Did you play today?

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ashkor87 India
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Re: Did you play today?

#31

Post by ashkor87 »

ponchi101 wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:38 pm Good training session today.
Got new balls, my now beloved Tretorn Pressureless Pro Control. Hard as rocks, but they give you a crisp feel. However, price has gone up again: around $7/ box of three. Then they wonder why Colombia cannot produce any proper tennis players (Osorio and Galan are the only two). This for a country with more population than Spain.
The BH was a bit off, maybe because of the new balls. Could not get consistent speed of the shot, and the slice was not biting. I was late with my stride into the ball. Something to work on on Friday.
Since I knew that I would be serving very poorly, simply decided to work on speed and loosening up the shoulder. So, I told my trainer that I would simply serve from my back, trying to put enough speed to fly the ball OUTSIDE his baseline. First serve landed in the service box, proof that I had no speed. A few minutes of this and I was able to get s bit more oomph, but I am still too slow on my backswing.
The blister in my hand had busted so by now it is dry, about to form a good, clean, nice callus.
ooh.. I hate those Tretorn balls, feels like playing with rocks.. glad to see you being so positive about callouses!
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Re: Did you play today?

#32

Post by ashkor87 »

rains have stopped here so we can play every day.. I end up playing Mon wed Friday Saturday, almost 2 hours every day.. that is quite a lot! and I am getting old, need more rest..
I found, around the age of 60, my eyesight beginning to go, I was not sighting the ball in time, was actually getting hit at the net, which never happened to me before.. have to adapt now, I guess.. less of rushing to the net, cant jump too well, so lobbing me is easy.. oh well.. stay back more, I guess.
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Re: Did you play today?

#33

Post by ponchi101 »

ashkor87 wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:18 pm ...

ooh.. I hate those Tretorn balls, feels like playing with rocks.. glad to see you being so positive about callouses!
I really like Tretorns :) But remember, I am playing at 2,800 Mts OSL. Playing with a regular Wilson, for example, is almost impossible unless you can put Rafa-like topspin on them.
You don't have callouses? I need to "cultivate" them, almost. By now, I have the one on my index finger (roughly to the side of the finger), and one each at the base of the middle and ring fingers. Plus, the internal side of my thumb. Otherwise, I cannot grip my racquet well.
And I play with a tacky overwrap. :D
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Re: Did you play today?

#34

Post by ponchi101 »

ashkor87 wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:21 pm rains have stopped here so we can play every day.. I end up playing Mon wed Friday Saturday, almost 2 hours every day.. that is quite a lot! and I am getting old, need more rest..
I found, around the age of 60, my eyesight beginning to go, I was not sighting the ball in time, was actually getting hit at the net, which never happened to me before.. have to adapt now, I guess.. less of rushing to the net, cant jump too well, so lobbing me is easy.. oh well.. stay back more, I guess.
Yesterday I hit a good approach and charged the net. My trainer got to the ball but could only throw up a lob. It was good but not great, and I was ready to jump and try the smash. Then my hernia said "Hi, I'm STILL here", and the lob went over me.
So sad, to be this old on a court.
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Re: Did you play today?

#35

Post by ashkor87 »

At my level, not the professional level, the serve is so important, it is almost absurd...especially in singles..there are several players who have better forehands and backhands than I do, but none of them stand a chance against me in an actual game of singles..because my serve is so much better..most folks are the club level can't serve at all, they just push the ball in anyhow...
At the pro level,everyone has a decent serve..
Thinking back, I credit my serve to the fact that, when I was 10 or 12, I had nobody to play with, but had access to a court (built by my dad!) So all I could do was serve and serve for hours on end...
Strange how these things work out .
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Re: Did you play today?

#36

Post by ponchi101 »

That's an interesting take. If you ONLY serve (of course you did more), that is the stroke you hone best.
Come to think about it, I did not do that too much when a kid. Maybe the reason why my serve is so inconsistent.
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Re: Did you play today?

#37

Post by ashkor87 »

Well I did walk over to pick up the balls so I could serve again but that is literally what I did, there was nobody on the other side..
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Re: Did you play today?

#38

Post by ponchi101 »

For the week.
Yesterday, a damn good training session. On Tuesday I wanted to focus on two things.
1. My FH volley was sucking big time. My grip was too much eastern BH, as opposed to a true continental. I just slightly put a bit more of the ball in my hand on the first edge of my grip (assuming you have an octagonal grip, like most are), being able to put a bit more power on the grip. A few minutes of training and a lot of improvement. My BH volley did not suffer, but I have always felt that the BH volley is the simplest stroke of them all, biomechanically speaking.
2. My cross court FH was sucking just as bad. So, a full session of going that way whenever my trainer hit to my FH, and it got a bit better. It has always been a tough stroke for me, as I prefer to go down the line, and I have the tendency to let it drop too much when it comes cross court. But it improved.

I was able to hit one monster combination; as I say, one of those shots that would make Rod Laver raise an eyebrow. One good cross court FH which my trainer barely got to, but he was able to place his shot down the line. I got there in time, and was able to crush a BH cross court out of his reach. Most important, the entire sequence was what I thought it would be.
The serve still lacks power. I have still not recovered all my strength there.

Most important. I am leaving the court wanting more. I don't want my hour to end. It is being thoroughly enjoyable. :)
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Re: Did you play today?

