Winter...?

[Blahteeb]

This is not a question for tips, but more towards advice.

Well, I live in Minnesota, where winter comes every year. I need a way to stay fresh during the cold weather. I get into an indoor every once in awhile, but can only stay for an hour and a half since I am not a member. I used to hit the ball off the wall inside my garage, but that gets the wall all mucky and icky with all the dirt and snow the car brings in. So here I am, looking for a way to stay fresh with my form.

I was wondering if anyone used the thing with a ball tied around a pole. I see these often, but never got a chance to use them. Do they work? Are they worth playing with? I'm talking about the set you can buy that comes with a 6 or 7 foot pole and there is a ball tied to a wire which then is tied to the pole. Apparently, you hit the ball, and it comes around behind you... or something. So has anyone used this? What about a serving?

Also, what are good ball machines? And what are cheap ones? I'm in the market to buy one for next summer, but can't spit out a grand for one.

Any advice is helpful

BTW: I do stay in shape over winter, it is my form and body mechanic I worry about.

 

[CanadianChic]

Why don't you get a membership? You could also try racquetball or squash, just to stay limber and fit if nothing else.

 

[Blahteeb]

Getting a membership won't help much, because my schedule allows me to play most days of the week, but only a small window is available. Membership costs money, and even then, I would only get a discount, so I would still be paying quite often. I am looking for something that I can just go do for a few hours before work or school. I cannot spend too much time packing, driving there on the icy roads, and then playing, packing, traveling back. Something does not cost me gas money, playing time money, or any other kind of expensive fees. I can play once or twice a month over winter, but I need more ... except I need money more.

 

[CanadianChic]

Okay I understand. Have you considered my second option?

 

[Blahteeb]

Yes, but those cost indoor time don't they? And they don't help me much on my tennis form, at least not that I know of.

I do stay limber, I stretch, workout, and have a healthy diet. I get a good amount cardio workout in too. I have pretty much everything to stay healthy, it's my skill that I need to work on.

 

[CanadianChic]

Other than trying to make more time in your schedule, I'm not sure what to offer for advice.

 

[volusiano]

I think hitting a ball around a pole is a bad idea, unless you're an absolute beginner and still keep missing the ball with your racket. Tennis is one of those things that you just have to be on the court and get feedback on where your ball lands so you know how to adjust your form to get the ball in. There's really no other good way around it. You don't want to ruin your muscle memories by aimlessly hitting a ball around a pole without really knowing where it's going to land for real.

 

[TonLars]

Where do you live? My tennis facility has no membership fees and is not connected to Lifetime. Its cheaper and public, similar to the Reed Sweat place.

 

[SlapShot]

Where do you live? My tennis facility has no membership fees and is not connected to Lifetime. Its cheaper and public, similar to the Reed Sweat place.

But without the extreme heat in the summer and obscene league times.

 

[TonLars]

But without the extreme heat in the summer and obscene league times.

True that, when I played a tournament there in the summer when I was like 16 it felt like I was in a greenhouse

 

[tennisdad65]

1) Gamma Tennis Trainer - google it.. about $15-20 and you can hit forehands , backhands and serves. It takes some time to get used to the ball accelerating as it gets to you.

2) volley against a garage door or back wall , or get the Tennis Rebound Net - ~$200

3) use a foam ball against your garage door and hit half volleys or even groundstrokes.

4) I also hang a ball from my patio top at various heights and practice volleys.

5) Practice your serve in the yard (without hitting a ball).. I normally do about a 100-200 of these .. great exercise and improves my form

 

[SlapShot]

1) Gamma Tennis Trainer - google it.. about $15-20 and you can hit forehands , backhands and serves. It takes some time to get used to the ball accelerating as it gets to you.

2) volley against a garage door or back wall , or get the Tennis Rebound Net - ~$200

3) use a foam ball against your garage door and hit half volleys or even groundstrokes.

4) I also hang a ball from my patio top at various heights and practice volleys.

5) Practice your serve in the yard (without hitting a ball).. I normally do about a 100-200 of these .. great exercise and improves my form

Winter in SoCal must not involve -20 windchills and a couple of feet of snow.

 

[tennisdad65]

Winter in SoCal must not involve -20 windchills and a couple of feet of snow.

aww.. cmon.. tennis players are tough enough to handle -20 windchills and 2-3 feet of snow.

ps. I lived in the Northeast for 2 yrs, and did quite a bit of the above in the cold, but I am just the biggest tennis nut around

 

[skiracer55]

Don't play tennis...

...do something else for cross training, like skiing, or bundling up and riding a bike, or ice skating. As we used to say when I was teaching skiing "You learn to ski in the summer, you learn to play tennis in the winter." The best thing you can do is get off the tennis court and do something else to improve your fitness that you enjoy. Working explicitly on your tennis, 7x24x365 isn't necessarily the way to go. Just ask anybody on the ATP...

 

[SlapShot]

aww.. cmon.. tennis players are tough enough to handle -20 windchills and 2-3 feet of snow.

ps. I lived in the Northeast for 2 yrs, and did quite a bit of the above in the cold, but I am just the biggest tennis nut around

Northeast cold ain't got nothin' on middle-west cold.

The only problem I see with doing stuff outdoors in that cold is that the balls won't bounce.

 

[Steady Eddy]

I used to live in Minnesota. I moved to Arizona, and now play year round. (Acutally I don't play in mid-winter, 'cause I now find 50 degree days too cold for tennis). I found tennis hard to play in Minnesota, and not just during the winter. Since it rains often, the courts almost always have water. Ever retrieve a ball out of a puddle and hit it around in an attempt to make it dry? I've never done that here, 'cause even on the rare occasions when it does rain, the hot sun and dry air evaporate the puddles quickly. Except for David Wheaton, it's not surprising that few pro's ever come out of Minnesota, lots of golfers, though.

 

[JackB1]

1) Gamma Tennis Trainer - google it.. about $15-20 and you can hit forehands , backhands and serves. It takes some time to get used to the ball accelerating as it gets to you.

2) volley against a garage door or back wall , or get the Tennis Rebound Net - ~$200

3) use a foam ball against your garage door and hit half volleys or even groundstrokes.

4) I also hang a ball from my patio top at various heights and practice volleys.

5) Practice your serve in the yard (without hitting a ball).. I normally do about a 100-200 of these .. great exercise and improves my form

anyone do any of these things????

 

[tyro]

Some clubs have a very discounted "early birds" rate for the predawn hours (starting at maybe 5 to 6) when no sane person will reserve court time. In some of the clubs I know, you can pay a flat fee for the winter, and then play as much predawn tennis as you can handle. Check to see whether there's something similar in your area.

--Tyro

By the way, I've played with those "Practice Hit" balls on a stick. I think they're OK for maintaining your form.

http://tenniswire.wordpress.com