[Moved] Annoying "Gear Heads" in Tennis
- Thread starter fuzzfactory
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charaseac
Rookie
LOL..
it's their money (or their parent's money).. Let them use it however they want i. Even if they burn their money in front of you, you can't sue them because of that can you?
I think instead of making the term gear head a bad term, it's better to talk about their morale. I hate how he blame you when he lost. But hey, theyre kids, theyre still looking for identity.
I'm 25. My family is quite rich. I grew up having anything i want.
And oh. in tennis i'm a bit of a gear head too. I jsut started playing last year. I'm a computer guy, i have to say i'm not really into sports. I played a bit of soccer for my high school but not really into it. Tennis is the first sport that i play for this long and still feel enthusiastic about it. I'm not a great player, and i have K95 and PD. But i know my limit. I only buy racket that i know i can handle. The first time i bought K95. I cant handle the weight (my previous racket was a light K4). So what i did is i actually push myself to get used to the frame. I lift weights, and do some arm and wrist training. Then aafter a month i bought myself a pure drive. i use the PD for warm up and when i'm too tired to use K95 (as i dont have the stamina to keep up with the K95 yet). I play a lot.. i ask more advanced friends and random people on public court who are better than me to teach me or comment on my game. Can you imagine how weird is it when the guy next to you whom you think is horrible with all those nicer rackets suddenly asking for you to help him improve? Yeah i'm that guy. Bottom line is: I might look like one of those crazy spenders for a beginner but i do try to get better. I can easily afford coach, but where the hell is the fun in that?
Trust me.. not all rich spoiled kids will grow up as a spoiled adult. I'm one of better ones. proven...
it's their money (or their parent's money).. Let them use it however they want i. Even if they burn their money in front of you, you can't sue them because of that can you?
I think instead of making the term gear head a bad term, it's better to talk about their morale. I hate how he blame you when he lost. But hey, theyre kids, theyre still looking for identity.
I'm 25. My family is quite rich. I grew up having anything i want.
And oh. in tennis i'm a bit of a gear head too. I jsut started playing last year. I'm a computer guy, i have to say i'm not really into sports. I played a bit of soccer for my high school but not really into it. Tennis is the first sport that i play for this long and still feel enthusiastic about it. I'm not a great player, and i have K95 and PD. But i know my limit. I only buy racket that i know i can handle. The first time i bought K95. I cant handle the weight (my previous racket was a light K4). So what i did is i actually push myself to get used to the frame. I lift weights, and do some arm and wrist training. Then aafter a month i bought myself a pure drive. i use the PD for warm up and when i'm too tired to use K95 (as i dont have the stamina to keep up with the K95 yet). I play a lot.. i ask more advanced friends and random people on public court who are better than me to teach me or comment on my game. Can you imagine how weird is it when the guy next to you whom you think is horrible with all those nicer rackets suddenly asking for you to help him improve? Yeah i'm that guy. Bottom line is: I might look like one of those crazy spenders for a beginner but i do try to get better. I can easily afford coach, but where the hell is the fun in that?
Trust me.. not all rich spoiled kids will grow up as a spoiled adult. I'm one of better ones. proven...
rum02
Rookie
lol, so true.
Double Fault
Semi-Pro
I think that there are two sides of the same story. I'm a gear head and I'll explain why in this post.
There's people who spend money on tennis and people who don't. The amount of money they spend on their gear is not proportional to the skill they have, but it doesn't condition them to stay at NTRP 3.0. In fact, if anything, spending money on gear will most likely boost your confidence and in tennis, being the psychological sport that it is, that can translate into better results.
Will having the latest racquet automatically make you the best player in your club? No, but it will certainly help if it boosts your confidence. Playing with a racquet that you know you can trust is a huge deal in this game. Anyone who's ever played a match knows that the psychological part of tennis can determine the outcome of a match, especially if it is a competitive one.
I started playing in October 2007 (6 months ago) and I had never done anything related to racquets before. The learning curve was steep. Until today, I've probably had 30 private lessons and my level has increased noticeably from a 2.5 to a 3.5 in just 6 months.
