Compiling deeper stats from match videotape.

[TimeToPlaySets]

In case there are others who want to try this and refine the process.

This was my first attempt, and some data collection may be corrupt.
eg: Not sure if I double counted certain shots as IN and WINNER.
I will tighten this process, and use it to isolate and drill the biggest problems.

Anything stick out at you?


1st serve IN 22
1st serve OUT 7
1st serve NET 10

2nd serve IN 13
2nd serve OUT 2
2nd serve NET 3

1st serve winner 5
2nd serve winner 4

Approach shot winner (FH) 3
Approach shot LONG (FH) 1

Bad volley 5
Good volley (forgot to track)

Baseline FH into net 5
Baseline BH into net 1
Baseline FH Long 1
Baseline BH Long

ROS FH IN 8
ROS FH OUT 7
ROS FH NET 2
ROS FH WINNER 5

ROS BH IN 5
ROS BH OUT 1
ROS BH NET 2
ROS BH WINNER

 

[steve s]

Learn how to hit a second serve----more than 25% doubles.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

That sounds worse than it is.
DF percentage was actually 9% of all service points.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

That sounds worse than it is.
DF percentage was actually 9% of all service points.

You DFd 5 times but you got 9 service winners. That's a +4 differential in your favor. All other things being equal, this is good for you: being more conservative with the serve will reduce your DFs but will also reduce your winners. The holy grail, of course, is to reduce the DFs while maintaining the winners.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

Thanks, that was the sort of insight I was hoping to mine. You're right, I don't hold back on any serve anymore, and even get winners on my second. I've only improved since the set I tabulate.

 

[steve s]

That sounds worse than it is.
DF percentage was actually 9% of all service points.

Where I play, you can only DF on your 2cd serve. You had 18 2cd serves and you DF 5 time , more than 25%.

Spin your numbers anyway you like.

 

[rogerroger917]

low 1st serve percentage. Make more and you will win more.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Where I play, you can only DF on your 2cd serve. You had 18 2cd serves and you DF 5 time , more than 25%.

Spin your numbers anyway you like.

You're implying your #s are unspun and his are spun. As Mark Twain said "Figures don't lie but liars figure." I'm not calling you a liar, BTW; just pointing out that Twain recognized that people can manipulate #s in many ways. And sometimes the disagreement is completely honest.

Both of the #s are accurate; it just depends on what question you are answering.

I would think the more logical question would be "what % of the total # of points you served were DFs?". In this case, the 9% # is the correct one. But I see your point also.

For example, if there were 5 points in your service game, you hit 3 1st serves in, missed one and hit the 2nd serve in, and you DFd once: would you consider your denominator 7 [total # of serves], 5 [total # of points], or 2 [total # of 2nd serves]? Can be tricky.

I think "2" is misleading because, paradoxically, if you miss more 1st serves it gives you more 2nd serves which will increase the denominator and make your DF % go down. That suggests, erroneously, that the way to potentially decrease your DF % is miss more 1st serves.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Your 2nd serve winner count is just one shy of your first serve winner count. That suggests that you could back off the power of your first serve to increase the % while not significantly affecting your winner count. If your 2nd serve winner count was way less, I wouldn't suggest it.

 

[steve s]

You're implying your #s are unspun and his are spun.

OP ask what I saw in the numbers and I replied. I saw DF's as a problem, and OP did not.

Let me ask you if you were having a bad day getting in your 1st serve, and say had to hit 40 2cd serves. You had 10 or 11 DF's (25%)

Would you feel you served ok.

Yes or NO

I was not implying anything with my reply.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

stats are a good start (ie. you're inspecting/reviewing)... but ultimately, i'd be trying to answer these questions: when i miss, why did i miss? was i going for too big a serve (pace/placement/etc..), was i trying to spin it in? did i slow down my rhs? etc... when i miss a groundie, what was i trying to do? was it the right shot selection? how did i miss (net/long)? etc.... was i there in time? was i set up for the shot? where was i aiming? what was the shot before (ie. did i hit it short, or give him a sitter)

in general it's easy to blame technique... but sometimes, it's actually shot selection, or the shot before that really lost you the point.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

OP ask what I saw in the numbers and I replied. I saw DF's as a problem, and OP did not.

Let me ask you if you were having a bad day getting in your 1st serve, and say had to hit 40 2cd serves. You had 10 or 11 DF's (25%)

Would you feel you served ok.

Yes or NO

I was not implying anything with my reply.

No, I would not. But that's not quite the original statement you made, which was "Learn how to hit a second serve". My poor serving performance would have also included my bad 1st serve %, not just my high rate of missed 2nd serves [DFs].

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

stats are a good start (ie. you're inspecting/reviewing)... but ultimately, i'd be trying to answer these questions: when i miss, why did i miss? was i going for too big a serve (pace/placement/etc..), was i trying to spin it in? did i slow down my rhs? etc... when i miss a groundie, what was i trying to do? was it the right shot selection? how did i miss (net/long)? etc.... was i there in time? was i set up for the shot? where was i aiming? what was the shot before (ie. did i hit it short, or give him a sitter)

in general it's easy to blame technique... but sometimes, it's actually shot selection, or the shot before that really lost you the point.

Agreed. One can get too mired in statistics and miss the forest for the trees.