Help me achieve my (depressingly low) goal!

[HunterST]

Here's my big life goal as a tennis player: (drum roll) I'd like to be a solid 4.5 player. I'm talking maybe win a little above 50 percent of matches.

Some background: Right now, I'm on the cusp between 4.0 and 4.5. I can have great hits with strong 4.5s, but my singles match play is just not there.

I think my problem may be a lack of experience in competitive matches. I started playing after high school at 19, so I never got the benefit of playing tons of Hs matches. I play lots of tennis and practice sets, but I only get to play around 3 actual tournaments per year. and , like a lot of people, my level of play is not up to my level in practice. Sometimes I wonder if it's virtually impossible to be a solid 4.5 with so little match play experience, no matter how much hitting and practice sets one plays.

What would your recommendation be for an action plan? Certain drills? Play anyone who will agree to a match?

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

[soapbox]
I wouldn't call your goal depressingly low given that the bottom of 4.5 starts around the 90th percentile of registered players [and when you take into account that the vast majority of tennis players are not registered, the # probably goes up to 95+].

However high or low your goal is, it's still your goal and therefore important.
[/soapbox]

Set up matches with 4.5s and record them [if they are willing]: observe what they do that sets them apart from you. It may not be just one or two things but a variety. Start thinking about how you can incorporate some of those skills into your game.

Take some lessons. Be proactive: don't just passively accept everything the coach says or suggests.

Don't just practice or just play sets or just take lessons; find a balance that works for you.

It would be ideal if you could find a hitting partner who is just as dedicated as you [not necessarily the same level] so you can push each other and hold one another accountable.

I like to harp on the 3 Fs: fitness, focus, and footwork. Anyone at any level can get better at these things and they will be a great enabler for your game.

Enjoy the journey, above all.

 

[HunterST]

[soapbox]
I wouldn't call your goal depressingly low given that the bottom of 4.5 starts around the 90th percentile of registered players [and when you take into account that the vast majority of tennis players are not registered, the # probably goes up to 95+].

However high or low your goal is, it's still your goal and therefore important.
[/soapbox]

Set up matches with 4.5s and record them [if they are willing]: observe what they do that sets them apart from you. It may not be just one or two things but a variety. Start thinking about how you can incorporate some of those skills into your game.

Take some lessons. Be proactive: don't just passively accept everything the coach says or suggests.

Don't just practice or just play sets or just take lessons; find a balance that works for you.

It would be ideal if you could find a hitting partner who is just as dedicated as you [not necessarily the same level] so you can push each other and hold one another accountable.

I like to harp on the 3 Fs: fitness, focus, and footwork. Anyone at any level can get better at these things and they will be a great enabler for your game.

Enjoy the journey, above all.

Awesome post! Thank you.

 

[KenC]

No one plays the same in a match as they do in practice. I'll recount one time I saw Berdych practice at Monte Carlo. This guy is a human wrecking ball and no one can pound groundstrokes in practice with such elegance and ease as he does. The last 15 minutes of his practice session were spent just hitting about 500 BH volleys crosscourt. He didn't miss one! I watched him play later in the afternoon and the first BH volley he hit lost him the game. And he wasn't playing with the same intensity as he practiced, he was playing inside his match level, not his practice level. It made me realize that we practice as hard as we can hoping that this increases our match level.

Anyway, for me, I try to drill under the pressure of a point. For example, I do all the typical rally drills but play to the first to lose 11. There is also a practice match. Get two hours of court time and do the drills that you need to work on in the first hour, then in the 2nd hour play 2 sets trying to implement what you worked on in the drills. Another thing you can do is find 3 or 7 other players and do a mini tournament over the weekend. It's not exactly the same atmosphere as a real tournament, but it helps. Good luck!

 

[Slash007]

Not a depressing goal at all, actually it is great goal. 4.5 is basically the top level of recreational tennis so it is actually a really thought one.

Then the answer is in your post. Do more tournaments! Tennis is a mental game. You will see bad line calling, bad days and different styles that will take your comfort zone away.

You have to experience it to be able to deal with it and you will need to find your own way.

 

[SinjinCooper]

Improve your second serve, your crosscourt groundstrokes (esp. depth and consistency), and your tennis-specific fitness.

That's the 5.0 recipe for anyone who isn't so tall and athletic that they have the potential to get there by working on their serve alone. And getting to 4.5 on the way is pretty much inevitable.

