Tennis

[smackababy]

there's some really terrible advice here. I've been playing since I was a kid. Tennis is known as a rich kid sport for a reason, you will NEED lessons if you want to improve. Once you learn how to hit the basic strokes it gets more fun. Check youtube for some help if you don't want to shell out 75 bucks an hour for lessons. You can throw a ball 90mph, but if you don't have the right technique, you'll never hit that 120mph+ serve.

As a hobby it's great, find a friend and some balls during the summer and it's cheap exercise. Beware of your knees, tennis makes you move in a very unnatural side to side manor. I honestly wouldn't recommend tennis to anybody unless regularly exercise and stretch their legs, hips, calves, glutes, etc. Can you lay down and bring your leg straight up 90 degrees? If not I would stay away from playing tennis more than once a week, just my personal opinion after seeing so many tennis injuries.

Oh and for rackets, pick something on the heavy side with close to a 50/50 balance. Sounds like you're a fit guy so don't get a light racket, you want to develop technique and rackets with "power" are for less strong players (and girls). This will get you swinging the right way and not hurting your wrist with a head heavy racket. Don't listen to the "pros" at the shop and don't pick a racket based on what's new. You can easily find a 3 year old racket on ebay to get the job done. You're a beginniner and you won't really notice a big difference for at least a year. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...actor&_nkw=wilson+k+factor&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Oh, a wild tennis elitist appears! I hate to break it to you, but 99% of people don't care if they can't "throw the ball" 120MPH. Most people aren't training for Wimbledon.

Also, the idea that tennis is a rich person sport shows you're lack of how professional sports work in America. The "rags to riches" stories you think you hear about in sports don't happen and haven't since the early 70s at the latest. The overwhelming majority of professional players were coached and participated in paid training. If you want a real rich kid sport, try baseball. Not only do you need coaching, you need expensive equipment each year and have to participate in paid leagues. And then, you have to compete with people from other countries where performance enhancing drugs aren't illegal or even tested for.


Sadly, we got rained out this weekend for my weekly tennis session. =(

 

[Tencntraze]

Squash in the UK

You can play indoors which is nice when the weather is heading towards autumn. I've never played squash though.

Koing

I live in NY and like to play squash when I can, since it's much harder to play tennis in the city. I did make it out yesterday afternoon to play tennis, though, and miss playing as much as I used to.

Squash is probably the best workout I've ever had, once you learn the sport and get some good points going.

 

[Koing]

I live in NY and like to play squash when I can, since it's much harder to play tennis in the city. I did make it out yesterday afternoon to play tennis, though, and miss playing as much as I used to.

Squash is probably the best workout I've ever had, once you learn the sport and get some good points going.

Yeah many people tell me squash is a beastie work out and it definitely looks like it! But alas I can't do everything.

SOO pumped for Wednesday Tennis and the match on Thursday. I think after the match I'll treat myself and get my racket restrung.

Koing

 

[Koing]

19/09/2013 Match Report

Prepared morning well, woke up, get ready, shake, bagel with salmon, 200g strawberries. Water, chill, bit of foam rolling, lower back was stiff from the previous days heavy squats and 2hrs of tennis.

I rock up to the courts and see a person in their mid/ late 30's. I was expecting a student considering it's 12pm in the afternoon on a Thursday. I see him serve and I'm thinking I'm in with a chance. We warm up and it's okay. I feel him out. His backhand seems better than mine, but that isn't hard

Match starts. I win the coin toss and choose to serve first and keep service. I break and I'm soon up 4-0. I lose my first service game, it's 4-1 then before I know it, it's 5-5. WTF?! A lot of the games have gone to Deuce. One game went to about 8-10 deuces. He was up at the net often in this set. I haven't really played many net players but my lobbing was better than not for the most part. I later realised that his over head game wasn't amazing so I didn't have to go for a winning lob all of the time. Just make him play a hard lob and more often then not I'd win. He made more mistakes than me, less winners and I pull myself together to take the set 7-5.

Second set went better for me. I played a more rounded game, going less winner crazy and playing more percentage tennis. Working the court more and stepping in to his weaker 2nd serve and punishing him. My serve was okay. I didn't go for too much on the first serve but fast enough that he didn't punish me. He punished me a few times on a poor second serve as well as a poor return. I won 6-3.

Overall I'm very happy with the win. Serve was fine. I'm disappointed I didn't make an easier job of the first set when I was up 4-0. I'll play a more percentage game for my next match. Trying to set it up for Tuesday next week.

7-5 6-3

Koing

 

[Koing]

Random pick up game yesterday after Chest and Tricep session. A guy I had played with on club nights was playing this other guy. Turns out it was a league match. Both were in the league above me.

Barrie crushed me 6-0 6-1 6-0. Accurate shots, very few mistakes and a better play than myself. Did a lot of running around. I had fun even though he beat the hell out of me. Going to play him some other time to get more practice in. He enjoyed himself and worked harder against me than the other guy, so that was something.

Been emailed to ask for my availability for a mixed b league for the winter season. I can play pretty much every match apart from the February dates. Pretty excited about this. It means I have a guaranteed match every other week in Oct until end of Jan, plus the club nights on Wed and whatever league matches I can arrange.

