Want to fix your strokes? Playing 2x a week won't do it.

[PittsburghDad]

Actually MOST adult tennis players who have full time jobs that I know might take a lesson weekly and then work on what they learned a couple of nights during the week to reinforce the learning.

Ttps is the only player I know who needs coaching in a spoon fed way.

Fair point.

 

[hopcio]

Well, I think Nick Bollettieri back in the days can testify how a bootcamp can change your game, I've seen so many guys with not that much talent getting way better just by going to an intense bootcamp. That said for an older guy, it is a lot more difficult to change things, I think muscle memory is mostly involved. What I see is that a good coach can see where to improve, but it depends on you to change that, and at the end the only way to change it is by constant repetition. So at the end, the sentence is correct unless you have true talent and are just learning the game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PittsburghDad]

Says the delusional HYPOCRITE whose daughter has gotten 100x more coaching and clinics than I. Cognitive dissonance is strong.

I've broken par in golf after 4-5 years of playing. Never took a single lesson.
Golf is like crayons or checkers compared to tennis, but that is a conversation for another day.

I've made more improvements in 50 hours than the last 20 years combined.

Also, it is important to note my advice ONLY applies to 3.5 trying to get to 4.0
The higher level you are, the more your mechanics are already sound.
None of this conversation applies to a 4.0 or 4.5. They have an entirely different set of parameters.

I'm off to my lesson.

Why do you keep saying your a 3.5. You posted vids. By NO standard are you a 3.5. I don't even think it really matters, but you can't stop mentioning it.

Brother you have already detailed how much coaching you get. You have gotten far far more than my kid. Not sure why you keep saying that. The vast majority of Junior work is match play and fitness.

 

[PittsburghDad]

The best juniors train/play 6 days a week. One day off. Very much planned out in terms of matches vs practice etc... If not 100% take more days off. Back to 100% back to 6 days a week.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Yep. Accurate.

 

[mad dog1]

That is why MOST adults never improve and stay at the same level for DECADES.
Keep buying those new rackets!

The reason why those adults don't improve is because they are not looking to improve. A lot of them just want a fun way to exercise and a healthy way to hang out with friends instead of sitting around a tv chugging down beers.

The adults who want to improve work on things that help them reach their goals. Most adults with full time jobs and families don't have the luxury of playing daily. They don't have time. Improvement just takes more time this way.

 

[Curious]

Federer plays tennis almost every day, has a coach and says he believes he can still improve his tennis. Hmmm, what is his potential ceiling?!

 

[ReopeningWed]

For many people, $3K is not "chump change". And yet you accuse @PittsburghDad of living in a bubble?

I work 3 jobs to pay for my own way through community college. My heart hurt a bit from reading that $3000 was chump change.

 

[mad dog1]

I work 3 jobs to pay for my own way through community college. My heart hurt a bit from reading that $3000 was chump change.

Yeah, $3k certainly ain't chump change

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Yeah, $3k certainly ain't chump change

If it is, I'd like to be the chump who gets the change.

 

[PittsburghDad]

The crazy part is $3000 for THAT SWING.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Also, it is important to note my advice ONLY applies to 3.5 trying to get to 4.0
The higher level you are, the more your mechanics are already sound.
None of this conversation applies to a 4.0 or 4.5. They have an entirely different set of parameters.

No, it's the same set of parameters. Perhaps in different ratios but not fundamentally different.

I'm a 4.5 and I played non-USTA, public park doubles once/week for years and very slowly got better. Then I joined USTA and my progress really accelerated when I started playing higher-level competition, going to drills, and taking group clinics. The instruction in the clinic alone [along with a lot of practice] might have added a half level to my game. I have weaknesses too numerous to fix in a year but I'm working on them.

So I would agree that getting coaching is a great way to improve, quite possibly the best. I would also opine that it's not the only way and others can figure things out for themselves; there are many ways up the mountain. Your comparison to Federer is irrelevant because none [or very, very few] of us have that as a goal. How much time and effort and money you spend is a personal thing. Your insistence that your choices are the only or optimal ones that apply to every 3.5 trying to get to 4.0 is what most of us disagree with, not your own personal choices.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

The crazy part is $3000 for THAT SWING.

