Being happy with progress vs. always wanting more....

I've practiced tennis heavily for 2.5 months straight. I made it a top priority, and averaged 5-6 days a week. A combination of lesson drills, singles, and doubles.

I spent about $2000 for around 40 private lessons during this time. (Average of 4 a week)
As a result, I have a new foundation and a new lens through which I view the game.
I am a different player than I was 3 months ago.

I'm a new player with respect to my:

• groundstrokes (aiming higher, landing deeper, more spin),
• unit turning (still working on that)
• attacking return of serve (jump, turn, swing)
• serves (more slice, more legs, deeper toss, trophy arm, etc)
• approach shot (turning, not spazzing, angling, spin),
• shot selection (moving back, defensive moonballs, rally balls not winners, etc),
• court movement (moving back on high balls, stepping in on deep balls, going to net on approach shots)
• and even point construction (ball tolerance, waiting for a short ball, attacking BH).

However, I am not satisfied to be "match ready", as I want much more consistency in a few more aspects. (Who ever is?) All of these things still need refinement and drill. I also need more time get bring these various aspects together in a singular continuum.

But, the summer is winding down, and my coach is heading away. Work picks up again, and I will not be playing 5-6 times a week like I have the last 2-3 months. I can't justify paying for indoor lessons at $100+/hr. In short, winter is coming, and I'm not done. So, I started racking my brain on how to continue this pace in the Fall. I thought I'd join some clinics and get some indoor stuff going, and see what I can do about lessons while it's not yet Winter. I'm not done improving. For now, I know what I want to work on, and can try to self-monitor some of the things I've been working on all summer.

Then I had to stop myself.....

I need to stop and appreciate the progress I've made this summer.
The fact is that I am a different player than I was 3 months ago.
It's too easy to get sucked into "more, more, more".
The fact is, I can not sustain this drill pace, and my skills WILL stagnate now.
I've walked the walk, put in my time and money, and I've gotten to where I've gotten.

Instead of going through the winter getting pissed I am not still moving ahead at the same pace,
I decided to just draw a line where I am today, and just enjoy this new level for what it is.

I've worked hard to get to this next step,
and really should just enjoy this new place for a while,
instead of only looking up the mountain to where I am not yet.
Stop and smell the roses, so to speak.

It's not where I want to ultimately end up,
but this is where I am ending up in 2017, whether I like it or not.

Next year, maybe I will come back at 5-6 days a week, if I am still motivated.
But, in the meantime, I have done what I've done, and I need to just enjoy playing matches at this new level, and not worry about moving forward (while I can't anyways)
At best, I can try to think about & reinforce the things I did this year.(but not new things)
At worst, I regress a bit, and accept it, since I'm not going every day.

I've noticed that everything is very "final" with you in your posts. Like seriously, stop putting limits on what you are/can do.

"This is where I am ending up in 2017, whether I like it or not." Really? Still over 4 months left to go in the year. If you can't get better at all in that amount of time then you aren't trying.

I went 25 days in a row at one point this summer. 45 out of 50 days.
Work gets real busy, and winter fast approaches, and my main coach is gone.

Like it or not, my season is drawing to a close. So, I will soon go into maintenance mode.
And in maintenance mode, you must have tempered expectations than when you're playing 6-7 days a week.
You don't get better playing 2x a week.

So, my "off-season" is coming, like it or not.
The theme of this thread is what my attitude can be like during this off-season.
Glass half full or empty.

Start playing matches. It sounds like you have built a very solid foundation, but it seems like you have left your match play untouched for the past few months, so that is a part of your game that you can make great progress on. Learn how to win matches using your new tools. Saying that you cant get better by playing 2x per week is totally bogus. You can get better by not playing at all. It all depends on your mentality. My game has improved after rest breaks because I came back with better patterns and discipline in points. Your contact point might be a little off for a bit when you get back to it, but if you are playing smarter tennis and winning more points then you have absolutely become better.

Exactly. I am just going to enjoy playing matches. I will not sweat making every shot, either. I'm at my level, whatever it is, and now I'll just focus on using my new tools. I have lots to learn as far as match strategy goes (finding his weakness, knowing when to hold back, implanting your point patterns, etc)

Drama much?

If you're in a cold weather climate, and don't have easy access to indoor courts, winter is for raising the baseline on your fitness.

You claim to be a pretty fit guy, and you do look strong. But you move like a bull elephant.

That would be an easy thing to work on for six months, and you could come back a whole new player. With your fitness background, it would be child's play for you to tweak your workouts and diet the ways you'd need to in order to improve overall athleticism (i.e., significantly, with respect to the amount of tweaking necessary).

