What shots are better now that you are older?

NLBwell

Legend
For you older guys out there: What shots are better now than when you were young and fast? For me it's my volleys. I've worked for years on improving them.
 

vince916

Semi-Pro
I notice older guys have worser serves. They dont do the same knee bend and shoulder turn as the younger guys.
 

desilvam

Rookie
I am a 42 year 'OLD' guy :D who stopped playing at 30 and just restarted a few months back.

on Serve
1) I have stopped jumping up off the ground (knees get impacted and i have tendinits). Instead my left foot is on its toes at impact.
2) I still have a pretty good back bend and body rotation because I do a lot of yoga and core strengthening.
3) natural knee bend associated with my back bend.

My serving style now is similar to classical tilden style. right leg kicking forward and all. :D among modern players it would be closest to stich.

On the rest of the game, I make far fewer errors now. Rarely rush my passing shots if someone is at the net.

Control is better if I can get to the ball :D .

However, on the run shots are now worse. low and stretch volleys are bad. overheads suck now :D
 

CAM178

Hall of Fame
Overall, all shots are much better for me. Most important imporvement: my mind on the court. That's my biggest weapon now. If I had only used my brain on the court when I was younger. . . (sigh)
 

NLBwell

Legend
I am now very poor mentally, which is a great improvement over when I was younger. I am much calmer now. I mentally am much more of a football player - I grew up tackling guys much bigger and stronger than me - it's hard for me to not be too intense on the court.
 

OrangeOne

Legend
I notice older guys have worser serves. They dont do the same knee bend and shoulder turn as the younger guys.

I'm 31.... and my serve is 10 times what it was when I was 15 or 20. I can now hit most serves in the book, and hit enough variety to confuse most people of a similar ability to my own.

In similar things to other oldies who have posted - almost every part of my game is better now, especially mental strength.
 

downdaline

Professional
I've played a few old guys (in their mid 50s).

And the stroke that i really envy them on is their HALF-VOLLEY pickup. It's just soooooooooooo smooth, like Sampras-smooth. I guess they've played so long that hitting a half-volley is as natural as a forehand. When i or most of my friends half-volley, it's more like a gut response than a deliberate stroke.

These guys make it look easy.
 

Tim Tennis

Professional
They can't really bend their backs either, They'll be stuck in the trophy position for weeks!

Oh my gosh, that is too funny. I am 62 and I bend my back, use my knees and turn my shoulders on my serve more them I ever did. My friends, around the same age, comment on the motion, wonder how I do it. I wonder too, just lucky I guess.

I am a much better tennis player now then I ever was before and I started playing when I was a senior in college. All my shots are better, more variety, use multiple grips, spins, placement etc. Of course the only thing now is I am 2 to 3 steps slower now which obviously makes a big difference in setting up for shots or even getting there. I honestly think that if I could go back and play myself anytime in the past, my present day tennis would win or at least it would be an interesting match.

You have to love the game.
 

BiGGieStuFF

Hall of Fame
Everything is better about my game. Although I'm not THAT old. I'd even say I was faster than before but only because I was a fat kid. Only thing that is worse is my stamina and recovery. :(
 

Tennismastery

Professional
I notice older guys have worser serves. They dont do the same knee bend and shoulder turn as the younger guys.

I know my grammer has improved! LOL!

Yet, at the ripe old age of 49, I serve much faster now than I did in college or high school. (But, not as fast as I did when I was 40! Then I was at 125...now 115 unless I get lucky!)

I'm not sure what we are considering "Old" here... but, for most older folks, they have learned where their limitations are and don't take themselves out of the point with stupid shots as much. I love my junior students to play some of the 60 year olds...because the old guys are much smarter and out wit the junior players in many cases, even as the juniors have much better strokes. (In time, the junior players end up owning the senior players, but there is an interesting transition for them to learn how and when and where to use their weapons!)

Most older folks hit better slices and drops and lobs. This is a logical progression as they become more intune with what keeps the ball in play better...and, let's face it, many senior players simply didn't learn the game in such a way that they can get much better.

However, it is always fun to watch a senior player who DID learn correctly! They are usually more effiecent and can do more things with the ball. They tend to not be injured as much too, because they use more effiecent stroke patterns. Those who use improper form are the ones who get hurt and have the ongoing injuries.
 

LuckyR

Legend
One comment: it is my guess that young players of today will use equipment very similar to that of today when they are old themselves, whereas those of us who are older players now, have used every sort of equipment from wood, to aluminum to ceramic to graphite to kevlar, fiberglass, liquidmetal and on and on.
 

Nuke

Hall of Fame
I don't serve as hard as I used to, but I'm much more consistent now (higher percentage in, better placement). A lot of my shots are more consistent now because I have better patience.
 

bad_call

Legend
almost all shots are better now...cause the racquet i'm using is so much bigger. however the wheels are slower so those running fh winners not as many.
 

fastdunn

Legend
Lots of shots are better now at 43 year old body of mine but I think a lot of it due to more experiences/practice over the years.

My foot speed is slower and I am somewhat slower off the start moving, compared to my 20's.

So I am somewhat slower to prepare for returning hard struck groundies and serves.

I was more flexible when I started out playing tennis. My flat serve has less oomp now but I now have higher accuracy and variety.
 

WildVolley

Legend
The clear improvement is in my second serve. It has much more pace, spin, and placement than when I was younger.

My topspin forehand is also better, but that is a result in a change in equipment and technique. As a teenager, I mostly hit flat.
 
I am 33, and my shot technique has improved, as I dont try to bash the hell out of the ball anymore, and allow the racquet to follow through. My first serve is a strange one, as I don't try to belt it as hard as when I was a junior, but my speed and weight is faster. My second serve however has gone from being a huge kicking/slice weapon when I was a junior, to now just hoping to get it in. Lost all confidence on it.

As I spent a lot of years not active in sport I gained a lot of weight which I am slowly bringing back down, my movement is terrible, and find that I have to out hit my opponent to avoid being run around.

Having said that, as a junior, I used Pat Cash as an example to aspire to, and I was very fast and agile on my feet. I used to and could run everything down, and the longer we played, and the hotter it was, the more I enjoyed it. That is not the case now days.. Now I have to hit deep and with alot of weight. I guess I have to bully my opponents more now. But I am trying to get the weight off, and I know my game will improve as it does..

It gets very cold here in Japan this time of year, and all but indoor sports cease, so its hard to keep in a rythem. Plus the lack of talent doesnt help either..
 
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