For most of us, tennis is a hobby to which we can devote a finite amount of time. Whether it is 100 hours a year, 200 hours a year, or whatever, we all make decisions (maybe not premeditated) about how to allocate our court time.
Are you the type of person that enjoys conducting drills, aimed at perfecting shots? Is your perception of growth dependent on improvement in form?
Or are you like me, where you'd much prefer playing a set or match (even if the score isn't recorded and you aren't playing for anything) to practicing? I am 40 and have never received formal instruction untii I did a mini-week at the Bollettieri Academy last November. It was pretty much useless to me. The instructors worked with me to adopt new grips, to swing differently, to follow through, etc., but I'm much too old to learn new tricks. For the limited time I have playing tennis, I'd rather be playing tennis.
Now I do want to improve my game. But to tear apart my foundation, however flawed it is, just isn't time- or cost-efficient. I think I can improve more by playing matches and learning/adjusting as I go.
For my 6- and 8-year old daughters, on the other hand, I feel it is worth it to invest the time and effort to teach them good fundamentals now, while they are learning the game. For an old geezer like me, it makes more sense to make the best of the skill set I have.
What do you think?
Are you the type of person that enjoys conducting drills, aimed at perfecting shots? Is your perception of growth dependent on improvement in form?
Or are you like me, where you'd much prefer playing a set or match (even if the score isn't recorded and you aren't playing for anything) to practicing? I am 40 and have never received formal instruction untii I did a mini-week at the Bollettieri Academy last November. It was pretty much useless to me. The instructors worked with me to adopt new grips, to swing differently, to follow through, etc., but I'm much too old to learn new tricks. For the limited time I have playing tennis, I'd rather be playing tennis.
Now I do want to improve my game. But to tear apart my foundation, however flawed it is, just isn't time- or cost-efficient. I think I can improve more by playing matches and learning/adjusting as I go.
For my 6- and 8-year old daughters, on the other hand, I feel it is worth it to invest the time and effort to teach them good fundamentals now, while they are learning the game. For an old geezer like me, it makes more sense to make the best of the skill set I have.
What do you think?