Did you play today?

[ponchi101]

...

It took me a while to appreciate good defense and ball control on defense. I was just on the losing side of one of the matches you described above (but I didn't have a bad attitude about it). I couldn't punch through without making mistakes, and I can't put away a short ball or volley very well, so I don't have many good ways to end points against a human backboard. It can be very frustrating. But she won the whole tournament and beat other solid, offensive-minded 4.0s like me with an ugly game. I have no one to be upset with except myself - but it took me a while to get there.

I play matches for the exercise and mental/emotional growth. Learning to compete has helped me off the court, even at this late stage in life. That's one of the reasons I like tennis - I have been able to experience the benefits of competition in middle age. (And sometimes the match is really fun, but it's hit and miss.) I've also met a lot of friends through tennis. But i do enjoy just rallying. I certainly hit the ball better, and it's a pleasure to his clean groundies and glide around the court..

A defensive 4.0 will beat an offensive 4.0 most of the times. We are not at the level in which we can punch through the other.
A couple of years ago, I was playing a giggle mix with my sister-in-law and one of her friends. I was paired with another friend. My sis' partner would not stop talking about the metal game. I told my partner: "everything you hit, go cross court. Everything. FH's, BH's, everything. I will finish the other points".
We won easily. But the point was: my sole role was to make it simple for my partner. Once I took out the thinking from her game, she was able to hit a lot of good cross court shots.
Until you reach 5.0, defense beats offense in tennis. Until then: go cross court 90% of the times. Let the other player be the one missing the down the line.

[ashkor87]

I love to just hit the ball, rally for 10-20 shots, not play points.. the only rhythm we get in tennis is when we are warming up! trouble is, the fellows at the club are so competive, they want to play games, sets even, rather than just hit.
I first learned the joys of just rallying when I began to rally with my girlfriend at UCLA... we coultn play points becuse I was always too strong and quick for it to be competitive, but she had a smooth style and could always return my serve.. (it certainly turned out well.. we are now married, 40 years now)
BTW, I read somewhere that Seles did just that for practice - no points, just hitting..

Didn't know you have lived in the US!

15 years

[meganfernandez]

...

It took me a while to appreciate good defense and ball control on defense. I was just on the losing side of one of the matches you described above (but I didn't have a bad attitude about it). I couldn't punch through without making mistakes, and I can't put away a short ball or volley very well, so I don't have many good ways to end points against a human backboard. It can be very frustrating. But she won the whole tournament and beat other solid, offensive-minded 4.0s like me with an ugly game. I have no one to be upset with except myself - but it took me a while to get there.

I play matches for the exercise and mental/emotional growth. Learning to compete has helped me off the court, even at this late stage in life. That's one of the reasons I like tennis - I have been able to experience the benefits of competition in middle age. (And sometimes the match is really fun, but it's hit and miss.) I've also met a lot of friends through tennis. But i do enjoy just rallying. I certainly hit the ball better, and it's a pleasure to his clean groundies and glide around the court..

A defensive 4.0 will beat an offensive 4.0 most of the times. We are not at the level in which we can punch through the other.
A couple of years ago, I was playing a giggle mix with my sister-in-law and one of her friends. I was paired with another friend. My sis' partner would not stop talking about the metal game. I told my partner: "everything you hit, go cross court. Everything. FH's, BH's, everything. I will finish the other points".
We won easily. But the point was: my sole role was to make it simple for my partner. Once I took out the thinking from her game, she was able to hit a lot of good cross court shots.
Until you reach 5.0, defense beats offense in tennis. Until then: go cross court 90% of the times. Let the other player be the one missing the down the line.

She was a defensive 3.5 at best... at least to the eye. I should have won. I had every chance in the world. If I had any volley or overhead to speak of, I would have won.

In my experience, offense has the upper hand at 4.5. They can put the ball away and force a lot of errors with power and placement.

I was rallying with this woman well, keeping it cross court, sometimes, 20 balls, picking good times to change direction. But she just outlasted me. I couldn't take advantage of shorter falls, and that's my big problem, because I earn them all the time. That's what you want. But they put me at a disadvantage. I always say my strength leads me into my weakness.

