Topic: Monster

[monstertruck]

A quick hit with MD this morning.
42/50 on serve drill.
ROS was o.k.  MD doesn't own a slice serve and % drops dramatically when serving in the ad court.
Won TB after splitting games.
Nice aussie hit once PH arrived.

[Jamesdster]

A quick hit with MD this morning.
42/50 on serve drill.
ROS was o.k.  MD doesn't own a slice serve and % drops dramatically when serving in the ad court.
Won TB after splitting games.
Nice aussie hit once PH arrived.

42/50????   

[monstertruck]

A quick hit with MD this morning.
42/50 on serve drill.
ROS was o.k.  MD doesn't own a slice serve and % drops dramatically when serving in the ad court.
Won TB after splitting games.
Nice aussie hit once PH arrived.

42/50????   

Needless to say, I was very happy with that percentage!
It's amazing what 20min. of serving practice each outing will do for the consistency!

[monstertruck]

4 hours of hitting and play yesterday.
1h with PH.  Mostly mini tennis followed by 1 set which I won 6-1.  Had to play mostly to his forehand as he's still suffering from tennis elbow and trying to develop a 2HBH.
2 sets of doubles with DG (4.5) & RF (5.0+).  PH and I dropped the first set 6-0 on some very inconsistent play.  Targeted DG during the 2nd set and toned our shots down but still lost 7-5.  After an ace up the T in the ad court RF compliments MT on his Sampras-like serve!  I shared with him that I review a Sampras serving video for several minutes before each outting for visualization purposes.  He thinks I'm crazy!  

Also hit for .5 hour with an 8th grader who's got some promising strokes.  He's only been playing for 2 years and was able to sustain cooperative rallies of 15+ strokes with moderate pace.  Very enjoyable.

Finished up with .5 hours against the wall working on keeping the head down through the shot and not looking up to the target & 20 min. of serving.  Focused on relaxation and developing additional pace.

On a sour note, took a spill on some ice and cracked up my right knee.  Canceled fitness practice and tennis with DG today.  Hopefully it's just bruised....

[OSU Buckeye]

Here is hoping it is just a bruise!  We don't like injuries round these parts!   

[monstertruck]

Partnered with BN against CF & JK took 2 sets 6-4 6-1 playing some pretty lazy tennis.  PS & I v. CF & JK rolled 6-2.
Singles against SK was another story altogether.  A complete arse whoooping 0-6 no deuce games and only managed to get score 2 points in a game twice.  Now there's a benchmark!!!  The man just gives me no time.  Rallying afterwards for 20min. or so I was able to crush a few IOFH and found the groove on my IOBH.  The dude is an absolute machine, he just kept feeding me in the rallies.  By 1030pm and 20min of rallying with him I was toast!!!

[OSU Buckeye]

Partnered with BN against CF & JK took 2 sets 6-4 6-1 playing some pretty lazy tennis.  PS & I v. CF & JK rolled 6-2.
Singles against SK was another story altogether.  A complete arse whoooping 0-6 no deuce games and only managed to get score 2 points in a game twice.  Now there's a benchmark!!!  The man just gives me no time.  Rallying afterwards for 20min. or so I was able to crush a few IOFH and found the groove on my IOBH.  The dude is an absolute machine, he just kept feeding me in the rallies.  By 1030pm and 20min of rallying with him I was toast!!!

Sounds like me when I leave dubs for singles!   

[Jamesdster]

Partnered with BN against CF & JK took 2 sets 6-4 6-1 playing some pretty lazy tennis.  PS & I v. CF & JK rolled 6-2.
Singles against SK was another story altogether.  A complete arse whoooping 0-6 no deuce games and only managed to get score 2 points in a game twice.  Now there's a benchmark!!!  The man just gives me no time.  Rallying afterwards for 20min. or so I was able to crush a few IOFH and found the groove on my IOBH.  The dude is an absolute machine, he just kept feeding me in the rallies.  By 1030pm and 20min of rallying with him I was toast!!!

That's quite a bit of tennis you got in.  Your game will certainly pick up if you can keep doing this. 

[monstertruck]

Partnered with BN against CF & JK took 2 sets 6-4 6-1 playing some pretty lazy tennis.  PS & I v. CF & JK rolled 6-2.
Singles against SK was another story altogether.  A complete arse whoooping 0-6 no deuce games and only managed to get score 2 points in a game twice.  Now there's a benchmark!!!  The man just gives me no time.  Rallying afterwards for 20min. or so I was able to crush a few IOFH and found the groove on my IOBH.  The dude is an absolute machine, he just kept feeding me in the rallies.  By 1030pm and 20min of rallying with him I was toast!!!

