In Praise of Smallness: The Humble Dampener

OMG! I cannot believe I am writing about this topic. But before I go further, there have been one (or more) of my previous posts about not sweating the racquets so much, and here I am sweating the REALLY small stuff! Having said that, I owe my tennis amigo Ian a thank you for the inspiration for this. He is all about finding the smallest-lightest dampener and for me, it's more about the size or length that matters (uh, we are still talking about DAMPENERS aren't we?!?). I find that if using a poly hybrid (poly in mains, nylon in crosses), I can get by with as little as a rubber band and it feels/sounds fine. With full nylon as most of my racquet set-ups are, I need something the size of a dime to a quarter to do the trick, which impacts maybe two to three main strings and the bottom cross.

And then there's my latest racquet condundrum- a Yonex RDIs 200. I strung it around midpoint in tension and it was hard for me to hit... too tight. Then I went 3 lbs lighter and with warmer weather upon us, I was launching balls from Griffith Park to just shy of my Burbank home! And then I found the right dampener. It had been maybe 5 years since I had used a "worm" style dampener that weaves in and out of the mains strings, contacting generally between 4 and 6 strings. And you know what? It helped control the power considerably and changed the sound from a very annoying metallic ping, back to the dull "thud" that I am use to.

A scientist friend of mine remarked recently at Indian Wells how quiet the balls sounded when coming off the racquets of the players. He then went on to say that sound is energy, implying that there wasn't a lot of wasted energy. If sound is indeed a form of energy or represents energy, then changing the sound (and feel) with a dampener does indeed change the power of a racquet - even though there are posts galore on message boards swearing that the use of a dampener is "all in ones head". And even if that were to be true, the mental edge or added confidence of playing with a dampener is still significant. So racquet techies, while I am not a fan of tricking out a racquet with lead tape to change it's playing characteristics, I am in favor of experimenting and finding the right dampener. While not as significant for ones tennis as losing 5 to 10 pounds or learning better technique, it does have its place in the tennis kingdom - albeit a very small niche.

The Demo Dilemma

In Praise of Balance and Swingweight

About every 15-18 months I like to demo some new tennis racquets. The four that I just returned to Tennis Warehouse (TW) were two from Prince and two from Yonex.

The thing that irks me a bit is that when I first started demoing racquets perhaps 7-8 years ago from TW, they were all strung with a quality multifilament (high end nylon) like Tecnifibre NRG2 and they were strung at mid-point + 2 lbs. Today you get them and you are lucky if you can even identify 2 of the 4 strings. Forget about tension, there is no way of knowing because a lot of tennis-techies will cut out the existing strings and restring them with their favorite string at a tension they generally like to play.

And as most of us already know, string composition, from gut to nylon to polyester, varies the feel greatly. Coupled with that, increasing or decreasing string tension can result in power and control for your style if strung correctly.

So about the only thing you can demo when trying out a new racquet is the FEEL while swinging, volleying and serving. For instance, I found I could hit groundstrokes fine with the Prince XO3 but the swingweight and balance prevented me from serving well, especially when it came to a kickserve. Furthermore, demoing a racquet when you are fresh at the start of a hitting session often feels different when you are tired after 90+ minutes. The swingweight is more obvious to you when you are tired than when you are fresh.

The size of the sweetspot and the power/control ratio can always be tweaked later when stringing for your preferences but if it it doesn't feel good-- balance and weightwise-- then no amounts of stringing and restringing are going to make it feel better. Of course there are those among us who use lead tape at various places to alter the playing characteristics, and I was one of those briefly 7 or so years ago, but that is a slippery slope-- always tweaking it, never satisfied.

To summarize, don't flip out and say that one racquet has too much or too little power when trying out a new stick. The stringing can greatly influence power level and control but you can correctly evaluate the balance and swingweight even before you hit a ball, just by going through the various strokes you will be playing in a match. That should be your primary guide in selecting a new racquet.

Playing Relaxed or Playing Tense...

