what NTRP is this?

[dordor]

started to play 9 months ago. 2.5? 3.0? the guy that closer to the camera,played some tennis as a kid,but didn't touch a racquet for 20 years till we started to practice together about 8-9 months ago.
* this is really wasn't our best tennis play,Average Minus-- ,i was really tired after a long week of tennis without rest,but i am really amazed how things look so defferent on camera than it feels when play. it look so slow and ugly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAIP0M7CBYM

 

[Dimcorner]

I would say 2.5
I have some video of my 3.0 league play if you want a comparison. Look up Dimcorner in Youtube and you will see the vids.

 

[mightyrick]

OP, looking at that video, both players could self-rate at 3.0 and compete in a USTA tournament. Those look like basic 3.0 strokes to me. If you self-rated at 2.5, I think you'd be sandbagging. Some people in 2.5 have only been playing tennis for a few months. I've also seen people with physical disabilities and/or limitations playing in 2.5 tournaments.

 

[felixgun]

I would say 2.5. Looks like you'd be middle of the pack.

 

[dordor]

thank you all for your honest opinions. well.. it's a start. me personally think my game looks better than that most of the time. my follow through just wasn't there in that game... lot's of short balls and slices from my opponent,and i am still working on my approach shots and volley so its hard for me to handle balls like with full strokes (and still keep the ball in the court) i don't think my serve speed and % are equivalent to a 2.5 player... but that's only my personal and Subjective opinion.

 

[dordor]

I would say 2.5
I have some video of my 3.0 league play if you want a comparison. Look up Dimcorner in Youtube and you will see the vids.

i saw your videos (some of them i saw before your post) this is not normal 3.0 level.
maybe your is well low rated (based on your area) or that your skills are far better than the players you play against.. you move and play like a 3.75-4.0.
and if this is 3.5... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQAO7Ca3Jcs
there is no way you are 3.0.
sorry.

 

[mightyrick]

i saw your videos (some of them i saw before your post) this is not normal 3.0 level.
maybe your is well low rated (based on your area) or that your skills are far better than the players you play against.. you move and play like a 3.75-4.0.
and if this is 3.5... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQAO7Ca3Jcs
there is no way you are 3.0.
sorry.

Don't use dimcorner's video as an NTRP benchmark. The average 3.0 standard USTA tourney or ladder I've seen doesn't look like that. There are sandbaggers and sandbagging teams at every level who haven't been bumped up by the computer yet... but those aren't benchmark.

You could easily play second line singles in a USTA ladder at NTRP 3.0. You could probably play first-line doubles if your partner was a little stronger than you.

 

[dordor]

Don't use dimcorner's video as an NTRP benchmark. The average 3.0 standard USTA tourney or ladder I've seen doesn't look like that. There are sandbaggers and sandbagging teams at every level who haven't been bumped up by the computer yet... but those aren't benchmark.

You could easily play second line singles in a USTA ladder at NTRP 3.0. You could probably play first-line doubles if your partner was a little stronger than you.

thank you mightyrick.
but sure i still have lot of room to develop... working hard and enjoying it.(that's the important thing) will upload more videos soon.

 

[Dimcorner]

I agree that I don't think I should be in 3.0 (I was WAY more inconsistent a year ago) but I was putting it so you can see my opponents. TomT is 3.0 South Florida and he plays against a few 3.25's in his vids.

I think your level is 2.5 BUT you definitely should play in a 3.0 league (you should be competitive in the #2 spots). You seem to be playing to improve your game so I think you will enjoy playing better people and seeing yourself improve.

What helped me the most is getting on a team that likes to practice. Some teams just show up for matches and that's it. The new team I joined plays every weekend (3.5 team with 2 4.0 ex-team mates) and it's helped so much because I get to see faster and more consistent players.

Also don't try to change too many things at once. For me if I wanted to fix something I have to concentrate on just one thing for a few weeks before it SORT of becomes natural-ish. I can then move on to something else to fix but I have to be mindful of the previous adjustment every now and then.

 

[LeeD]

2.5 to lowest 3.0. No grasp of basic strokes, just pooping the ball to get it in.
Definetely just a few months of tennis, and not very often, no coaching, none watching the better players or TV tennis.