It'll take a couple weeks to get your mechanics back to where they are right now come springtime, but once they're back, your immensely improved ability to move into position to hit every ball and recover into position for the next one will pay huge leap-forward dividends.

If all else fails, at least invest in a jumprope. Best cheap tool in the world for getting you lighter on your feet.

Pick up some YouTube videos, shoot video of yourself and hit with people you trust their critiques and you'll improve just fine.
Work on fitness and footwork.

I would say even more than your tennis, what's improved the most is your attitude. The old TTPS would bemoan how awkward, unnatural, and impossible tennis was and concentrate on the negative. Now you are concentrating on the positive and what you can do, not what you cannot do. "Optimism is a force multiplier."

I believe we all can improve on the 3Fs: footwork, fitness, and focus. If weather and time and budget are severely limiting your court time, you can work on those 3Fs and hit the ground running next spring.

I dunno where you live but your behind the 8 ball if you are already worrying about winter. So hard to develop your game if you have to take months off tennis..

oh, my sweet summer child! What do you know about tennis in the winter? Tennis is not for the winter, when the snow falls a hundred feet deep, when the Sun hides for years and children are born and live and die all in darkness.

I know a lot of adults don't want to play tournaments and play more for fun. That's perfectly fine and this is not for them.

However, if like @TimeToPlaySets you are spending a lot of money on lessons and are waiting for a great product to develop strictly on practice courts, before deciding to play tournaments, this is for you:

can we have more video TTPS? No one else is going all out like you are, so it would be good to see, and to track progress for yourself. Can you film the matches you're playing?

TimeToPlaySets said:

Exactly. I am just going to enjoy playing matches. I will not sweat making every shot, either. I'm at my level, whatever it is, and now I'll just focus on using my new tools. I have lots to learn as far as match strategy goes (finding his weakness, knowing when to hold back, implanting your point patterns, etc)

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Find an indoor club so that you have access to courts and a ball machine. See if they have a USTA team; preferably 3.0. (if you think you are too good for 3.0, then prove it by winning matches!!) Join the team. Play matches. Play as many matches as you can whether it be with your club members or USTA matches against other teams. Put those drills and coaching to the practical test. Find a coach you can have private lessons once every other week or as needed to work on issues you find as you play matches.

Now you can work on your mental game. See if you can repeat those great drills you've been working on all summer.

I actually put my "formal" classes and matches on hold during the summer to work with my kids' sports. But I'm signed up for Flights for the Fall and our USTA mens team will kick back into season. I'll play once a week Flights (in club doubles matches with a ladder), once a week drills class, maybe once or twice a month USTA match and maybe once a week hit with my son or another club mate for fun.

+1 on everyone's suggestions to focus on fitness and playing matches in the winter (though when i pay for indoor court time i just focus on drilling and getting max #of-ball-hit-per-hour)
3.0 is definitely too weak for him (i hit with him yesterday)... his fh alone was keeping up with mine in cooperative hitting (i don't see anyone in 3.0 - sandbaggers aside - handle topspin shots that jump off the court because their technique is fundamentally flawed)
honestly i'd be disappointed/surprised if he didn't dominate 3.5, get bumped to 4.0 by next year or year after (presuming he still has the same drive (lessons, daily tennis practice, fitness practice, video, etc...) he's had this spring/summer)

You would say, after all this practice now it's time to play sets.

nytennisaddict said:

+1 on everyone's suggestions to focus on fitness and playing matches in the winter (though when i pay for indoor court time i just focus on drilling and getting max #of-ball-hit-per-hour)
3.0 is definitely too weak for him (i hit with him yesterday)... his fh alone was keeping up with mine in cooperative hitting (i don't see anyone in 3.0 - sandbaggers aside - handle topspin shots that jump off the court because their technique is fundamentally flawed)
honestly i'd be disappointed/surprised if he didn't dominate 3.5, get bumped to 4.0 by next year or year after (presuming he still has the same drive (lessons, daily tennis practice, fitness practice, video, etc...) he's had this spring/summer)

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From the more recent videos I've seen, TTPS has good stroke, good power. Heck, he's breaking poly strings on a Pure Drive. I'm sure his strokes look way better than mine.

But that's PRACTICE. You even mentioned cooperative hitting. Now if you were trying to win points, how would it look? Who knows? No one does until you do it.

