How many here play Tennis ?

[hifimusic]

If you do, where did you learn,when?

 

[hemantwaghe]

Sania Mirza is already married..........

 

[hifimusic]

LOL! hyeah:
There are still so many others!

oh btw in the few courts I have been in Chennai, girls are rare.

 

[venkatcr]

I learnt during my post graduation and have been playing tennis for the last 25 years.

Cheers

 

[thevortex]

I learnt tennis back when I was studying in VIII standard. Learnt it with a wooden racquet. I remember always staring with awe at those graphite racquets that our coach used and thinking that Wilson was a brand fit only for the gods. But apart from that one year, tennis never really featured in my life at around that time.

I connected back with the sport a few years back in the US. My brother who had learnt tennis while studying in the States beat me like a drum. And it was all I could do to come up to a state where I could provide him some competition in the next 3 months. And right now my tennis is limited to viewing the sport.

Dinyaar is very passionate about tennis as far as I know.

 

[hifimusic]

Thats nice to know guys..

Please suggest a good place in Chennai to learn from scratch from a coach.

Learned for 3 months at TNTA courts in Nungambakkam but got fed up with was almost nil coaching from the coach there.
The Krishnan tennis centre in perungudi has courts, but only the markers there offer to teach - no coach as such!

 

[thevortex]

The YMCA is a good place. Its always chock full of players - young and old. I have seen youngsters being coached. Not sure if coaching is there for adults as well. But worth trying.

 

[dinyaar]

If you do, where did you learn,when?

Hi hifimusic,
Yes I play tennis and I picked up the sport on my own as a kid.
My parents were also into sport and were members of a few clubs in bbay and hence I was lucky to have the facility to try my hand at all the racquet sports.
Later I was sent to quite a few coaching sessions to learn to play the game 'the right way"

Am sorry I cant help u on coaching in chennai. Are u a member of a club? Most clubs will have 'markers' who are fine tennis players and u should knock with them. I find that markers in general are great to play against BUT FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COACH. We have a marker who wins the Pro tournament year after year BUT is useless when it comes to coaching.

A few tips or pointers if I may.

Its a damn tough sport to play, takes a while and loads of hard work to even play club level so be patient and dont get disheartened if at first u struggle.

Choose a sensible racquet. Read a bit on racquets (headsize, balance, weight, tension etc etc) If u buy say Roger Federers weapon I promise u a TOUGH time. Buy a FORGIVING racquet thats not too stiff, maybe a mid plus. I have always used the HEAD Radical but that may be too heavy for u so something in the region of 270 gms, normal length i.e 27 in, medium flex, headsize around 640/650 cm, a synthetic gut with about 58 lbs tension should be good. CHOOSE THE CORRECT GRIP SIZE depending on your palms. Most of us use the 4 3/8 and then an overgrip. If at a club knock with a few different racquets and see the one that appeals to u. Popular brands are Head, Wilson,Babolat, Prince. I would suggest the first two.

GET THE BASIC GRIP RIGHT. Very tough to suggest anything as I have no clue of your skill level or anything but u may start with once again reading about the different grips (continental etc) and see which works for u.

DONT HIT HARD. Any idiot can swing and whack a tennis ball. The tough part is to KEEP IT IN PLAY. Stand on the baseline and knock with a marker and each rally MUST HAVE 10 STROKES. Basically ask him to feed u.

The Forehand is the easier stroke and just learn to 'roll' it while slicing on the backhand. COMPLETE THE STROKES. Loads of guys think a stroke ends on ball impact but thats incorrect.

The toughest part for most beginners is the SERVE. There is no easy way out. If u want a good serve (at least good enough to not be constantly attacked) u will have to really work at it. Ball Toss is the most important.

Loads of tennis coaching is free on the net. Read it, some of it is really informative.

Good Luck

 

[thevortex]

Hifimusic - that is some very useful information from Dinyaar indeed.

Dinyaar I still remember one of the first lessons in our coaching was to keep hitting the ball up in the air by yourself with the racquet to a count of 50. The next lesson was to keep changing hands when hitting the ball, ie. you hit the ball up in the air with the forehand then turn your hand the other way (backhand) and then roll back and so on. All I remember is that this was extremely strenuous indeed! But it sort of weighted the wrists and made it ready for impact and also got us used to the weight balance of the tennis racquet.

Personally I had a case of bad habits because I used to play a lot of badminton (as well as table tennis) and my usage of wrists came from that sport. Tennis is, quite literally, a whole different ball game.

