Happi
Hall of Fame
Actually I think we do pretty good - however the weather could be better at this time a year, it is so dark and gray almost feels like evening in the middle of the day, no sign of any sun soon.
Seniors lounge (over 50) come on in.
- Thread starter Vanhalen
- Start date
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Some other play from the practice match. Still playing a lot lower level and the match is more about fighting myself and errors than any opponent. Even with that, working on a few different things. First was variety in shots and pace. Also a big pattern I am using very often right now is to hit to corners and close the net, which I am doing better than average on. Last was just working on serve variety, so cutting down pace a lot for more movement on the ball until I feel more control.
Just uploaded so probably only low quality for a bit. Looks like HD kicked in. 
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ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
Apparently not as much lights as I thought, so made a correction
No brother ... legs still too good for the bail out. If a weak 5' 7-8" 155 lb guy can finish point with overheads, you have no excuse with a linebacker body.
D
Deleted member 765152
Guest
I may be seeing it wrong on the video, but it appears you are hitting your overheads with a pancake motion.
Pancake overheads are functional, but to get to the next level, a continental overhead is needed.
Pancake overheads are functional, but to get to the next level, a continental overhead is needed.
Rattler
Hall of Fame
Take a year off and remedy that...you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
Happi
Hall of Fame
Perhaps for religious reasons ?
Rattler
Hall of Fame
I couldn’t think of a better excuse
graycrait
Legend
I'm sure this is covered ad nauseum somewhere on TT but I was watching Mark Vines in his recent championship match. It appears he is using a Wilson Hyper Carbon Hammer 2.0 Stretch 115". If a guy who beat Lendl back in the day is using a "granny stick" why am I not using one, I am older than Vines with less honed background? Is there a special skill set required or to be learned to effectively use those large headed, stiff as heck, light fan patterned rackets?
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
Old & slow that is the tempo
atatu
Legend
Can you send a link of that please ? He's an interesting guy, I remember watching him play in the DC area in the late 80's and he was using a wood frame while everyone else was using graphite. Also I know I've repeated this many times here but last year I was watching some guy named Leo Young who was the #1 seed at the 55's National Hard courts in Atlanta and he was using the Gamma Big Bubba and crushing balls.
D
Deleted member 765152
Guest
Mark Vines is my favorite senior play to watch. He dominated at the 2018 National 60's Hard Court Doubles Finals.
His net play is stellar. However on TT, only rackets below 100" are allowed, at least publicly.
RiverRat
Professional
Those of us in this age range have certainly used similar sized racquets. I played with Prince 110 potato smashers from 81-88. For doubles I think they work fine but the control on groundstrokes is limited. The feel just isn't there. To make an analogy, it's like a trampoline, and I used to string those at 80 lbs and above. I'll stick with my 95 inch head. I'm only 56 now. When I slow down in my 60s and only play doubles. Nope, not going to happen--the only playing doubles part, of course I'm going to continue to slow down.
I've seen this video before. Perhaps you had shared it another time. I haven't become a fan of senior tennis yet. But it was good to see at what level these guys play. Whatever happened to Richard Schmidt? I grew up with the kid and understood he was #1 in the 40s or 50s. He played for his step-father at Minnesota, when they were bringing in all the Swedes and were pretty tough. He also had a brief pro career. I saw him play the DC event one year. I wonder about the backstory on guys that are still out there grinding at this age. The one guy with the gray shorts and white shirt (Doug Ditmer) looked like he might be a late-comer to tennis and just a good athlete who has aged particularly well. He seemed to be physically dominant out there.
I've seen this video before. Perhaps you had shared it another time. I haven't become a fan of senior tennis yet. But it was good to see at what level these guys play. Whatever happened to Richard Schmidt? I grew up with the kid and understood he was #1 in the 40s or 50s. He played for his step-father at Minnesota, when they were bringing in all the Swedes and were pretty tough. He also had a brief pro career. I saw him play the DC event one year. I wonder about the backstory on guys that are still out there grinding at this age. The one guy with the gray shorts and white shirt (Doug Ditmer) looked like he might be a late-comer to tennis and just a good athlete who has aged particularly well. He seemed to be physically dominant out there.
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atatu
Legend
Can anyone identify the rackets used in this match ?
RiverRat
Professional
My eyesight is not that good. Maybe we could get some younger guys to look at the video.
D
Deleted member 765152
Guest
For sure: Vines = Wilson Hammer Stretch, Doug Ditmer = Gamma Bubba RZR 137
I think: Randy Berg = Head Instinct, Wesley Cash = Wilson RF (Red and Black version)
austintennis2005
Professional
I played Vines first round of a tournament at WCT Lakeway around 1984.
I had never played junior tennis or even high school or college.
I had actually never even played in a tournament.
He was the #1 seed and they put us on the stadium court-I was 4.5 level player and we had a few good rallies/points but he got all the games.
I don’t remember him blowing me off the court with power more just cleverness and placements
I had never played junior tennis or even high school or college.
I had actually never even played in a tournament.
