Short vids 3.0/3.5 players

[Dimcorner]

Here is a vid of me (in black 3.0/3.5 player) and Jack (+3.5).

Right away I can see I probably need to prepare my shot earlier. I'm waiting to long to get my racquet set. I also need to think less about the game and just pick a shot right away and hit it. I'm thinking too much of spin/depth/speed/angle while the ball comes back to my side. Like seriously my mind is totally racing with options before hitting. Hopefully that goes away with more match experience. I'm also in the process of transitioning to 2hbh as well. I hit a few 1hbh from 0:30 to about 1:50 and then hit a bunch of 2hbh at 8:20 to 10:00. Any other comments/observations?

Thanks in advance!!!!

Warmup with points (2 over in a row then start counting points to 11)
http://youtu.be/5PS39U8gkBs

Practice set.
http://youtu.be/Kr0MHpxUqY0

 

[JackB1]

Here is a vid of me (in black 3.0/3.5 player) and Jack (+3.5).

Right away I can see I probably need to prepare my shot earlier. I'm waiting to long to get my racquet set. I also need to think less about the game and just pick a shot right away and hit it. I'm thinking too much of spin/depth/speed/angle while the ball comes back to my side. Like seriously my mind is totally racing with options before hitting. Hopefully that goes away with more match experience. I'm also in the process of transitioning to 2hbh as well. I hit a few 1hbh from 0:30 to about 1:50 and then hit a bunch of 2hbh at 8:20 to 10:00. Any other comments/observations?

Thanks in advance!!!!

Warmup with points (2 over in a row then start counting points to 11)
http://youtu.be/5PS39U8gkBs

Practice set.
http://youtu.be/Kr0MHpxUqY0

Hey Jo. I watched the 1st video again and your 2 hander looks more steady than your one hander for sure.

thanks again for editing these. I know its a time consuming process.

p.s. another thing.....there's no way you are a 3.0, so stop it! You would easily beat any 3.0...probably a pair of bagels.

 

[Dimcorner]

I'm going to milk the 3.0c rating until it bites them in the butt!!
I was upset that I didn't get bumped but I'm not bitter

 

[JackB1]

Jo....I can't seem to get the latest video to work. It says "no stream tap to retry". All the other ones work. Anyone else have any issues getting it to play? This is on my iphone btw.

 

[Dimcorner]

Try it again. Youtube just had a banner across the top of my page when I saw it saying "we fixed an error, are you ok with it?"

 

[JackB1]

Try it again. Youtube just had a banner across the top of my page when I saw it saying "we fixed an error, are you ok with it?"

still no. could have something to do with my iphone and 4g connection.
I'll try later at home.

 

[JackB1]

got it now. I just opened u tube through the browser instead of the app.

wow, my serve looks horrible. I can really see how I get no downwards drop at all. I really need to work on that, but I don't know how to fix it. If anyone has any suggestions, I would like to hear them. It's like I am missing the move where you go from trophy pose to drop and swing.

 

[Nellie]

Nice serve - I would definitely work on that forehand. Things I see are little/no shoulder turn and late/low contact. So yes, you need to prepare earlier. By the way, You have almost continental grip to hit with that low/late contact point, so if you adjust the stroke, be prepared to adjust the grip as well.

 

[darthpanda]

nice hitting guys. i like how jack is so relaxed as he is playing. also dim has some pop on his first serve

 

[gmatheis]

Your backhand, while I saw some decent ones, is a weakness (many people have this same problem), any opponent with half a brain is going to be hitting there repeatedly. Even in practice most people seem to hit way more forehands ... try to do the opposite for a while ... in practice try to favor your backhand so it develops more.

I also tried to do a quick stat count on the video, I was lenient on UFE's not counting if it was a good serve or a good drop shot that I felt your opponent "forced" the error.

UFE's 19 (8 forehand, 10 backhand, 1 bh volley)

Winners 3 (2 forehand 1 backhand)

The name of the game at this level is consistency. Most points are won off of errors, either by you or your opponent. Work on hitting just hard enough to make your opponent uncomfortable, either by moving him around or by giving him just a bit more pace(or less pace) than he is used to.

I thought this post was really good.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=500019

1st serve 26%
Aces 0
Double Faults 3

Try to get that first serve % up a little, but for your level I think your serve is decent.

One last thing I noticed is you seem a little flat footed when your opponent is hitting the ball. Learn how to split step (you can look up plenty of videos on youtube for it) It really does help you get to the ball faster so you can hit a better shot.

 

[JackB1]

nice hitting guys. i like how jack is so relaxed as he is playing. also dim has some pop on his first serve

Yes Dim has beautiful mechanics on his serve....he just needs to get them in more often.

