Friday, February 28, 2014

City Skills Assessments for Adult Clinics 3/4/14

The City of Tallahassee will be holding skills assessments and registration for city clinics on Tuesday March 4th at 6:00pm at Forestmeadows Park and Athletic Center.  This is for the session that begins March 10th. If you wish to remain in the same class as the previous session, you may sign up anytime and are not required to do another assessment nor attend the registration.

If, however, you wish to change classes but remain at the same level, you must come to the registration in order to sign up.  If you wish to change levels, you must attend the registration and take the skills assessment.  Your score will determine what level to sign up for.  If you have taken a break from clinics the past two sessions, do not have a computer NTRP rating, and have not been skill assessed, you must attend the registration and take the skills assessment in order to sign up for a clinic. Those with a current COMPUTER NTRP rating do not have to be assessed for placement in a clinic, but do need to come to the registration.  Those who self rated do have to be assessed in order to be placed.

Beginners do not have to take the skill assessment, and can simply come to the registration or sign up online.  No one else may sign up online but beginners.

There are five parts to the skill assessments -

Groundstrokes for Depth
Volleys for Depth
Gorundstrokes for Accuracy
Serves
Mobility

Each section will have a score, and the total score will correspond to your level for clinic placement.  It should take around 15-20 minutes.

If you cannot attend the skill assessment and need to be assessed, you may take a 30 minute private lesson with one of our pros who can do the assessment, and get warmed up and take the assessment.  The cost will vary depending on which pro is available.  Call 850-891-3920 in order to be set up with one of the pros.

This process has now been in place through two sessions, and we have smoothed out most of the issues we have dealt with because of the change.  It should run very smoothly.  We have taken subjectivity out of the equation as it pertains to advancement, and replaced it with an objective standardized method.  This has greatly improved the consistency of levels within each clinic.

Juniors must also come to the registration in order to sign up, but there is no assessment in place for them to take as of yet.

Please be advised that as of Sunday March 9, decisions will be made as to what adult and junior clinics will make and which ones will be canceled.  You must sign up by March 9th to help ensure that your clinic will make.  If fewer than 5 are registered, the clinic will be canceled for the session.  This means do not wait until the first day of class to sign up - you may be out of luck.

If you have any questions about clinic registration, please contact Forestmeadows at 850-891-3920.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Play Within Your Limits And Win More Often

Have you ever had the experience of playing a doubles match against a team who hit balls cross court with no pace, didn't move very much, and lobbed you all day long?  This same team didn't attempt one winner the whole match, yet you lost to them pretty easily.  You came off the court irritated you lost to players who "don't even play real tennis!"

Well, I will be the one to break it to you.  You lost to a team who plays tennis better than you.  They play better than you for one very important reason - they always play within their limits.  You lost to them because you don't know or ignore what yours are.

The first thing you need to know as a player is what you can and cannot do consistently.  Then you ensure during match play that you only do what you are good at, and make darn sure you don't do what you aren't good at.  This is the foundation for tactical play.

Using myself as an example for this discussion, let me describe to you what I know about myself as my game stands today -

1) Cannot grip my racquet with my left hand at all to hit my two handed backhand
2) Do not practice my serve at all for match conditions
3) Have not hit a forehand with my regular grip in 6 months - I teach and hit in lessons with a continental grip
4) My groundstrokes - regardless of grip - aren't going to be winning me many points at 4.5 or 5.0 as they stand.
5) I volley well provided I do not have to move too much
6) My movement has slowed down significantly from inactivity
7) In lessons I simply play a bunch of feel shots and do not try to put balls away, even at the net

So here is the current state of my game.  Now I have to go play a match tomorrow.  What should I be thinking?  How should I try to play with the mess that is the current state of my game?

I MUST play within my limits.  Only do what I CAN do, and don't do what I can't do right now.  So therefore I will do the following:

1) No First Serves.  I will hit a 3/4 pace kick serve as a first serve to get a high percentage in, and avoid the risk of missing a boatload of first serves (note to self - practice the 1st serve) Since I like to serve and volley, the slower serve will give me more time to get into the net, compensating for the fact I've slowed down.
2) No two handed backhands - I've probably hit five in 6 months.  Even though it was a strength at one point, it cannot be relied upon.
3) I will chip every return of serve - Since I can't hit my two-handed backhand, and I have been hitting a slice one-hander in lessons, as well as a continental forehand, and because my slice is closely tied to how I volley, I know I can make the returns with little worry.  I know also I can't change grips between shots well, so sticking with the continental grip on returns means no grip switching.
4) Limited Poaching - Only poach ball within on or two steps.  Anything greater than that, I'm likely to mess up because my movement is atrocious
5) No Pace on volleys, and groundstrokes - Since I teach this way, I've developed great feel, so why not use it.  Trying to hit anything with power when you don't practice it is insane and a recipe for errors.
6) No down the line returns unless it's a lob - Since I don't practice much returning serve with a one-hander with a continental grip, why even try to be aggressive?  Plus, a slice up the line on the return is just asking for trouble.  I am capable of lobbing with that grip so I keep the lob as my down the line option. 
7) Get to net right away! - This prevents me from hitting groundstrokes, a weakness of my game, and allows me to volley, which is a strength.

