Time it takes to get to 4.0

[BreakPoint]

True 4.0-4.5, my highschool coach rated me and he's been playing and coaching tennis most of his life so i'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about.

Sorry, but I have to assume your high school coach has no idea what a true 4.0-4.5 is. Find some guys that have winning records at 4.5 league play and see how you do against them.

Around me, most of the teaching pros could not win a 4.5 match if their life depended on it. Most even lose at the 4.0 level.

 

[BreakPoint]

I dont see how getting to a 4.0 in a year is so difficult... the guys i play with got to 4.0 or pretty damn close to it without any formal lessons in a year and i got to 3.5 in 6 months with some lessons. And i thought 5.0 of div iii tennis not div ii or low div i

How do the guys you play with know they are 4.0's? What was their USTA league record at 4.0?

 

[BreakPoint]

Right, and I can take a set off Nadal on clay.

Oh yeah, well I beat Nadal 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 on slow red clay, got a drink, and then proceeded to beat Federer 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 on grass. LOL

 

[J011yroger]

True 4.0-4.5, my highschool coach rated me and he's been playing and coaching tennis most of his life so i'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about.

I just started entering USTA tournaments in eastern section southern region Level 2 tournaments. My first tournament, i got up to the QF without that much effort and got owned by the first seed. I just need to improve my mental game and then improve to a 5.0 and i think i'll be ready for Level 1 tournaments. I also have another tournament next week and i'm hoping to get to the finals.

Fraid not buddy, L2s on long island and metro (The tougher regions) are garbage, nevermind southern. If you are not going rounds in L1s you are not 4.0-4.5. Start putting up wins in the big tourneys in port washington and such.

If you really wanna know what level you are post your tennislink player record.

Or we can meet up and hit on a weekend.

J

 

[SlapShot]

More like 99.5% of people never get to 5.0.

Yeah....it was simply wishful thinking, as I'm hoping to scratch and claw my way to 5.0 sometime in the next 5 years (I'm 4.0 right now).

 

[BabblingPsychopath]

Oh yeah, well I beat Nadal 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 on slow red clay, got a drink, and then proceeded to beat Federer 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 on grass. LOL

Don't brag about it until you can do this *without* the drink.

 

[BreakPoint]

Don't brag about it until you can do this *without* the drink.

Did I mention that "drink" was a gallon of vodka and tonic? LOL

 

[J011yroger]

Yeah....it was simply wishful thinking, as I'm hoping to scratch and claw my way to 5.0 sometime in the next 5 years (I'm 4.0 right now).

Don't hope...plan.

Don't scratch and claw. . . Practice with calm intensity and focus. Have a purpose every time you practice.

If you get frustrated, if you stop getting better, if you get stale. Don't try to fight through it on your own. Get help, get coaching, see someone else if you already have a coach.

5.0 isn't the promised land, so make sure you enjoy the journey.

Don't listen to anyone who says you can't or you are too old, or any of that horse****.

J

 

[SlapShot]

Don't hope...plan.

Don't scratch and claw. . . Practice with calm intensity and focus. Have a purpose every time you practice.

If you get frustrated, if you stop getting better, if you get stale. Don't try to fight through it on your own. Get help, get coaching, see someone else if you already have a coach.

5.0 isn't the promised land, so make sure you enjoy the journey.

Don't listen to anyone who says you can't or you are too old, or any of that horse****.

J

I'm actually changing coaches over the winter and am going to start doing group drills to practice strategy. I feel like I've hit the wall with my current coach, and I want to work with someone who's going to really help me hammer out the little things in my form that are hurting my strokes.

Luckily, I'm still young enough that 5.0 should be attainable (I'm 24 right now) and being that this is my first year back to tennis since high school, I'm still smoothing out the little things. 5.0 by the time I'm 30 is the goal.

 

[raiden031]

I dont see how getting to a 4.0 in a year is so difficult... the guys i play with got to 4.0 or pretty damn close to it without any formal lessons in a year and i got to 3.5 in 6 months with some lessons. And i thought 5.0 of div iii tennis not div ii or low div i

Have you ever played USTA NTRP tournaments or leagues? I will tell you from my experience that most of the people I play against at the 3.0 and 3.5 levels have been playing at least 10 years.

I will sometimes look up an opponent and look at their rating level over the past 5 or 6 years and see how its changed. Most of them play 3.0 for about 3-5 years before even moving to 3.5. Not to say that getting to 4.0 can't be done in a year, but my guess is that you have to practice perfectly and at least 10-20 hours every week; meaning you have to have solid technique and you have to practice all your shots to make it to that level quickly. But another important aspect is match experience. Just getting enough matches under your belt takes a long time as well.

I must say that I have watched 4.5 USTA league players and was not impressed at all by the way their game looks. Maybe its because I can hit all the shots and all the spins and the pace they hit, however I can't do it consistently and I can't handle junk balls the way they can. If it wasn't for junkballers at the 3.X levels who have had 20 years to master the art of junk, I'd probably be a 4.0 right now.

So in my case, I'm probably a 3.5 due to solid technique (many compliments from better players), but would be better if I had more match experience.

