Just found your channel. Good stuff! New to watching senior tennis on RU-vid. As a past college player and consistent req player over the past 30 yrs I find my competitive juices amping up. Good players make it look easy. Mark Vines makes it look easy. Some of the other guys give me encouragement that I might be able to compete. Love the channel…
Great video discussion Brent. Mark is so quick off the opponents racket. Rarely is he rushed. Seeing the ball early is one of his many strengths. And at contact. Very clean striker.
This was awesome for me!! Wheeeeeee! I just started playing tennis last year after turning 58. So far, so great, I’ve taken to it like a semi-badass duck to water, and I’m fully obsessed. If I didn’t have to work for a living , it might reach addiction level. My natural game has lots of slice, forehand and backhand. My coach wants me to use more topspin. And I have wondered whether I should trying to fulfill the topspin ideal or perfect what I am already good at and drawn to. So the question of whether I have time to get this to the point where it tips the balance really resonates. While I won’t abandon topspin fore and aft, I am going to put more energy into my natural game. My hitting partner Luis calls it “slicing the butter”. I’m going to heat up my knife. Thanks, guys.
Hey Tanya! Yeah. Heat up that knife ;-) Don't let someone try to convince you that topspin all by itself is the answer. It ain't. Go with your natural skills for now. For sure there are times when some topspin is a good choice for a specific situation ... but as your staple spin? No way ... Brent
Thanks guys. Good repertoire of ideas today. Watching Vines, I have to ask a question about equipment. How many guys at that level are playing with OS racquets? I recognize the Gamma 117 in Vines hands. Can you report back to all of us? I continue to play mostly doubles with a 97 or 100 inch frame and am thinking about going to 107-110 but hate changing racquets again. My observation is that I'm fine with 97 from the baseline, but certainly would benefit at the net with a larger hitting face.
It's not really about the size of the sweet spot. The OS rackets make it easier to get a combo of spin / power by doing less with swing technique. Less swing technique = better consistency. Brent
Great video boys! Are you still doing your workshops? I am coming back to tennis after 24 yrs of racing Ironman triathlons. I really agree with you that what i call winning ugly is super important in senior tennis. That Mark Vines guys game looks like shit and he dominates.
