Resist the Urge

We could be talking about eating chips here, or donuts. We all know how tempting those are, but of course this will have something to do with tennis.

As I watched Juan Martin del Potro play James Blake yesterday I couldn't help but notice how unnaturally hard that the Argentinian could hit the ball. It got me excited and I tried to look to see what racquet he was playing with. The fantasy behind that thought was "if I get that racquet I can hit like him!"

Sure, and if I switch to T-Mobile I will be chatting up with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Okay, so we all know that to be folly, and yet, we all have the illusion that if I buy racquet X, I will be playing like my favorite player. Forget the fact that I played tennis maybe for 300-400 hours last year, am 49 years old, almost 5' 10" and not quite Herculean at 155lbs.

Would my using del Potro's racquet allow me to hit like him? Let's compare those above statistics with his-- all estimated on an annual basis:

• 1000-1200 hours playing or practicing


• 300-500 hours additional physical training


• 6' 6" and 180 lbs


• 21 years old

Coupled with this are numerous meetings with an entourage including nutritionists, sports psychologists, coaches, equipment gurus, and massage therapists/trainers, etc. Sure, give me the same racquet as del Potro and I'm ready for the tour.

It's ridiculous but everytime Federer wins a Grand Slam, more Wilson racquets are sold. And everytime Tiger wins, more Nike golf equipment goes out the door, well that and Trojan condoms (sorry, couldn't resist).

But the best racquet for you (and me) is the one we can control the best. One that combines both power and control and one that won't lead to arm pain or tennis elbow. Sure it would be nice to hit with "the next big thing" but resist the temptation. Better training and practice, more intelligent shot selection, better strategy, and losing some weight will all result in improved tennis, as much or more than the new racquet we lust for.

If you're interested, here is a related post I wrote last year- but more on the "new technology" that racquets have. http://paul-ihearttennis.blogspot.com/2009/02/searching-for-holy-grail.html

Trying to Hide Your Weakness

It use to be that this man, Fernando Gonzalez, would hardly hit a backhand. If so, it was generally a defensive stroke. You will still see him today sometimes get into that old bad habit of running around his backhand to hit a powerful forehand, but as many of us know, if it doesn't end the point, most of the court is now open for your opponent to reply.

Gonzalez today is an improved player. He has practiced and practiced, and... his topspin backhand and will hit it in pressure situations often with good results.

On the recreational level however, many are not confident with their backhand, or other weakness, and not hit it very often. A few years ago while coaching the boys high school team, there was a player in matches who would only slice his backhand, and often, not very well. In practice however, at my urging, he would hit over it with topspin, often hitting a powerful shot. But in a match he was too afraid to try this. When I would see him hit his ineffective slice, short, he would often lose the point, so I would insist he hit topspin. Then he would try and few and upon missing a shot, he would go back to his old safe pattern. To quote Proverbs, a dog always returns to it's vomit.

Why bring this up, again? As I have said before - http://paul-ihearttennis.blogspot.com/2009/08/superman-had-kryptonite.htmlte.html - and will say again, you have to practice what you are not good at. Your opponent is a problem solver and will quickly discover what you don't do very well. Can you imagine having a weakness driving a car? Uh, yeah I don't brake well and my right turns I always hit the curb and sometimes pedestrians feet if they stand too close. Sounds dumb? It is. And that's not the way to play tennis either, with a glaring weakness or two. Shaq needs to practice freethrows, and you and I need to practice our serve, volleys, overheads, backhands, or anything else that makes us less than we could be on the court.

Fartlek - it's not what you think!

Okay, quiz time. Fartlek is:

a. something embarassing that happens while playing tennis

b. a South American herb found near the Orinoco River known for it's antioxidant and edurance producing properties

c. a type of running; Swedish for "speed play"

Okay, it's C, though I tried to fake you out with B.

Yesterday I spoke to the tennis coach that replaced me and asked her what she had planned for her first week of practice. "Conditioning, running on the track", came her swift reply. I said "great", and I meant it. Later I started thinking about the type of running that is required in tennis. In singles, at the highest levels, there is the need for raw speed, power, and endurance. In doubles, running tends to vary more depending on the level, age and style of your opponents.

Regardless of the type of tennis, we can all agree at any level or game (singles or doubles) that running in tennis is not a regular, static jog. The type of running varies a lot, and thus a type of running or training called fartlek is perfect for tennis.

Here's how it works, at least for me. I find a loop (high school track, pond, around the block, etc.) and I run for 7 - 10 minutes a slow to moderate warm-up, then I begin. I'll pick out something in the distance, maybe a telephone pole and if it's 40 yards away, I might go from my 9 minute mile to a 6 minute pace for that 40 yards. Then I will slow to my 9 minute pace again for 20-30 seconds, find something else in the distance (maybe 200 yards away) to run to and then run at maybe 8:00 pace effort, and so on. I will keep this up for 20-40 minutes, always varying the pace and then a brief warm down and stretching before calling it quits.

Here is a link that probably explains it better: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartlek

Fartlek training is excellent for tennis because it approximates the way tennis is played - overall aerobic conditioning interspersed with high intensity anaerobic sprinting. Another benefit that this type of running provides it's light years more interesting and enjoyable than the standard same paced running that we usually do. I mean, c'mon, nothing is more boring than running like a gerbil on a treadmil or around a track, that's why God invented MP3 players. However, I can honestly say that for me, fartlek running is (almost) as good as listening to your favorite podcast or band while you run, and the running is more purposeful too - at least for tennis.

Try it, what do you have to lose?