Topic: Kingskid Journal

[Victor]

It could be because of my theoretical and academical nature though, but my game improved much more when I introduced the right technique than practice over time. I love to hear that you are able to hit the ball properly over the net! (Woo gogo!) but I feel most pros focus too much on drills and play (* more about this soon, might not apply in the US). I renewed my mechanics on my forehand and serve and within a couple of days I could go from moderate to a great forehand/serve when perfectionizing those mechanics. I am sure though, Scott will help you with his.

* Pros in my country were only looking at coordination, drills and playing. They actually let me hit with a continental grip forehands for a while and just gave mediocre classes in general. When I grew up however I basically taught myself. Luckily I now train with better pros to help my game.

[monstertruck]

LOL...yea, I think I remember that b/c I think I yelled in VICTORY.  Hee hee.  But I highly doubt I'll be able to give him a respectable match let alone EVER beat him.  I'm willing to TRY though. 

Hope to get out tonight with my neighbor who knows less than I do, but is a good rally.  What I hope for myself soon is to be able to place a shot on purpose and keep the ball in play.  Right now the balls are just getting across and sometimes I get lucky with a sweet shot like what I pulled on Scott.  I also want to stay conditioned through the week.  Sunday only tennis is good, but not good enough. 

 

It's kinda funny really...b/c back when I was left at the house with the kids and Scott would go play two and three times a week I was all "uh, not cool.  You played ONCE already.  Geesh, two and three times is a TON."  But now that the shoe is on the other foot...I'd LOOOOVE to go play two and three times a week.  I'm so thankful to have the same mind about this now.  Quite a blessing!

Hopefully y'all can balance the schedule so you can both play 4 times a week minimum!

[kingskid]

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!  I won a set and didn't have to be carried through to the win!!!  Super pumped!!  Where's the fist pump smilie??

Okay, so it's been awhile since I've been on here.  Sorry!  I've been practicing quite a bit with Scott for the past month or so and it's paying off.  I can tell, he can tell and PTL my opponents could tell last night.  Scott and I signed up for a mixed dubs thingie at the local club last night.  He and I played two sets together.  One set was with a youth (HS age maybe??) who was surely 4.5 for a woman.  She was GOOD.  There was a point during the set where I felt like I was in a war zone, bc she and Scott were trading bullets across court, the other guy was keeping up okay but I just stayed out of the way! I think we lost that one, but once that girl left the court I had a chance to play. 

Scott went over to hit on another court which left me to hit on my own with a new partner and surprisingly I held my own.  I'm still learning my net game, but my baseline game and  forehands have really improved!  I had two service games though that had like fifteen deuce points and mostly bc of my errors.  I kept talking to myself "Come on, Christy, get it over with! Get it in there!"  Didn't help though.  My partners had to complete the points from the net in both cases.    However, my second partner and I won both of our sets 5-3, 6-1.  I'm PRETTY sure we were done a LOT sooner than we actually were though bc my partner wasn't helping keep score (he was a serious mumbler and on loud courts that's no good) and I am positive the other team was fudging the score at times.  It was alllll for fun last night though, so no one was really worried. 

So I FINALLY WON SOME!!  What a confidence builder!!   

[Tennis4you]

Way to go yo!  You did great last night!!!

[kingskid]

WOW!  It's nearly been a WHOLE year since I've posted!!  DANG!!  Sorry, everyone. 

Soooo, I've been um, busy, yea...very busy.  In a year's time I've been raising kids, homeschooling one, shuttling kids to and fro, babysitting, enjoying the beautiful Ohio Summer we've had and playing a crap-ton of tennis. 

I joined in on a 3.0 womens double flight league at our local tennis club last Fall and was fortunate enough to play all four of the courts at some point, but I mainly stayed on the last two courts.  It was an AWESOME place for me to cut my teeth, so to speak.  I learned so much from these different women such as the social graces of partner playing (cheering on your partner, NOT being a brat about losing, NOT chasing down first serve faults ((I hate it when women do that!)), being a good loser even when it hurts a lot, being a good sport when someone calls a good shot out and also standing up for my own calls.  It's not always easy being a gracious player but it goes a loooong way in the social tennis world.  I've seen my fair share of tantrums, poor sportsmanship, inwardly directed rants on the court that brings awkwardness to everyone and fights btwn women that go way out of proportion, so I don't ever want to give anyone cause to speak badly about my game or my character.  So anyway, I've made some great friends and apparently been accepted into a tennis circle of women and I'm happy about that.