 

[navigator]

I suspect you can do this if for no other reason than you're not *that* far away now and there are probably a lot of things you haven't done (yet) that are not that difficult implement. I'm not a teaching pro, but my two cents are:

(1) Focus on footwork, fitness, consistency and strategy. Probably the biggest differences between 4.0 and 4.5 players are not strokes or power, but rather footwork, endurance and strategy (knowing when to hit each shot and why). If you can really learn and internalize what you're supposed to be doing on the court given your strengths and weaknesses you'll be surprised at how many matches you can win.
(2) Use a ball machine. Some people find it boring (I don't) but stroking thousands and thousands of tennis balls - even if your technique isn't perfect (but is at least reasonable) - will really improve your consistency.
(3) Play all sorts of players. Play people better, worse, about the same, pushers, S&Vs, ball bashers, junk ballers, etc... you're going to come across all of them in tournaments and you need to learn how to deal with them. Most rec players don't do this - they avoid certain types of players because they don't enjoy playing them and then they wonder why they lose to them in tournaments and/or league play.
(4) Practice a lot. It seems obvious, but a lot of folks think they can improve playing 2-3x per week but I think if you've been playing for several years you've gotta ramp up the playing if you're going to see improvement, otherwise you're just going to stagnate where you are (which is the norm).
(5) Take the occasional lesson from a decent teaching pro. Just to get an objective outside opinion of what you're doing, both good and bad.

Maybe these are all blinding glimpses of the obvious, but... well, there you are. I'm thinking you can do this.

 

[Lance L]

I would say stop worrying about what level you are, and start working on getting 5% better. Thats it.
Improve your fitness. Improve your technique. Improve your strategy. There is no magic formula, but at the same time it doesn't take much. 5% is all it takes. 5% is a lot of work, but doable for the rec player.
If you do this you can move up to 4.5.

 

[HunterST]

Thanks, guys. A lot of great responses.

My fitness and strokes are pretty good. My serve is a little better than average for 4.5. If I do intense cross court hitting with 4.5s, it's clear that our strokes are on pretty equal ground. My consistency and match play just aren't good enough once a real match starts.

I played some 4.5s in a tournament recently and watched some matches with strong 4.5s, and one word came to mind: clean. The good 4.5s just play cleaner than I do. Better 1st serve percentage, less missed return of serves, less errors within the first few balls.

It's a little tough to think of exactly how to work on playing cleaner, but that's what I need to do.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Does anyone else find it offensive that wanting to be in the top 10% of rec tennis players is a "depressingly low goal".

I thought i'd come into this thread and find someone looking to be 4.0 at age 20.

Anyway from what I've seen of the 4.5's around the club: They are fitter than me, faster than me, more consistent than me and serve far better than me. So there's your targets: Improve your fitness, footwork, consistency and serve and you'll be 4.5 in no time.

 

[Lance L]

Thanks, guys. A lot of great responses.

My fitness and strokes are pretty good. My serve is a little better than average for 4.5. If I do intense cross court hitting with 4.5s, it's clear that our strokes are on pretty equal ground. My consistency and match play just aren't good enough once a real match starts.

I played some 4.5s in a tournament recently and watched some matches with strong 4.5s, and one word came to mind: clean. The good 4.5s just play cleaner than I do. Better 1st serve percentage, less missed return of serves, less errors within the first few balls.

It's a little tough to think of exactly how to work on playing cleaner, but that's what I need to do.

It is possible that some of your problem is mental. When you play are you trying hard to win, or are you instead trying to play well.
When we play matches, it is easy to worry too much about winning and that can get in the way of playing as well as we are capable of.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Does anyone else find it offensive that wanting to be in the top 10% of rec tennis players is a "depressingly low goal".

I think it might have been a pre-emptive defense against some among the forum who would disdain such a "low-level" player.

 

[HunterST]

It is possible that some of your problem is mental. When you play are you trying hard to win, or are you instead trying to play well.
When we play matches, it is easy to worry too much about winning and that can get in the way of playing as well as we are capable of.

It's funny you mention that. In the tournament I played most recently I made a very conscious goal to focus only on playing well and made "performance goals" instead of "result goals." Oddly enough, my nerves didn't let up much. I still had quite a few points with heavy feet and tightness. That was the first tournament I'd played in a year or maybe a little more, though, so it's kind of to be expected. I will continue the mental strategy for my next tournament!

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

It's funny you mention that. In the tournament I played most recently I made a very conscious goal to focus only on playing well and made "performance goals" instead of "result goals." Oddly enough, my nerves didn't let up much. I still had quite a few points with heavy feet and tightness. That was the first tournament I'd played in a year or maybe a little more, though, so it's kind of to be expected. I will continue the mental strategy for my next tournament!

See if this is applicable: