The Amazing Adventures of Topaz and Cindy!!

[Topaz]

Ok, played some singles with a friend of mine today. I've never beaten her. Her smackdowns of me last summer looked like 6-2, 6-0, 6-1...right around there.

Over the winter, I seemed to catch up a bit, but we never actually closed out a set. We always ended with time running out at 5-all or something like that.

We played today and I won the first set 6-3 (after being down 0-2), and we were on serve in the second set 1-2 when she had to leave. Hmmm. Will be interesting to see what happens when we don't have to stop. Will I crack? Will she adjust? Either way, good singles match practice will be had. Today I focused on moving my feet so that I was in position as much as possible, and hitting deep. When I got the short ball I attacked. Afterward, I stayed and hit two baskets of serves as well.

I do feel I gained a bit of confidence with the tournament this weekend. My goodness, I saw so many different types of balls and hit so many myself that I felt much calmer playing her. Of course, it was a *practice* match as well, so immediately I play better. I need to channel that during an actual match.

I hit several cross court FH winners, which is something that I have been sorely missing this entire season. I found that the less I *tried* to hit them, the better they were! This tennis, it is a funny game!!!

So, we're playing again next week, and this time I'm sure we'll have time to finish it out! To the death! Or maybe...to the pain!

 

[flash9]

Prince Bride Quote

... To the death! Or maybe...to the pain!

Ah - Princess Bride - Classic Movie one of the best ever made! :grin:

 

[Topaz]

Yup, yup, Flash...good catch...Princess Bride is one of my favorites as well! So many great lines!

 

[Cindysphinx]

I'm going to climb back on the horse, tomorrow morning.

See, I accepted an invitation to play socially. At a *country club.*

:gulp:

My friend is a mid-level 3.0. Another player is slightly weaker, although I haven't seen her. The third might be low 3.0 or 2.5. I haven't met the latter two.

I'm nervous, can you believe it? I have a new service motion that might or might not hold up. I am very slow around the court and feel like I am towing a trailer. I haven't hit a volley, overhead, forehand or returned a serve in over a month (other than playing with my son yesterday).

And I feel a lot of *pressure* because my 3.0 friend wanted to be on my day 3.5 team last spring, but I had to say no because she isn't strong enough.

Which means as the Big, Bad 3.5, I have to not stink.

I hope I can manage to have some fun . . .

 

[Topaz]

Cindy...are you sure you are cleared to play? You may be a big, bad 3.5, but you also seriously injured yourself...remind your player of that.

And BE CAREFUL!!!

 

[Crusher10s]

Sometimes a break can make a huge difference in your game; kinda gives you a fresh perspective on things. Good luck and let us know how it went.

 

[Cindysphinx]

OK, I played the doubles. I did OK as far as UEs go. And I had my first ace in I-Don't-Know-How-Long, so that was good.

Alas, I did what I always do. I played down to the level of my competition. These ladies don't hit with pace, so I was having a terrible time generating pace. I wasn't missing, but I wasn't getting any depth or power at all on service returns. My overheads were in the court but timid. Not enough attack on certain attackable volleys.

And I was slow. Very slow around the court. It really surprised me. You know, you can hit some really crummy shots if you don't get off the dime.

Much to fix, but it feels great to be back.

And Topaz?

The injured foot makes all kinds of weird noises, but doesn't hurt. The new orthotics have brought the PF in the one foot down to a "1" on a scale of 1-10, and the only time it hurts is if I sit on the edge of the bed with my shoe off and press as hard as I can to see if I feel anything.

Maybe this will have a happy ending!!!

Cindy -- a believer in the healing power of custom orthotics

 

[EZRA]

Hi Topaz, Cindy ... I'm planning a trip to the Baltimore area this coming AUG (8-10) and was hoping to get some tennis in my compact schedule - preferrable during the mornings `til lunch.
Was wondering if you guys know people 3.5+ that don't mind hitting with a stranger. OR, if you guys wanna set up some mixed doubles, that would be fun as well. (Wait - you guys are from around Maryland, right?)

 

[Cindysphinx]

Ezra, I'm not sure because I think I will be out of town on yet another (long, painful) college trip, so I can't commit to anything just yet.

Topaz, do you know if there's a meet-up planned around that time?

 

[Topaz]

Much to fix, but it feels great to be back.

