Time to make some tough decisions…

Ahh… the wonderful and so desired Spring was finally in Montréal. My arm was almost ready to get back into competition when I decided that prior to engage myself in a tournament, have some match practice would be a good idea. CDL was looking for players for their interclub teams, so I decided to join the lads there.

What I thought would be a simple training session with some doubles matches, turned out to be an actual try-out for the actual team. No problem. Doubles? I can take it… but what they were looking for was actual 30 minutes matches for their single players. So here I am, in my forties having to face a group of kids in their late teens and early twenties and I said to myself: “Let them beat you nice and quick so you can just gain some match practice for your own good” Yeah, why not?

After the first few balls, I was leading my young opponent and making him sweat a lot…. “Mmmmhhh, maybe I can try to win a few games” Yeah, why not?

A few minutes later, I was just going for the kill. I could not control myself, I was trying to win the match and put the ball away. After 30 minutes or so, I won 6-2. I felt great. And that was a huge mistake.

Next one up was an even younger guy. By now, I got to run more, hitting with more precision and kept my cool under much more pressure than before. This guy knew where and how to strike the ball. We held our serves throughout the 30 minutes, and without breaking serve, the one who started got the upper hand. It was his by 3-2.

The following match was another baby face kid, this one was less solid than the first two, but had his resources. For those who never played with an opponent that has a big generation gap with you, let me tell you what kind of scenarios you may find:

1.       The younger player thinks that due to the age advantage he (she) has to win.

2.       The older player thinks that due to age, his experience should give him (her) the edge to win.

3.       The younger player is usually over confident.

4.       The older player is usually over confident.

5.       The younger player will most likely insist on a unique game strategy: Hit hard and take no prisoners.

6.       The older player will most likely play on feeling, jerking the opponent around and reducing the unforced errors to a minimum.

7.      When the younger player’s tactics do not work, in desperation he (she) will go for shots that were never executed in practice. Outcome is generally poor and stress levels go up to the sky.

A good mix of these points made their way in these matches, up to a point that one of my opponents served with strange unorthodox spins, and weird techniques. And yes, of course someone tried even the Michael Chang serve…

Anyways, I was mostly in control of the match, even got a couple of match points that were dully saved by this kid. At my third attempt, I decided to go for a hard serve on his backhand. A bad movement injured my shoulder and got to quit right there…

I was playing reasonably good tennis, and another injury. Why not? OMG…

Frank Horning, a tennis pro and technical specialist graduated at Tyler Junior College, was at CDL that day and saw the episode. “Lucas, we’ve discussed this before… There are some corrections that your technique requires to prevent these injuries. People only change when it is too late, or when they do care…”

Those words kept floating on my head for a few days when I decided it was time to face my own demons.

Frank proposed something very simple: A training session where he would tape each stroke from 3 different angles (front 45°, sideways, and back), he would then make the analysis and comment on each one. So we did, and so he delivered.

I wasn't able to upload my personal video due to the size of the file, so I used this one from Youtube to illustrate the type of approach we are taking. The methodology behind is called the Great Base Initiative by Steve Smith (who was one of Frank's teachers at Tyler Junior)

What Frank and I just started is a journey of knowledge transfer to educate an uneducated player (aka. Me). I’ve known Frank for quite some time, he graduated from Tyler Junior College in Texas with a degree on Tennis Teaching, he’s obtained also certifications from USPTA, USPTR, USRSA, Computennis, USTA Umpire, Tennis Canada Coach 1 and 2… I do recommend Frank’s services, you won’t regret it. Give a try for the video session. The diagnosis is a powerful tool so then the player can make a more intelligent decision of what needs to be done and how much work is required.

If you are interested, you can contact Frank Hornig at: f_hornig@yahoo.ca

Frank has asked me for 18 months to overhaul a new me with the right technique, avoid injuries and get better overall. Not to play a single match until the new technique has been completely absorbed, no doubt is a big commitment. But this is my personal view on the matter: I’m not a weekend warrior, nor just an amateur player… In all the sense of the word, I’m a tennis man; a true professional of the sport… tempted only by Glory.

What I required from Frank:

1.       To ask for the highest discipline in this process.

2.       To never stop believing I can do it.

3.       To make my technique as aesthetically appealing as possible (In the end, my mom always wanted a classic dancer in the Family. I cannot dance, so this is the closest thing I’m willing to concede) ;)

The following phrase is not mine, is from the late Graham Hill, a former Formula 1 champion. I had to tweak it a little bit, but this summarizes what in my mind a true tennis player should be: “I’m an artist, the court is my canvas, and my racket is my brush…”

See you in the hunt.

Yours,

IRON GAUCHO