He was the #1 seed and they put us on the stadium court-I was 4.5 level player and we had a few good rallies/points but he got all the games.
I don’t remember him blowing me off the court with power more just cleverness and placements
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
I think this sums up a lot of rec tennis.
Not normally a racquet nerd. Got TE by being a d1ck. One hot fire danger day hose fitting broke. So I thought carrying big buckets of water like I was still 25 was ok. Wasn't.
Find my head TiS6 isn't arm friendly. Unbelievable after all these years the head radical microgel OS is still highly rated by codgers. And TG for TW US only place that has them. Must have bought a container ship load back in day.
Find my head TiS6 isn't arm friendly. Unbelievable after all these years the head radical microgel OS is still highly rated by codgers. And TG for TW US only place that has them. Must have bought a container ship load back in day.
graycrait
Legend
@ubercat , the big auction site usually has a few but the "savings" generally isn't significant. At 66 my main racket lately is my squad of 98" Pure Storm GTs, but I have a "company" of 106/107's. I like swinging Rad OSs, POGs and a couple of others in that range. I've had several 115-124" rackets over the years and even demoed a 137 Big Bubba once. So far I have not been able to "master" the super oversized rackets. I ordered a 115 Pro Staff 5.7 just to noodle around with. A friend of mine my age calls them - "banjo" rackets. After watching several Vines vids there has to be something I am missing, maybe "skill set."
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movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
People I play that are old and good are really smart.
Former D3 player I've wanted to hit with has been out for a month with TE problems. He's about 70 and has been using a Pure Drive for ten years. My hitting partner is almost 70 and also used a PD. My Prestige MPs are as stiff as I care to go. But a lot of older players like the free power from the large and stiff frames. My hitting partner can hit lefty or righty so he spreads the arm stress load.
atatu
Legend
I have a Gamma 117 in my bag that I've been thinking about switching to for awhile, I keep telling myself that when I turn 60 (59 this year) I'll put my Pure Aeros away, but the problem is I can't find anything comparable in power to the Babolats.
graycrait
Legend
Wouldn't just about every 9.5oz RA 71+ 110+ racket have more power than a Pure Aero? PA short story: I have a 28yr old friend who lives and dies with Pure Aeros who serves and inside out forehands that thing to death. If I go baseline to baseline he kills me on his service games. Even the young guys have issues with my serve so I I don't worry much about that half of the set. I can't help myself but to chip short to his backhand or even shorter to his forehand and watch him eventually mentally implode. I kind of feel sorry for him and if I try baseline to baseline he demolishes me. I've never met a "kid" who is more adverse to playing a short game. That same tactic works with this 62 yr old "kid" I play with who can slice the hide off the ball from anywhere along the baseline and "might" be able to teach Steffi Graf a thing or two about slicing, but as long as I bring him in he flounders and the rest of the time I slug wide to his forehand which has proven to be unreliable or at least more unreliable than mine
Injured Again
Hall of Fame
Give the Aero 112 a try. Seems to have substantial weight in the hoop and would be in the 330-340 gram range if you added enough weight to make it about 8 points HL.
I find I'm okay with my SW104 against the majority of my age group peers with the exception of the top few guys (I play 60's this year), but I mis-hit way too much playing the 20-40 year old 4.5/5.0 guys who can really thump or spin the ball. I used the Overdrive 110 in the past and that racquet was way more forgiving but the 2018 version was frankly terrible so I moved to the SW104. I'm thinking I really need those extra square inches to help when I'm on defense.
I'm going to grab a demo of it from TW this week and if it plays solidly, will probably get one, extend it to 28", and handle weight it up to about 350 grams, which is where my current racquets are.
mike schiffer
Semi-Pro
bet he's a poly user.....I was using Heads TI series for years till I wised up....the arm wont take that kind of abuse....sub 61 Ra rackets with multis now....just found a strange arm friendly combo in a Wilson Ncode that I handle weighted to 12.4 oz and Prince synth at 45.... forearm is now supple after play instead of a brick .....I would have to massage out for an hour then ice....none of that anymore
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movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
I think that he uses a multi. My hitting partner uses Kevlar.
Not many people I hit with use poly.
mark b.
Rookie
As a senior "doubles-only" player I've gone back and forth with large frames but my two favorites were the POG and the Dunlop 300G 105" because I could play full swing tennis. I cannot play with those super light stiff frames but if you think only low-average seniors play with them, do yourself a favor and attend a National USTA tournament for guys over 60. You'll see lots of OVERSIZE racquets in the hands of some very accomplished players. I've since reverted back to a 97-inch frame.
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
Wondered why one of our doubles players over 75 carries Weed. Till I faced the Truth. Then had to string one
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
Are those oversized frames stock? I suspect frames like those would kill my arm.
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
Which OS frames? Still use the Radical Bumblebee OS, Wilson PS 7.5 110, & Prince Graduate 110. Used them over 20-25 yrs
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
Stuff like the weed.