 

[dordor]

I agree that I don't think I should be in 3.0 (I was WAY more inconsistent a year ago) but I was putting it so you can see my opponents. TomT is 3.0 South Florida and he plays against a few 3.25's in his vids.

I think your level is 2.5 BUT you definitely should play in a 3.0 league (you should be competitive in the #2 spots). You seem to be playing to improve your game so I think you will enjoy playing better people and seeing yourself improve.

What helped me the most is getting on a team that likes to practice. Some teams just show up for matches and that's it. The new team I joined plays every weekend (3.5 team with 2 4.0 ex-team mates) and it's helped so much because I get to see faster and more consistent players.

Also don't try to change too many things at once. For me if I wanted to fix something I have to concentrate on just one thing for a few weeks before it SORT of becomes natural-ish. I can then move on to something else to fix but I have to be mindful of the previous adjustment every now and then.

thanks for your advices. very much appreciate it. you right about me to try fixing to much things at once.. This is one of my problems in my game,that is also why sometimes my tennis look like 2.5 and i agree about that video...(and with this partner) its not look more than 2.5-2.75.. but if you look at the Small details,you will see that i have some skils that i learnd that are more than 2.5 tennis. you will not see often in 2.5 tennis. some proper foot work (yes,not compleate but its a start) in side-out forehand,or 60mph serve that goes in 50-60% of the time. this are all things that one should have in 3.0+ in 2.5 you mainly trying to keep the ball pass the net and in the court. not to meantion a backhand that most of 2.5 don't have at all.

 

[LeeD]

2.5 is absolute beginner to a level where you can actually hit both forehands and backhands IN, with no pace, no consistent spin, and little direction.
Both of you are better than that, but not by much.

 

[dordor]

2.5 to lowest 3.0. No grasp of basic strokes, just pooping the ball to get it in.
Definetely just a few months of tennis, and not very often, no coaching, none watching the better players or TV tennis.

i can understand why you think that based on that video. :neutral:
i should upload another video soon when i have a chance. this was just a very bad game,even for me. (the second set was actually better,but merphy role.. run out of memory in the camera.. )
thank you all for the positive comments and for have a look on the video.

 

[mightyrick]

2.5 is absolute beginner to a level where you can actually hit both forehands and backhands IN, with no pace, no consistent spin, and little direction.
Both of you are better than that, but not by much.

The absolute beginner at 2.5 usually doesn't even have a backhand.

The best of 2.5s can only sustain a rally of maybe three or four shots playing MINI tennis. Put them back to the baseline and they are lucky to be able to hit two balls in a row.

 

[LeeD]

My g/f has played tennis twice in her life.
We can sustain 5 shot rallies if we stand in deep NML, and I can hit to her backhand or forehand. Rallies end if either of us has to take 2 steps to reach the ball. That is 2.5. Heck, her 8 year old nephew NEVER picked up a racket, and can hit eastern grip forehands, 2hbh's, at least 7 times back and forth, the rallies ending if I have to run 2 step for the ball. He can run all day. Of course, before we try rallying, he needs to hit some 2hbh's over the fence, as far as he can, to get the energy out of him....
3.0 is starting to think of competitive tournament play.
3.5 is top playground or recreational court tennis play.
4.0 IS the top, and needs to set up singles matches, or goes to pickup doubles courts, to usually dominate, unless it's one court in Fairfax where the players seem to be mostly 4.5's to 5's.

 

[dordor]

The devil is in the details... please have a look on minute 5:20. see his slice game.. It's a different game,its street tennis and need A different approach,to win that what i am used too. i am used to rally of 40-50 with my coach. sure i am working on comming to the net more ,and started to develop volley and approach shots.. but it take more time to build and to master for show it Well in a game. if it was a baseline game it whould look more like a tennis game. and no one here whould say it's 2.5 i am sure. my stroke look better when i am not affreid of hitting-out.

 

[LeeD]

Everyone looks good hitting with their coach.
Your game is judged by how well you play against an opponent who is trying to BEAT you, take you out of your game, and hit to your weaknesses.