That's quite a bit of tennis you got in.  Your game will certainly pick up if you can keep doing this. 

It's nice to be back on the courts after the extended bout with the flu.
Am heading out again this afternoon for some more upper level dubs!!!

My keys to game improvement will be major weight loss and actually practicing 2-3 times a week.  Still managing to have a ton of fun each time out tho'!

[monstertruck]

Forgot to mention my highlight reel shot from last night!  Both opponents at the net, one dumps a short ball in the deuce court.  I 'sprint' from my position at the service line in the ad court and hit a sharply angled 'no look' passing shot back the other way.  Both courts were cracking up on that one as no one could believe I'd attempt such a shot.  Sure was fun!!!

[monstertruck]

Wed dubs DG & I v. RF & TR 6-2, 6-6 (4-7).  Great serving and returns tho' I didn't land a single lob.??? 0-9.  All were long.  Served well.  TR in the deuce doesn't like the kicker and after seeing that a few times the wide slice is effective.  Hit some bombs to the body with RF mixed in with some slice and kick at the body.  Do not serve him out wide!  Volleyed well and had 5 nice smashes.  Took no crap from TR re: line calls.  That's the best DG and I have ever played as partners.  Typically our games don't match up well. 

I actually made 3 volleys in the middle off from wide serves that I wouldn't normally move to.  Instead of skooching a bit (after the serve) to cover the line I maintained position and balance then moved to the return.  2 were a stretch and mis**t both for winners.   But it felt good to be making an attempt on those shots!

[FreeBird]

Wed dubs DG & I v. RF & TR 6-2, 6-6 (4-7).  Great serving and returns tho' I didn't land a single lob.??? 0-9.  All were long.  Served well.  TR in the deuce doesn't like the kicker and after seeing that a few times the wide slice is effective.  Hit some bombs to the body with RF mixed in with some slice and kick at the body.  Do not serve him out wide!  Volleyed well and had 5 nice smashes.  Took no crap from TR re: line calls.  That's the best DG and I have ever played as partners.  Typically our games don't match up well. 

I actually made 3 volleys in the middle off from wide serves that I wouldn't normally move to.  Instead of skooching a bit (after the serve) to cover the line I maintained position and balance then moved to the return.  2 were a stretch and mis**t both for winners.   But it felt good to be making an attempt on those shots!

Nice work to stay aggressive in the middle and make the guy beat you with the more difficult shot up the line.  And whasup with TR and line calls?  Is he a whiner?

[monstertruck]

Wed dubs DG & I v. RF & TR 6-2, 6-6 (4-7).  Great serving and returns tho' I didn't land a single lob.??? 0-9.  All were long.  Served well.  TR in the deuce doesn't like the kicker and after seeing that a few times the wide slice is effective.  Hit some bombs to the body with RF mixed in with some slice and kick at the body.  Do not serve him out wide!  Volleyed well and had 5 nice smashes.  Took no crap from TR re: line calls.  That's the best DG and I have ever played as partners.  Typically our games don't match up well. 

I actually made 3 volleys in the middle off from wide serves that I wouldn't normally move to.  Instead of skooching a bit (after the serve) to cover the line I maintained position and balance then moved to the return.  2 were a stretch and mis**t both for winners.   But it felt good to be making an attempt on those shots!

Nice work to stay aggressive in the middle and make the guy beat you with the more difficult shot up the line.  And whasup with TR and line calls?  Is he a whiner?

The move to the middle on wide serves is a weakness for me.  Because of my lack of mobility I tend to try to anticipate and move before the return instead of staying balanced and moving to the shot.

TR is a first class whiner, he may also be partially blind since he thinks all of his serves are in even if they're long by a foot or more!  My strategy right from the start against players like this is to set the tone right from the first call and then punish them with EXTREMELY aggressive shots if there is any additional whining.  This seemed to work quite well against TR as his attitude and shot-making soured after a few games.  He managed to regain his composure and stop the whining during the 2nd set and his level of play improved drastically-  good stuff for everyone on the court!

[OSU Buckeye]

Wed dubs DG & I v. RF & TR 6-2, 6-6 (4-7).  Great serving and returns tho' I didn't land a single lob.??? 0-9.  All were long.  Served well.  TR in the deuce doesn't like the kicker and after seeing that a few times the wide slice is effective.  Hit some bombs to the body with RF mixed in with some slice and kick at the body.  Do not serve him out wide!  Volleyed well and had 5 nice smashes.  Took no crap from TR re: line calls.  That's the best DG and I have ever played as partners.  Typically our games don't match up well. 

