Moonballing = hate?

[Cody]

Nah I just wanted to play a few friendlies with it lol. But when I actually do use it, it's very effective.

Didn't you say that you use moonballs for 80-90 % of your forehands?.

 

[Failed]

The OP is somewhat beginning to belive that he must not moonball in order to feel accepted on TT forums :< My guess

 

[ubermeyer]

I was messing around on youtube and I saw the Seles/Chrissy footage of their moonballs and everyone left some nasty comments about moonballing and I thought it was unfair because it's just a shot.

I watched that video and I disliked it because if you can call yourself a pro, you should be able to deal with that kind of moonballing, but they couldn't.

 

[topher.juan]

I love moonballing those who hate it. I don't enjoy performing or returning the shot myself; it's not the pace of tennis I like to play, but I far more enjoy shots that frustrate my opponents -- that's what I'm there to do. Frustration = Unforced Errors; frustrating an opponent is one of the fastest keys to winning. Don't ever put playing whatever your vision of "proper tennis" is above winning; I never lose at the expense of playing how I like to play.

 

[luckyfool]

It's the latter; I wanted to see how people would react to a pure moonballer to get a sense of why people disliked it. I was messing around on youtube and I saw the Seles/Chrissy footage of their moonballs and everyone left some nasty comments about moonballing and I thought it was unfair because it's just a shot. Just as a drop shot, or a volley is a shot, but people thought it was a very cheap thing to do. I guess I'm not the type that really gets upset over stuff like that, it's just another hurdle I have to overcome over the course of a match, so I didn't really get it at all, ya know?

Yeah, it does, but, like I said, I wouldn't have gotten as good a feel for you saying it's a cheap move because I've been moonballed and I don't think it's cheap at all, but the fact that you all referred to it as a pusher move and for lower level players, now I see why you feel like it's cheap and you shouldn't win like that, because you feel it's only a move for beginners and that you should forget it as you move along. Honestly, I don't think you should leave ANY shot behind, no matter how amateurish it is, because you never know when it'll come in handy.

Don't leave moonballing behind? you use it more than 50% of the time when you are "4.5 rated" seems like you are still using it as your primary weapon now you've evolved...

haha i just want to echo what other posters have mentioned, you can't be 4.5 in just 1 yr of tennis. Maybe if you're coached by a pro and it's still by a long stretch.

Moonballs are actually easy to attack for 4.0+ players. From personal experience, either moonball it back on the rise (the moonballers get really fed up with that and eventually will hit a bad one so just easy overhead ) or just not give them a chance to hit one at all, or at least to force to hit a sloppy one. I've played and seen enough 4.0+ players to know that no true 4.0+ players hit moonballs in a regular basis.

You should post a video of your game when you get a chance and prove us all wrong.

 

[Falloutjr]

Don't leave moonballing behind? you use it more than 50% of the time when you are "4.5 rated" seems like you are still using it as your primary weapon now you've evolved...

haha i just want to echo what other posters have mentioned, you can't be 4.5 in just 1 yr of tennis. Maybe if you're coached by a pro and it's still by a long stretch.

Moonballs are actually easy to attack for 4.0+ players. From personal experience, either moonball it back on the rise (the moonballers get really fed up with that and eventually will hit a bad one so just easy overhead ) or just not give them a chance to hit one at all, or at least to force to hit a sloppy one. I've played and seen enough 4.0+ players to know that no true 4.0+ players hit moonballs in a regular basis.

You should post a video of your game when you get a chance and prove us all wrong.

i exaggerated the numbers lol as previously stated. and even when i do moonball if they hit it on the rise WELL ill stop i mean c'mon o.o granted there are players who try to hit it on the rise and really don't change the trajectory of the ball so they hit it 5 feet long but other than that ill go back to my groundies.

 

[teppeiahn1]

Its effective to a point. and idk where to make the separations between moon balling and heavy top but now these days, if you want to play competetively, you have to hit it out of the opponents strike zone.

nadal is a good example.

nothing wrong with moonballing but dont expect to get far with that since fluffy balls can be crushed from baseline.

