Monday, February 26, 2007
Still convalescing!
I still have the swelling in my left ankle which proscribed me from trying tennis. I am not sure how long can I convalesce like this! :-(
Monday, February 19, 2007
Missing tennis.
I had my left ankle twisted while fielding in a cricket practice session! :-( I had a minor swelling on that day, so I think I will not be able to play my tennis for the next week at least! :-(
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Some thoughts on better training.
A couple of months ago, Murugan, as a part of the weekly drills, took out the orange plastic cones that serve as the targets for the shots. A player has to hit a target placed in a specific area of the opponent's court. For instance, a target might be placed in the box behind the advantage service court, and when a ball is fed, a right-handed player must aim his forehand shot on the target.
Though targeting your shots in this way, is a nice and cleaner approach, in this process, no one tells you how you have improved over a period of time on your shot targets. A better scientific method might be allowing a player to hit 15 shots (or better 20 shots, the more might be an overkill, though!) on the target. The margin by which the target is missed (in case it is missed! :-)) should be measured for each hit and an average statistic can be recorded. Over a period, this measure needs to be tracked and gives a better idea on the overall improvement of the player's shots.
The same approach can be followed in the backhand-forehand drill for a player. Currently, a player gets around 10 - 20 balls (depends on the crowd :-)) for the backhand-forehand drill. One simple measure on the performance of the player might be the number of balls he hits over the net; another measure might be the number of hits in the singles court on the opponent's side; a measure that combines these two might be a still better option.
Of course, taking these scientific and organized training methods will not guarantee a player a better performance after a period of time. He needs to regularly take the drills and practice over time to even out the other factors that influence the performance such as the emotional and physical well-being! :-) Murugan! Are you game?! :-)
Though targeting your shots in this way, is a nice and cleaner approach, in this process, no one tells you how you have improved over a period of time on your shot targets. A better scientific method might be allowing a player to hit 15 shots (or better 20 shots, the more might be an overkill, though!) on the target. The margin by which the target is missed (in case it is missed! :-)) should be measured for each hit and an average statistic can be recorded. Over a period, this measure needs to be tracked and gives a better idea on the overall improvement of the player's shots.
The same approach can be followed in the backhand-forehand drill for a player. Currently, a player gets around 10 - 20 balls (depends on the crowd :-)) for the backhand-forehand drill. One simple measure on the performance of the player might be the number of balls he hits over the net; another measure might be the number of hits in the singles court on the opponent's side; a measure that combines these two might be a still better option.
Of course, taking these scientific and organized training methods will not guarantee a player a better performance after a period of time. He needs to regularly take the drills and practice over time to even out the other factors that influence the performance such as the emotional and physical well-being! :-) Murugan! Are you game?! :-)
Friday, February 9, 2007
Games players play!
When I joined the Hacienda club in mid-2004, there were around 10 players, among whom, on a given day, around 6 - 8 were regulars on the courts. On the weekdays, most of them play for one to one-and-half hours at the maximum before they leave for the day. Prominent among them were Pradeep Nair, Sarang, Thomas, Prem, Satish and myself. On the weekends, these players would extend the times of their plays and stick to the courts until 10 AM, after which the red courts would bear a deserted look!
Technically, Thomas, Prem and Pradeep were good players and still are :-) Satish and I are still learning of course :-) Sarang had lost his game to considerable extent and joins the B-group with us! :-)
Then, one fine day, a tempest had happened in the form of Gopal! First time, when I saw him in his complete tennis gear of tennis kit, sweat bands, sneakers, a tennis cap and other paraphernalia that includes his usual pack of cigarettes, I thought that probably one more new member had come to join us! Once he played with Murugan, I realized how potent his tennis was! Gopal's entry into the tennis club was a defining milestone! It not only shook the people out of the inertia that had been built up over the years, but also brought in new perspectives for every one; for, every one had a new target now for raising their level of playing! He came, He played, He vanquished! :-)
There were some aged players - probably aged more than 55 years - who might prefer playing doubles partnering with the same species! Some of them were biased to play against the different species, though! Fortunately, I have never been 'unnice' to any one on or off the court! :-)
But, over a period, many players hopped in and out of the True Bounce academy, in the sense, some come regularly, but daily; some regularly, but only weekends; some regularly irregular; some irregularly irregular! :-) Sandeep, Praveen, Jeffrey, Shivyog and some more fall into this category!
