7/25/08 - I'm back

The last few outings (weather permitting) have been incredible. My forehand has really jumped in terms of power, consistency and spin. I thought the last few months, why forehand was getting a tad on the weak side but after I changed the strings and switched back to my old combo of kirschbaum and synth gut, I've been on fire. Really have the motion down for the windshield wiper shot which really helps against dink shots when i used to always hit long.

My service return has also gotten better. I'm timing my split step and cutting off the serve's angle instead of straight going out wide. My service has been reliable too. I'm consistantly using slice and kick serves for a huge improvement. The backhand is still a bit rough, but I'm finding my groove with the new longer stroke. I need to follow through a bit more to get some more spin before I'm confident with it.

Footwork has been excellent as well. I'm not getting passed and I'm not playing lazy. Hopefully I can take advantage of the next month and really do some damage on the court. If I can develop a decent net game, it might be tennis league time!

Back with a Vengeance

Its been 3 weeks since I've been able to play... why you ask? Because of this... I wreck my leg being very stupid. Being even stupider I refused treatment for a whole week while it didn't heal which lead to a massive infection and so and and so forth.

In any case I've spent the entire time analyzing everyone of my tennis vids and I have a massive hitlist of things I will be working on because as of next week I'm hitting the court with a vengeance...

Footwork
- Split step on time, not late or its useless
- Stay on balls of feet
- Reaction time, quick first step
- get back to middle using cross step, don't get caught flat footed

Serve
- Kick, Kick, Kick Consistency
- Placement and control

Forehand
- More shoulder turn
- Must bend more at the knees and step in, don't open stance every shot
- Hit in front of me, I'm 90% hitting long when I hit late
- Early preparation

Backhand
- Dip the racquet head down, more brush. I'll deal with the net balls for now, I want good form to build off of.
- Get away from hitting too many slices.

Volley
- If stuck in mid court, goto the net, don't back pedal to the baseline
- Finish the point
- Improve coverage area and minimize passing shots

Mental
- Stop hitting to center, default location of all my shots will be the opponents backhand
- Focus on predicting my opponents shot and get there early
- Don't get Angry
- Control the point, don't just react
- Be methodical, every one has weaknesses, I need to be able to exploit them

Basically by summers end I want:
- to be a solid 4.0
- 50% 1st serve, 80% 2nd (non dink) serve
- 90% forehand consistency on easy and med shots
- 80% backhand consistency on easy and med shots
- footwork reflect my quick feet and speed
- to play against andrew and steal 3-4 points off him in a set

6/8/2008 Vs Ball Machine

Rented the ball machine again and making more progress now. I've been having a few issues with my footwork, forehand inconsistency and now backhand inconsistency. My serve believe it or not has gotten better. I'm about 40% on 1st serves and 70% with a 2nd Kick serve. With the ball machine I tried to stay on top of staying on my feet and split stepping but after a while that just faded. My take back problems stemmed from me taking the racquet back with both hands which would essentially FORCE me to turn my shoulder. The draw back was that my timing was off a bit and I was hitting too close to my body instead of in front of me, resulting in balls going long.

Dipping my racquet head down on my backhand has also been an issue. I'm just more powerful and consistent with the compact motion. I'm going to really work on changing this.

Quick update

Been dealing with some sore tendons in my meta tarsals, but I played today against a very capable 5.0 and although the score showed i got wiped, I was actually pretty proud I was able to hang in with some nice rallies against him. I'm not used to hitting against someone who gives me some pace, so it was really nice to be able to open up and throttle my racquet. I popped my strings, but it was due anyways. I guess if i can work on the mental aspects of my game, maybe, just maybe i got a shot at being decent after all.

2nd serves?

As most of you know, my service is not my forte. In fact that was something my coach never really showed me how to do when I was a kid growing up. My 1st serve is a flat banger, I basically go for broke with power and I can usually land it about 40% of the time with that mentality. I have no 2nd serve and i'm embarrased to even call "it" a serve; I would refer to as a "Dink" serve. I know I should have a kick serve as a 2nd serve, but saying is easier than doing. I've been spending about an hour a day for a couple weeks working on it and thanks to Fuzzy Yellow Balls and some related threads on this forum, I'm starting to get the hang of it. I can land it in about 60-70% of the time now. It not great but its a start. My question is at what point do I begin to incorporate it as my 2nd serve. Crunching some numbers, at this current point with:

a 40% 1st serve and a 60% (worst case scenario) 2nd serve, I would be double faulting 24% of the time.

Assuming with due diligence I can get my 1st serve to about 50% and my kick serve into the 70% range that would yield only a 15% double fault %

...or should I wait until I hit a 60% 1st serve and a 80% 2nd serve for an 8% double fault %?