Me on the other hand, have horrible looking mechanics, but I get a high % of 1st serves in and rarely double fault (1 or 2 per set).

If we could combine both of us into one person, we could really have something

 

[JackB1]

nice hitting guys. i like how jack is so relaxed as he is playing. also dim has some pop on his first serve

thanks darth....I try and play relaxed to conserve energy and minimize errors.

 

[Dimcorner]

Thanks for feedback. I will check my grip but I'm pretty sure it's close to SW for forehand. I'll also work on just taking pace off and adding more spin to drop the first serves in more consistently. And yeah I will work on just pounding backhands back with more confidence. In a match I end up slicing my back hand WAY too often :\

I think also part of my flat footedness could be me overthinking it WAY too much. I should just move first regardless.

BTW I do appreciate both negative and positive comments. I play to get better and if I happen to win great, but if I lose (like in this practice set) I use it as a tool to see where I need to focus on Jack is definitely WAY more consistent than me so I have to work on just relaxing and get my consistency up!

I did read the 7 points and thought they are great, but I didn't get to them before this vid
I'll try to do a few of those at a time. 7 in one shot would get my mind racing again in mid match and that can't be too good.

 

[Dimcorner]

Yes Dim has beautiful mechanics on his serve....he just needs to get them in more often.

Me on the other hand, have horrible looking mechanics, but I get a high % of 1st serves in and rarely double fault (1 or 2 per set).

If we could combine both of us into one person, we could really have something

You should try playing badminton, that can give you a lot of overhead swings to work out kinks in mechanics

 

[Avles]

Enjoyed the videos guys... Dimcorner you seem like a good athlete who could use a bit more tennis experience.

JackB1 you're not as athletic (no offense ) but you hit with intent and consistency and you're adept at using the slice to bail yourself out of difficult situations. You did a nice job neutralizing the serve when Dimcorner got it in.

Would love to hit with either of you-- if I find myself in Atlanta with time on my hands I will drop you guys a line!

 

[JackB1]

Enjoyed the videos guys... Dimcorner you seem like a good athlete who could use a bit more tennis experience.

JackB1 you're not as athletic (no offense ) but you hit with intent and consistency and you're adept at using the slice to bail yourself out of difficult situations. You did a nice job neutralizing the serve when Dimcorner got it in.

Would love to hit with either of you-- if I find myself in Atlanta with time on my hands I will drop you guys a line!

I agree, dim has lots of untapped potential and when he tightens things up, he will be tough to beat.

Yes, since I don't have any real "weapons" to punish anyone for easy or short balls, I have to rely on things like consistency, strategy, variety and basically figuring out what shots my opponent doesn't like hitting.

Yes, let us know next time you're passing through the ATL and we'll make some time to play.

 

[GuyClinch]

Atlanta has some strong 3.0s. See Avles either of those guys would crush Suresh.. Jack your serve is effective for just like windmilling it.. Imagine what you could do if you fixed your technique.. I'd set some time aside and work on that.. FeelTennis has some nice stuff on the serve that would fix yours. Oh wait I figured out your the guy in the other thread looking for help with racquet drop..Heh. Yeah you really do need it..No racquet drop at all..

 

[JackB1]

Atlanta has some strong 3.0s. See Avles either of those guys would crush Suresh.. Jack your serve is effective for just like windmilling it.. Imagine what you could do if you fixed your technique.. I'd set some time aside and work on that.. FeelTennis has some nice stuff on the serve that would fix yours. Oh wait I figured out your the guy in the other thread looking for help with racquet drop..Heh. Yeah you really do need it..No racquet drop at all..

yes I am way ahead of you

I have begun working on it and I have to thank Dim for recording me and showing me how horrible it looks It is really motivating me to improve it.
I have begun working on that feeltenniss stuff and I think it will help.

As far as ratings, I play in 2 singles leagues...one at 3.5 and the other at 4.0.
I win at about 75% at 3.5 and 25% at 4.0. Dim is NOT a 3.0. He would bagel about 90% of the 3.0s I have seen. He's just a sandbagger

 

[Dimcorner]

Not a sandbagger. I tried REALLY hard to get to 3.5 but they slapped a 3.0C rating on me because of my earlier record (I got much more consistent in the last 3-6 months).

I played 3.5 league this season and I was 50% in singles (2-2) First 2 won in straight sets, other 2 lost in 3rd set tie breaker. I think I would be perfect for a combo team

 

[Avles]

Yes, let us know next time you're passing through the ATL and we'll make some time to play.

Sounds good, I was last in Atlanta about 5 years ago but I have some family moving there so I may be coming down more often in the future. I think you'd probably beat me but it'd be a fun match.