So now I know how I will attempt to minimize risk and maximize success on the court the next time I play.

Obviously, every person is different.  For some it may be you simply need to stop hitting down the line returns (I recommend this in general - it's an incredibly low percentage shot), for some it may be to stop trying to blast the 1st serve in because you only make 2 out of every 10 you try.

My suggestion is to first write down what you think you are good at (you are good at something if at your level you can make that shot 8 or 9 times out of 10), and then write down what you aren't good at (things you can't do 6 out of 10 times).  If you don't know, have a teammate track your errors in your next match,  especially the serve and the return.  Have them track your success rate on cross court and down the line returns, and first serve pct.  Those are the basics. You will be surprised what you will be eliminating from your game.

At the end of the day more points are won in a tennis match between players or teams of equal level by virtue of errors.  It only makes sense that your job as a player or team is to do whatever it takes to minimize your errors.  It starts with eliminating from the repertoire things you are not being successful with.  If you aren't sure how to come up with this, take a lesson from your pro, and ask them for their input.  Once you do this, you will find yourself or your team winning more matches.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Doubles 101 - Make Them Play

At every level of league tennis, including the upper levels of 4.5 and 5.0, there are three statistics that are the most influential in predicting the winner of the match:

#1 First Serve pct
#2 Double Faults
#3 Return of Serve %

In almost every case, the team that performs the best in these three categories will win the match.  They are equally important. Let me use one of my recent matches as a prime example

Sunday afternoon, I played a doubles match in which my partner and I won by the score of 6-4, 6-2. It was essentially a 9.0 level match, though it was not for league. During the match, my partner and I each double faulted once.  Our opponents, on the other hand double faulted a minimum of 4 times ( I think it was 5, but I could be wrong). The first serve pct of myself and my male counterpart was essentially the same - I would estimate around 70-75%. The female players however had a statistically significant difference of about 10 percentage points, with my partner having the better day.  The biggest difference between the two teams came on return of serve pct.  In 9 return games, I missed 3 returns total, my partner missed 10, our team total of 13. Our opponents missed approximately 20 serve returns.

How do we examine all of this? My partner and I won all three of the important categories.  We essentially gave our opponents 3 games worth of points missing returns, and they gave us 5. We gave them two points on double faults and they gave us a game.  So simply looking at errors made in starting the point, our opponents gave us 6 games worth of points without us have to play a single ball, while we only gave them 3.  That works out to a 6-3 set victory for me and my partner.  That's tough to overcome in the remainder of the points where you would anticipate a smaller margin of victory for one side or the other.

Where the 1st serve percentage affects the remainder of the points, is a player or team is always going to be more likely to lose a point if they have to play after their second serve.  Look at the pro tour, the statistics bear out.  You are always more likely to win a point if you get your first serve in.  So because my partner and I had a higher percentage of first serves then our opponents, we were able to play more points than they did without duress.  That is a very important advantage.

From the tactical perspective my partner and I tried exactly 1 return cross court.  This is because the down the line return is a low percentage return, and will result in more errors.

The most important tactic in doubles is to MAKE YOUR OPPONENTS PLAY THE BALL!  In any tennis match, be it singles or doubles, you are going to win the vast vast majority of the points because your opponents make errors.  Statistically speaking, you win only a very finite, small number of points by hitting winners.  Though winners feel great, they aren't all that important when it comes to winning and losing.  It is far more important to give your opponents opportunities to make errors.  In every match I play, this is the strategy.  Now, I of course am not looking to set my opponents up with sitters at the net.  On return of serve I chip the return to the corner of the Ad service box closest to the alley, regardless if they're coming in or not. Sometimes I miss my target, but not by very much.  I play within myself at all times.  Going for winners on the return is not smart to begin with in doubles, but it also is not a part of my game. On the serve I target the weaker wing of each player, and hit a 3/4 pace serve or a kick serve in order to achieve my high percentage. 

In matches between evenly matched players, look no further than the serve and return statistics, and see who is starting the points better.  This will undoubtedly illustrate who won and will clearly show why the winner won.  All post serve and post return tactics become irrelevant if you cannot start the point with your serve and your return of serve.  You may have a great forehand, or a great volley, but you'll never get a chance to use it if you and your doubles partner double fault or miss your serve returns.  And if you aren't making your 1st serve, your opponents will always be in charge of the point if they get the return in.