You have never played tennis.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

I have now played or practiced 16 out of 17 days.
Played twice today in 90 degree heat.
I am now seeing permanent changes in my strokes, and my conditioning is getting stronger.
I will take a light day off tomorrow, and just practice a hopper of 2nd serves.

You will never make permanent changes in your strokes if you play twice a week.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

The reason why those adults don't improve is because they are not looking to improve. A lot of them just want a fun way to exercise and a healthy way to hang out with friends instead of sitting around a tv chugging down beers.

You didn't mean to write

"A lot of them just want a fun way to exercise and a healthy way to hang out with friends prior to sitting around a tv chugging down beers."

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

The reason why those adults don't improve is because they are not looking to improve. A lot of them just want a fun way to exercise and a healthy way to hang out with friends instead of sitting around a tv chugging down beers.

The adults who want to improve work on things that help them reach their goals. Most adults with full time jobs and families don't have the luxury of playing daily. They don't have time. Improvement just takes more time this way.

You are delusionsal.
I have not met a player yet in my life who says "I am exactly where I want to be"
They are ALL wanting to improve.

The problem is that most people have no idea how to improve.
Or they are too cheap or lazy.

Getting better at anything is work.
People do not see the insane work ethic, just the final product on TV.
So, these fools buy new rackets and strings.

I am obsessed, and want to ramp it up to twice a day.
I'm putting my month where my mouth is, and going ALL IN.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I have now played or practiced 16 out of 17 days.
Played twice today in 90 degree heat.
I am now seeing permanent changes in my strokes, and my conditioning is getting stronger.
I will take a light day off tomorrow, and just practice a hopper of 2nd serves.

You will never make permanent changes in your strokes if you play twice a week.

Whatever works best for you. Just make sure you don't overdo it and pull/tear something or get heat exhaustion.

 

[ptuanminh]

I agree with TTPS here. If i can afford it, i will get coaching daily too . However, you can still do well with limited coaching and a good practice partner.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

I'm feeling great. My body feels BETTER than when I play 2x a week.
Full body adaptation. I feel stronger than ever. I am going thru seltzer like it's water.

I played twice today where I reached 100% exhaustion. Zero in the tank.

At one point, I faulted on purpose so I could walk to the net and pick up the ball.
THAT is conditioning.

I am going to crush 3.5 opponents on just conditioning alone.
Drop shot. Lob. Wide. Drop shot. Lob. Wide.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

You are delusionsal.
I have not met a player yet in my life who says "I am exactly where I want to be"
They are ALL wanting to improve.

The problem is that most people have no idea how to improve.
Or they are too cheap or lazy.

Getting better at anything is work.
People do not see the insane work ethic, just the final product on TV.
So, these fools buy new rackets and strings.

I am obsessed, and want to ramp it up to twice a day.
I'm putting my month where my mouth is, and going ALL IN.

I second what @mad dog1 wrote: I know plenty of people who are satisfied with their game and simply enjoy playing. This this is beyond your comprehension says something about your personality. Join a league and you will meet these people you say don't exist.

Not everyone undertakes something with the purpose of winning or beating down the competition. Perhaps you do but you are not representative of the median.

 

[GuyClinch]

If you want rapid improvement - 20 hours a week is best. Combine that with 10 hours of gym work - 5 hours of massage - 5 hours of stretching. And now we are talking. Do that you would go up levels without ANY coaching. Go to Bolleteri - and you could make 5.0 if you aren't horribly uncoordinated or very unathletic.

Most guys are going to play twice a week and will struggle to MAINTAIN their level. The good news is many guys have a pretty decent level to start with.. and started as a junior. Guy like Matt Lin will always be better then you - even playing twice a week..

 

[PittsburghDad]

I'm feeling great. My body feels BETTER than when I play 2x a week.
Full body adaptation. I feel stronger than ever. I am going thru seltzer like it's water.

I played twice today where I reached 100% exhaustion. Zero in the tank.

At one point, I faulted on purpose so I could walk to the net and pick up the ball.
THAT is conditioning.