I have mixed up tennis and cricket (even on adjoining days) and sometimes the combination can be quite tasking on your wrist. Do you have any trouble playing tennis on a Saturday and playing a league cricket match the next day, Dinyaar?

 

[dinyaar]

Hi Bala

Playing badminton one day & tennis the next is disaster. In the monsoons I play baddi and the adjustment to and from is difficult for sure. Yes very different sports for sure. Even Squash /tennis is a problem but i believe a lesser problem.
No I have no problem with Cricket and tennis. Actually I sometimes play tennis in the mornings and then shower and go straight for a 40 over game. Now with my age & the heat factor its a big strain though.

IMO tennis has helped me get strong and that in turn has always helped my cricket.

Rgds

 

[KonfuSed]

Hi Bala

Playing badminton one day & tennis the next is disaster.

Ha ha that sure is, used to play baddy before. And then picked up Tennis, never learnt it through a coach though but somehow I picked the game with ease. But now not playing anything due to unavailability of partner and more or less due to time constraint too.

 

[dinyaar]

Ha ha that sure is, used to play baddy before. And then picked up Tennis, never learnt it through a coach though but somehow I picked the game with ease. But now not playing anything due to unavailability of partner and more or less due to time constraint too.

If u find tennis easy then u are not the one Konfused I am Hahaha good for u. Play a marker if there is no partner. I anyway prefer a marker as they are good and make fewer mistakes so one gets a good work out.

Cheers and good luck
Rgds

 

[venkatcr]

I am always confused about the capabilities of markers. I remember my marker when he was teaching me. He never used to make a mistake, and the ball always landed where he wanted it. But when you see him playing competitive tennis, he will end up losing.

I also remember a story a friend of mine told me. He was staying in resort in the US that was famous for having some superb tennis courts. He got up one morning for breakfast and a meeting and he saw a lady hitting balls thrown at her by a machine. When he went for lunch he again saw her doing the same thing. When he went back to his room after the meeting, she was yet at it. After enquiring, he was told that she has been doing that for one week ! And he found out she was one of Williams sisters. That is commitment, right?

Cheers

 

[KonfuSed]

If u find tennis easy then u are not the one Konfused I am Hahaha good for u. Play a marker if there is no partner. I anyway prefer a marker as they are good and make fewer mistakes so one gets a good work out.

Cheers and good luck
Rgds

See, I got you confused, that's why I'm Konfused ;-). No, I don't play the game well but I picked up the game quite easily, dunno how but it came quite naturally to me. Only thing I find tough is a net game and I'm not at all comfortable standing close to the nets. My service is ok as of now and it was damn tough initially to get it right.

 

[dinyaar]

I am always confused about the capabilities of markers. I remember my marker when he was teaching me. He never used to make a mistake, and the ball always landed where he wanted it. But when you see him playing competitive tennis, he will end up losing.

I also remember a story a friend of mine told me. He was staying in resort in the US that was famous for having some superb tennis courts. He got up one morning for breakfast and a meeting and he saw a lady hitting balls thrown at her by a machine. When he went for lunch he again saw her doing the same thing. When he went back to his room after the meeting, she was yet at it. After enquiring, he was told that she has been doing that for one week ! And he found out she was one of Williams sisters. That is commitment, right?

Cheers

I dont like the big W sisters but to reach anywhere in anything one has to slog it out. There are no short cuts as we all sadly discover.
Regarding a Marker. A marker is a professional & cannot play in all open tounaments. There are special tournaments that are for professionals and THEY DO PLAY.
In fact I prefer playing a marker for the reasons that u mention. He makes fewer errors SO ONE HAS TO WIN THE POINT as against points gained from your opponents many mistakes.

Most of the markers I know started off as ball boys and learnt the game. No formal training. They may or may not play the game as per the book and hence may find it difficult to teach the basics of the game.
I like batting to a bowling machine but find it utterly boring to be fed by one in tennis. Dont know it just bores me to death.
Rgds

 

[hifimusic]

Hi hifimusic,
Yes I play tennis and I picked up the sport on my own as a kid.
My parents were also into sport and were members of a few clubs in bbay and hence I was lucky to have the facility to try my hand at all the racquet sports.
Later I was sent to quite a few coaching sessions to learn to play the game 'the right way"

Am sorry I cant help u on coaching in chennai. Are u a member of a club? Most clubs will have 'markers' who are fine tennis players and u should knock with them. I find that markers in general are great to play against BUT FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COACH. We have a marker who wins the Pro tournament year after year BUT is useless when it comes to coaching.