 

[dordor]

Everyone looks good hitting with their coach.
Your game is judged by how well you play against an opponent who is trying to BEAT you, take you out of your game, and hit to your weaknesses.

agree. :-?

 

[felixgun]

If it makes you feel better, I thought I was a 3.0 until I got told by a pro I was a 2.5 when trying to find out my rating for league when I first started keep practicing and win your league matches and you will be a 3.0 in no time!!

 

[gmatheis]

I would say 2.5
I have some video of my 3.0 league play if you want a comparison. Look up Dimcorner in Youtube and you will see the vids.

i saw your videos (some of them i saw before your post) this is not normal 3.0 level.
maybe your is well low rated (based on your area) or that your skills are far better than the players you play against.. you move and play like a 3.75-4.0.
and if this is 3.5... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQAO7Ca3Jcs
there is no way you are 3.0.
sorry.

I looked at dimcorner's first vid and it was very indicative of a higher level 3.0 match (but still 3.0)

Dordor the match you post there as an example of 3.5 is an example of a lower level 3.5.

You can't just tell by how hard people hit a ball, you look for other things as well such as: Consistency, placement, stroke mechanics, use of spin, foorwork etc.

I played on 9 teams last year as a 3.5, took 7 teams to states and won states with 2 teams. 3 of those teams were combo teams so I got a good amount of exposure to players from 2.5 up to 4.0+ and feel I can differentiate between players of those levels fairly well.

I agree with many others here and think your vid shows you to be a 2.5.

- Lack of any real footwork
- All strokes are almost totally arm/wrist and really don't even look like a proper tennis stroke

I hope this doesn't come off mean ... I'm just trying to be totally honest.

If you can afford it I would really suggest a few lessons with a "GOOD" pro, one who can actually teach you some proper mechanics and is not just a ball feeder. Tell them in advance that you are open to changes in every aspect of your game including major things like grip changes or whatever. Even though it may seem strange, in the long run your game will go further.

If that's not feasible(and I know for me it wouldn't be) then perhaps use youtube, but really look for videos that will help you learn proper strokes.

Best of luck , tennis is a great game that you can play for most if not all of the rest of your life !

 

[Sir Shankalot]

Hi OP,

I watched about half of your video. I'm not qualified or able to give any technical advice or comment on your NTRP, but I did see that virtually none of the rallies lasted beyond 3 shots and the longest I saw was 5. As a fellow adult learner (I'm a bit ahead of you, I started 4 years ago) I would suggest the following:

1. If you can't find a decent coach for a few lessons, go to FYB and look at the forehand and backhand progressions, and then spend some time at the start of each session with your friend practising the full progressions. You won't get instant results but you should both aspire to a technically sound FH and BH which you can then build on. If you don't like the rather mechanistic approach of FYB then Feel Tennis is also excellent. Pick whichever approach you like, and then stick with it.
2. Don't spend too much time playing sets or competitive rallies at this stage. You need to learn the foundations first. Instead, try to spend at least 75% of your practice time doing basic drills. Try hitting crosscourt rallies with your friend, both on the FH and BH sides. Can you make 10 shots in a row? This is really hard to do if you are a relative beginner, but try it. Once you can make 10, set a goal of 20. Do the same with down the line rallies, only using half the court. Your mutual objective should be to keep the ball going, not to crush it or hit through each other.
3. Practice volleying, maybe 10 minutes each per session. At your level you are going to see a lot of short balls, so being comfortable at the net will be a big benefit to you. The volley is by far the simplest stroke in tennis, but you have to practice a lot to become comfortable at the net.
4. Start every session with 10 minutes of mini tennis. Again the focus is to keep the ball in and to keep the rally going, and it also teaches control.

The key is to invest a lot of time at the start learning the fundamentals and developing consistency. I noted in your vid that almost all points were lost by an error, rather than won with a winner. If you can develop the skills to become consistent (keep the ball in play) and the ability to put the ball in the half of the court where you want it to go, then you will have all the skills you need to compete well at your level, plus the fundamental foundation to move on to the next level.

Good luck and have fun. Remember, tennis is a game for life and you have tons of time to develop a good foundation.