I am going to crush 3.5 opponents on just conditioning alone.
Drop shot. Lob. Wide. Drop shot. Lob. Wide.

Great line. Your like the Henny Youngman of 2.5's.

 

[PittsburghDad]

I'm feeling great. My body feels BETTER than when I play 2x a week.
Full body adaptation. I feel stronger than ever. I am going thru seltzer like it's water.

I played twice today where I reached 100% exhaustion. Zero in the tank.

At one point, I faulted on purpose so I could walk to the net and pick up the ball.
THAT is conditioning.

I am going to crush 3.5 opponents on just conditioning alone.
Drop shot. Lob. Wide. Drop shot. Lob. Wide.

Ok. Now I know you're trolling. Great work. Dedication.

 

[Attila_the_gorilla]

I don't think it's necessarily about beating down the competition either.
I think the process of learning and improving is a happy experience, that's why I do it at least.
And agree with a previous poster that if you have a decent understanding of the game, there's no need to pay for a coach just to practice. You can get just as much out of hitting with a decent practice partner, or even playing friendly matches, with a free, experimental mindset.

 

[mad dog1]

You are delusionsal...

You consider anyone who doesn't agree with you delusional.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I don't think it's necessarily about beating down the competition either.
I think the process of learning and improving is a happy experience, that's why I do it at least.

I agree. The point I was trying to make was that TTPS appears to be approaching this not because it's a happy experience but for other, as-yet-unexplained reasons.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

You consider anyone who doesn't agree with you delusional.

The allusion to your delusion is an illusion.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

The problem is that most people have no idea how to improve.

I disagree. Most people have a pretty good idea of how to improve because they've done it in other areas like their profession or other sports/hobbies.

Or they are too cheap or lazy.

Or, probably the #1 reason, they have other priorities that outrank tennis, a mere game: spouse, career, kids, aging parents, volunteer work. Tennis is but one tile in a mosaic [in your case, a very big tile].

Denigrating people as clueless, cheap, and/or lazy just undermines your own credibility.

Getting better at anything is work.
People do not see the insane work ethic, just the final product on TV.
So, these fools buy new rackets and strings.

I don't know many at 4.5 who buy racquets and strings because they think it's going to solve fundamental problems in their game. I use 2nd hand racquets from a co-worker and they work great. I experiment with strings because I'm looking for arm-friendly stuff, not because I think my game's going to improve.

Is it possible you're this vitriolic because you're engaging in some self-criticism?

I am obsessed, and want to ramp it up to twice a day.
I'm putting my month where my mouth is, and going ALL IN.

Good for you. If those two sentences were the only thing you wrote, everyone would be rooting for you. Instead, you continually have to diverge into diatribe that turns people off. Why?

 

[ptuanminh]

I am not sure if it is true that most people have a pretty good idea of how to improve. From my small sample consisting of my tennis friends, i would say at least 20% don't have a clue. For example, one guy spent 10 years emulating Nadal's forehand over-the-shoulder finish. I probably don't need to tell you the end of the story. Another one thinks that by playing a lot of matches, he will improve his groundstroke technique. I think we are all oblivious until someone tells us otherwise and we try it.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I am not sure if it is true that most people have a pretty good idea of how to improve. From my small sample consisting of my tennis friends, i would say at least 20% don't have a clue. For example, one guy spent 10 years emulating Nadal's forehand over-the-shoulder finish. I probably don't need to tell you the end of the story. Another one thinks that by playing a lot of matches, he will improve his groundstroke technique. I think we are all oblivious until someone tells us otherwise and we try it.

To be fair, TTPS was referring to his 3.5 control group. I can't speak for that group but in my 4.5 circle, we all know what it takes to improve and some of us are able/willing to follow-through. I would not describe a single one as being clueless as to how to improve.

And even in your sample, if 20% have no clue, doesn't that mean 80% do?

 

[mad dog1]

...Why?

Ttps projects his own cluelessness onto everyone else. He assumes because he's been playing tennis for 30 years all wrong and only now that coaches have told him so, no one else could possibly figure anything out on their own without lessons either.

Of course his thinking is majorly flawed. Thinking back to grade school there were some kids who just had the innate ability to pick up certain subjects quicker and some were even able to do so on their own.