[ashkor87]

Very true, even at pro level, that if you arent a good volleyer, a steady human backboard will always be hard to beat. My suggestion would be..go to the net anyway, the odds are on your side..faced with an oncoming volleyer, 40% of the time, your opponent will do something stupid...like trying to pass you clean (ego, basically ), the rest, you will hit a winning volley at least a quarter of the time..so that is 55 %!
Most people don't realise they don't have to pass you, making you volley is good enough, but their ego wants a clean pass.

[meganfernandez]

Very true, even at pro level, that if you arent a good volleyer, a steady human backboard will always be hard to beat. My suggestion would be..go to the net anyway, the odds are on your side..faced with an oncoming volleyer, 40% of the time, your opponent will do something stupid...like trying to pass you clean (ego, basically ), the rest, you will hit a winning volley at least a quarter of the time..so that is 55 %!
Most people don't realise they don't have to pass you, making you volley is good enough, but their ego wants a clean pass.

I agree with you on the pressure aspect. You'd think that I'll still get some easy volleys, or some overheads, or they'll miss. Most people can't just put the ball at my feet, which is what you're talking about by not needing to hit a winner. At my level, though, a lot of women want to lob. I can tell the ones who want to drill it by me - ego, as you say - and the ones content to lob or who can ONLY lob. So you'd think I could read their shot better.

I came in a few times in this match and maaaybe won a single point? I'm just terrible up there. I'm too afraid to close because I have PTSD from getting lobbed so many times, and when the ball if REALLY short, I'm not fit enough to stop quickly and backpedal to cover the lob. i get lobbed a lot. And both my overhead and high forehand volley are my worst shots. I miss 90% of them!

This opponent passed me low several times. I gave her a lot of court to work with in front of me, and I'm also was probably not split-steppling or keeping my racket in front of me. I guarantee I was flat-footed and my racket was hanging low.

I try to force myself to come in to work on this, but it's so demoralizing. My approach shots aren't that bad. They are pretty good. That' just how bad I am at net!

Thanks for the advice.

[meganfernandez]

Didn't know you have lived in the US!

15 years

Where, besides LA?

[ponchi101]

...

I agree with you on the pressure aspect. You'd think that I'll still get some easy volleys, or some overheads, or they'll miss. Most people can't just put the ball at my feet, which is what you're talking about by not needing to hit a winner. At my level, though, a lot of women want to lob. I can tell the ones who want to drill it by me - ego, as you say - and the ones content to lob or who can ONLY lob. So you'd think I could read their shot better.

I came in a few times in this match and maaaybe won a single point? I'm just terrible up there. I'm too afraid to close because I have PTSD from getting lobbed so many times, and when the ball if REALLY short, I'm not fit enough to stop quickly and backpedal to cover the lob. i get lobbed a lot. And both my overhead and high forehand volley are my worst shots. I miss 90% of them!

This opponent passed me low several times. I gave her a lot of court to work with in front of me, and I'm also was probably not split-steppling or keeping my racket in front of me. I guarantee I was flat-footed and my racket was hanging low.

I try to force myself to come in to work on this, but it's so demoralizing. My approach shots aren't that bad. They are pretty good. That' just how bad I am at net!

Thanks for the advice.

If you are terrible at the net, the, how about developing a drop shot? Be the one that brings the other person in. Hit the approach, don't step in, then drop shot them.
Because I have yet to see a 3.5 with good volleys.

[meganfernandez]

...

I agree with you on the pressure aspect. You'd think that I'll still get some easy volleys, or some overheads, or they'll miss. Most people can't just put the ball at my feet, which is what you're talking about by not needing to hit a winner. At my level, though, a lot of women want to lob. I can tell the ones who want to drill it by me - ego, as you say - and the ones content to lob or who can ONLY lob. So you'd think I could read their shot better.

I came in a few times in this match and maaaybe won a single point? I'm just terrible up there. I'm too afraid to close because I have PTSD from getting lobbed so many times, and when the ball if REALLY short, I'm not fit enough to stop quickly and backpedal to cover the lob. i get lobbed a lot. And both my overhead and high forehand volley are my worst shots. I miss 90% of them!

This opponent passed me low several times. I gave her a lot of court to work with in front of me, and I'm also was probably not split-steppling or keeping my racket in front of me. I guarantee I was flat-footed and my racket was hanging low.