At what point should I be moving toward the kick serve as a 2nd serve? I understand most people will spout off things like "till your 2nd serve is 100%" or something but I'm a tad more realistic. I mean assuming I serving 5 times in a game (6-4 or 4-6) and each game has a mean of 7 points per game for a total of 35 serves in a set. with a:

double faulting 15%, I'd DF ~ 5 times in a set
double faulting 8%, I'd DF ~ 3 times in a set

The thought analysis is that if i'm serving 35 times in a set, should i give up 5 or 3 points automatically in order to have a better chance at winning the other 30-32 other serves (ie: not get crushed by throwing up a dink)?

Actually in the mean time I've toyed with the idea to do an underhanded topspin 2nd serve. I actually started doing these after seeing HR Kid's video of his drop ball forehands in his basement and I started doing the same on the courts to practice hitting against shots with no pace (which i sometimes have trouble with). I think that it would be a good replacement to my dink serve so my opponents don't crowd the service line and kill me on my 2nd serve.

These are just some thoughts and numbers I've crunched in my head since I get bored at work. Any comments and thoughts would be awesome. Thanks in advance.

5/13/08 Post Match Thoughts

Today was really tough to swallow. I showed up early to my match, got into a good groove with my serve. Made sure my FH slice was still timed ok, bc my opponent had a big serve. During our prematch rallies, I was hitting on fire. Everything was going in, where I wanted it to go, and which great spin and power. We proceed to the match and naturally I lose the 1st point (he serves 1st). Somewhere between all this my opponent remembers I can't shots with no pace and starts to slow play every ball. I'm over hitting, hitting into the net, its horrible. I lose my cool and my serve starts to be affected. I'm hitting double 1st serves to shut him up and force him to play but all that gets me is double faults. I fall behind, try too hard to come back by playing harder not smarter and continue to lose. I go on to lose the match 6 - 3.

Big lesson learned today. I've always had trouble controlling my emotions specifically my temper but today was ridiculous. I'm a mentally weak player which explains why I lose to people with inferior groundstrokes. I'm spending most of the day tomorrow analyzing my groundstrokes and what works for me. Pre-match I'm going to hit some drop shots and make sure I know what to do to hit those junk balls. I'm going to be hitting and placing my 70% power shots and only open up when I've given an opening. I also need to work on preventing my opponent from seeing my 2nd serve. I need to go into the match with no pressure and come out with a win.

My good friend David made some great comments on my game I will carry to tomorrow's match. My forehand set up is way late. In a lot of my videos I'm scooping low too much bc I'm not setting up early enough. I've also started rotation too much into my forehand instead of stepping in. Especially on those stupid junk balls, I need to drive my hips to supply my own power.

Something I read about serving caught my eye. I of course after making contact with the ball, my eyes follow the ball to the net and hopefully to the other side of the court. I read that I should continue to look up and at the blur of my racquet. Tilting your head down will break your shoulder rotation and cause the ball to go into the net. I'm going to try this next time. I'm aiming for a 50% 1st serve percentage. Also I need to analyze my opponent and formulate a strategy and stick to it. Don't let him take my head out of the game.

Well tomorrow, my opponent will most likely just tap the ball back and hope for me to make errors. Like most, his weakness is his backhand. I'm going to hammer his backhand. Only if he gives me the opening, will I open up and hit my deep topspin crosscourt forehand. He also has a tendency to stand in front of the baseline. I'll start off hitting low power, but if I see him come out of the baseline I will hit a penetrating deep shot. If things get desperate, instead of turning up the juice, I will chip and charge or serve and volley. I'm going to deliberately try to shorten the court and make him beat me with a passing shot. Tomorrow is redemption day... I will win...

5/10/08 Match Play

You know I'm pretty happy with the result. I've gotten the hang of my new racquet the Babolat Aeropro Drive. Started off slow which is my trademark but the next 4 straight points showcased alot of the finer points I've been working on. Despite the tired legs from Ultimate Frisbee in the morning, I had decent hustle in chasing down my some shots. The biggest improvement has to be my ability to hit that forehand slice. My reaction time is atrocious and when Luis can actually hit that 1st serve, I'm slow to react. I've never been able to hit a forehand slice, or any approach shot on my forehand side so that was a great improvement for me. When necessary I was able to hit DTL or cross court, but I was really more interest in keeping the ball in play so I could prolong the in game rallies. My 1st serve was better than on most days (even had a couple aces) but my 2nd serve is a joke. I'm putting learning the kick serve on hold until I can develop a decent 95% 2nd serve where my opponent isn't standing on the service line.

The biggest glaring weakness, which is where Luis started coming back was hitting shots with no pace. I'm overhitting, or overspinning. This has always been a big problem for me.

Serve
+ Some 1st serves actually got in!
+ Only 1 double fault!
- 2nd serve is a joke
- Need to still improve consistency on 1st serve.

Forehand
+ Good power, good control when employed
+ Consistent, not too many unforced errors after the 1st set (other than on junk balls)
+ Forehand slice was hit!