I also took some lessons/clinics this Summer with a local coach which helped my game quite a bit.  She helped me get over the anxiety about playing close to the net.  I was too afraid to approach the net and pick off any balls so I stayed back and missed too many.  Once I got over that fear I realized that I can use my 5'10"ness to pick off a LOT of balls.  WOOHOO!

Hitting with Mr. T4U has helped a ton too.  He never feeds me the same ball over and over and it's safe to say that he doesn't take it EASY on me either, although he does dumb himself down to hit with me.  So I've had the opportunity to see a wide variety of shots and speed...I seem to do a LOT better with the faster, harder balls than the softer, slower stuff.  Actually the softer, slower stuff gives me waaaay too much time to think and I usually miss it.  Forehand groundies are my strength (obviously, that's prob the case for everyone, right?), need major work on my serve and overheads.

I have a looooong way to go, but I'm proud to say that my game has amply improved over the past year!!  I'm signed up for a weekly league again this Fall/Winter and I'm considering my first USTA league as well.  I've been a busy tennis bee this Summer and hope to stay as busy this Fall/Winter as well!

Hope to be around here posting more often!  School starts here in two weeks (laaaaate start here in our town, ugh), so YAY!  This house'll be soooo much quieter. 

~C

[Tennis4you]

Footwork is solid, court positioning better, volleys better, groundies better and still looking smokin hot while ya do it!  You are getting better yo!

[kingskid]

   Love that, yo.

Played again last night via a group lesson.  Focused on partnering at the net/moving out each others way and covering each other's back.  By the end of our hour and a half my shins were aching soooo badly, but I said I'd stay over for a few games of doubles.  I barely made it through four and I had to quit.  I think I need new shoes in a bad way.    Gonna play again tomorrow night - more doubles.

[monstertruck]

How nice to hear you are as concerned with good sportsmanship as you are with improving and learning!!!

You must be having tons of fun learning and improving (that lasts a lifetime for us hackers! ).

Get some new dogs and your feet will thank you.  Once your on court hours go much above 4, the shoes take a serious beating.

Are you doing any cross-training to help with the shin splints (besides home schooling, running the household and taking care of Mr.T4U)?  A little bit of side work (10-15 min./day) goes a long way on the court to staying injury & pain free.  Like, who's got time for that, right? 

[Tennis4you]

How nice to hear you are as concerned with good sportsmanship as you are with improving and learning!!!

You must be having tons of fun learning and improving (that lasts a lifetime for us hackers! ).

Get some new dogs and your feet will thank you.  Once your on court hours go much above 4, the shoes take a serious beating.

Are you doing any cross-training to help with the shin splints (besides home schooling, running the household and taking care of Mr.T4U)?  A little bit of side work (10-15 min./day) goes a long way on the court to staying injury & pain free.  Like, who's got time for that, right? 

MT, you are the second person to tell her that different shoes may help.  She needs to go get some!

[monstertruck]

I've mentioned before that I'm a shoe hoarder.  I've got specific shoes/boots for nearly every activity.  Having happy feet is essential to performing your best and enjoying what you do.  Tennis in pariticular places extreme demands on your body and on the recreational level the feet often get overlooked.  Most people would rather spend $150 for a new racquet or tennis outfit every couple years then pony up for tennys.

There's a specific reason Momma T4U has shin splints and I'd wager it's either shoe or training related (perhaps both!).

[kingskid]

It's been a year or better since I've had new shoes and I have a hole beginning at the toe of my right foot and clear shaving down on the sides where I drag my feet.  One of the other ladies on the court the other night said that it's IMPERATIVE to have the proper fit and suggested I go over to a local running store and ask them to measure my foot, possibly even get an insert for my arch.  In fact, she looked down at my shoes and said something to the effect of "yea, THOSE need to be retired."    So - T4U and I both need to get new shoes.  Will do!!

[Jamesdster]

It's been a year or better since I've had new shoes and I have a hole beginning at the toe of my right foot and clear shaving down on the sides where I drag my feet.  One of the other ladies on the court the other night said that it's IMPERATIVE to have the proper fit and suggested I go over to a local running store and ask them to measure my foot, possibly even get an insert for my arch.  In fact, she looked down at my shoes and said something to the effect of "yea, THOSE need to be retired."    So - T4U and I both need to get new shoes.  Will do!!