My very first racquet was an Aero Pro Drive+ and I didn't like it. I switched to a lighter one, the Aero Strike and I liked it for a month but then discovered that it would twist in my hand when volleying, so I started looking around for another racquet. While everyone who "knew" racquets insisted that I should continue using the Aero Stike because it is a nice social racquet, I just knew that there had to be something that felt better. So I bought and RDS001 MP without even trying it. I liked the specs, what can I say... Almost immediately, by 2hbh improved and this heavier racquet made my overall game better. After some weeks I started noticing how stiff the RDS001MP felt and wanted that same racquet, but flexier. The obvious choice was a used RDX500MP. I hit with it and immediately liked it. I bought four of them (although I intend to keep two and sell the other two). Lately, Babolat's distributor down here asked me to try the new Aero Storm Tour. Guess what? It plays even better than the RDX or RDS. The extra weight absolutely helped my game and now I can hit 20+ shot rallies with heavy spin and serious power, something that I was never able to do before. Whenever I grab the RDS or RDX, I cannot do this, at least not with the pace the Aero Storm Tour gives me.
So, today I have 4 RDX500MPs, 3 RDS001MPs, 1 Aero Storm Tour, 1 RQ7, even though I only use 1 RDX, 1 RDS and the Aero Storm. I intend to keep 2 RDXs, 1 RDS, and the Aero Storm. To carry them, I use a 9 pack Yonex Pro bag I bought used on the boards. I used to hae a 6 pack Aero Bag which I sold when I got rid of the APDC+ and the Aero Strikes.
I own one pair of Yonex SHT306CL shoes, one pair of Babolat Team Clay IIs and one pair of regular Nike tennis shoes. I have 4 Yonex shirts, 2 Yonex shorts, 1 Yonex cap, 12 Yonex vibe dampeners (I absolutely love them), 1 Nike dri fit polo shirt, 2 Nike shorts, 1 Adidas shirt, 1 Adidas short, Reebok windbreakers and the rest of the winter clothes (playing outdoors on clay with 10-12 degrees celcius is serious). I have several wristbands, etc.
I've also tried the following strings: PHT, PHT17, Ballistic, Attraction, Xcel Premium, Ultra Tour 17, Ichiban, Tour Super 850, Sensation, Big Banger Original, Big Banger ALU, Big Banger ACE, and probably one or two more. I kept the PHT17 / Xcel hybrid.
I have 4 ASO ankle braces which I bought after rolling my left ankle twice. I only use 2 and kept the other 2 for when the ones I currently use wear out. The pain was so great that I don't want to risk my ankles again.
I'm barely a 3.5 player and have no intention of going pro, but tennis is my hobby. I like it very much and it is what I do when I'm not working. It is normal to throw money at it just like motor heads throw money on their rides even though they are not professional drivers. When you buy a computer, you want the best your money can buy, even though you know you probably don't need a quad core. If we translated the main point of this thread to computing, 80% of computer users should run Pentium IIIs with Windows 98; after all if you only do email and browsing you don't need anything else. When I was learning drums, I had the crappiest kit available. It was completely discouraging because the cheap wood make the drums sound like crap. It wasn't until I upgraded to a Pearl drum set with better sounding wood and cymbals that I got seriously involved in drumming. Same thing when I learned to fly, it wasn't until I used something better than a lousy Cessna 150 that I really started loving it.
As I said, I'm a gear head but I admit that when people think I buy things because of certain players it embarrasses me. For example, I like Yonex. The whole brand just seems to click with me. Down here Nalbandian is huge and everyone thinks I use Yonex stuff because of him. Hell, the last time I saw him play was last year during Madrid! I'm not even Argentinean! lol So because he uses Yonex, everyone here assumes that I'm a Nalbandian wannabe. Truth be told, I don't really have time to even watch tennis. Why would I want to be like him? It's like saying that your neighbor chose Chevrolet because some Nascar driver uses it...
I completely disagree with the whole "learn to play with a Walmart racquet and use a rubber band" theory. People should learn with something that they like, regardless if they're up to the "level" of it. If they chose incorrectly, sooner or later they'll know it and move on to something else. It is their money and they should spend it as they wish.
The best you can do is own one of these gear heads if they have a big mouth, otherwise I think the big mouth is yours.
There's people who spend money on tennis and people who don't. The amount of money they spend on their gear is not proportional to the skill they have, but it doesn't condition them to stay at NTRP 3.0. In fact, if anything, spending money on gear will most likely boost your confidence and in tennis, being the psychological sport that it is, that can translate into better results.
Will having the latest racquet automatically make you the best player in your club? No, but it will certainly help if it boosts your confidence. Playing with a racquet that you know you can trust is a huge deal in this game. Anyone who's ever played a match knows that the psychological part of tennis can determine the outcome of a match, especially if it is a competitive one.