Backhand
+ It didn't unravel my game
+ Slice was very consistent
- No Backhand winners, need to rely on 2 hander not slice
- Not much directional control

Footwork
+ Able to hustle when needed
- Lazy, didn't get back to center, didn't have mental focus
- no lateral steps, all running, if he double backed me, i would of been stuck

4/13/08 Groundstrokes vs Ball Machine

I'm pretty happy with the level of play today, but then again with 5 hours on the ball machine, I better have developed some consistency. A good mix of running shots and just tweaking my groundstrokes here. I feel I have good contact and transfer of energy on my power shots and I'm getting the hang of my directional control. My slice is becoming more reliable which is a big bonus for me. Footwork was off and on... I was happy with my speed but I noticed that I totally didn't employ a split step like I usually do. Too much stuff to remember.

Forehands
+ Good shoulder and hip rotation
+ Excellent power and contact in front of the bod
+ Consistency and ability to hit a softer shot is also coming along
- Low balls, still not bending at the knees
- On a couple Kill shots, getting lazy and swinging with reckless abandon

Backhands
+ Consistency is developing
+ Backhand slice is now a legitimate shot to employ especially when out of position
- Off and On with starting racquet head low
- Must elongate stroke, still to short of a motion

Footwork
+ Light on feet, good foot speed
- No split step
- As fatigue creeps up, losing mental focus

4/2/08 Groundstrokes and Rallies

I'm clearly developing my forehand into being more consistent, well at least when it warms up. I think this has to do with the fact that I'm now able to slow down my stroke and hit at a slower pace. Since I took a about 4 years off, I have muscle memory of how to hit a hard forehand, but the slower ones well... yeah. I know its weird. What worries me most is how my backhand has deteriorated. I'm learning to hit a slice on my backhand side for running shot purposes. I'm getting the hang of directing my forehands at least, they go left and right when I want, but not necessarily in bounds. My footwork is also coming along ok, much lighter on my feet, but I need more bending at the knees to set up my shots.

Forehand
+ consistency is getting there
+ able to hit the ball with less pace.
+ able to hit high and low balls finally
- midcourt forehand needs work, FH slice maybe, but windshield shot needs improving
- running forehand needs work
- low balls go over, but lack knee bend
- directional control, yes; directional control with ball being in, no

Backhand
+ trying to slice, don't know if i have any positives here
- consistency is deteriorating
- must remember to dip racquet head down on set up.
- starting to slice more instead of using the 2 hander, since i don't rush the net this is not a good idea

Footwork
+ light on the feet, able to get to the ball
- being still lazy and not moving back to center after hitting the ball
- should work on longer strides to get to the ball, short steps only when setting up
- need work on reaction time after ball is hit, not waiting for it to bounce to make a move

3/26/08 Groundstrokes

Ok the big thing about this vid is that if you noticed, my swing speed has decreased, but my ball velocity remains the same if not faster. I'm making more solid contact with the ball. The footwork is getting there, but still needs work. You can really see my weight transfer from the back foot to the front foot clearly. I threw in a few 1 handed backhands for fun to mixed results. Still need to dip the racquet head down and swing through on those 2 handed backhands.

FH:
+ They look much better, more complete. Consistency is much better.
- Footwork on low balls could use more leg bend. Directional control will be my next big focus.

BH:
+ If in a pinch or in the need of a reach the 1 hander can be deployed. The slice is becoming a rock in terms of consistency for me now
- My 2 handed backhand needs overhauling. No spin, bad form, just needs retooling.

Footwork:
+Much more lively on my feet.
- Ready position needs to be more bent, a little too jumpy at times

3/19/08 Groundstrokes vs Wall

Ok so the biggest thing I've been working on is working on my contact point. I'm pretty happy with where I'm making contact with the ball now, but I'm still in need to work on loading power in my legs. The wall is a good yet difficult learning tool. It acts like an unbeatable opponent at the net. so yes every ball comes back, but your reaction time is halved. My footwork is atrocious but so long as there is improvement, I am happy.

Things to work on:
- Reaction time
- power loading in the legs
- smoother stroke
- footwork!

3/12/08 groundstrokes

Ok this in these vids i'm just banging away while being fed. Things I learned from watching myself:
- not extending the left arm for aiming purpose
- this results in hitting the ball at my body instead of by my lead foot
- too much jumping, i'm not using my legs to load up power, its all arm
- my racquet speed is way fast, but i need a smooth transition to use it appropriately
- my backhand motion is excessively short and flat, i need to drop my racquet head down and develop a full stroke

A lot of work ahead of me but it'll be fun...

Back in the swing of things

Ok well the tennis bug has bitten me again and I'm determined to increase my level of play to the point where I can dominate matches. I've always been a fairly good rallying partner but have stunk at match play. I'll be chronicling my exploits into tennis with vids and drills I'm working on. If you got comments, they're greatly appreciated!