 

[PittsburghDad]

[QUOTE because he's been playing tennis for 30 years[/QUOTE]
Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait WAIT. WAIT a flipping minute. Just hold up.

Are you saying this TTPS character has been playing tennis for years. No way. Is that true. The guy on those vids, carrying on slapping at forehands like a spazzy chicken has been playing for decades?

The guy who doesn't really get how topspin works, but is making nine threads a day telling people how to get to 4.0 is a lifelong player??

You're making that up right? He's like a been playing for six months guy, excited by the game, hasn't a clue about the hard work yet, naive but motivated sort of ruffian right? Come on. Because that's what I thought he was. With those strokes and the helplessly naive posts. You're saying this guy has been playing for thirty (expletive deleted) years.

It just got sad. I'm out.

 

[Chadillac]

I've been playing 2-3x a week. I personally lose my feel after 3 days of not playing. Every other day works best for me, im tired after playing, need a day off to do other physical stuff (working on house).

 

[PittsburghDad]

I've been playing 2-3x a week. I personally lose my feel after 3 days of not playing. Every other day works best for me, im tired after playing, need a day off to do other physical stuff (working on house).

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Chadillac]

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

Nice job staying topical

 

[PittsburghDad]

Nice job staying topical

Thanks man. Means alot coming from you. Do I get points for that or something. In case you haven't noticed TTPS threads don't exactly stay topical. Mostly because they are nonsense. And when nicer people than me, (and more knowledgeable) try to help him out he just screams at them and calls them names. Then he posts videos of really low level strokes and then tells everybody how to get to 4.0. Which also tends to always be more nonsense. "Play more tennis" was one of my personal favs.

I know, it sounds repetitive. And it is. He posts nine threads a day. But it's oddly fascinating. Like picking a scab.

 

[Bender]

You have more than 1 coach? You seem to be loaded to throw away money like this.

Seriously...given your age, what is your ultimate goal with all this? Get to 5.0? Would that validate spending all this money and time?

Well tbh what is considered 'money well spent' depends on the person, does it not?

Even if OP never gets beyond 4.0, if he considers that worth it, then who are we to judge?

If I had $3,500 to spend in two months I'd gladly do the same, even if I weren't able to move up by 0.5. I'd have paid money to know where my upper limit is...

 

[Chadillac]

Well tbh what is considered 'money well spent' depends on the person, does it not?

Even if OP never gets beyond 4.0, if he considers that worth it, then who are we to judge?

If I had $3,500 to spend in two months I'd gladly do the same, even if I weren't able to move up by 0.5. I'd have paid money to know where my upper limit is...

Its a bit much, but private lessons range from $50-100 in my area (per hour). Even at $50 he is taking a lesson a day over the span of two months. Id prefer to take a lesson every other day and hit/play with someone on off days (apply what you learned).

I played a guy who was spending 3500 every week, saddlebrook, had his own coach. I played him before he got to 68, think he was like 1000's. He even brought his coach to local prize money tournaments ($600 ish)

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/kevin-kim/k358/overview

 

[Bender]

Its a bit much, but private lessons range from $50-100 in my area (per hour). Even at $50 he is taking a lesson a day over the span of two months. Id prefer to take a lesson every other day and hit/play with someone on off days (apply what you learned).

I played a guy who was spending 3500 every week, saddlebrook, had his own coach. I played him before he got to 68, think he was like 1000's. He even brought his coach to local prize money tournaments ($600 ish)

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/kevin-kim/k358/overview

Well at least he seems to have made quite a bit of prize money, so it's not money wasted I suppose...

 

[mad dog1]

Are you saying this TTPS character has been playing tennis for years. No way. Is that true. The guy on those vids, carrying on slapping at forehands like a spazzy chicken has been playing for decades?

The guy who doesn't really get how topspin works, but is making nine threads a day telling people how to get to 4.0 is a lifelong player??

You're making that up right? He's like a been playing for six months guy, excited by the game, hasn't a clue about the hard work yet, naive but motivated sort of ruffian right? Come on. Because that's what I thought he was. With those strokes and the helplessly naive posts. You're saying this guy has been playing for thirty (expletive deleted) years.