 

[dordor]

I looked at dimcorner's first vid and it was very indicative of a higher level 3.0 match (but still 3.0)

Dordor the match you post there as an example of 3.5 is an example of a lower level 3.5.

You can't just tell by how hard people hit a ball, you look for other things as well such as: Consistency, placement, stroke mechanics, use of spin, foorwork etc.

I played on 9 teams last year as a 3.5, took 7 teams to states and won states with 2 teams. 3 of those teams were combo teams so I got a good amount of exposure to players from 2.5 up to 4.0+ and feel I can differentiate between players of those levels fairly well.

I agree with many others here and think your vid shows you to be a 2.5.

- Lack of any real footwork
- All strokes are almost totally arm/wrist and really don't even look like a proper tennis stroke

I hope this doesn't come off mean ... I'm just trying to be totally honest.

If you can afford it I would really suggest a few lessons with a "GOOD" pro, one who can actually teach you some proper mechanics and is not just a ball feeder. Tell them in advance that you are open to changes in every aspect of your game including major things like grip changes or whatever. Even though it may seem strange, in the long run your game will go further.

If that's not feasible(and I know for me it wouldn't be) then perhaps use youtube, but really look for videos that will help you learn proper strokes.

Best of luck , tennis is a great game that you can play for most if not all of the rest of your life !

thank you for your honest thoughts. i am taking lessons with a pro.
to apply what i learnd in a game,it will take some time... Especially against an opponent that does not really play beautiful tennis.
i don't agree about the foot work. did you see the whole video? droping steps,crossing... its not full,and not sound yet,but you can't say there is none.but i agree about my forehand,its all arm/wrist. i was trying not to hit-out. my backhand is a full swing and you can see it on the video if you look closely. (2 handed semi western,some times i change to estern backhand)

 

[dordor]

Hi OP,

I watched about half of your video. I'm not qualified or able to give any technical advice or comment on your NTRP, but I did see that virtually none of the rallies lasted beyond 3 shots and the longest I saw was 5. As a fellow adult learner (I'm a bit ahead of you, I started 4 years ago) I would suggest the following:

1. If you can't find a decent coach for a few lessons, go to FYB and look at the forehand and backhand progressions, and then spend some time at the start of each session with your friend practising the full progressions. You won't get instant results but you should both aspire to a technically sound FH and BH which you can then build on. If you don't like the rather mechanistic approach of FYB then Feel Tennis is also excellent. Pick whichever approach you like, and then stick with it.
2. Don't spend too much time playing sets or competitive rallies at this stage. You need to learn the foundations first. Instead, try to spend at least 75% of your practice time doing basic drills. Try hitting crosscourt rallies with your friend, both on the FH and BH sides. Can you make 10 shots in a row? This is really hard to do if you are a relative beginner, but try it. Once you can make 10, set a goal of 20. Do the same with down the line rallies, only using half the court. Your mutual objective should be to keep the ball going, not to crush it or hit through each other.
3. Practice volleying, maybe 10 minutes each per session. At your level you are going to see a lot of short balls, so being comfortable at the net will be a big benefit to you. The volley is by far the simplest stroke in tennis, but you have to practice a lot to become comfortable at the net.
4. Start every session with 10 minutes of mini tennis. Again the focus is to keep the ball in and to keep the rally going, and it also teaches control.

The key is to invest a lot of time at the start learning the fundamentals and developing consistency. I noted in your vid that almost all points were lost by an error, rather than won with a winner. If you can develop the skills to become consistent (keep the ball in play) and the ability to put the ball in the half of the court where you want it to go, then you will have all the skills you need to compete well at your level, plus the fundamental foundation to move on to the next level.

Good luck and have fun. Remember, tennis is a game for life and you have tons of time to develop a good foundation.

thank you very much for your advices,i will take it and try.
many thanks.

 

[Sir Shankalot]

thank you very much for your advices,i will take it and try.
many thanks.

No problem - just remember, tennis is a very skill intensive sport and it can take years to develop those skills up to a level where you are any good. So you are going to have to get used to the fact that you will basically suck for quite a long time. Be patient, try not to get frustrated, and learn to love the process of learning rather than the outcomes.