I actually made 3 volleys in the middle off from wide serves that I wouldn't normally move to.  Instead of skooching a bit (after the serve) to cover the line I maintained position and balance then moved to the return.  2 were a stretch and mis**t both for winners.   But it felt good to be making an attempt on those shots!

You played against Fed!?  That must have been pretty neat!?   

[monstertruck]

Wed dubs DG & I v. RF & TR 6-2, 6-6 (4-7).  Great serving and returns tho' I didn't land a single lob.??? 0-9.  All were long.  Served well.  TR in the deuce doesn't like the kicker and after seeing that a few times the wide slice is effective.  Hit some bombs to the body with RF mixed in with some slice and kick at the body.  Do not serve him out wide!  Volleyed well and had 5 nice smashes.  Took no crap from TR re: line calls.  That's the best DG and I have ever played as partners.  Typically our games don't match up well. 

I actually made 3 volleys in the middle off from wide serves that I wouldn't normally move to.  Instead of skooching a bit (after the serve) to cover the line I maintained position and balance then moved to the return.  2 were a stretch and mis**t both for winners.   But it felt good to be making an attempt on those shots!

You played against Fed!?  That must have been pretty neat!?   

Not even close, but I'll tell ya one skill this 5.0 player possesses that drives me nuts-  he can hold a shot longer than any player I've ever seen and he does it on a regular basis.  That's just 'crippling' for me because I try to anticipate to make up for my lack of mobility.

[OSU Buckeye]

Wed dubs DG & I v. RF & TR 6-2, 6-6 (4-7).  Great serving and returns tho' I didn't land a single lob.??? 0-9.  All were long.  Served well.  TR in the deuce doesn't like the kicker and after seeing that a few times the wide slice is effective.  Hit some bombs to the body with RF mixed in with some slice and kick at the body.  Do not serve him out wide!  Volleyed well and had 5 nice smashes.  Took no crap from TR re: line calls.  That's the best DG and I have ever played as partners.  Typically our games don't match up well. 

I actually made 3 volleys in the middle off from wide serves that I wouldn't normally move to.  Instead of skooching a bit (after the serve) to cover the line I maintained position and balance then moved to the return.  2 were a stretch and mis**t both for winners.   But it felt good to be making an attempt on those shots!

You played against Fed!?  That must have been pretty neat!?   

Not even close, but I'll tell ya one skill this 5.0 player possesses that drives me nuts-  he can hold a shot longer than any player I've ever seen and he does it on a regular basis.  That's just 'crippling' for me because I try to anticipate to make up for my lack of mobility.

I feel your pain on that one because I am the same.  I like to get an early step on the ball and usually do a decent job, but a player that can hold the ball longer can throw a huge wrench in those plans.  Those players are pretty rare but super frustrating to compete against. 

[monstertruck]

Whew, 4.5 hours on the courts this morning and I am fried! 
1 hour of fitness and footwork with MD.  At 2 times/week it's just not getting any easier.
1 hour of mini tennis and drills.
2.5 hours of dubs.  Pretty much out of gas at this point.
DMast came over for a couple hours and seemed to be hitting better.
Thanks for the tip on the backhand DM, will try to put it to practice.
And thanks for letting me hit your K Feds!  That was fun!  I'm not sure if I'm ready to hang up the Originals just yet but those felt nice.  I especially liked the gut/lux combo.
Time to refuel with a bit of lunch!!!

[Victor]

Great monsta! Good training hope you feel good, go refuel but not to much eh

[OSU Buckeye]

What is for lunch?  The wifey and I are chomping some chili right now!   I wish I was playing more than I currently am.   Good that yous guys gotout though!   Are you going to get any of this snow that is hammering us? 

[dmastous]

Whew, 4.5 hours on the courts this morning and I am fried! 
1 hour of fitness and footwork with MD.  At 2 times/week it's just not getting any easier.
1 hour of mini tennis and drills.
2.5 hours of dubs.  Pretty much out of gas at this point.
DMast came over for a couple hours and seemed to be hitting better.
Thanks for the tip on the backhand DM, will try to put it to practice.
And thanks for letting me hit your K Feds!  That was fun!  I'm not sure if I'm ready to hang up the Originals just yet but those felt nice.  I especially liked the gut/lux combo.
Time to refuel with a bit of lunch!!!

I'll try and put something together to show you what I mean, and explain it better. A picture is worth a 1000 words.