 

[fruitytennis1]

Beating the moonball is easy. Smashing the ball on their backhand side...Via hitting on the rise which most 4.0+ people can do. Or doing the slice-smash at the baseline which is soooo fun and every one knows it!

 

[LeeD]

Yeah, easy.
And you could beat EddyDibbs, HaroldSolomon, and every little guy who's a 6.0 and better, right?

 

[GuyClinch]

^^^ Probably not.

However it does play into the hands of some players. For example I am very tall and pretty strong (compared to other tennis players). But my footwork and mobility are not top notch.

So the slower moonballs play to my strengths. Its easier to get into position to hit moonballs. I can handle more of them with my height and I like hitting overheads.

So against me your better off hitting regular shots, IMHO. Basically when you hit moonballs your saying - "I don't think your offense is so good."

That's not smart if your opponent has a good offensive game and mediocre defensive one.

Yes Solomon would cream people who are lower levels - but he doesn't need to resort to his moonball hitting game to do that. It would just slow things down.

Pete

 

[LeeD]

If HaroldSalomon in his prime played YOU, he'd win 0-0-0-0-0- or maybe you'd get one game a set. He was world #30 and better consistently.
He could run you alley to alley until your tongue hung out. You have bad footwork, you said. He'd hit behind you, hit into either of your alleys, and not break a sweat. AND, he sliced with his two hander just like JimmyConnors, with some sidespin, so the ball skidded ankle high to you on that side.
And on his forehands, he's hit harder than you could possibly repeatedly handle.
His serves at the TransAmerical speed serve contest averaged right around the low 120's, enough to beat you easily unless you were used to 6.0 level serves.
Remember, he beat the likes of RaulRameriz, DickStockton, KenRosewall, TonyRoche, StanSmith, IliaNastase, and many other top 20's during the mid thru late '70's. I don't think you'd take sets off any of those guys.

 

[GuyClinch]

I never said he wouldn't. Your missing the point..

Amateurs don't hit moonballs like a pro moonballer. So the less effective moonballs aren't the perfect tatic for SOME players when hit by amatuers.

Those amatuer moonballs land short more often - and don't have enough spin on them and play into the hands of someone with a good offensive game and not so good defensive game.

As for the "bad footwork" bit. It comes into play during the "recovery" stage as well as getting to the ball. Both of these issues are minimized by the slower moonball. So again be aware that moonballs aren't the right tatic for every player.

 

[LeeD]

Sorry, I did'nt know anyone was advocating moonballs for every player all of the time. I thought it was used by few players some of the time to take the opponent out of their rythums and to solicit weak returns or misses.
I think every tennis player has to learn how to use all the strokes, so they could choose the one they need when they need it. Moonballs are a science onto itself, and need to be practiced and used a few times to get the whole notion and timing down.
And what's a whole lot better than bouncing a topspin 1' over your opponent's head on his backhand side?

 

[Falloutjr]

Beating the moonball is easy. Smashing the ball on their backhand side...Via hitting on the rise which most 4.0+ people can do. Or doing the slice-smash at the baseline which is soooo fun and every one knows it!

I don't like smashing I like sitting at the baseline and watching my opponents implode

And yeah, I'm a fluffy player. Loopy, topspin forehands and slice backhands on pretty much every shot, but I find it quite effective, especially against people who can hit the ball harder than I can. Even when I played football, I was never the tough guy who could bench 300 pounds. I was a quarterback; I threw the ball away and I slid when I ran When I play basketball, I stand on the perimeter and shoot 3's, but it's just who I am, and I'm okay with it

And Failed: I wear makeup on a daily basis; other people's opinions are rarely ever a concern of mine haha

 

[Ripper014]

Harold Solomon would not just beat you.. he would beat you physically and mentally, when done you would want to put your racket in the closet and take up golf. I am sure pros many did...