So, go out there and make your next few opponents have to play more points after the serve and return than they every have before.  You may find you win more matches.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Common Mistakes in Tennis Matches Because of Lack of Rules Knowledge

Failure to call a let when a ball rolls into or behind the court

Please remember, that a ball rolling into your court from elsewhere is considered a distraction.  The correct thing to do is call a let and replay the point.  Even if you are about to hit an overhead to win the point, and a ball rolls in behind you, you and/or your opponent should call a let.  Once the point has ended, or there is no clear opportunity to get to a shot, if a ball rolls in the court, no let should be called.  

Not taking the point when your opponent touches the net

If a player, either with any part of their body or their racquet, touches any part of the net prior to the point ending (this is described by the ball bouncing twice, or hitting a permanent fixture after the first bounce or in the air), they LOSE the point.  Too many people let this go in their matches, and at the recreational level, it happens more often than you would think.  If a player touches the net, it happens BECAUSE the previous shot was so good that it forced your opponent to run into the net before catching their balance.  I have witnessed this in 3.0 matches in virtually every match I have ever watched.

Interrupting the serve of your opponent and not giving them a first serve

Once a player begins their service motion, any interruption, including balls rolling into the court, should result in the server getting a first serve,  This is even if the serve being interrupted was a second serve.  This happens too many times to count in league matches.  You must give your opponent a first serve if you interrupt their motion for any reason.

Playing a let when a line call cannot be made.

This is one of the most egregious offenses I have seen in league tennis and junior tennis.  You do not play a let.  If the player who is responsible for the line call cannot make one, the correct thing to do is call it in, and move on.  If a doubles team cannot come to a consensus on a line call, call it in and move on.  You do not, under any circumstances, play a let!

Playing a let when someone falls, gets injured, breaks a string, or drops their racquet

None of these situations should result in a let being called.  In each case the point is played to conclusion.  If the a team or player chooses to stop playing after their opponent falls, and the ball landed in on their side, the player or team who fell wins the point.  If your opponent falls, and your shot landed in on their side, you win the point.  The same is true for injuries.  The player who breaks a string must continue to play the point with the broken string.  The player who drops their racquet must pick up their racquet and continue to play the point.  No lets should be called in any of these circumstances.

Determining who serves first and what ends to play AFTER the warm-up

This one is the most common error made by players.  The mistake is warming up for your match, and after completing the warm-up, spinning the racquet to determine who will serve first and what end you will play on.  This is an incorrect procedure. 

The first thing you are supposed to do when you walk onto the court with your opponent(s) is spin the racquet to determine who will serve and on which end of the court you will play the first game.  Then you go to that end  and warm-up.  This way you warm up on the side of the court you will begin the match on.  

Not changing order of service after a set that results in a tiebreak.

If in the first set Player A or Team A served 1st, followed by Player B or Team B, and the set goes to a tiebreak with someone winning the set 7-6, the next set the order of serving is reversed.  In this case Player B or Team B would serve the first game of set two, followed by Player A or Team A.

Calling a let when you reverse a line call.

If you initially call a ball out, and then call it in after further review, you do not get to call a let.  You must give your opponent the point.  Once you elect to stop the point, you cannot play a let. If it turns out your line call was wrong, you must then give the point to your opponent(s)

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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

2014 USTA Adult Tournaments In Our Region

There are two types of Adult tournaments that are sanctioned by the USTA.   

Ranking tournaments are age division events - Open, 25s, 30s, 35s, 40s, 45s, 50s, 55s, 60s, 65s, 70s, etc.  playing and winning matches in these tournaments gets you a USTA-FL ranking in the age division in which you played.  Unlike junior tournaments, you may not play up in an older age division.  You may, however, play at a younger age division at any time.  In general, these tournaments see former junior players, collegiate players, teaching pros, and players of that caliber.

NTRP Rating tournaments are exactly what they sound like - tournaments whose events are 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0.   These events are designed for your recreational player.  In the 4.5 and 5.0 division you will see some cross over from the Ranking tournaments.  Any matches that are played in NTRP tournaments affects your NTRP rating. 

Listed below are all the USTA sanctioned adult tournaments held in our region (Region 1 - panhandle for the uninitiated): 


February 27th  - March 2
Pensacola Adult Clay Court Championships (Designated)
Pensacola, FL
Age Division Event
Singles, Doubles, Mixed
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=146299

March 21-24
Bluewater Bay Tennis Center Spring Adult Championships (Designated)
Niceville, FL
Age Division Event
Singles, Doubles, Mixed
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=141035

May 1-4
Rosemary Beach Open (Designated)
Rosemary Beach, FL
Age Division Event
Singles, Doubles, Mixed
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=142641

September 26-28
Rosemary Beach NTRP Classic (Designated)
Rosemary Beach, FL
NTRP event
Singles, Doubles, Mixed
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=142645

October 3-6
Bluewater Bay Tennis CenterFall Adult Championships
Niceville, FL
Age Division Event
Singles, Doubles, Mixed
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=141060