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Pickleball is much more popular up here, but I still haven't gotten on the pickleball band wagon. They believe that when the ball stays in play that they're having a "volley". But to me that's like hearing someone ordering a Chab liss wine at a restaurant. I'm glad to see that game is getting...

I've gone up to the White Mountains.

I'd like to think that there are still some who want to pursue the perfect backhand. But it's not for everyone. Take baseball. When middle-aged, office workers decide they wan't to play baseball again, they don't play hardball, they sign up for slow pitch softball. The pitcher simply feeds...

Yes, and at a lower contract point than more Orthodox serves.

Don't forget, you can always play with flat balls. :laughing:

You sound very cruel.

I really admire MEP's game. He gets the maximum performance out of his limited strokes.

You folks who habitually make late calls, what's the deal on that? You can't tell if it's out at first, but as time passes you become more and more certain the ball was out? First impressions are best, if you're not sure, don't call it out. Ignore some 'repressed memory' that pops into your...

I think the difference is the low contact point. Many flat serves have a high contact point and lots of pace. This means the ball bounces fairly high after making contact with the court surface. This serve has a path nearly parallel to the court, sort of like when trying to skip stones on a...

This goes in fairly often, I'd estimate between 70 and 80%. It has a low contact point, just under 7 feet, and it's hit between 60 and 70 mph. Concentrate on getting it just a bit over the net and it will nearly always hit before the service line. With that low contact point and some pace the...

I enjoy playing the net. Can't do that much in singles, too easy to pass. Feel like I can try lots of different things in doubles: poaching, lobbing, passing. Not much offense in my singles matches, We just hit ground strokes until somebody misses. Singles feels more one dimensional.

I've been experimenting with what I'll call the "line drive" serve. The toss is low and the trajectory is almost parallel to the court surface. The bounce is very low and the returner must really bend their knees in order to make a good return. Their point of contact is well below the top of...

In the days of "court tennis" they used to keep score on a clock, so it went 15, 30, 45, game. And 45 got shortened to 40. And some people shorten it further. 15 to 5, and 30 to 3, so it goes 5, 3, 4!

You're right, but court politics prevents doing it. Sometimes, I know I'd win more points if my partner stayed OFF the court! But you can't tell someone that. For political reasons, they get half the court, and more than half of the balls because the opponents direct all shots to them. If...

But on this clip Tanner only went over 100 mph once. Seems odd if he could go 140 mph in matches.

I've always struggled with my forehand. Since you're coming back to the sport after such a long break, don't try anything fancy. I like to hit mine, flat, medium speed. That should work until you get more comfortable.

No, but I've taken a bucket of balls out on the court to practice hard, flat, serves, (sometimes I'll get in a grove and hit ten-in-a-row in!).

Maybe he doesn't understand the essence of tennis?, which is: to be able to control the ball. Anyone, (almost), can hit the ball hard. Hitting the ball hard and not controlling it does not mean one is on a path to get anywhere in the game. You have to respect your limitations, basketball...

When I watch players I notice that they move better laterally too. When the ball is short, they only move forward cautiously, only to sprint when it is too late. Short balls, accidentally hit, are what end most rallies. To win against them, first of all don't gamble much. Keep every ball in...

I think a big part of why 3.5 and 4.0 players almost think that volleys are a 'trick' shot is because they don't practice it. When I warm up, I take some at the net. To be polite I ask my opponent if he want some at the net, usually they say no. That's not much practice, but it's something...

What's MEP? Like a 4.5? Play like him, unless you're really, really, serious about tennis and starting young, perfect form will only distract you from keeping the ball in play.

Long time ago. But some people I'd played said, "Boy, you really take that racquet back soon!", so I wondered if he just automatically said that to every pupil.

What's a book?

This is why one NEVER sees someone improve from lessons. I took my last lesson in 1979, he just repeated "Take your racquet back". I spent $40 for that. That $40 would be $175 in today's money. Money well spent?

I had trouble for a long time with my approach/volley combination. The problem was more in my approach than volley. I'd heard to "chip" the approach, and in my mind that mean "float". I'd float one in and then stand at the net while my opponent had all the time in the world. Since then I've...

I must be a 3.5, (well, once upon a time I was rated there). Usually, when I play another hobby player, we have a close set. No one blows away the other. Since such a high percentage are at this level, I wonder why most advice isn't geared towards us? For example, they teach that if you get...

What could that possibly be?

I like to be more conservative at the start. Keep it away from the lines, use less pace, and so on. Then when you're more warmed up and feeling more confident, start playing more aggressively.

Me too! I'd say the novice is limited to dink shots, but advanced players have the choice of BOTH dinks and drops shots.

Reminds me of when a gas station posted their gasoline in liters, and got a huge line! I have a radar gun, and only one of us went over 80. The rest of us were in the 60's and 70's. Saw Johnny Carson have Roscoe Tanner as a guest, 1979, and Johnny hit one in the 50's, the rest in the 60's...