And if all you want to do is hit cooperatively for exercise (and many do), then that is all hunky dory. But if your goal is to truly improve and play at 4.0 level, then matches need to start. And he can start at 3.0. Crush his opponents and move up the ranks. Or he faces a veteran pusher and gets beat because opponent isn't hitting proper shots, or like the ball machine, or his coach, or his cooperative hitting friend.

Traffic said:

From the more recent videos I've seen, TTPS has good stroke, good power. Heck, he's breaking poly strings on a Pure Drive. I'm sure his strokes look way better than mine.

But that's PRACTICE. You even mentioned cooperative hitting. Now if you were trying to win points, how would it look? Who knows? No one does until you do it.

And if all you want to do is hit cooperatively for exercise (and many do), then that is all hunky dory. But if your goal is to truly improve and play at 4.0 level, then matches need to start. And he can start at 3.0. Crush his opponents and move up the ranks. Or he faces a veteran pusher and gets beat because opponent isn't hitting proper shots, or like the ball machine, or his coach, or his cooperative hitting friend.

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i agree
i just said he has the tools to play 4.0
but sure, working his way up from 3.0 would be a valuable learning experience (IMO, 3.5 is more appropriate... no reason he couldn't play both )

mcs1970 said:

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@PittsburghDad do you agree with this?

Traffic said:

But that's PRACTICE. You even mentioned cooperative hitting. Now if you were trying to win points, how would it look? Who knows? No one does until you do it.

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I've repeatedly stated that I've also played match sets during most of the summer.

Also, I do not cooperatively hit. I was going for winners to end the point.
Hell, I will try an overhead smash during mini-tennis, if you give me the chance.

I always want more and I am still happy with progression...even the smallest increments of it. The moment we become let up, things change. Especially as you get older.

TimeToPlaySets said:

Exactly. I am just going to enjoy playing matches. I will not sweat making every shot, either. I'm at my level, whatever it is, and now I'll just focus on using my new tools. I have lots to learn as far as match strategy goes (finding his weakness, knowing when to hold back, implanting your point patterns, etc)

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This might be the best single post/response you have ever written.

Play some matches.
Play with some joy.

And BTW, you will learn and grow a lot in the process as an added benefit!

Enjoy the fruits of your labors on the scoreboard!

heninfan99 said:

@PittsburghDad do you agree with this?

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It's tough. I'm in the middle of it right now. I went too early two years ago and had to pull completely back. Now she's confident and more mature.

We are finding that the best approach is to get mentally set, do a couple tournaments and keep really good notes. But don't work anything technical in those weeks Pull back and address one or two key areas. Then get back in. See what holds up and gain some new insights. It's a constant intensive reassessment. And alot of fun.

Give it up. You're wasting your time.

TimeToPlaySets said:

Give it up. You're wasting your time.

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How do you know unless you also know what the goals are and how progress is measured?

Have you considered one of these?

It doesn't have to be an either or. For instance, I hardly played sports and was not good at whatever sports I did play through school and college. So I look upon whatever progress I have made in tennis with satisfaction as I did not expect to last more than a month into lessons. At the same time, I would like to keep improving and I keep trying to work towards improvements. Having some goals to work towards gives more motivation to step outside for tennis in the morning...and it does take a lot of motivation when every other day gets rained out in the monsoon. So...if I miss the morning session and it happens to be a weekend, I will go to the courts in the afternoon (providing the rain stops) and practice serve. The short point is you can be happy with the progress you have made and at the same time also want to improve your tennis. It's not mutually exclusive. I don't want to feel frustrated and unhappy on the courts but at the same time don't want to stagnate either.

My goals are fitness and fun. Had a lot of fun last week. Played doubles with some friends we hadn't seen in a while and helped a buddy warm up for the men's final in a big regional tourney. For the warm up, my buddy wanted to play a set. It was my first singles in a while, but I managed to take 4 games off of a very good player. In fairness to him, I was playing to win games, he was warming up for his final and trying to really t off on my weak stuff.

But the bottom line is I had fun and contributed to my ongoing fitness level while avoiding injury. My buddy played his best match ever in his final, but not well enough to win.

TheOneHander said:

Have you considered one of these?

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Yes, it is called this forum.
I'm getting better every day, and part of that process is journaling, how's your game doing?

@TimeToPlaySets , so have you decided on a path as the weather turns? Are there indoor clubs within access? Can you join a Flights program or get on a USTA team? Would be great to pull your training together and start to have a focus on where you want to go with your tennis.

Yes, there are many indoor clubs in my area.
I plan to explore some fall and winter options.
I also want to expand beyond my current circle of players.

I like your first post. Great attitude. You have changed. I like the new TtPS.

J