I try to force myself to come in to work on this, but it's so demoralizing. My approach shots aren't that bad. They are pretty good. That' just how bad I am at net!

Thanks for the advice.

If you are terrible at the net, the, how about developing a drop shot? Be the one that brings the other person in. Hit the approach, don't step in, then drop shot them.
Because I have yet to see a 3.5 with good volleys.

I usually play 4.0 players and up, occascionally 3.5. They all just need a "good-enough" volley against me, sadly. I wish I had a drop shot. I just don't have time to drill a new shot. Maybe in the summer. I agree a drop shot - or even a short ball, with some depth control - would be a huge asset for me. I want to win matches one of two ways, depending on the opponent - either moving her around and tiring her out and forcing mistakes and forcing her into uncomfortable shots, or using power and depth side to side to open the court and hit a mid-court or volley into the open court. But I am missing pieces of both of those styles.

What's frustrating is that other players are missing pieces, too, and don't have my weapons or experience, yet they seem to win easily. The easy answers are consistency and fitness.

[ashkor87]

Didn't know you have lived in the US!

15 years

Where, besides LA?

Started in LA and moved steadily east ! Iowa City, then Dallas, then Detroit for a bit, then camp hill, Pa. and finally the Capital area...our son was born when we lived in Maryland...

[Fastbackss]

Detroit! Representing SE Michigan...

Anywho back to Megan. The coach who runs our weekly drill session says that in lieu of the drop shot is just to mix up with an occasional slice (or some form of spin). She says that it's a way to break up the monotony of a backboard player returning and getting accustomed to your pace. Forces them to move/react slightly differently which has two benefits. One - more likely for them to (expletive), even slightly. Two - keeps them from being able to zero in on the same ball / strike zone over and over.

[meganfernandez]

Detroit! Representing SE Michigan...

Anywho back to Megan. The coach who runs our weekly drill session says that in lieu of the drop shot is just to mix up with an occasional slice (or some form of spin). She says that it's a way to break up the monotony of a backboard player returning and getting accustomed to your pace. Forces them to move/react slightly differently which has two benefits. One - more likely for them to (expletive), even slightly. Two - keeps them from being able to zero in on the same ball / strike zone over and over.

I like this... the question is always when do you disrupt your own rhythm to disrupt theirs. I agree, though, make them DO something, not just retrieve. Or retrieve some junk.

[meganfernandez]

Didn't know you have lived in the US!

15 years

Where, besides LA?

Started in LA and moved steadily east ! Iowa City, then Dallas, then Detroit for a bit, then camp hill, Pa. and finally the Capital area...our son was born when we lived in Maryland...

You skipped over Indiana!

[ashkor87]

Where, besides LA?

Started in LA and moved steadily east ! Iowa City, then Dallas, then Detroit for a bit, then camp hill, Pa. and finally the Capital area...our son was born when we lived in Maryland...

You skipped over Indiana!

He he true..did visit IU a couple times..

[ponchi101]

...

I like this... the question is always when do you disrupt your own rhythm to disrupt theirs. I agree, though, make them DO something, not just retrieve. Or retrieve some junk.

Ah! But now you are starting to nitpick. Sure, you may try to disrupt their game. But you don't want to disrupt yours. Something has got to give.
Eventually, every strategy comes with and up and a down. For example, if you try to disrupt MY game with slice BH's to my BH, good luck. I have a lot of confidence in my slice, so I would welcome that. If you try to disrupt my rhythm by hitting slices to my FH, that is not bad, because I don't have the same confidence on that side.
If you try to play a power game, you have to accept the errors. If you want to play a retriever game, you have to accept the long rallies. Everything comes with a trade. It is the beauty of our game.
(I used to play S&V tennis; I had to accept the fact that I would be passed and I would miss some volleys).

[ashkor87]

Started in LA and moved steadily east ! Iowa City, then Dallas, then Detroit for a bit, then camp hill, Pa. and finally the Capital area...our son was born when we lived in Maryland...

You skipped over Indiana!

He he true..did visit IU a couple times..

My wife spent summer interning with an architect in Elkhart, Indiana ..I visited the place just for that reason..all there was then is one street with a Pizza Hut ..