Topic: Euroka's Tennis Journal

[euroka1]

Thanks for sympathy  and not so kind words for future opponents  .  Body repair  and immune systems  are doing their thing and I should be right for the coming hopefully dry weekend.

Re James Blake, I am reminded of some local county courts which are set up for night play and where the lamp posts are set up so that wide-angle shots could be lethal. On principle, I don't run for those    but cannot resist trying to win points that way  .

[Tennis4you]

Yeah, I give little thought to some stuff when I am running.  At the tennis club there are steel columns right behind the side drapes close to the net and if you run hard enough for a super short angle and do not stop running you could introduce your face to one of those.  Never seen it happen yet, but I guess it is possible.

[euroka1]

No update since April Super E?

Well, it has all been pretty routine since then.

But yesterday was not. 

I usually manage a fall on the court once a year or so shedding varying amounts of dignity in the process. But yesterday's was worse than usual when, according to the other side of the court, I tripped over my foot when going for a wide forehand. Managed to cut lip (much blood), graze right hand (same), mildly sprain left wrist, bump left side, and hit and slightly bruise both knees. On the whole I came out of it lucky as nothing was broken.  I was able to get home soon after and put the wrist on ice and that certainly got rid of the incipient swelling. I strongly endorse this procedure which I have not always followed rigorously in the past. One day after, I feel fine and the weather seems to have put a stop to tennis for the rest of the week anyway. Still, if I had to play, I might need to serve underarm  . I'm right handed and it would have been worse if I had landed on that side.

We are in September and tennis groups will be coming together again towards the middle of the month. One way and the other, I look like hitting a tennis ball every day, weather permitting. Fortunately, they are not all high intensity. Thursday night is but Friday is decidedly not and the weekend and Tuesday games are very social. Monday can be challenging and Wednesday will be the regular hour long hit with the instructor which is a good workout to say the least and is good for addressing recurring bad habits.  Perhaps we should work on footwork. 

So, says he, getting to his feet. Onward and upward. 

Good tennis outdoors today with a great partner who helped us win. 

Three weeks since the fall described above. All the external wounds have healed completely and ground strokes and volleys are fine but the serve has so far not attained its former spike which is annoying. At least I get the ball into play.

Perhaps the most curious thing is that, much to my opponents' delight, I have become fuzzy at remembering tennis scores  . I did hit my head in the fall but it was nothing like a concussion although I was dazed for a minute or so afterwards. Let's hope this comes back too and that it is not the first symptom of short-term memory loss!   

Now, where did I leave my keys? 

[Tennis4you]

I always find when coming back from some time off I easily lose track of the score.  Perhaps so much is going on and trying to focus on the game and getting the timing right while knocking off the rust screws up our memory for the score.  Happened to OSU a few weeks ago when he was playing after 4 weeks off too. 

Glad you are healed up!!!

[euroka1]

I should say something about my tennis game at least once a month just to let people know I am still playing. 

Actually, I am playing a lot. Most weeks I have a game scheduled every day which can be a bit much but some of my groups are still playing outdoors and the weather gives a break from time to time. I still hit with the instructor once a week, weather permitting, and that has proved very useful.  I'm very happy with my backhands these days and the improved volleys are a useful weapon for someone who does not run much (I only play doubles now  ).  Each week we usually devote 10 minutes or so to something new and at the moment we are working on the slice for which I am at long last getting a feel.

[Tennis4you]

10 minutes to something new eh?  Interesting.  Slice is always handy to have.  Learn that and you can start hitting the droppah!

Good to hear you are still playing yo!

[euroka1]

Tennis deprived this weekend  . Yesterday we had snow and today the outdoor courts were still mushy even though the temperatures were in the 40s in a cloudless, sunny sky.

It was great weather for getting out  and I took the opportunity to explore some walking/bike tracks in the area which have been converted from several old trolley lines that used to thread through the Washington suburbs. It was a nice experience.  Simple pleasures can be among the best.

[euroka1]

It was perfect post-Thanksgiving weather over here for tennis today; not a cloud in the sky, no wind, temperature in the mid-sixties. I had a good hour with the instructor which did something to compensate for all that food yesterday. Still working on the slice for several minutes a session. and am starting to get the feel for it.

Tomorrow also promises to be a good one for a game of social doubles.

[Tennis4you]

My best advise for the slice...  Never try to hit it too hard, any time I go for too much pace on a slice I miss.

Glad to hear you had good weather!