More on the MENTAL Side of Tennis

Here an excerpt from a PGA Tour article about actor Bill Murray and his playing partner D.A. Points who had just won the Pebble Beach golf tournament yesterday. This is Bill Murray speaking:

I think most people playing in a tournament, or in any enterprise, they just get too nervous, but staying loose, I mean, the best people in any profession, the whole thing is about being as relaxed as you can. Michael Jordon is all about being relaxed. He's the greatest there was and couldn't be more relaxed and great actors are the same way. There's almost no tension in them.

About 3 years ago I was playing in a tennis league and I recall feeling nervous as I played this guy in singles that I had never met before. Between the first two sets I recall trying to talk to him someone energetically about stringing as I sensed he (and I) were both a bit nervous, but he more so because it looked like he was playing poorly compared to his ability and this conversation would help break the tension. He said "listen, I will talk to you about whatever after we are done but not right now, sorry."

I continued to play fairly well and he continued to play poorly. Instead of relaxing and playing with a guy he was starting to get to know better, he played worse, against a stranger, a nameless opponent.

When coaching, I would ask my players who were they more relaxed playing against: a teammate or a stranger? A teammate of course. So I put this suggestion out there: during changeovers, talk to the other guy - ask him about his school, how long he's been playing, what other sports he plays - get to know him a bit. This way you begin to develop a relationship and you will be more at ease, more relaxed. And that can lead to better tennis. It doesn't mean that you can't think and concentrate when thinking about a service return, but now it's will be returning a ball from a person you know, not from some scary stranger.

What's Worse Than a Double Fault?

In tennis, there aren't too many things than a double fault. But I can think of one (or two) and that is TWO DOUBLE FAULTS (DF) BACK TO BACK, or just one DF on break-point, set-point or the biggest nightmare, a DF on match-point.

When I coached I would always remind guys that after a DF try EXTRA HARD to get the next serve in. If not, you have just served 3 balls out, what are the odds that the next one is going to go in? The psyche is a fragile thing and confidence in yourself needs to remain high. Don't put yourself in that uncomfortable position. It even happens in the pro game. It's called a meltdown, and it's ugly when it happens to them and ugly if it ever happens to you.

So remember, if you double fault, the next serve, throw in a 75% hard serve, with some extra spin to safely make it over the net (like a second serve) and play the point. Keep your confidence high and don't put extra pressure on yourself. That's your opponents job, just as your job is to put pressure on them.

Learning From Others Mistakes

What a sight I saw yesterday!

Oh why didn't I take a picture! So you will have to use your imagination. Picture this: There is approximately18-20 feet between the baseline and the back fence. This guy (late teens or so) was on the court next to me using a ball machine to hit from. Of those 18 -20 feet behind the baseline, he camped out to hit forehands about 6 feet from the back fence, meaning he was a good Andy Roddick TWELVE to FOURTEEN feet behind the baseline to hit the ball! Apparently he as auditoning for the new "anti taking the ball early" tennis campaign that was all the rage in 1943.

If that wasn't bad enough it appeared he was trying to break his strings, his racquet, and/or his arm. He swung at every ball with every ounce of energy. I wouldn't want to be his arm today, especially considering at least 25% of the balls were flat and bounced twice before he hit them.

I applaud him ONLY for setting up the machine to roll heavy topspin deep into the court, kicking balls up shoulder high after landing within a foot or two of the baseline - we should ALL learn to hit those balls better. But his solution, to get back as far as humanly possible is probably the worst way to play that ball-- see an earlier post here- http://paul-ihearttennis.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-to-do-about-those-pesky.html for other suggestions on how to play these deep balls.

So we can learn from our own mistakes or the mistakes of others. Either way, it should lead to better, more consistent tennis.

So Basic, it's Revolutionary!

I play hockey. Once or twice a week I lace up my ice skates and play hockey against a bunch of other gray-hairs like myself. Skating kicks my ass. It's mainly anaerobic and I drip sweat every game, a lot. (What's the TENNIS CONNECTION? stay tuned).

About a month ago I was feeling a bit hungry before a game and I had a Clif Bar and maybe 15 ounces of water to wash it down. Guess what? I skated great... very strong, good endurance. Coincidence? Maybe. Since then I have not had another Clif Bar 30 minutes before a game but I have had 15-20 ounces of water chugged (room temperature allows you to swallow faster) and then gone out to play at least 3 times.

