you, corbind, will be an integral part of the selection process) finally decide on, there should also be a theme song (eg., Robin Hood's, The Lone Ranger's, etc.) and perhaps a line of tennis outfits, shoes, and (what the heck) balls and wristbands also. Maybe a food/snack item or two. Ok, I'll stop there.
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TomT
Hall of Fame
Great comments and suggestions corbind. Thanks. I have a match today with a 3.25 guy who I've never beaten. I think that lobbing him frequently will cause him more problems than I have in the past. Also, he has a topspin serve that kicks high occasionally, as well as a hard slice to my forehand (he's righty), so I'm going to try standing a bit closer and getting those fast-twitch muscles ready to fire. If it's too tough to return that way, then I'll try moving back a bit farther than usual. In any case, your comments have reminded me to pay attention to where I'm standing to receive serve, as it can make a difference.
Unfortunately, it's really clouding up at the moment. Supposed to play at 7PM. It's 4:46 now.
trader1499
Rookie
I hope he fulfills his potential, but not until after I play him again.
You're still officially undefeated as of 3:43 today.
Dan and I decided to reschedule. He's got some important stuff to do regarding his lawyer thing, so we will most likely play on the weekend. He'll play you on hard courts. He does me anyway. I just told him that I (and my knees) don't like the unevenness of the clay, the bad bounces, the slipping and sliding, and also I don't like having to pay $10 to play a match on a public court (even though Dan paid for the time we played on clay, and would probably do it again if he wanted to play on clay that much -- because I really can't afford it).
Sounds good. I'm looking forward to playing you again.
Yeah, some sort of medium speed serve with spin that you can always get in is the ticket. When I finally develop something like that then I'll be using it on first serves as well.
He said he doesn't like to play me on hard courts because our matches last too long. You and I will have to play again soon. I got one match tonight and no one else is responding to numerous E-mails. I decided to write to everyone in the upper division so hopefully I will get some matches. I've got almost half my matches in the 3.5 league played or scheduled.
Hopefully people in our division will start responding soon. At least I know the kid I played tonight wants a rematch so there is one more match. Haha
TomT
Hall of Fame
That interesting, because usually clay court matches tend to last longer. Don't they? Anyway, it seems fair to me to split the playing surfaces. If you guys played on clay last time, then you can play on hard court this time. I really don't have a preference. However, if Dan insists on playing me on clay, then he knows he's going to have to pay for it. Also, playing games on grass fields, and clay tennis courts, does bother my knees in a way that playing on hard surfaces doesn't.
I played Orlando last night. Lost 10-7. Video soon. Play Sean this evening. Thursday is open. I think I'll just rest and practice a little on Thursday. Friday play Harry in the morning (our Monday match was rained out).
I've found that calling and/or texting people is generally more effective than emailing them.
We can play this weekend if you want. Let me know.
I still have 3 people in the B Division to play. Brady is one of them. Also the other Zach. And of course he whose name shall not be spoken. Called him a couple of times today. Answering machine. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get matches with them in the next week or so.
Then I'll start on the guys in the A Division. My goal is 30 matches this season. I think I'm on track for that.
It's a long season. You're already in the playoffs. You can coast. But like I said, calling people tends to get better results. If you're in the partner program I'll play you as much as you want after we use up our allowed league matches against each other. Or/and, for actually serious and intense practice sessions with lots of hitting drills.
How are your plans unfolding as far as being able to enter the Year End Tourney at Crandon Park? I hope you can do it. Imagine the thrill (and the nice gift card compensation) of beating people from all over the country and winning one of the division titles for 2013! I can do a docudrama of your meteoric rise in tennis. We'll call it "From 2.5 To Eternity" or something like that. I'll see if we can get Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster to be in it. They probably need the work.
TomT
Hall of Fame
Video and stats from yesterday's league match.
TomT (3.0) vs Opponent (3.5)
Location: Florence Hardy Park, Fort Lauderdale
Result: Opponent won 10-7
-----------------------TomT---------Opponent
First Serves In----------50%------------50%
Second Serves In-------81%------------72%
Total Serves In---------60%-------------57%
Double Faults------------6----------------7
Service Winners----------9----------------5
Aces--------------------4----------------3
Unforced Errors---------25---------------20
Winners----------------10---------------23
Games 1 to 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vg6W0aNQ64
Games 7 to 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KopLhffv0oA
Games 11 to 14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ueiaCp1glA
Games 15 to 17
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKR_MIIUK5w
TomT (3.0) vs Opponent (3.5)
Location: Florence Hardy Park, Fort Lauderdale
Result: Opponent won 10-7
-----------------------TomT---------Opponent
First Serves In----------50%------------50%
Second Serves In-------81%------------72%
Total Serves In---------60%-------------57%
Double Faults------------6----------------7
Service Winners----------9----------------5
Aces--------------------4----------------3
Unforced Errors---------25---------------20
Winners----------------10---------------23
Games 1 to 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vg6W0aNQ64
Games 7 to 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KopLhffv0oA
Games 11 to 14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ueiaCp1glA
Games 15 to 17
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKR_MIIUK5w
TomT
Hall of Fame
Incident At Hardy Park with Video
My match tonight was cancelled. There was an incident at the courts. All the courts were being used except one where a guy was waiting for his opponent to show up. My opponent showed up before the waiting guy's opponent, and we walked on the court expecting him to leave. He didn't, and a fuss ensued, and I have no match tonight.