 

[tennis_ocd]

Hi OP,

I watched about half of your video. I'm not qualified or able to give any technical advice or comment on your NTRP, but I did see that virtually none of the rallies lasted beyond 3 shots and the longest I saw was 5. As a fellow adult learner (I'm a bit ahead of you, I started 4 years ago) I would suggest the following:

1. If you can't find a decent coach for a few lessons, go to FYB and look at the forehand and backhand progressions, and then spend some time at the start of each session with your friend practising the full progressions. You won't get instant results but you should both aspire to a technically sound FH and BH which you can then build on. If you don't like the rather mechanistic approach of FYB then Feel Tennis is also excellent. Pick whichever approach you like, and then stick with it.
2. Don't spend too much time playing sets or competitive rallies at this stage. You need to learn the foundations first. Instead, try to spend at least 75% of your practice time doing basic drills. Try hitting crosscourt rallies with your friend, both on the FH and BH sides. Can you make 10 shots in a row? This is really hard to do if you are a relative beginner, but try it. Once you can make 10, set a goal of 20. Do the same with down the line rallies, only using half the court. Your mutual objective should be to keep the ball going, not to crush it or hit through each other.
3. Practice volleying, maybe 10 minutes each per session. At your level you are going to see a lot of short balls, so being comfortable at the net will be a big benefit to you. The volley is by far the simplest stroke in tennis, but you have to practice a lot to become comfortable at the net.
4. Start every session with 10 minutes of mini tennis. Again the focus is to keep the ball in and to keep the rally going, and it also teaches control.

The key is to invest a lot of time at the start learning the fundamentals and developing consistency. I noted in your vid that almost all points were lost by an error, rather than won with a winner. If you can develop the skills to become consistent (keep the ball in play) and the ability to put the ball in the half of the court where you want it to go, then you will have all the skills you need to compete well at your level, plus the fundamental foundation to move on to the next level.

Good luck and have fun. Remember, tennis is a game for life and you have tons of time to develop a good foundation.

Great advice and brings back some memories. I enjoyed watching. Was there 5 years ago; recall the challange of hitting 10 balls service line to service line with a daughter who wanted to learn together. Baseline to baseline, 10x sounded like an impossible dream. Kept at it; a bit slow to realize real coaching was neccessary -- especially with her youth and desire to learn. (Youtube videos just wasn't her thing.)

Now fh corner to corner is sleepwalking. BH corner to corner (maintaining depth) somewhat challenging. Although I play perhap 3x as much she's improved 2x faster. Go figure.... She made first singles in HS and will play for a small college. Most mornings I move up to the old men's first court and enjoy it as much as her.

The gadfly in me just wanted to post that if you had a lefty serve you'd be beating wta players.

 

[Sir Shankalot]

The gadfly in me just wanted to post that if you had a lefty serve you'd be beating wta players.

I have no serve! Deal with it! :evil:

 

[Sir Shankalot]

Although I play perhap 3x as much she's improved 2x faster. Go figure.... She made first singles in HS and will play for a small college.

Youth trumps experience. Deal with it! :evil:

 

[LeeD]

To Tennisocd...
You are a beginner at tennis, still. You obviously don't know about the lefty serve advantage, in 1977.
And yes, lefty was an advantage, IF that lefty serve could go over 120, get IN 50%, and still retained the wide ad court advantage.
Why else would several A/Open men AND women ask me to hit with them, before and just after I won a big draw C tourney?
I'll tell you. It's called "free practice". I got to hit with players several levels higher than me. THEY got to face their level lefty serves without paying for it, and without begging their peers for the lesson. OK, they had to put up with some warmup hitting, yes.

 

[LeeD]

I wonder about this "youth trumps experience" thing..
I DO support, younger players get good at hitting much quicker than us old farts.
And old farts take a whole lot longer to get good at hitting.
BUT, what about actual match play? When points count, EVERY point counts.
Can Dad beat daughter, in a 2 out of 3 set match?
Girl hits harder, runs faster, sees better.
Old fart knows more, usually has some sound strategy, and should miss less often, or maybe, miss more often at the right moments.
Would be an interesting matchup!