Later, it has been increasingly difficult for Murugan to manage the players time on the courts! One reason for this is that most of the players prefer to play in the prime time (7 AM to 8:30 AM). Keeping in mind that there are only two courts, eight players can play two doubles matches back-to-back on these two courts. But there are around 15 players who deliver their regular presence on the courts now! Add to this the C-group members, who need to be coached on one court completely! So, this restricts to allow the players to use only one court! Add to this the interesting political maneuvers players get involved into! (More on this later!) Phewww...... Of course, Murugan has been more or less managing to manage the players! :-) In this process, sometimes, some get unhappy, but not permanently, though. Lots of dynamics on and off the courts, and hats off to Murugan and the entire community of the players who keep the momentum and action alive!
Technically, Thomas, Prem and Pradeep were good players and still are :-) Satish and I are still learning of course :-) Sarang had lost his game to considerable extent and joins the B-group with us! :-)
Then, one fine day, a tempest had happened in the form of Gopal! First time, when I saw him in his complete tennis gear of tennis kit, sweat bands, sneakers, a tennis cap and other paraphernalia that includes his usual pack of cigarettes, I thought that probably one more new member had come to join us! Once he played with Murugan, I realized how potent his tennis was! Gopal's entry into the tennis club was a defining milestone! It not only shook the people out of the inertia that had been built up over the years, but also brought in new perspectives for every one; for, every one had a new target now for raising their level of playing! He came, He played, He vanquished! :-)
There were some aged players - probably aged more than 55 years - who might prefer playing doubles partnering with the same species! Some of them were biased to play against the different species, though! Fortunately, I have never been 'unnice' to any one on or off the court! :-)
But, over a period, many players hopped in and out of the True Bounce academy, in the sense, some come regularly, but daily; some regularly, but only weekends; some regularly irregular; some irregularly irregular! :-) Sandeep, Praveen, Jeffrey, Shivyog and some more fall into this category!
Later, it has been increasingly difficult for Murugan to manage the players time on the courts! One reason for this is that most of the players prefer to play in the prime time (7 AM to 8:30 AM). Keeping in mind that there are only two courts, eight players can play two doubles matches back-to-back on these two courts. But there are around 15 players who deliver their regular presence on the courts now! Add to this the C-group members, who need to be coached on one court completely! So, this restricts to allow the players to use only one court! Add to this the interesting political maneuvers players get involved into! (More on this later!) Phewww...... Of course, Murugan has been more or less managing to manage the players! :-) In this process, sometimes, some get unhappy, but not permanently, though. Lots of dynamics on and off the courts, and hats off to Murugan and the entire community of the players who keep the momentum and action alive!
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
New racquet!
After three days of waiting, I finally started playing with my new Wilson racquet today :-) I found initial strokes too vibrating until Murugan put the shock absorber to the strings. Later on, the play was smooth and the strokes wonderful! The power was amazing, all with the minimum effort! :-)
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Today, not many turned up for the tennis in the club. One reason might be the feared tension in the city in the wake of the Cauvery Tribunal's order yesterday. So, I got a chance to play a singles match against Nitin :-)
Last saturday, I bought a Wilson racquet from the Rakhra Agencies. I still need to get it from there since it needed to be regutted. The cost was around Rs.3000/-. :-)
Last saturday, I bought a Wilson racquet from the Rakhra Agencies. I still need to get it from there since it needed to be regutted. The cost was around Rs.3000/-. :-)
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