Anyway, now we have a bit of a problem at my home courts in that, apparently, there are some people who think that a single person can hold a court at a public facility with no reservation or permit. I'm thinking of asking the Parks and Recreation Dept. of Fort Lauderdale to post something to the effect that a single person can't hold a court unless they have a signed permit or reservation for a certain time interval. If the P&R Dept. won't do that, then I'm hoping I can get somebody there to write a letter to that effect that I can carry with me to show people if this situation ever happens again.
I thought that everybody knew that one person can't hold a court at a public facility just because their partner has not shown up on time. If two people come to play, then it's their court. Right?
Luckily, after we had rallied a bit, I had set up the camera in anticipation of playing a match. The video is completely uncut. I shut it off and gathered my things when my opponent informed me, to my consternation, that he was leaving. We might have gotten the match in, however, I'm not sure about that, because as you can see at the end of the video there's a rather large fellow with dreadlocks who was making some threatening gestures and remarks. I just told him straight out that I wasn't going to be bullied off the courts. Then he accused me of doing the bullying. (Funny, huh? As soon as we stepped on the court the big guy with the dreadlocks on the adjacent court went ballistic. Saying that he was not going to let us play on that court, in, as I mentioned, a rather threatening manner.)
Apparently, all these guys are under the misconception that a single person can hold a court. But I will make a special point of catching them at the courts again, and I will straighten them out on that.
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp5UrMvCZHs
My match tonight was cancelled. There was an incident at the courts. All the courts were being used except one where a guy was waiting for his opponent to show up. My opponent showed up before the waiting guy's opponent, and we walked on the court expecting him to leave. He didn't, and a fuss ensued, and I have no match tonight.
Anyway, now we have a bit of a problem at my home courts in that, apparently, there are some people who think that a single person can hold a court at a public facility with no reservation or permit. I'm thinking of asking the Parks and Recreation Dept. of Fort Lauderdale to post something to the effect that a single person can't hold a court unless they have a signed permit or reservation for a certain time interval. If the P&R Dept. won't do that, then I'm hoping I can get somebody there to write a letter to that effect that I can carry with me to show people if this situation ever happens again.
I thought that everybody knew that one person can't hold a court at a public facility just because their partner has not shown up on time. If two people come to play, then it's their court. Right?
Luckily, after we had rallied a bit, I had set up the camera in anticipation of playing a match. The video is completely uncut. I shut it off and gathered my things when my opponent informed me, to my consternation, that he was leaving. We might have gotten the match in, however, I'm not sure about that, because as you can see at the end of the video there's a rather large fellow with dreadlocks who was making some threatening gestures and remarks. I just told him straight out that I wasn't going to be bullied off the courts. Then he accused me of doing the bullying. (Funny, huh? As soon as we stepped on the court the big guy with the dreadlocks on the adjacent court went ballistic. Saying that he was not going to let us play on that court, in, as I mentioned, a rather threatening manner.)
Apparently, all these guys are under the misconception that a single person can hold a court. But I will make a special point of catching them at the courts again, and I will straighten them out on that.
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp5UrMvCZHs
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trader1499
Rookie
They bumped me up to 3.5. I hope they let me finish the season in 3.25. This isn't fair. Most of these guys have better games than me. I just keep fighting and don't quit, but they are still better than me. This sucks.
I hope they let me finish the season in 3.25. This isn't fair. Most of these guys have better games than me. I just keep fighting and don't quit, but they are still better than me. This sucks.
TomT
Hall of Fame
I see. Yeah. Congrats. You're a 3.5 now. I don't think you can go back to 3.25 unless you lose a bunch of matches.They bumped me up to 3.5.
Hey, it could be worse you know. You could be stuck at 3.0 like me.
I think you'll stay in our division for this season though.
Shouldn't you be asleep now?
trader1499
Rookie
I E-mailed them. I don't want them to move me to the A division until after this season. Beating one good 3.5 shouldn't warrant moving me over. I should send them videos of me playing lol. They might drop me back down.
trader1499
Rookie
You're the one that said you were going to sleep. Not me.. Hahaha I will be going to sleep, but I happened to notice the 3.5 by my name so I started writing the league guy on Gchat. He is busy right now though.