I started playing in October 2007 (6 months ago) and I had never done anything related to racquets before. The learning curve was steep. Until today, I've probably had 30 private lessons and my level has increased noticeably from a 2.5 to a 3.5 in just 6 months.
My very first racquet was an Aero Pro Drive+ and I didn't like it. I switched to a lighter one, the Aero Strike and I liked it for a month but then discovered that it would twist in my hand when volleying, so I started looking around for another racquet. While everyone who "knew" racquets insisted that I should continue using the Aero Stike because it is a nice social racquet, I just knew that there had to be something that felt better. So I bought and RDS001 MP without even trying it. I liked the specs, what can I say... Almost immediately, by 2hbh improved and this heavier racquet made my overall game better. After some weeks I started noticing how stiff the RDS001MP felt and wanted that same racquet, but flexier. The obvious choice was a used RDX500MP. I hit with it and immediately liked it. I bought four of them (although I intend to keep two and sell the other two). Lately, Babolat's distributor down here asked me to try the new Aero Storm Tour. Guess what? It plays even better than the RDX or RDS. The extra weight absolutely helped my game and now I can hit 20+ shot rallies with heavy spin and serious power, something that I was never able to do before. Whenever I grab the RDS or RDX, I cannot do this, at least not with the pace the Aero Storm Tour gives me.
So, today I have 4 RDX500MPs, 3 RDS001MPs, 1 Aero Storm Tour, 1 RQ7, even though I only use 1 RDX, 1 RDS and the Aero Storm. I intend to keep 2 RDXs, 1 RDS, and the Aero Storm. To carry them, I use a 9 pack Yonex Pro bag I bought used on the boards. I used to hae a 6 pack Aero Bag which I sold when I got rid of the APDC+ and the Aero Strikes.
I own one pair of Yonex SHT306CL shoes, one pair of Babolat Team Clay IIs and one pair of regular Nike tennis shoes. I have 4 Yonex shirts, 2 Yonex shorts, 1 Yonex cap, 12 Yonex vibe dampeners (I absolutely love them), 1 Nike dri fit polo shirt, 2 Nike shorts, 1 Adidas shirt, 1 Adidas short, Reebok windbreakers and the rest of the winter clothes (playing outdoors on clay with 10-12 degrees celcius is serious). I have several wristbands, etc.
I've also tried the following strings: PHT, PHT17, Ballistic, Attraction, Xcel Premium, Ultra Tour 17, Ichiban, Tour Super 850, Sensation, Big Banger Original, Big Banger ALU, Big Banger ACE, and probably one or two more. I kept the PHT17 / Xcel hybrid.
I have 4 ASO ankle braces which I bought after rolling my left ankle twice. I only use 2 and kept the other 2 for when the ones I currently use wear out. The pain was so great that I don't want to risk my ankles again.
I'm barely a 3.5 player and have no intention of going pro, but tennis is my hobby. I like it very much and it is what I do when I'm not working. It is normal to throw money at it just like motor heads throw money on their rides even though they are not professional drivers. When you buy a computer, you want the best your money can buy, even though you know you probably don't need a quad core. If we translated the main point of this thread to computing, 80% of computer users should run Pentium IIIs with Windows 98; after all if you only do email and browsing you don't need anything else. When I was learning drums, I had the crappiest kit available. It was completely discouraging because the cheap wood make the drums sound like crap. It wasn't until I upgraded to a Pearl drum set with better sounding wood and cymbals that I got seriously involved in drumming. Same thing when I learned to fly, it wasn't until I used something better than a lousy Cessna 150 that I really started loving it.
As I said, I'm a gear head but I admit that when people think I buy things because of certain players it embarrasses me. For example, I like Yonex. The whole brand just seems to click with me. Down here Nalbandian is huge and everyone thinks I use Yonex stuff because of him. Hell, the last time I saw him play was last year during Madrid! I'm not even Argentinean! lol So because he uses Yonex, everyone here assumes that I'm a Nalbandian wannabe. Truth be told, I don't really have time to even watch tennis. Why would I want to be like him? It's like saying that your neighbor chose Chevrolet because some Nascar driver uses it...
I completely disagree with the whole "learn to play with a Walmart racquet and use a rubber band" theory. People should learn with something that they like, regardless if they're up to the "level" of it. If they chose incorrectly, sooner or later they'll know it and move on to something else. It is their money and they should spend it as they wish.
The best you can do is own one of these gear heads if they have a big mouth, otherwise I think the big mouth is yours.
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Did the kid do the "Nadal pick" as well?