It just got sad. I'm out.

It's true. Might be 20 years rather than 30 though. He's said so in his early threads.

 

[Chadillac]

Well at least he seems to have made quite a bit of prize money, so it's not money wasted I suppose...

Yep, im glad to see he made it. He was a very nice guy, even when it got close.

It will be money well spent for ttps as long as he isnt getting overwhelmed. The pro will have to establish the previous step to move on, thats why i dont like the crash course. Need time to apply it on your own, comeback and explain what broke down.

 

[KenC]

I'm now totally convinced that immersion is the key to permanent skills acquisition.

I've seen a few of your threads and it seems you are 1 foot in and 1 foot out of where you really need to be. If you want to play rec level tennis, by all means spend your entire day wasting your time on this forum. If you want to play competition level tennis, it's time to abandon what doesn't work and what holds you back and go all in. The advice you get here is not relevant to competition level tennis and pontificating here to this crowd is not going to help you grow. Abandon the rec level mindset and dedicate yourself 100% to winning in tournaments. Start talking to and hanging around others who play tennis competitively.

Focus. Train with a good hitting coach.Play tournaments. Rinse and repeat.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

there's no need to pay for a coach just to practice.
You can get just as much out of hitting with a decent practice partner, or even playing friendly matches, with a free, experimental mindset.

You're almost right.

Finding a hitting partner is not easy.
The guys I know do not have the time
I am basically going back in time, to the time when a kid is a junior,
who is going thru his 10,000 hours like the Beatles in Hamburg.
Adults don't do this. That is why they are at 3.5 for DECADES.
So, yes, I have other 3.5 I can hit with, but that is not my primary vehicle.

Also, I do not want to hit with a 3.5
I did a 50 ball rally to open the lesson
Hit 50 balls in a row deep.
This would have been a debacle with a 3.5

Also, hitting partner and drilling are very different.
I vastly prefer drilling under the supervision of a coach.
Remember, I am not a 6 year old learning the game.
I am a wilderness kid who never learned the right way, and has deeply ingrained habits that much be broken.
This requires 10x the amount of drill to make something stick, since I am reversing an old existing process.
Muscle memory being erased and overwritten.

I agree one can learn in other ways, I just find this the optimal.
Since my budget is effectively unlimited, I am taking a lesson at every opportunity.
A good coach with reasonable rates is a very rare find, and I am going all in while I can.
Once the new muscle memory is uploaded, I can wean off the coaching.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

Ttps projects his own cluelessness onto everyone else. He assumes because he's been playing tennis for 30 years all wrong and only now that coaches have told him so, no one else could possibly figure anything out on their own without lessons either.

Of course his thinking is majorly flawed. Thinking back to grade school there were some kids who just had the innate ability to pick up certain subjects quicker and some were even able to do so on their own.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

It's true. Might be 20 years rather than 30 though. He's said so in his early threads.

I will share my tennis timeline progression.
I believe it represents the vast majority, in millions, of 2.5 & 3.0 people who have purchased a tennis racket,
have never taken a lesson, and have never heard the terms USTA or NTRP,
have never heard of a tennis forum, and have no idea YouTube "tennis lessons" even exist.
(About 99% of people who buy a racket) Lessons? You just hit the ball! You don't take baseball lessons either.

I played a bunch of times in middle school.
Got a racket and took a ball from the local dog.
Played enough to be able to hit the ball back.

Played on the HS tennis team for 2 years at 4th doubles.
There was no coach, just a guy taking attendance.
He would not actually be at the courts.
I learned to be a pusher, basically.
I had wheels and could get it back. Lots of slicing and blocking.
We would get crushed by upper crust schools with money. (Now I know why)

I played a handful of times in my 20s.
This consisted of an hour of rallying almost all FH at baseline.
There I learned to hit with as much topspin as possible. (but landing at service line)
This turned out to be all arm, but at least I was now swinging as hard as I could (like the pros!) and I am stronger than the average male.

I revisited tennis in 2012, as an adult.
I was about a 3.0 and had never seen a Youtube video or gotten a lesson of any kind.