And Topaz?

The injured foot makes all kinds of weird noises, but doesn't hurt. The new orthotics have brought the PF in the one foot down to a "1" on a scale of 1-10, and the only time it hurts is if I sit on the edge of the bed with my shoe off and press as hard as I can to see if I feel anything.

Yay, Cindy's back on court! You know, I'm on summer break, so if you want to get together and hit, maybe do lunch...I'm available!

Now...so, this is what happens? You 'pop' your PF, take time off, and it is okay now? I don't know, just the thought of it 'tearing' or rupturing...aiy, sounds so bad...but does your doc expect you to have no more pain anymore?

I've gone back to my Adidas a3 prevails, and things are much better. Also not being on my feet all day seems to help, as well!

Hi Topaz, Cindy ... I'm planning a trip to the Baltimore area this coming AUG (8-10) and was hoping to get some tennis in my compact schedule - preferrable during the mornings `til lunch.
Was wondering if you guys know people 3.5+ that don't mind hitting with a stranger. OR, if you guys wanna set up some mixed doubles, that would be fun as well. (Wait - you guys are from around Maryland, right?)

Ezra, most of us are based closer to DC, but you might want to ask this question on the TW Mid-Atlantic Chapter thread here:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=130010

 

[Topaz]

Ok, played in a small doubles club tournament tonight with my regular doubles partner. I have to admit, I was expecting us to do very, very well.

There were five teams, so we had 4 8-game pro sets to play tonight.

We won the first 8-3. Lost the second 4-8 (but it was actually much closer...last three games all went to many deuce games). At this point we had been on court 2 and a half hours, and got a bit of a break before our next pro set match. I was *starved*!!! Went in search of food, and nothing was open! Jeez, it was only 8:30! Had to settle for granola bar and trail mix out of the vending machine. And really, since my club just put in this big fancy juice and snack bar, it was rather disappointing that it was also closed and I didn't get to try it out!

Then, our next pro set was against two *juniors*! So not fair! One was 14, the other 18. We lost 8-2. These two kids pretty much were blowing out everyone.

Because of time, the organizer decided not to do the last round of matches. The top two teams play again for the final, and of course, the undefeated junior team advanced. One of the women, though, was unwilling to come back and play them on Friday, so I'm stepping into her place with her partner. Oh yay, I get to have my butt kicked by juniors again!

The absolute weakest part of my doubles game is my return. Honestly, I went on a streak of about 8 missed returns in the middle of that second match. Un-freaking-acceptable! And I don't have problems in singles...so I'm wondering just how much that net person is wigging me out. Lol. Ugh. Have I mentioned I'm a headcase?

 

[Spokewench]

The absolute weakest part of my doubles game is my return. Honestly, I went on a streak of about 8 missed returns in the middle of that second match. Un-freaking-acceptable! And I don't have problems in singles...so I'm wondering just how much that net person is wigging me out. Lol. Ugh. Have I mentioned I'm a headcase?

Sometimes, when I am having trouble returning serve in doubles, I have my doubles partner move to the baseline too. This makes it easier to return and you don't have to worry about setting your net person up to get nailed. Then, move forward as the game allows. It works pretty well for me.

spoke

 

[Topaz]

^^^Hmmm, we've actually never tried this, though I've read about it on here countless times. Lol, thanks for bringing it back to my attention! We'll have to add it to our bag of tricks.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Pssssst. Topaz?

Don't tell anyone, but I'm totally stoked about a new trick.

**I'm finally learning to slice!**

We spent the last two lessons on 1HBH slice, with pro feeding to me at service line then baseline. Couldn't get it, couldn't get it, couldn't get it. Kept breaking my wrist, coming under the ball too much, popping it up. Wildly inconsistent, crummy footwork.

Out of frustration, today I told the pro no more feeds and to hit to my BH and I would alternate between 2HBH topspin and 1HBH slice.

Huzzah! That did it. I finally got it. And it's not just in my head. He said he was, and I quote, "impressed." How many times has he said that? I'm thinking zero is a good estimate. :fist pump:

Then we moved to FH and I showed him my FH slice. Which he declared to be all wrong. So he showed me how to do it right, returning serves. What an incredible shot a FH slice is for doubles service return! The ball went low over the net, hit the service line or closer, and skidded low. No way would a Baseline Camper have any shot at attacking it, and you know how few people at our level S&V.

