want to play up, finding a team

[raiden031]

I want to play up at 8.0 mixed and 4.0 men's in 2009, but don't really know anybody that plays on any of the teams. Unfortunately I have little experience on record at 3.5 (2-2 in men's, lost in finals of 3.5 tourny). The problem is that I have this ugly 3.0 rating that I've been trying to lose for a year now, and telling teams I won 3.0 Nationals probably doesn't help me plead my case. I know at this point that I am capable of beating any 3.5 player, so I see no reason to go another year only playing at 3.5. I think there will be some good competitive matches at 3.5, but it will be rare that I face someone who can dictate play with good shotmaking skills. I can't become the player I want to be if I only lose because of errors, and I need to be blown off the court once in a while.

So whats some advice for finding a team? It seems that 4.0s are always in hibernation except when they have usta matches scheduled, because they are never the ones using the club courts, especially during the indoor season. Is it basically a lost cause for a 3.5 to play 4.0 unless you are good friends with a captain?

 

[goober]

I would try

-Call league coordinator see if that person can help.

-email or call all the 4.0 captains or anyone you know on a 4.0 team and see if they are looking.

-if all else fails, form your own team Take some of your 3.0 nationals members with you and then recruit.

 

[cak]

You might get the double bump....

Those guys you played 3.5 with last year, did any of them get bumped up? (Say, maybe someone you played with?) They might be willing to take you with them to 4.0.

 

[raiden031]

if all else fails, form your own team Take some of your 3.0 nationals members with you and then recruit.

I could start my own team, but it would be full of 3.5s. I think that would be kind of lame and a waste of time for the other 4.0 teams. Whereas if its just me, then potentially there is only one waste of time per team match.

You might get the double bump....

Those guys you played 3.5 with last year, did any of them get bumped up? (Say, maybe someone you played with?) They might be willing to take you with them to 4.0.

I would cry of joy if the double bump happened, but its highly unlikely. Mathematically it ain't happenin, plus I didn't play against any great players at Nationals to help make that happen. The players I won convincingly against weren't all that strong to begin with.

Bumps haven't happened yet, but there are a few guys I know that are expecting a bump to 4.0, and I did express interest to them, but none of them said they could accomplish anything but would mention it to their captains.

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Even if I can't find a team, I could always just look for 4.0ish practice partners to play against. But it just doesn't feel like the same experience without the importance of it being a league match.

 

[Nellie]

I think that once you get bumped to 3.5 in the next few weeks, you should have an easier time finding a team.

I see a lot of 3.5's playing up at 4.0/8.0, because there are much fewer 4.0's.

For example, in my local league, there are 22 7.0 teams, and 8 8.0 teams. You may want to look up the captains on the 4.0 teams and try to contact them directly. Many would like to have a couple of strong 3.5 players.

 

[SlapShot]

You could always play a couple of 4.0 tourneys to get up to speed, and hopefully show some tangible results for a potential captain.

 

[goober]

I could start my own team, but it would be full of 3.5s. I think that would be kind of lame and a waste of time for the other 4.0 teams. Whereas if its just me, then potentially there is only one waste of time per team match.
.

Most teams are happy with easy wins. Don't worry about what the other teams think.

 

[Cruzer]

So whats some advice for finding a team? It seems that 4.0s are always in hibernation except when they have usta matches scheduled, because they are never the ones using the club courts, especially during the indoor season. Is it basically a lost cause for a 3.5 to play 4.0 unless you are good friends with a captain?

I played up for the past two seasons and it is not easy. Unless you form your own team and happen to know enough players 4.0 or otherwise that want to play on your team you will need to make yourself known to the guys that play on the 4.0 teams. Find out when they play socially/practice and show up. Make sure you know who the captains are and they know who you are. Be available to play with whoever they might ask you to play with. If they ask you to play in a match you make sure you are available no matter when or where the match is. Don't complain just do what you are asked to do. Don't expect to play more than a one or two matches unless you get lucky and a bunch of guys on the team get injured. You will also need to reasonable tennis skills so the 4.0 players will not think you would be totally useless on the court in a 4.0 match. Bascially you have to a lot of sucking up.

 

[burosky]

If all else fails, captain a team yourself.

 

[GeoffB]

There are a few avenues for playing up, but team tennis is probably the hardest one to pull off.

Do you have USTA flex leagues in your area? These are a good way to play up and get some experience. In my area, there's a rule that you shouldn't play up more than .5, but clearly isn't enforced. Honestly, every 3.0 who has played in the 4.0 flex league has gotten completely crushed, but it sounds like you're a boundary case, and it might go better for you.

Tournaments are also a possibility, and since you want to bump up your ranking, give it a try. A few wins in 3.5 and you'd get bumped up pretty quick.

Teams are toughest, because (as you've pointed out), you have to make it through the filter of a captain. I also found that team competition is considerably harder (at least at singles) than flex league for the same ntrp level. My record in 4.0 flex this season is 5-0. My record at singles in 4.0 team competition was 1-5. This was just my experience, can't say for sure if this is usually the case.

 

[hotseat]

I could start my own team, but it would be full of 3.5s. I think that would be kind of lame and a waste of time for the other 4.0 teams. Whereas if its just me, then potentially there is only one waste of time per team match.



I would cry of joy if the double bump happened, but its highly unlikely. Mathematically it ain't happenin, plus I didn't play against any great players at Nationals to help make that happen. The players I won convincingly against weren't all that strong to begin with.

Bumps haven't happened yet, but there are a few guys I know that are expecting a bump to 4.0, and I did express interest to them, but none of them said they could accomplish anything but would mention it to their captains.

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Even if I can't find a team, I could always just look for 4.0ish practice partners to play against. But it just doesn't feel like the same experience without the importance of it being a league match.

i'm in a 4.0 league, and there are a couple of teams in our league that have pretty much all 3.5 rated players. DONT make your own team with a bunch of 3.5 guys. it will not be enjoyable for the rest of the league. everyone hates making the drive to play these teams, as many of these guys only come out to play on league nights like you mentioned.

about a year ago i was in a similar situation as you, except with 4.0 and 4.5. i was doing very well in my 4.0 league and tournament play, but was not getting the 4.5 rating that i wanted. i was on a dead end 4.0 team, but was able to network with my opponents and other friends at local clubs who had recently been bumped up to 4.5. eventually, I landed a spot on a 4.5 team (a pretty bad one mind you, haha!) but i got a lot of match play and experience at the next level. it definitely let me know what i needed to work on to get there myself.

my advice to you is to play as much as you can in tournaments, get your name out there. stop playing in 3.5 tournaments, and start doing some 4.0 ones. get some good wins there and network a bit with your opponents. schedule hitting sessions/practice matches with guys you know that play in 4.0 league play. much like finding a good job that you really want, you need to use social networking to help you with your tennis progression. these were all strategies i used that yielded the desired result :0

good luck and i hope you find a team! the 4.0 team im on right now is, in a word, stellar, so maybe i'll see you at nationals this next year!