I could probably use something around 108 if it was leaded up to 13.25 ounces but it would probably be unwieldy.
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
Largest OS racquet I used primarily is/was the Volkl Catapult 1 120" head. Never felt unwieldly. Despite the snowshoe look.
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
I have 15 grams of lead between 10 and 2 on my IG Prestige MPs. Doing that on a 120 head would make it unwieldly.
atatu
Legend
I really liked the Dunlop 300G 105 as well, great frame. I recently demoed the Dunlop CX 200 OS (105) and it's not bad either.
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Well, I've been battling TE once again. Another year, another tendinopathy. This time it came from overzealous serve practice with gut/poly and Wilson Triniti balls. I've decided that those Triniti's are the tennis ball equivalent of polyester strings. Thick wall doesn't compress and throws more force at the string bed.
So I'm back using my Phantom 100 O3 with Velocity strings and slowly healing up.
Think I'll take out the modestly used gut poly in my Phantom 107 and put some cheap Wilson Sensation into it as a buddy of mine swears by it as a budget comfort string. Then I'll have 2 frames with softer string set ups.
And back to Costco Penn's despite their non-enviro friendliness. They are the softest balls to play with (according to my wife who has more experience with that sort of thing).
So I'm back using my Phantom 100 O3 with Velocity strings and slowly healing up.
Think I'll take out the modestly used gut poly in my Phantom 107 and put some cheap Wilson Sensation into it as a buddy of mine swears by it as a budget comfort string. Then I'll have 2 frames with softer string set ups.
And back to Costco Penn's despite their non-enviro friendliness. They are the softest balls to play with (according to my wife who has more experience with that sort of thing).
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
Sensation is comfortable and cheap but I went through a set in about 90 minutes the first time I tried it out. If you have an open pattern racquet and hit a lot of spin, it frays and breaks really quickly.
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Admittedly I'm hitting soft these days to protect my elbow so that's why i thought it was a good time to try it out. I guess I'll find out. Then tell my buddy, he's full of it.
Any other suggestions for a budget comfort string?
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
I've found that Synthetic Gut, Multis, etc. are relatively soft and cheap. I think that the stuff that gets marked up is "new". I'd probably be fine using the stuff made 30 years ago. I actually have a couple of frames with strings from about forty years ago. Haven't hit with them in 12 years but I'd guess that they'd play just fine.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
Some other play from the practice match. Still playing a lot lower level and the match is more about fighting myself and errors than any opponent. Even with that, working on a few different things. First was variety in shots and pace. Also a big pattern I am using very often right now is to hit to corners and close the net, which I am doing better than average on. Last was just working on serve variety, so cutting down pace a lot for more movement on the ball until I feel more control.
Just uploaded so probably only low quality for a bit.Looks like HD kicked in.
Kudos for your movement and I also like your FH (although you are a tad late on the take back)!
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
Not sure abou the Penn's, I prefer Dunlop Fort Clay (on clay).
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
As long as you have TE, you may want to use the best full bed NG, Babolat VS team 17, strung low at 50-52 LBs (afterwards you could raise the tension).
I get about 3-6 out of one racquet, but I have friends that get....6 months. It is expensive USD40 + stringing.
Second best: get a multi for around USD10.
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
Preferable to re-habbing TE, though.
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Yeah I have gut but it's 17g and in my Phantom 107G that's going to shred too quickly to be economically viable. That's why I picked up some 10 dollar Sensation. Save the money for premium multi strings like gut, NRG1, Biphase, NXT, etc for when I'm hitting out again.
Absolutely prefer Dunlop Fort Clay on clay. By far my favorite ball on that surface. But there is nothing softer than the cheap Penns. They don't last because of that, but they are easy as heck on the arm for a few sets. Then they are trash.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Definitely. I noticed recently I drop my racquet and don't prep in a ready position as much, especially after my serve. Good spot!
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Anyway, even with a bit of struggle the beginning of the season, getting back to match play, I am feel my match toughness coming back. Won the last few match dealing out some bagels and breadsticks. A few closer sets, but playing well overall. Feeling more sore though with playing up to 4 times per week again. Gotta manage that better.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
Just restarted playing (only rallying so far for two days) after 3 months of lockdown; got a big blister in my palm.
I usually get them, but this time my skin was too soft and I haven't changed my overgrips either, so maybe I was gripping my racquet too tights. One on the thumb as well.
Also the courts are terrible, after resurficing, like a fresh plowed field...That might have been a factor as well.
Playing daily, the timming is still off, so is movement, to some extend (not enough bouncing and running). At times I also forget to prep properly, or exhale as I start the swing or to follow up properly on the the 1HBH.
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
I usually like to cut the skin as it bubbles but before it becomes tender. After a good dousing with alcohol of course. It's really great that alcohol is easily available again.
Another option is finger tape but it's more of a patch than a fix.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
Yeah it broke during my hit and later on I've peeled it off and added Polysporin (and other other unguent with antibiotics first- before I found said Polysporin). No alchool sorry, after it was broken and raw