Koing

 

[Koing]

I've treated myself to a new racket, Babolat Aero Pro GT Drive. I'll get my old racket restrung as well. Pretty pumped about playing with the new racket on Wednesday

Mon: 8pm 2nd league match
Wed: 6:30 club mix doubles
Fri: 12pm 3rd league match

Koing

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Do you plan on slimming down for tennis? I know in basketball there is a point where too much bulk can be a negative. I've found a good weight for me is 180lbs. I'm only 5'10". I've been bicycling lately and have slimmed down to 174 and will probably go to 170. I won't go all out for bicycling and drop to 150.

 

[Koing]

Do you plan on slimming down for tennis? I know in basketball there is a point where too much bulk can be a negative. I've found a good weight for me is 180lbs. I'm only 5'10". I've been bicycling lately and have slimmed down to 174 and will probably go to 170. I won't go all out for bicycling and drop to 150.

No. Tennis is A LOT of fun, but it's secondary to olifting and bodybuilding. I'm down to 85.8kg and I was down to 83.8 at my lowest about 6 weeks ago pre holiday. Tennis is hash on my lower back. The stop and start nature of running but I guess I'll get use to it.

I'm only 5'10 as well.

My good mate was up to 94kg but has changed from being a competitive, national level weightlifter to a cyclist. He is crazy skinny and only about 75kg? He's 6'. Such a dramatic change in his build considering I've seen him go from 75kg when he was a 400m sprinter to 94-97kg in 14yrs. He's done the least amount of strength training bodybuilding out of any olifter I've known LOL.

I'll see how I get on with with my Nike frees for tennis and if they give me enough support. If not I'll get some tennis shoes as well.

Koing

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Me playing tennis usually involved me picturing myself making a Roger Federer like passing shot, only to hit the net or have it sail way outside of the court. But the one thing I've always had going for me in tennis is my serve. Being 6'2'' made it a bit easier for me to get serve some bombs in and get some cheap points on my service game. I haven't played in a few years though. Best I managed to do competitively was go .500 in my senior year of high school playing first singles.

 

[Koing]

[/b]Me playing tennis usually involved me picturing myself making a Roger Federer like passing shot[/b], only to hit the net or have it sail way outside of the court. But the one thing I've always had going for me in tennis is my serve. Being 6'2'' made it a bit easier for me to get serve some bombs in and get some cheap points on my service game. I haven't played in a few years though. Best I managed to do competitively was go .500 in my senior year of high school playing first singles.

Don't we all

I watched a few videos and I'm going to work on some stuff on the Wednesday club night.

Pumped for Mondays match at 8pm. I'm going in to the gym for a chest session at 330pm. I'll probably take it easier and not blow myself up as I'll have about 1.5-2hrs to rest before we play the match.

I'm strictly an intermediate with a sketchy backhand but I love to play and this is the first time I'm playing competitive tennis outside of school. I played on the school team for a few years.

Koing

 

[alkemyst]

I used to play tennis. My grandmother loved it and started me out in it.

I took it in college as well as one of my PE credits.

It's a great cardio workout and IMHO incorporates the sprinting/resting thing today that has been proven to be better than full out long distance running (which I did too at about 12 miles a week at least).

The hardest part for me was finding a player equal to me and then that didn't want to be overly competitive.

It would either be me bored, me against a too good of a player or me with an equal that wanted to be lethal and call bad shots good.

I just wanted a game that was fun and exerting. Not going for Wimbleton every match.

 

[Koing]

I used to play tennis. My grandmother loved it and started me out in it.

I took it in college as well as one of my PE credits.

It's a great cardio workout and IMHO incorporates the sprinting/resting thing today that has been proven to be better than full out long distance running (which I did too at about 12 miles a week at least).

The hardest part for me was finding a player equal to me and then that didn't want to be overly competitive.

It would either be me bored, me against a too good of a player or me with an equal that wanted to be lethal and call bad shots good.

I just wanted a game that was fun and exerting. Not going for Wimbleton every match.

That is cool alkemyst. The club sessions on wednesday are mixed doubles and it's fairly even. A good knock about for 2hrs.

The singles league is more competitive but still fun. I've never gotten why someone would give a bad call. Sure I love to win, but I'd rather not win by making bad calls. I've not had anyone make a bad call yet this year. Everyone that I've played so far has been very sporting.

Having players equal or a bit better makes the game a lot of fun.

7hrs and 49mins until the match

Koing

 

[Koing]

Lost
6-1 6-0

The guy was a lot better. He use to play at a club and was had nice classic strokes. Made fewer mistakes than me and a lot more winners.

Next match on Friday.

My new racket comes in a few hours and it's wednesdays so I get to test it out tonight.

Koing

 

[Koing]

FFS my shorts came and not my racket

I'll have to wait another 1-2 days for the racket now I guess

update:
random, just checked ebay and it was delievered?! I take a look outside my house and it's over to the right LOL. Got the bad boy. Can't wait to use the racket tonight
Koing