That's a long way of saying maybe slicing your returns will be a great way to mix it up and also give yourself a new thing to try when the wheels come off and you suffer a rash of missed returns?

Cindy -- who knows full well she is far from being able to do any of this stuff consistently enough for match play but excited nonetheless

 

[Topaz]

Cindy, one of my best and most useful shots this past weekend was my BH slice. I can take it down the line and it stays nice and low. Just last night, I passed a person at the net with it. Very, very useful shot, and fun to hit, too!

 

[Cindysphinx]

You already slice your returns?

: pause to feel inadequate:

How do you decide whether to slice or hit topspin for a service return in doubles? Ball location? Opponent's location? Serve speed? Something else?

And another question, if I might be so bold . . .

If you already have a 1HBH slice, why do you feel more comfortable with a 2HBH volley than a 1HBH volley? Isn't it pretty much the same motion?

 

[Topaz]

You already slice your returns?

ause to feel inadequate:

How do you decide whether to slice or hit topspin for a service return in doubles? Ball location? Opponent's location? Serve speed? Something else?

And another question, if I might be so bold . . .

If you already have a 1HBH slice, why do you feel more comfortable with a 2HBH volley than a 1HBH volley? Isn't it pretty much the same motion?

Yes, sometimes. I try. I started working on that last fall in preparation for a mixed tournament. Didn't really use it there as the serves were just too hard. But I've been using it more in doubles, both against men and women.

I sometimes pull it out if I'm having trouble on my returns. It is very effective if I'm getting a soft serve to my forehand...I chip it back and come in behind it.

In singles it depends on the ball I'm getting. I honestly don't think about it much...there are some balls I would never slice and some that just seem to require it. Yesterday my slice pass was off of a slow but spinny serve to my BH that didn't end up where I thought it would be. I saw the net player start to go, so took off one hand (I typically wait in a 2HBH for returns, so to slice I just take off the left hand, and the right hand is already in position) and just slice/chipped it down the line.

If it is a second serve, I'm more likely, especially on my FH, to try to hit out.

Serves to my BH I can chip, but sometimes still leave that extra hand on there...bad habit. More than likely serves to my BH I will hit out on, try to get an angled return, but other balls during the rally I may slice...especially if they are pulling me wide with an angle of their own.

I sometimes use 2, sometimes 1 hand on the BH volley. Again, I've found it depends on the ball. For lower balls, I use one hand. Harder and higher, I keep two hands on there. Lobs over my BH side, I use one hand. Honestly, at this point, I don't think about it much, just do what is comfortable.

Lol, ok, this was long...

 

[tfm1973]

you ladies are adorable.

"you use 2 hands on your backhand?!"
"oh my god! so do i!!!"
"no way!"
"way!"

*giggles and more giggles*


muahahaahahaha. you wanna play doubles sometime?

 

[Topaz]

you ladies are adorable.

"you use 2 hands on your backhand?!"
"oh my god! so do i!!!"
"no way!"
"way!"

*giggles and more giggles*


muahahaahahaha. you wanna play doubles sometime?

Sure...BRING IT!

 

[EZRA]

If you guys schedule it around AUG. 9th or 10th .. can I be the 4th?

BTW: Topaz, thanks for the heads up (link)

 

[Xisbum]

No way would a Baseline Camper have any shot at attacking it, and you know how few people at our level S&V.

Wanna bet? :twisted: Perhaps you and the lady Topaz might want to test that theory against TFM and me, the original Baseline Camper, in a friendly doubles match?

 

[tfm1973]

cindy / topaz -- EZRA will be in DC metro area in august. doubles specialist it looks like. care for some doubles?

if you wanna do a modern day billie jean king / bobby riggs - we can do that. or we can play some mixed doubles. or we can sit on the bench and talk about what body parts aren't working anymore or what our favorite color tennis ball is.

**edit** hahaaha. yeps - you ladies wanna take on Xisbum and i?

 

[Xisbum]

**edit** hahaaha. yeps - you ladies wanna take on Xisbum and i?

Cool. Let's set it up someplace with stands and invite the entire TWMAC board as an audience. Resulting smackdown followed by friendly beer and copious food-like items.