[monstertruck]

It was perfect post-Thanksgiving weather over here for tennis today; not a cloud in the sky, no wind, temperature in the mid-sixties. I had a good hour with the instructor which did something to compensate for all that food yesterday. Still working on the slice for several minutes a session. and am starting to get the feel for it.

Tomorrow also promises to be a good one for a game of social doubles.

Any tips from the instructor on hitting the slice?  Am assuming your referring to BH slice.

[euroka1]

It was perfect post-Thanksgiving weather over here for tennis today; not a cloud in the sky, no wind, temperature in the mid-sixties. I had a good hour with the instructor which did something to compensate for all that food yesterday. Still working on the slice for several minutes a session. and am starting to get the feel for it.

Tomorrow also promises to be a good one for a game of social doubles.

Any tips from the instructor on hitting the slice?  Am assuming your referring to BH slice.

Yes, it's the BH slice and we only do it for the several minutes. I like to spend the rest of the hour on groundstrokes, volleys and overheads to get a good workout as much as anything. More balls are hit in that hour than in the rest of the week.

One thing we did try yesterday was keeping the grip high before moving the racquet forward for the slice motion. It seemed to help the control.

[monstertruck]

Sounds like a great workout but skips the 2 most important shots in the game-  serve & return!

I've never had a good mental image of what a proper BH slice should look like and although mine's been adequate over the years it never seemed to improve.  Will have to try 'keeping the grip high' before contact.  Thanks E!

[euroka1]

My serve is OK. I can generally put it where I want. Have been working on a spin serve but generally do best with a fast flat one. With increasing age and rustiness in the left shoulder ( I had a fall several years ago and it never quite mended) the toss has become less reliable. This sometimes works for a confusing advantage. But I'm not much good at returning big servers. I need that second serve, please!

[euroka1]

Another year almost gone and looking ahead to the new one. Not so many outdoor games now although we had a very good one yesterday even though it was quite cool but it was sunny.  So now it is mostly indoors. Because of weather and some seasonal conflicts, I've not been playing so much Still, my game seems to have come along quite well and might be benefiting.  Rather than the extreme, almost daily, scheduled match during 2011, I think I will restrict playing to at most 4 days a week in the coming year.

A couple of special things to look forward to in 2012. I will be in Europe in April and have secured a seat for the whole week of the Monte Carlo Open.  From TV my impression is that if you are bored by the clay game, there is still the magnificent view to enjoy. But I like watching the clay matches as they give you time to think and appreciate the strategy. I will be driving across to Cincy again in August but will be missing the Legg Mason this year as I want to be in Australia late July for the centenary celebrations of my High School. This last August the Legg Mason was a bit of a disappointment as only a few of the top players turned up for it so I will not miss it all that much.

[euroka1]

We had good tennis today, outdoors, on January 1 2012 but only for an hour because of interfering social commitments. 

The temperature hit 60 degrees but it does not look like it is going to last. 

New Year Note for Scott: The Washington (Kids)  Post tells us that July will be National Ice Cream Month.
So, if you can hold off until then ........... 

[Tennis4you]

National Ice Cream Month eh?  I can get behind that!

And by the way, the social commitments need to revolve around tennis, not the other way around. : )

[euroka1]

Tennis life has been going along steadily more or less as above. However, there will be a major disruption because my Wednesday tennis instructor hit man has been attracted to a better job on the other side of town  .  Meanwhile the regular Monday, Friday and weekend games continue  . I'm off on travel for most of July and August but after Cincy I'll have to find a new guy to hit with. Scott, I hope you can come over to Mason OH sometime during that week. Mertov will be there too and I know would he like to meet you also.

[Tennis4you]

I would love to meet up with both you and M in Cinncy, that would be great!  I will have to check the schedule.  I bet OSU will go as well, he always does.

Glad to hear tennis is moving right along, sorry to hear you lost a hitting partner.  We have lost several over the years due to job changes.

[euroka1]

Good tennis yesterday, today and hopefully tomorrow.

My Wednesday tennis instructor did significant good in the time I worked with him. He got me at long last playing good volleys, acceptable overheads, and most of all my one-handed backhand has improved a lot. The knowledgeable know all this but the key was not only the turning in preparation but in moving my left arm back as I drove through the shot with the right.  By improving balance, it is easy now to get much more power on the stroke. 

[euroka1]

Must reread all of the above. 
Picked up a racquet today for the first time since early July and a largely inactive summer. Was horrified to see how bad my basic strokes were    and how clumsy any sort of footwork felt.  However, it was good to get back on the tennis court on a cloudy day at a mild 78 degrees.

Well, it was a good summer regardless  and now it is time to get back to the routine of playing passably good tennis.