 

[Topspin Shot]

To Tennisocd...
You are a beginner at tennis, still. You obviously don't know about the lefty serve advantage, in 1977.
And yes, lefty was an advantage, IF that lefty serve could go over 120, get IN 50%, and still retained the wide ad court advantage.
Why else would several A/Open men AND women ask me to hit with them, before and just after I won a big draw C tourney?
I'll tell you. It's called "free practice". I got to hit with players several levels higher than me. THEY got to face their level lefty serves without paying for it, and without begging their peers for the lesson. OK, they had to put up with some warmup hitting, yes.

If there is a lefty serve advantage, then lefties should have higher hold percentages than righties. They don't. Your supposed lefty serve advantage is complete BS.

 

[LeeD]

Whoa there, should you rethink this?
If a player has not played a lefty before, the lefty has a huge advantage.
If a player has only played a few lefties ever, the lefty has an advantage.
At my level, now 4.0, the lefty has a very slight advantage.
At higher levels, the lefty has no advantage.....because every 4.5 has practiced a LOT, against various lefties.
And 5.0's and above make sure they practice against lefty serves, even if they have to ask a lower level lefty to serve to them.
I was that lower level lefty that a lot of higher level players asked to serve to them, even several lefties.

 

[Topspin Shot]

Whoa there, should you rethink this?
If a player has not played a lefty before, the lefty has a huge advantage.
If a player has only played a few lefties ever, the lefty has an advantage.
At my level, now 4.0, the lefty has a very slight advantage.
At higher levels, the lefty has no advantage.....because every 4.5 has practiced a LOT, against various lefties.
And 5.0's and above make sure they practice against lefty serves, even if they have to ask a lower level lefty to serve to them.
I was that lower level lefty that a lot of higher level players asked to serve to them, even several lefties.

That's not what you said. You said a lefty server has an advantage if he can serve over 120 mph and get the ball in 50% of the time. First off, there is no way you ever got 120 mph serves in 50% of the time. And now you're changing the subject to how lefty servers are unfamiliar at low levels. I'm not fooled that easily.

 

[arche3]

To Tennisocd...
You are a beginner at tennis, still. You obviously don't know about the lefty serve advantage, in 1977.
And yes, lefty was an advantage, IF that lefty serve could go over 120, get IN 50%, and still retained the wide ad court advantage.
Why else would several A/Open men AND women ask me to hit with them, before and just after I won a big draw C tourney?
I'll tell you. It's called "free practice". I got to hit with players several levels higher than me. THEY got to face their level lefty serves without paying for it, and without begging their peers for the lesson. OK, they had to put up with some warmup hitting, yes.

Lmao. Your such a liar. Your serve is nowhere near the level you think it is or was. 120 mph 50% in is high ATP level. Probably top 10 atp level.

 

[Dimcorner]

dordor, from what I see in the video you don't have much footwork yet. You are in shape and can move, but you don't bend your knees to hit the ball, you watch your shot land before you move, and you start moving pretty late even when the ball comes that slowly at you. You still hit off your back foot on things that take a whole 3 seconds to come back to you. Some of my opponents move well but have not footwork. They cover lots of court but because they don't have footwork they are off balance when they hit and either hit it out or just wildly float it back.

 

[Cheetah]

Footwork that is not sound or 'not all there' yet is not helping your game. A lot of your footwork is actually detrimental to your movement currently.

For example, your split steps, which you only do on serve returns, are hurting your movement making you slower and less agile.

A basic split step lands on a wide base with knees bent, on the pads of your feet and springs in the direction of the ball all in one motion.
Your split goes from a wide stance to completely closed legs, standing up straight, locked knees and flat footed. That's the complete opposite of what you should be doing.

On groundstrokes you don't have a split step so you are moving late to every ball.

 

[tennis_ocd]

I wonder about this "youth trumps experience" thing..
I DO support, younger players get good at hitting much quicker than us old farts.
And old farts take a whole lot longer to get good at hitting.
BUT, what about actual match play? When points count, EVERY point counts.
Can Dad beat daughter, in a 2 out of 3 set match?
Girl hits harder, runs faster, sees better.
Old fart knows more, usually has some sound strategy, and should miss less often, or maybe, miss more often at the right moments.
Would be an interesting matchup!