Christy - Are you a “toe dragger” on your serve.  I used to be and would wear a hole in my shoe at the big toe area in a matter of weeks.  I changed my serve for that reason alone.  Instead of anchoring the back foot (then dragging it naturally), I adopted the “bring the back foot up till it hits the instep of my front foot” approach.  I now go MONTHS on 1 pair of shoes.  I can show you what I am talking about next time I see you at the club if you want.  I don't think it has anything to do with not being properly fitted, but what do I know?   

[kingskid]

Not sure about being a "toe dragger" on my serve bc I'm still in the phase of trying to get my serve in correct form.  Scott did mention the other day that I'm definitely a foot faulter though!    The friend was mentioning the correct measurements of the feet bc she said that shin splints can be caused by playing in shoes with crappy arch support.  She noted (although I doubt she's a shoe aficionado) that New Balance shoes tend to be better for people with flat feet and I do NOT have flat feet.  So, I dunno.  I need new shoes anyway so I'll be trying on some new kicks here soon and paying attention to all the things noted. 

[Jamesdster]

Not sure about being a "toe dragger" on my serve bc I'm still in the phase of trying to get my serve in correct form.  Scott did mention the other day that I'm definitely a foot faulter though!    The friend was mentioning the correct measurements of the feet bc she said that shin splints can be caused by playing in shoes with crappy arch support.  She noted (although I doubt she's a shoe aficionado) that New Balance shoes tend to be better for people with flat feet and I do NOT have flat feet.  So, I dunno.  I need new shoes anyway so I'll be trying on some new kicks here soon and paying attention to all the things noted.

If you want to check out some world class foot faulting, come watch one of our 4.5 team matches.  I think Scott, Randy, and I are the only ones who DON'T foot fault.  Ok, back to uhhhh yer feet.  I don't understand what getting fitted for shoes has to do with a hole in the toe of the shoe.  I can understand it being good for the overall health of your foot, but it surely woudn't create a hole.  Oh well.   

[kingskid]

Okay - here's the bottom of the old kicks.  Jim, I think I do drag my toe but not for my serve, or at least I haven't paid attention during a serve.  I'm pretty dang stiff during the serve still.  I REALLY need to work on loosening my arm up and letting it drop back for some power.  Totally unrelated to toe dragging there - sorry. LOL


And drumroll, please... here are the new kicks. Nothing fancy schmancy, but they have nice arch support and don't feel too heavy.  Never worn Asics before, as far as I can remember anyway.  T4U *hearts* New Balance, so I've just followed suit up until now.


Looking forward to breaking in these bad girls tonight with some doubles matchplay. 

[Tennis4you]

You are dragging your toe on the forehand which is a good thing and it is what destroys the bottom of my shoes, for the most part.  You hit a lot more forehands than backhands and that is why the right shoe is far more worn.  We all have a side we like more.

Kudos to wearing out your first pair of shoes! 

[monstertruck]

If I remember correctly different shoes have different lasts.  That is the base that the shoe is built around.  Some shoes are designed for flat feet, some for medium arches and some for high.  I had a chart listing that info for each manufacturer, but I'll be darned if I can lay my hands on it at the moment.  I can't over emphasize how important it is to have the right support.  I was forced to learn more about the subject due to all the weight that I place on my feet.

[Tennis4you]

I would like to see said chart.  My last pair of shoes have 5-6 weeks on them right now and the top of the left shoe is blown wide open.  I always get New Balance.  I wish I could find a shoe that lasts more than 2 months.  That usually all I can get out of shoes.  Usually by the 2 month mark the top is blown wide open and the soles look far worse than the ones wifey posted.

[monstertruck]

I'll look for the chart again later.

I used to like the NB sneaks cause they came in quadruple wide for my fat pieds.  I've never found a shoe that lasted more than 2 months.  I think I am hard on them for one reason and you are for another.   I used to order 2 pair at a time and rotate them for sanitation reasons.   The trick was to find last years model (same as racquets) where the price had dropped down to just 'very expensive' instead of 'completely unafforadable'.

[Tennis4you]

I figure if I can find shoes for $30.00 it is a huge score.  $40.00 is really good.  $50.00 is just eh and I hate paying $60.00.  I need the 2E these days for my left foot.