 

[raiden031]

Luckily, I'm still young enough that 5.0 should be attainable (I'm 24 right now) and being that this is my first year back to tennis since high school, I'm still smoothing out the little things. 5.0 by the time I'm 30 is the goal.

Good luck to you.

I am 26 and am hovering around the lower echelons of 3.5 right now. My goal is to reach 5.0 by the age of 35 so I can play competitively in some 35 and over tournaments. I know I can do it because I play with advanced technique and work on all my shots. I just need more repetition and match experience.

I have been laughed at by some tennis peers for telling them I have this goal. Its a shame when people doubt you because they don't know how to get to the level, so they think I can't get there.

 

[SlapShot]

I have been laughed at by some tennis peers for telling them I have this goal. Its a shame when people doubt you because they don't know how to get to the level, so they think I can't get there.

I think that's probably due to a couple of things.

First, most people are content to play tennis at their level, and probably wouldn't mind improving, but it's not #1 on their list of tennis goals. Second, a lot of people think that 5.0+ tennis is a different world than 3.5. From having hit with a few 5.0 players, they're definitely better players than any 3.5 or 4.0, but it's still the same sport and the goals are still the same - keep the ball in play, make it so that the other guy can't get the ball back.

 

[smoothtennis]

I think that's probably due to a couple of things.

First, most people are content to play tennis at their level, and probably wouldn't mind improving, but it's not #1 on their list of tennis goals. Second, a lot of people think that 5.0+ tennis is a different world than 3.5. From having hit with a few 5.0 players, they're definitely better players than any 3.5 or 4.0, but it's still the same sport and the goals are still the same - keep the ball in play, make it so that the other guy can't get the ball back.

My personal hunch is that many people over age 30 just don't want to deal with having to move fast, and don't want to have to return 100+ mph serves.

 

[NamRanger]

Right, and I can take a set off Nadal on clay.

I get games off them when they're sleeping on the courts most of the time. If they are anywhere near awake, they pretty much demolish me. I've been bageled many a time from the guys on the Baylor tennis team. I said I get 2-3 games at most, which means me playing at my best and them deciding to play with their eyes closed.

 

[jasoncho92]

Have you ever played USTA NTRP tournaments or leagues? I will tell you from my experience that most of the people I play against at the 3.0 and 3.5 levels have been playing at least 10 years.

I will sometimes look up an opponent and look at their rating level over the past 5 or 6 years and see how its changed. Most of them play 3.0 for about 3-5 years before even moving to 3.5. Not to say that getting to 4.0 can't be done in a year, but my guess is that you have to practice perfectly and at least 10-20 hours every week; meaning you have to have solid technique and you have to practice all your shots to make it to that level quickly. But another important aspect is match experience. Just getting enough matches under your belt takes a long time as well.

I must say that I have watched 4.5 USTA league players and was not impressed at all by the way their game looks. Maybe its because I can hit all the shots and all the spins and the pace they hit, however I can't do it consistently and I can't handle junk balls the way they can. If it wasn't for junkballers at the 3.X levels who have had 20 years to master the art of junk, I'd probably be a 4.0 right now.

So in my case, I'm probably a 3.5 due to solid technique (many compliments from better players), but would be better if I had more match experience.

Umm this is a vid of me. http://youtube.com/watch?v=z7lWvR6LDvk
I got told im around a 3.5 and i play around or over 10 hours a week currently

 

[J011yroger]

Umm this is a vid of me. http://youtube.com/watch?v=z7lWvR6LDvk
I got told im around a 3.5 and i play around or over 10 hours a week currently

Pretty nice man, keep up the good work.

How old are you?

J

 

[kimizz]

It depends on so many variables: however, the most important is how you learn or are being taught the game. If you are learning inferior methods that are easier to "get the ball over the net" but, are not that which skilled players use, you may NEVER get to a 4.0 level. (As so many millions of players who are still at the 3.0 and 3.5 levels even as they have been playing for decades!).

I have had many players reach 4.0 within two years of learning how to play. If you really study the game and employ the right practice procedures you could become a 4.0 HITTING player in less than two years. However, to be competitive at the 4.0 level might take a little longer as the experience factor can't be rushed too much for anyone.

Good luck!

Id say all of this applies to me. Im 2 months from reaching the 2 year milestone and I think im close to 4.0 as a hitting player. But its obvious Im behind the more experienced players in the actual game situations. So Id suggest that as soon as your game is reliable enough to enter tournaments, DO IT. Ive just noticed how different it is to play in tournaments.

 

[dacrymn]

Jason Cho, that's pretty good. HOWEVER, NTRP is based solely on matches and the ability to win them. When I started playing seriously, I could do that. Easily. But guess what? When I play people around or above my level, I can't win. My strokes are probably better than theirs, but the results don't show. So if I posted a video of me playing, the MOST i would get would be 4.0 and MAYBE 4.5 to some less experienced posters. If I was actually 5.0, the video couldn't prove it, and I would get offended, and then YAY! an argument!

NTRP is also an indirect result of experience. That kind of thing doesn't come to you in a year. No matter what you say. Not you, cho, but some of the other people using this thread to brag about themselves.