2nd Match with Joe
4/5/09 Sunday 2:30P.M.
20th St. Park municipal courts
Score: 7-6 (4)
I played a set with my son, Joe, today after helping him with his serve. He’s really starting to get a sense of rhythm with his serve. All the pieces are starting to come together. I believe the serve is not only the most important stroke in the game, but the most difficult to learn. I’m proud of him and the fact that I have been the one who taught him. He has actually listened to me on this one. In some other parts of the game he has his own ideas as to what is best.
Today’s set was interesting to say the least. Before we started I thought I would roll over my son. Before we ended I was thinking I might very well lose. Somehow or other I pulled it out in the tiebreaker where I was behind 4 points to 1 and then won the next six straight points. Also, before that I survived a set point at 4-5.
Joe was playing really well today while I was playing rather mediocre. I got hung up on the mechanics of my forehand stroke which at times I was hitting a little tight. I was having trouble getting totally loose with my strokes, but did hit some decent shots that had some depth and penetration. I wasn’t as focused on my tennis strategy as much as I need to be. Thinking about the outcome during the match, as well being distracted by the guys that were playing next to us interfered with my focus. Also, my serve which started out well went south on me after the first couple of games. That didn’t help. I think I started to swing too hard. I wasn’t getting very good movement on my kick and my first serve stopped going in. Swinging too hard must have made my wrist tighten up.
I set up some points well, but sometimes did not finish well. Basically I was hitting deep and moving forward into the court. Sometimes I took the short balls I got in return and then hit them long to lose the point. I think a good option here when I’m inside the baseline taking a ball would to be to hit another short ball and bring my son up to the net. He won’t do well there. I don’t always have to return that short ball deep.
Also, I should have been playing my son’s backhand more, especially going down the line when I had a chance. I really didn’t do that.
Basically, though, my son surprised me on how much he was keeping balls in play. He didn’t commit many unforced errors. He let me do that. He was playing looser than I was. I told him towards the end of the set as I was losing that “all the pressure was on me” because I’m supposed to win. He hadn’t played tennis in a couple of months while I play almost every day.
Today, I felt like I was up against my old nemesis, that of feeling pressure and getting tight. In my head I want to win too much and I especially don’t want to lose to my son. I have got to try what my mentor, Eldon, has suggested and that is to take a game or even just a point and hit out hard. Just let go and not care about the result for one moment. Just hit through that stroke and let it go. The way I’m playing lately I’m overworking my mind and body and I’m not sure that that is any fun or that that is what tennis is all about.
One last note: the yin/yang part of this equation. The set I played with my son today has a very strong positive. In playing well and almost beating me, Joe ends up feeling more encouraged to practice and play more tennis. And this makes me very happy since I really enjoy spending time with my son that way!