A few tips or pointers if I may.

Its a damn tough sport to play, takes a while and loads of hard work to even play club level so be patient and dont get disheartened if at first u struggle.

Choose a sensible racquet. Read a bit on racquets (headsize, balance, weight, tension etc etc) If u buy say Roger Federers weapon I promise u a TOUGH time. Buy a FORGIVING racquet thats not too stiff, maybe a mid plus. I have always used the HEAD Radical but that may be too heavy for u so something in the region of 270 gms, normal length i.e 27 in, medium flex, headsize around 640/650 cm, a synthetic gut with about 58 lbs tension should be good. CHOOSE THE CORRECT GRIP SIZE depending on your palms. Most of us use the 4 3/8 and then an overgrip. If at a club knock with a few different racquets and see the one that appeals to u. Popular brands are Head, Wilson,Babolat, Prince. I would suggest the first two.

GET THE BASIC GRIP RIGHT. Very tough to suggest anything as I have no clue of your skill level or anything but u may start with once again reading about the different grips (continental etc) and see which works for u.

DONT HIT HARD. Any idiot can swing and whack a tennis ball. The tough part is to KEEP IT IN PLAY. Stand on the baseline and knock with a marker and each rally MUST HAVE 10 STROKES. Basically ask him to feed u.

The Forehand is the easier stroke and just learn to 'roll' it while slicing on the backhand. COMPLETE THE STROKES. Loads of guys think a stroke ends on ball impact but thats incorrect.

The toughest part for most beginners is the SERVE. There is no easy way out. If u want a good serve (at least good enough to not be constantly attacked) u will have to really work at it. Ball Toss is the most important.

Loads of tennis coaching is free on the net. Read it, some of it is really informative.

Good Luck

wow! what passion!
Thanks for the loads of tips dinyaar.
Iam not a member of club - some of the Excl tennis clubs ask Rs.1L+ as deposit.

Hi hifimusic,
Most clubs will have 'markers' who are fine tennis players and u should knock with them. I find that markers in general are great to play against BUT FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COACH.

Whether or not my coach did coaching he'd tell this alone...if you learn it wrongly then no one can correct the wrong shots.He himself could barely answers my questions on grip (when asked abt the grips, he kept rotating my wrist on handle without any particular position )
Considering that, though markers play well, i thought i could learn properly from someone... I guess its hard to find someone like that..

Actually some of the guys there told they learn by watching on tv and play

Currently i have Wilson
Wilson US Open Tennis Racquet (Pre-Strung) - Dick's Sporting Goods

 

[dinyaar]

Hi Again
Basically there are 3 grips Continental, Eastern, western.

Then there are variations of the above and they become semi eastern,semi western etc. It actually depends on your game. Most of us change our grip when we hit a backhand and then change back when we hit a forehand and serve/volley with a Continental grip. (i.e 1ST serve)This changing of the grip while u are running for the next ball confuses guys and it comes with practise. Actually your coach moving the octagonal racquet grip in your hand to explain different grips is COMMON.

U may be able to pick up a bit when u watch say a Roger Federer on TV but frankly u wont be able to replicate much. These guys are toooooooooo talented and the skill level is just unbelievable so us mortals cant just watch them and learn. Its better to read about the basics of the game and there are many books and then there is the internet.

Your racquet is OK. A bit longer than standard and oversize. Should have a larger sweet spot so ur mishits too will go. Some of these OS racquets have too much power and are for players with short, compact strokes. If you feel that most balls are going long then increase tension of the strings.
More Tension = More control / Less tension = More Power
Open string patterns like yours give more spin, denser patterns give more control.

Memberships of various clubs is a major hurdle for many a sports enthusiast. Bbay is no better, actually its much worse. Clubs are now commanding huge amounts. In my case thankfully my parents looked after this aspect. I guess it depends on how desperately u want to play. If its a 1 L depeosit then I guess its OK as it is Refundable? Clubs in bbay can ask for anything from 1/2 L to 40l!!!! and thats not refundable but these clubs are sports clubs that offer everything.

Play the game and if u are serious and apply your mind u will improve.
Rgds

 

[GeorgeO]

Dinyaar

I fully agree.

I think this is true of most sports-good players do not automatically translate into good teachers. This is certainly true in golf.

George


>I find that markers in general are great to play against BUT FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COACH. We have a marker who wins the Pro tournament year after year BUT is useless when it comes to coaching.