 

[EZRA]

I'm not really a doubles specialist.. I just don't have the stamina to play a whole singles match so I play doubles by default.
And about the body breaking down..?? Oooooh - I got a whole lot going on this year so far - I don't think anyone from TW MAC can top what I had to go through this year.

 

[Topaz]

Disclaimer: I have a tournament planned that weekend that Ezra is in town (Xisbum, it is the next one in Leesburg)...so that may be tricky for me!

 

[Topaz]

Played in the final at my club tournament tonight. I was subbing for another player who didn't want to drive down for what was more than likely a beat down by some juniors, but hey, I'm always up for a beat down, so I volunteered to take her place.

And you know what, we didn't win, but we did *much* better. In particular, I hit some *insane* forehands when rallying with these girls. The strategy for this match was to actually play more 'singables'...with crosscourt rallies dominating the play. Eventually these girls would overhit, and their ability to hit winners also kept us back from the net.

It was 8-3, but 6 of those games went to deuce. It was actually a very fun and well played match. I don't feel badly about how I played at all. Served well, too...I was actually serving at 2-7 and didn't crack!

My reward...a runner-up trophy.

About time we had some hardware in this thread!

 

[Topaz]

Ok, played my friend B again today...and this time it was much closer! I was proud that I didn't immediately get down 0-2 or something like that, but I once again sent too many short balls long, and my serve just wasn't feeling right. We got to 6-all, and she took the tiebreak 7-6. Regardless, it was still good to get out the and play some singles. I still make too many brain dead decisions, and come to net at the *wrong* time. In fact, both of us were bemoaning the fact that we seem to get stuck or trapped at the net. Very often we are following the correct ball in, but not following it in the correct manner (position-wise) and/or not getting there soon enough. And, in my case, even if I do all of the above, I very often flub that volley/put-away. I think I did get two right today. Hm.

We didn't finish, opting instead to go to lunch!

Someday we'll play a full match...we just need to block out about four hours to do it!

 

[ChipNCharge]

My reward...a runner-up trophy. About time we had some hardware in this thread!

In the words of the Target Lady: "Congratulations!!"

 

[Topaz]

^^^Heh, heh, thank you!

 

[Topaz]

Don't worry...the adventures are just on hold for now...not over (at least, I hope not!).

USTA season is done, districts is done (though I did not participate this year), some lucky ladies get to go to sectionals, but this is what I have on my radar:

*Combo season at 7.5 (yes, you read right, I'm only playing for ONE team)
*2 more NTRP tournaments

Then it will be time for me to go back to school...playing tennis will continue though! Just less flexibility in time for tournaments, though there isn't much left for me to play in as we get into the fall months.

The clinic/lesson situation is starting to be worked out, too. I dropped one of my clinics, got into the 'uber' clinic (which might turn out to be a spot in an actual *singles* clinic!), and will continue my lessons as needed. There still is one more clinic that I need to decide upon.

I headed out to a local park today, intending to hit on their very excellent wall (fenced in, nice high wall, court marked out a bit), plus this is where I first got back into tennis with a community rec class...so it holds a good place in my heart and memory!

When I got there, I was delighted to see a woman from my club hanging out watching the doubles round robin (a weekly thing at this park). She and I hit a bit, and I concentrated on depth, shoulder turn on the BH, and footwork. After she got tuckered out, I went to the wall. I wanted to make sure it wasn't just mindless hitting, so I tried to do various patterns...for example, alternate each ball between FH and BH. That was tough! But a great workout, too.

Then my intention was to get my hopper and practice serves. As I dropped my bag off into an empty court, the man who had been hitting on the other wall asked if I needed someone to hit with...he was willing to stand there and return my serves, but was too tuckered out for actually rallying. Perfect!

Instead of just hitting serves and/or working on a target, I also incorporated a suggestion I received from Moz, which was to also take my recovery steps after the serve. I know this is something I don't do...two pros have called me on it, as well as other players. So easy to work this into serve practice, I don't know why I didn't do it before! But since this guy did actually return the serve, I even had a ball to recover for...so again, perfect!

Next tournament is Aug 8-10. Singles will happen, but I'm scrambling for a doubles partner, as 'Mashona' can't make it that weekend.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Just 7.5 combo? Wow, that *is* scaling back.

As for me, I'll captain 6.5 again (hopefully 5 matches).