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sargeinaz
Hall of Fame
Some of you sound like little girls worrying about what other people wear/use on the courts. Go there, play, enjoy yourself and leave. Whats it to you if a kid has 40 rackets, new shoes and all that. Maybe their parents are rich or something, dont be so bitter. Who cares if they are using advanced players rackets. They can use any stick they want and if it happens to hinder their games then so be it. Who cares if the people on the courts sucked, it's a public court and they came to play, leave them be.
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Zoloft death
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Zoloft death
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Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
Where did you last two go to school for your Psychiatry degrees? (IOW, I don't agree with your psycho-analysis of the OP.)
If I were a PhD I might say you two are exhibiting heightened defensiveness.
- KK
If I were a PhD I might say you two are exhibiting heightened defensiveness.
- KK
sargeinaz
Hall of Fame
If being defensive is calling it how I see it, then I guess you can call me defensive if you want. Should guys be looking at other guys (especially little kids) and be worrying about their rackets or clothing on the tennis courts? Does one feel good about themselves for punking little kids? Does it affect your life in any way, shape or form? I would hope not. Thats what girls do, scope out other girls and talk crap about them like their hair or purse or something.
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REHAB FORUM
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stormholloway
Legend
I think their assessments are spot on. The guy listed a bunch of completely neutral data, such as their clothes racquets and skill levels. Then he said he was annoyed. Why be annoyed be these things? I can see being annoyed by behavior, but not gear or skill levels. That's just lame.
well who is he to pick on kids for having nice equipment even though they aren't good?
user92626
G.O.A.T.
To The OP,
Heritage is in a rich part of OC. Come to the parks in Westminster, Santa Ana and see, and are you gonna donate your babolat to the kids there? LOL.
Cut the kids some slacks. They're nice enough to listen to parents and coaches to come out and play, instead of hanging out in some back alleys. People (their parents) mostly work hard to be there in the first place. So, they deserve it.
And kids at this age do not enjoy the same thing as the 20s, 30s, 40s, etc do. So, it's a bit ridiculous to impose your values onto them. How would you feel if a 50 years old asks why you waste your time in playing tennis like this while you could spend the time building wealth, retirement, etc.?
Heritage is in a rich part of OC. Come to the parks in Westminster, Santa Ana and see, and are you gonna donate your babolat to the kids there? LOL.
Cut the kids some slacks. They're nice enough to listen to parents and coaches to come out and play, instead of hanging out in some back alleys. People (their parents) mostly work hard to be there in the first place. So, they deserve it.
And kids at this age do not enjoy the same thing as the 20s, 30s, 40s, etc do. So, it's a bit ridiculous to impose your values onto them. How would you feel if a 50 years old asks why you waste your time in playing tennis like this while you could spend the time building wealth, retirement, etc.?
stormholloway
Legend
Definitely not. They refer to themselves as Argentines when they speak english.
By the way, how do you like life down there? I've always wanted to visit/move there.
Double Fault
Semi-Pro
Well, I live right next door in Uruguay and I like Argentina a lot more. I'm moving back to Costa Rica, the country where I grew up, mid-year. Winters here suck and everyone's attitude changes and they're more rude, unhappy, etc. Can't wait to get back to anywhere across the tropic line.
frekcles
Semi-Pro
Not everyone at Heritage park is a poser (for juniors). I've seen very good kids in the 14 and under and 16 and under, have only one or two frames, show up on time for their group lessons and usually stay afterwards to play each other or to chat with their coach.
On the other end of the spectrum I've seen high school kids from nearby Irvine High School who are mirror images of the OP's description.
Bubba
Professional
Agree totally. How is this any difference from the trend followers in school, baseball, golf, computer games, etc... You think a tennis racquet is expensive... go buy a nice baseball glove (>$110) and a good bat ($300-$400)! Don't even get me going about golf and that kit.
Kids want to belong to a group and 'live' in that environment. If they (and their parent's) can afford to kit them out in the gear, I say great... go for it. I do and will do the same for my kids... however, they will, and do, earn it.
Sounds to me like the OP is an old crusty that pinches pennies... but if that's your gig, great. Doesn't mean everyone needs, or wants that.
In the end, they are kids - getting exercise, and learning to socialize and compete - win and lose. I rather like the fact that kids are allowed to lose in tennis and it's 'okay'... I'm fed up with schools and parents that push 'all kids need to be winners all the time' - so far from the real world that it's ridiculous.
That said - yes, this thread is in the wrong forum, but who really cares.
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