• Flat first serve (20%)
• Dink 2nd serve.
• Wristy topspin FH. No depth. All arm. No turn.
• Decent drop shot.
• Ability to slice.
• Flat 2HBH (no grip change) My best stroke
• FH grip for every stroke
• Never go to net.
• No volley game (only slamming floaters)

The above is the true essence of a natural reaction to tennis.
ie: Put 100 people in a bubble, and let them play with no internet or coach.
The above is exactly where they'd all end up. Even Fed.
This is the natural limit of untrained tennis.
This is also where the vast majority of people who own a tennis racket end up.
Forever.

Last summer, I made the push to learn the game correctly.
Lots of lessons, rounded out the game, played a lot of doubles over the winter.
Most importantly, I learned that every aspect of my game was wrong.
.....all the things an 8 year old learns when coached properly from day 1.
Those summer lessons and playing 2x a week over the winter pushed me to 3.5, which is perhaps the top 1% of people who ever buy a Walmart racket and never take a lesson.

When resuming play in 2017, I realized much had not stuck from last summer's lessons.
My hypothesis is that lessons and play were too spread out.
Want to fix your strokes? Playing 2x a week won't do it.

In 2017, I will immerse for 3 months, playing daily, just like a junior does when he learned.
I will gladly invest $3000, and see if that allows me to compete with 4.0 USTA
Once I get there, I will move onto my next life challenge.

In summary, only the last 50 hours (lessons) have put me in the right path.
Over the course of several decades, all in, my entire cumulative tennis experience adds up to about 2 weeks in the life of a privileged country club tournament kid.

You can laugh all you want. I am getting better at tennis each day. Are you?

 

[PittsburghDad]

I will share my tennis timeline progression.
I believe it represents the vast majority, in millions, of 2.5 & 3.0 people who have purchased a tennis racket,
have never taken a lesson, and have never heard the terms USTA or NTRP,
have never heard of a tennis forum, and have no idea YouTube "tennis lessons" even exist.
(About 99% of people who buy a racket) Lessons? You just hit the ball! You don't take baseball lessons either.

I played a bunch of times in middle school.
Got a racket and took a ball from the local dog.
Played enough to be able to hit the ball back.

Played on the HS tennis team for 2 years at 4th doubles.
There was no coach, just a guy taking attendance.
He would not actually be at the courts.
I learned to be a pusher, basically.
I had wheels and could get it back. Lots of slicing and blocking.
We would get crushed by upper crust schools with money. (Now I know why)

I played a handful of times in my 20s.
This consisted of an hour of rallying almost all FH at baseline.
There I learned to hit with as much topspin as possible. (but landing at service line)
This turned out to be all arm, but at least I was now swinging as hard as I could (like the pros!) and I am stronger than the average male.

I revisited tennis in 2012, as an adult.
I was about a 3.0 and had never seen a Youtube video or gotten a lesson of any kind.

• Flat first serve (20%)
• Dink 2nd serve.
• Wristy topspin FH. No depth. All arm. No turn.
• Decent drop shot.
• Ability to slice.
• Flat 2HBH (no grip change) My best stroke
• FH grip for every stroke
• Never go to net.
• No volley game (only slamming floaters)

The above is the true essence of a natural reaction to tennis.
ie: Put 100 people in a bubble, and let them play with no internet or coach.
The above is exactly where they'd all end up. Even Fed.
This is the natural limit of untrained tennis.
This is also where the vast majority of people who own a tennis racket end up.
Forever.

Last summer, I made the push to learn the game correctly.
Lots of lessons, rounded out the game, played a lot of doubles over the winter.
Most importantly, I learned that every aspect of my game was wrong.
.....all the things an 8 year old learns when coached properly from day 1.
Those summer lessons and playing 2x a week over the winter pushed me to 3.5, which is perhaps the top 1% of people who ever buy a Walmart racket and never take a lesson.

When resuming play in 2017, I realized much had not stuck from last summer's lessons.
My hypothesis is that lessons and play were too spread out.
Want to fix your strokes? Playing 2x a week won't do it.