I'd bet on myself.... but only what I was prepared to lose. Unfortunately we just drill and no longer play matches as it just isn't worth the drama ... and she believes my match play is not similar to other 17 yos. Perhaps she's right.

More than youth -- I can still move and can hit; she's accelerated due to a balanced mix of individual coaching, small clinics and match play. Dad is virtually all match; very little drill hitting in winter. Something the OP should consider if really wanting to get better.

 

[LeeD]

I'd also bet on you winning.
I'm an old fart, like 65. I often win by lopsided scores against fellow 4.0's who are 30+ years younger than me. If I lose, it's usually close, like 4's and 5's.
Experience counts for something, a somewhat intangible, but real something.
For sure, against the top 4.0 men in the area, I'd lose bagels or breadsticks, but those guys are moving on to 4.5 or 5.0 levels of play.

 

[felixgun]

Whoa there, should you rethink this?
If a player has not played a lefty before, the lefty has a huge advantage.
If a player has only played a few lefties ever, the lefty has an advantage.
At my level, now 4.0, the lefty has a very slight advantage.
At higher levels, the lefty has no advantage.....because every 4.5 has practiced a LOT, against various lefties.
And 5.0's and above make sure they practice against lefty serves, even if they have to ask a lower level lefty to serve to them.
I was that lower level lefty that a lot of higher level players asked to serve to them, even several lefties.

What?? I went to 4.5 sectionals (Southern) this year and got killed in singles 1-1 because... the guy was a lefty... it is a huge advantage, especially with the serve. AND if you don't have lefty's to practice against.

 

[LeeD]

Thank you Felixgun, you backed up my point.
You are a 4.5, haven't practiced against lefties.
When I was a C player, not only did lots of Open players, both women and men asked me to serve to them, but I asked other lefties to serve practice to me.
One of my regular weekly practice partners made No.4 for CanadaCollege the year he left our area.
Another became No.1, NorCal 4.0's.
You gotta practice against what you're going to face.

 

[dordor]

Footwork that is not sound or 'not all there' yet is not helping your game

The benefits of proper technique and footwork we will see in the In the near future when i will be more experienced player. i am a realtive beaginer.there are limits to what can be achieve in 8months of training.

your split steps, which you only do on serve returns,

and when i come to the net,and sometimes on groundstrokes and approach shots (When I remember to do that..)

you don't bend your knees to hit the ball

mostly agree on that. i am working on that now more than everything else.

 

[dordor]

dordor, from what I see in the video you don't have much footwork yet. You are in shape and can move, but you don't bend your knees to hit the ball, you watch your shot land before you move, and you start moving pretty late even when the ball comes that slowly at you. You still hit off your back foot on things that take a whole 3 seconds to come back to you. Some of my opponents move well but have not footwork. They cover lots of court but because they don't have footwork they are off balance when they hit and either hit it out or just wildly float it back.

you are right on most of what you said,base on that video..
you can't imagine how tired i was on that game. it was after 6 days of training and play setes without a day rest in-between.
*i have 2 lessons with a pro every week+2-3 games+ arround 500-1000 serves (deppends on my mood) +1-2h wall training. thats my rotine in the last 3-4 months.
you will see my upcoming videos that it look a bit better,i think. maybe its not 3.0 yet,i don't know,and it doesn't really metter,its just a number any way. the most importent for me is to continue to play and enjoy it,and i am.
really in love in that sport.

 

[Cheetah]

Footwork that is not sound or 'not all there' yet is not helping your game

The benefits of proper technique and footwork we will see in the In the near future when i will be more experienced player. i am a realtive beaginer.there are limits to what can be achieve in 8months of training.
and when i come to the net,and sometimes on groundstrokes and approach shots (When I remember to do that..)


mostly agree on that. i am working on that now more than everything else.

yes. i was just making sure you knew that what you were currently doing in some places wasn't the correct way because you were saying how you do footwork etc etc.

good luck.

 

[dordor]

Footwork that is not sound or 'not all there' yet is not helping your game

yes. i was just making sure you knew that what you were currently doing in some places wasn't the correct way because you were saying how you do footwork etc etc.

good luck.

thank you.