#39

Post by meganfernandez »

ponchi101 wrote: Sat Oct 08, 2022 4:40 pm For the week.
Yesterday, a damn good training session. On Tuesday I wanted to focus on two things.
1. My FH volley was sucking big time. My grip was too much eastern BH, as opposed to a true continental. I just slightly put a bit more of the ball in my hand on the first edge of my grip (assuming you have an octagonal grip, like most are), being able to put a bit more power on the grip. A few minutes of training and a lot of improvement. My BH volley did not suffer, but I have always felt that the BH volley is the simplest stroke of them all, biomechanically speaking.
2. My cross court FH was sucking just as bad. So, a full session of going that way whenever my trainer hit to my FH, and it got a bit better. It has always been a tough stroke for me, as I prefer to go down the line, and I have the tendency to let it drop too much when it comes cross court. But it improved.

I was able to hit one monster combination; as I say, one of those shots that would make Rod Laver raise an eyebrow. One good cross court FH which my trainer barely got to, but he was able to place his shot down the line. I got there in time, and was able to crush a BH cross court out of his reach. Most important, the entire sequence was what I thought it would be.
The serve still lacks power. I have still not recovered all my strength there.

Most important. I am leaving the court wanting more. I don't want my hour to end. It is being thoroughly enjoyable. :)
Things are coming along! Nice work. The high forehand volley is one of my worst shots. Looks easier than it is. I play my first singles match in 2 months tomorrow.
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Re: Did you play today?

#40

Post by ponchi101 »

Oh, the HIGH FH volley is a killer shot, for the executioner. Of course, I know the THEORY, but getting it right is tough. Run THROUGH the ball, with the wrist locked, and no swing at all. If you stop halfway, you dump it into the net.
To me, find a video of Mandlikova. The best FH volley of all time, male or female. Her eyes were glued to the ball and she did just that: run through it. In this age of swinging volleys that are missed or simply get hit back to the opponent, she should be paid thousands to teach the new generation.
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Re: Did you play today?

#41

Post by meganfernandez »

ponchi101 wrote: Sun Oct 09, 2022 2:31 pm Oh, the HIGH FH volley is a killer shot, for the executioner. Of course, I know the THEORY, but getting it right is tough. Run THROUGH the ball, with the wrist locked, and no swing at all. If you stop halfway, you dump it into the net.
To me, find a video of Mandlikova. The best FH volley of all time, male or female. Her eyes were glued to the ball and she did just that: run through it. In this age of swinging volleys that are missed or simply get hit back to the opponent, she should be paid thousands to teach the new generation.
Thanks, I'll try to lok that up. If it's a soft ball, you have to run through it to get some pace on it, right? Your legs have to create the pace or, as you said, it dumps into the net. But if it's not a soft ball ... well, then it should be flying out. :) But often it's when I'm already at the net, not coming up on the ball mid-court. And I still don't stick it. I watch plenty of women I play against handle this ball like it's candy, so it seems easy, and I just can't get it.
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Re: Did you play today?

#42

Post by ponchi101 »

If you are already at the net, you have to cut diagonally. Easier said than done. Try it just by shadow boxing: if you go for a high FH, but cut sideways, your wrist will naturally rotate facing OUT.
You have to be on those toes and step forward, BUT keep moving forward or after you step, your racquet head will drop. As I say, a very tough shot.
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Re: Did you play today?

#43

Post by meganfernandez »

Played my first singles match in a couple months yesterday, as fall leagues started. Didn't expect much. My opponent was a slightly better player, and we were both off. But I was serving better and more positive. I gutted out the first set 6-4 on my fifth or sixth set point, just as negativity was setting in, then she played a lot better and won the second 6-2.

In the match TB, we lost track of the score early on. It really should have been 2-3 my serve, but we settled on going back to 2-1 her serve and replayed 2 points, which she won, so I served at 1-4 instead - a two-point swing in her favor. I was thinking about that and then what I would have for lunch, and before I knew it, it was 1-7.

Then I found my game and reeled off a bunch of points. Receiving at 8-8, I got a second serve to my FH, my bread and butter. And I made a mess of it. I double-faulted at 8-9, but she played the ball! (Maybe she was right and it was in.) I had hesitated and had to lunge for her midcourt return, and I scraped it off the court and it went over. She didn't get to it. She made two errors and I won the match 11-9, winning 10 of the last 12 points in the TB.

It was the deciding court for our league match, and an upset.

Hallelujah! I'm tempted to say I didn't deserve it - the match should have been on her racket - but she was so down on herself and I stayed positive and kept trying to problem-solve. Got a little lucky in the end, but that's tennis. She got two free points in the TB so I'd say the luck evened out.
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Re: Did you play today?

#44

Post by ponchi101 »

You deserved it. By a little bit, but you deserved it ;)
It is one thing I like about tennis; the scoring system leaves very little to the imagination. It is not soccer, with somebody winning 1-0 over a flukey goal. It isn't some sports in which you can have ONE good inning/quarter, and lose the others by close margins, and still win. In tennis, the construction of the score lets you know.
You won. You deserved it. :clap: :clap: :clap:
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Re: Did you play today?

#45

Post by meganfernandez »

ponchi101 wrote: Mon Oct 10, 2022 2:58 pm You deserved it. By a little bit, but you deserved it ;)
It is one thing I like about tennis; the scoring system leaves very little to the imagination. It is not soccer, with somebody winning 1-0 over a flukey goal. It isn't some sports in which you can have ONE good inning/quarter, and lose the others by close margins, and still win. In tennis, the construction of the score lets you know.
You won. You deserved it. :clap: :clap: :clap:
I actually do feel like I earned it. :) Competed very well and played well when I had to and served very well. You're right about the scoring system. I mean, sometimes very little separates the winners and losers and sometimes the score doesn't tell you how close a match was (lots of deuces, for instance), so it's weird in that sense, but yeah, you have to do a lot of things right to win any match, even if that thing is to give the opponent lots of chances to miss.
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