Last Tuesday afternoon I donated a whole unit of blood. Losing those precious red blood cells (that carry oxygen) usually means 2 weeks of hard(er) labor on the ice. I skated yesterday, 4 days post donation and again pre-hydrated and guess what? I felt good, felt strong, much better than usual being down some hemoglobin. I know your body replenishes the blood volume in less than a hour or two but the iron in your blood far less quickly.

So the application for tennis? We ALL drink during a match, duh! But some of our tennis matches are particularly hard with a lot of running and pressure. Does it make sense to PRE-hydrate if we know we are going to have a particularly hard match? Yup. The lack of hydrating also cost me a few excruciatingly painful days with kidney stones about 10 years ago, due to dehydration. Mild dehydration which happens before your body's thirst sensation, also leads to fatigue. This is well documented through treadmill running studies and is actually now common sense for most athletes. So drink up, before - during- and after your athletic contest or training.

Water. It's what's for dinner.

;)

Don't Assume...

I have played a few men in the last 2-3 weeks that are around 5'6" or 5'7". The assumption I have when playing someone a few inches shorter than I am is to stand closer to the baseline for a service return because hey, they aren't going to overpower me. WRONG DUNLOP BREATH! In the latest match with a smaller server I was continually late in swinging and couldn't switch my grip or make the adjustment until I went back to my usual return position, 6+ feet beyond the baseline.

This allowed me to "swing away" unless I wanted on occasion to creep inside the baseline to chip back a return to vary the pace.

So remember, don't assume and underestimate your opponent, they just might surprise you and surprises on the court by your opponent are not usually going to be in your favor.

April 24 post REVISITED!

Serving During a Tie-Breaker

The other day my partner and I had clawed our way back from 4 games down in a set to get ourselves into a tie-breaker. My partner was serving during the tie-break at 8-9 (set point). He faulted on his first serve meaning that if the next serve didn't go in we would lose the set! How is that for pressure?

Long story short-- he got the serve in and we won the set 11-9. But the point of this is DON'T PUT YOURSELF (AND YOUR PARTNER) IN THAT POSITION. Get the FIRST SERVE IN for ALL THE BIG POINTS - and being down SET POINT is a pretty big point!

Having A Weapon!

The tennis weapons are generally a forehand, backhand or serve. When my friend recently played in a tournament, winning his first match and losing the second, he told me, "I need a weapon." I don't think he was asking me about guns, knives or a taser, but something he could do on the court to trouble his opponent.

Could great defense be a weapon? Consistancy? Mixing UP a serve that tops out at 75 mph? Yup. All of those can be weapons. I even quipped initially to him that "correct scorekeeping" could be a weapon because when you play people my age (50!) and I say to him while I'm serving, 30 - all? he can reply, "No, LOVE 40!"

QUICKNESS can also be a weapon as can TENACITY. An opponent who seemingly gets to EVERYTHING causes you to overhit or go for too much with that volley or overhead or try and finish a point too early.

We can't all have Roddick's serve, Rafa's quickness or Soderling's (flat) forehand, but can all become better at one thing and maybe even be known for it.

Paying Attention Out There!

Two things.

I am playing the other day and it occurs to me that when I lose a game at love, it's generally 4 points in about 75 seconds. One and two ball rallies typify these games so guess what? When I am down at Love-40, I now try and just keep the ball in play and play a longer point. Since making this adjustment I have begun to win a higher percentage of these games, but it started with PAYING ATTENTION to my game and recognizing a pattern.

Numero dos. I played with a friend last week and I had never played him in singles before, only in doubles. I noticed that when serving on the deuce court, he would clobber his forehand return to me. BUT on the AD court he would actually prefer a backhand to return and would at times run around his forehand. There was something about the angle of the serve, or something else that wouldn't meet his eye about that forehand return that he didn't like. Knowing this led me to serve to him more effectively. So to reiterate and again remind readers, "the unexamined tennis game is not worth playing."