I'll play 7.0 mixed (hopefully 5 matches). Our fun little team is being restructured and there wasn't room for a few people, so I am feeling like I dodged a bullet by being allowed to continue. Must resolve to suck less . . . .

I am going to try to find a 7.5 combo team. Our 6.5 team will likely move to 7.5 in January, and it would be nice to get to see what challenges lie ahead. Not to mention how cool it would be to meet some 4.0 and high-end 3.5 players, some of whom might wish to make a change of teams in January. . .

Going to continue the private lessons, but I'm in need of a good clinic. Since I no longer have a clinic, my passing shots have gone to hell. Trouble is, my pro doesn't know of a clinic I could join that would be at a high enough level for a challenge on things like passing shots.

On a happy note, I'm learning a 1HBH slice groundstroke and sliced/chipped/blocked service returns off of both sides. If i can get this down by September, I'll actually be able to get some returns into play in mixed doubles, can you imagine!!! My male mixed partner hit a bunch of serves to me the other day, and I tried out my chipped return. It works great, but it is still a work in progress because the success rate was way too low.

As someone who struggles mightily with the return game and consistently underperforms, learning a new type of return might be just the ticket. The hardest part for me seems to be to actually move into the shot and to the shot rather than just waving at it from an arm's length away. I'm supposed to launch myself at something moving that fast? Not my natural tendency . . .

 

[Topaz]

Just 7.5 combo? Wow, that *is* scaling back.

Well, there isn't that much going on right now...and this is the time of year that I do usually scale back and take bit of a break. I had two opportunities for 6.5 mixed combo teams...but I passed. Plus, I really want to play more singles.

I imagine I will return to my mixed team...but maybe not...I'd much rather play with a 3.5 guy as my partner!

Plus, I have two big races planned for the fall, so I'm going to have to start getting my mileage up for those, too. :shock:

 

[Moz]

On a happy note, I'm learning a 1HBH slice groundstroke and sliced/chipped/blocked service returns off of both sides. If i can get this down by September, I'll actually be able to get some returns into play in mixed doubles, can you imagine!!! My male mixed partner hit a bunch of serves to me the other day, and I tried out my chipped return. It works great, but it is still a work in progress because the success rate was way too low.

As someone who struggles mightily with the return game and consistently underperforms, learning a new type of return might be just the ticket. The hardest part for me seems to be to actually move into the shot and to the shot rather than just waving at it from an arm's length away. I'm supposed to launch myself at something moving that fast? Not my natural tendency . . .

Jonnyf on these forums suggested to me practicing serve returns having your training partner serve full pace from their service line. That may also help you practice handling the higher kickersm higher bounce and faster pace you get in mixed, even if training with someone who can't hit them or isn't at that level.

I've started to practice this way and it helps.

 

[Moz]

Credit where credit is due. Sup also suggested this and helped me practice with these when I was in the US.

 

[Topaz]

Yes, between both of you, I'm running out of pages in my tennis notebook!

 

[Cindysphinx]

Jonnyf on these forums suggested to me practicing serve returns having your training partner serve full pace from their service line. That may also help you practice handling the higher kickersm higher bounce and faster pace you get in mixed, even if training with someone who can't hit them or isn't at that level.

I've started to practice this way and it helps.

Good idea! That's what my pro does. I actually return better when he does that than when he serves from the baseline. The reason is that my big problem with service returns is that I Just Stand There. So from the baseline, I have plenty of time to Just Stand There before a serve arrives. From the service line, I mentally know the serve will be there immediately so I am more likely to get a move on, you know? In general, I will often do better hitting serves and groundstrokes that are far away than balls that come right to my racket.

If i can just break my lolligagging tendencies and overall laziness with returning serves, I would be way ahead.

 

[Topaz]

Had *the* most EXCELLENT clinic today. Yes, the uber-clinic!

Turned out only two of us were there, but we both also play singles, so it turned into a singles clinic. We worked on consistency and footwork (yes! just what I need).

And tonight I heard these words from the pro...yes, he was speaking to me when he said "I like the work you've done on your footwork and movement."

*falling over*

Yes, I have actually been working on it, with drills that I've gotten from others and found online.

And in our rallys, I was solely focused on my feet, not my stroke...and the ball stayed IN. Yes!

Also, what a great workout...whew! I was drenched!