 

[JackB1]

Not a sandbagger. I tried REALLY hard to get to 3.5 but they slapped a 3.0C rating on me because of my earlier record (I got much more consistent in the last 3-6 months).

I played 3.5 league this season and I was 50% in singles (2-2) First 2 won in straight sets, other 2 lost in 3rd set tie breaker. I think I would be perfect for a combo team

I was joking

But seriously, forget about your official rating, I would put my money on you versus almost any 3.0.

 

[Topspin Shot]

Dim, I think you need more spin on your first serve. You hit the thing so hard gravity won't bring it down. Most rec players can't serve at your pace, so they can get away with flat serves. Open level players and up are nearly always putting spin on the first serve so it goes in more than a quarter of the time.

 

[Dimcorner]

Dim, I think you need more spin on your first serve. You hit the thing so hard gravity won't bring it down. Most rec players can't serve at your pace, so they can get away with flat serves. Open level players and up are nearly always putting spin on the first serve so it goes in more than a quarter of the time.

Good point. Over the weekend I'm going to try to kick up the spin a little more. I have hit a few with more spin and almost as much pace, but I don't know how I did it during practice

 

[GuyClinch]

But seriously, forget about your official rating, I would put my money on you versus almost any 3.0.

With his official 3.0 rating he is the TT official 3.0 player.. Anubis would have been qualified but we didn't see his actual match play.

3.0 men is clearly not bad at all - don't believe those bogus youtube videos.

 

[LeeD]

Dimcorner....
Try a slightly more eBackhand grip on your current conti, swing the same but a little faster, and sight in your height control.
That gives a touch of spin, good pace, and better percentage.
Of course, it takes some practice, so don't expect it to give you Sampras like serves the first try.

 

[Dimcorner]

Dimcorner....
Try a slightly more eBackhand grip on your current conti, swing the same but a little faster, and sight in your height control.
That gives a touch of spin, good pace, and better percentage.
Of course, it takes some practice, so don't expect it to give you Sampras like serves the first try.

Ok will give it a shot. I went to hit about 40 mins of serves and practicing short replies by myself yesterday and I feel it's starting to get better. I have a little less pace but a bit more spin so they are landing in a little more. Biggest adjustments were to have more of my back towards the net and relaxing a little more during the swing.

One other thing is I feel my gut is starting not to slide much (it's fraying quite a bit). I take it it's normal for gut to lose it's slipperiness but is there a way to get a bit of it back? It's been great since I have had this gut on for about 3 months now.

 

[Rubens]

I think you're the best 3.0 in the world.

 

[martini1]

I didn't watch the entire clip but without being corky I would say the low quality chip/block/semi slices need a lot of work. They don't do anything but causes a lot of UE than winners. Other times it produces a weak ball for the other guy to attack.

Low winners count is OK but there should be more rally balls that lands in different places, with interest.

 

[JackB1]

I didn't watch the entire clip but without being corky I would say the low quality chip/block/semi slices need a lot of work. They don't do anything but causes a lot of UE than winners. Other times it produces a weak ball for the other guy to attack.

Low winners count is OK but there should be more rally balls that lands in different places, with interest.

Who are you referring to? Me (red cap) or Dim (in black)?

 

[LeeD]

Shellac reattach's the frayed gut, but I don't know if it's availible at hardware stores anymore. Hitting with more spin, your strings don't last as long, which is why modern players have migrated towards POLY at the highest levels.
JackB1, I think he was referring to both of you. Both hit that weirdo short slap slice on shorter balls, and rather than approach shot, you both slice and move back.

 

[JackB1]

Shellac reattach's the frayed gut, but I don't know if it's availible at hardware stores anymore. Hitting with more spin, your strings don't last as long, which is why modern players have migrated towards POLY at the highest levels.
JackB1, I think he was referring to both of you. Both hit that weirdo short slap slice on shorter balls, and rather than approach shot, you both slice and move back.

can you show me where in the video I hit a "weirdo short slap slice and then move back"?

 

[Dimcorner]

Both hit that weirdo short slap slice on shorter balls, and rather than approach shot, you both slice and move back.

Very possible. Funny thing is when playing doubles I'm actually pretty decent at net in 3.0/3.5 but I can't figure out yet how to approach the net or how close to get when coming in from the back line. I'm guessing with experience it will come to me but right now I have a hard time deciding when to commit or how far to rush up, how to take the next shot, etc. I'll work on it during practice to try to actually come up to net more often.

ARGH! I just remembered what the local coach was telling me. 90% of the time go DTL approach. Reduces their time to do stuff and closes angles.