Topic: Mac's Journal

[cloudx4209]

approx. 7pm:
practiced some serves by myself...

~ 8:30pm:
played a match against a high school friend. we were using Penn pressureless balls, so it was a relatively slow paced game.

WON 6-3, 6-4

[Tennis4you]

Glad to see you started a Journal, welcome to this section of the forum!  And congrats on your win.

Pressureless balls eh?  Sounds rough, I bet it was slow!

[euroka1]

I generally like to practice my serves while waiting for people to turn up. For this reason, I always have at least 6 old balls in my bag.

[monstertruck]

I generally like to practice my serves while waiting for people to turn up. For this reason, I always have at least 6 old balls in my bag.

I'm not touchin' that one with a ten foot pole!

[cloudx4209]

Haha, thanks guys!

[cloudx4209]

Last night I played mixed doubles
~ 8:30pm:
My tennis partner says she has not played for 6 years. She needed to work on her groundstrokes (timing, mechanics, footwork, etc.) but her serving was the only part of her game that she didn't lose. Her stance, swing, and follow-through for it spot on. But I can tell that she used to play a lot during her days...
One of our opponents was actually her younger brother who is now a junior in high school. I think he plays doubles for the varsity team. The other opponent is a friend of mine, she graduated from the high school that her tennis partner is attending. She also played doubles, her partner back then is now my current girlfriend today. My girlfriend's sister is my tennis partner. My girlfriend was playing tennis with her four old nephew, he is my tennis parter's son. I hope you guys are not confused... Anyways, last night was rather a family-friendly match but the match was suspended. 

TIED 5-5 (court lights turned off at 10:00pm)

[cloudx4209]

Last night
~ 8:00pm:
Played doubles. Jon and I were partners against a two 2.5 players. We won 6-1. The next match we switched partners. It went to a tie-break. We lost 6-7(9).

~ 9:00pm:
Played against Jon, this time we weren't using pressureless balls 

LOST 3-6, 1-6

Later today
~ 11:00am:
I spent a good 45 minute hitting against the wall. Worked on my form and also volleys...

[monstertruck]

Love the wall!

You get to hit a ton of balls in a very short time.
Great for warm-ups and cool down.

Keep swinging!

[Tennis4you]

No doubt, the wall is great!  I wish I had a wall closer to my house, I would frequent more often.

Good to hear you are getting your fair share of tennis in!

[cloudx4209]

~ 7:45pm:
got some serves in tonight. eariler today, i recieved my penn pressureless 48-ball bucket on the front door  Also, I assembled the Pete Sampras ballport and I love it. Light and very stable to use, can hold up to 80 balls 

[monstertruck]

Those pressureless balls are great to practice with and of course it's always fun getting new gear!

Do you ever use the wall for serves?
I think it's great for just warming up and developing a rhythm without having to worry about placement.  Also a great tool for developing pace!

[cloudx4209]

Yes I do use the wall for serves, just to get a consistent swinging motion 

[cloudx4209]

Saturday
~ 7:00pm - 9:00pm:
Rallied with Michelle. We were able to hit a lot of groundstrokes and I got some volleys in... She hits flat balls because of her eastern grip and I was able to return them with ease now with my semi-western grip.

Sunday
~ 6:00pm - 8:00pm:
Match against Jon. First set - I was down 0-5 and I came back to even at 5-5. Then it went to a tie-break and I won 7-4. We were using new Penn balls this time and I finally feel confident in my shots. Now I need to improve on my conditioning, agility, and shot selection.

WON 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4

[Tennis4you]

Nice come back in that first set, that is huge!  Always great to win a close match!

[cloudx4209]

Lol thanks but last night was a different story...

~ 7:15pm:
Match against Jon. I was not confident in my shots all night. In fact, I had a weak grip on my racquet throughout the match because everytime I hit, it felt like I was going to drop it. After the match I decided to change overgrips...

LOST 2-6, 3-6

Today
~ 11:15am:
Served up some two rounds of 45 Penn pressureless balls. I was able to control where I want to place the ball but probrably with 75% of my strength. Also worked on topspin serves... After that, I went to hit some groundstrokes against the wall for a good 15 min.

[cloudx4209]

~ 7:30pm:
Match against Jon. I started the match hitting big shots and felt comfortable with my strokes. My new grip really helped control my swing and the weather was pretty chilly so I did not have sweaty palms... I held my serve and broke his. But as the match went on, I lost my touch and palms were a bit sweaty now. As one area of my game fell, the rest followed, like a domino effect. I didn't even bother sitting down or taking a drink between service breaks. And it felt like I was rushing to serve... I was anything but relaxed. In the second set, more errors followed as I tried to hit winners. I need to develop consistency and strategies. Hopefully I will be more focused next time...

LOST 4-6, 1-6