In 2017, I will immerse for 3 months, playing daily, just like a junior does when he learned.
I will gladly invest $3000, and see if that allows me to compete with 4.0 USTA
Once I get there, I will move onto my next life challenge.

In summary, only the last 50 hours (lessons) have put me in the right path.
Over the course of several decades, all in, my entire cumulative tennis experience adds up to about 2 weeks in the life of a privileged country club tournament kid.

You can laugh all you want. I am getting better at tennis each day. Are you?

You have a basket of excuses for everything. Those kids beat you because they had money?? No. They were better. Stop being an excuse monster.

 

[Traffic]

You have a basket of excuses for everything. Those kids beat you because they had money?? No. They were better. Stop being an excuse monster.

Well, in a roundabout way, he is correct. I played VJ tennis in HS. His experience is not too unfamiliar to mine.

My son, in comparison, can be considered to "have money." He's been in group classes year round for 5 years at a private club. He started getting private coaching for two years. Entered tournaments for over a year. And he's just finishing up middle school. He'll enter HS this Fall and try out for the varsity team. I haven't seen anyone to "walk on" to HS tennis that he couldn't beat. Badly. So both accounts are accurate; TTPS equates money as having had lots of experience with parents that supported their interest in tennis and yes PittsburghDad's point that those kids were better because they walked onto the court with 5+ years of focused training and play at a high level.

I started playing regularly since the beginning of the year. I'm playing roughly 2-3x a week. Joining group clinics and playing club matches and hitting with my son whenever possible. Played my first official USTA doubles match the previous weekend. I think I go through times when I'm playing almost every day and weeks where it's just the minimum 2x a week. Life happens.

Playing twice a week is better than playing once a week. My son plays twice a week over the "off season". But with private lessons and tournaments thrown in during the month and court time, he's more like 3x a week of focused training. And it's enough for him to play at 4.0 level. I think if you did that for the next 5years, you can get to 4.0 as well... But can cost up to $20k to get there... That's why I'm content to play twice a week and hope to make it to 3.5 in a year.

 

[mad dog1]

You can laugh all you want.

As usual, you've completely missed the boat.

I don't believe anyone is laughing at you. I'm certainly not laughing at you. In fact I respect and applaud your desire and efforts to improve.

The reason why you are being mocked and rightfully so is because those of us who actually know a thing or two about tennis have given you alot of GREAT, USEFUL, APPLICABLE tips and instructions which you have eschewed. Not only have you continually dismissed the great advice, you call everyone idiots and tell them they have ZERO CLUE. You even posted previously that tennis coaches suck, they can't teach, etc when you were trying to work on your serve because they never mentioned anything about this detail or that detail. You posted that the cylinder drill was worthless. You posted that coaches need to teach the ENTIRE serve and not in steps as part of a progression. Everyone else sees the ridiculousness of how you've gone about ignoring all the good advice except for you. That's what I'm laughing about. But i'm definitely not laughing at your tennis or your desire to improve daily. Happy hitting!

 

[LeeD]

I"m a bad 4.0, meaning low level.
If I play tennis 3 times a week, usually 2 hour's court time, I can sorta maintain my strokes. Any less, I"m heading downhill quicker than my body is failing me. Any more, and I get too tired to play decently the next day.
When I was playing tennis to get good at it, and good is a subjective goal, I was playing 5 days a week, minimum of 3 hours a day for 3 consecutive year's....to get to B, or around 4.5. That was in my mid 20's, with unlimited ranked juniors and high school- college level player's to hit with, practice with, and play match's against.
Any less than that, and what you gain on ONE stroke, you lose in several other strokes you thought you had.

 

[SinjinCooper]

I don't believe anyone is laughing at you.

I wouldn't wager the mortgage.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Wait, so you played with a coach twice a week and improved, but after some time off you went back and lost ground, so you summize that coaching is bad? I think you are drawing wrong lines here.

This has noting to do with coaching but everything to do with being able to play often to stay in practice. Really, if you did coaching twice a week and played 3 times a week I am pretty sure you would make better progress than just playing 5 times a week. Coaching is concentrated focus and objective input of how to improve. Playing only is you internalizing what you think you are doing wrong and then while playing working to correct it.

Unless I am missing what you are trying to say?