tennis

Showing 9 posts tagged tennis

Post the shocking death of my friend & tennis partner last week, today starts my regime of improving my tennis game. In middle school I had to make the choice between tennis or squash as being my prime racquet sport; & I chose squash. Squash probably helped me get into school, but not greatly as my school didn’t have a team at the time. Several friends that were much better than I got into Harvard, UPenn, Yale with squash. (Most have since given up the sport.) I have made a lot of friends through squash & play multiple times a week. But I need more activity, so a couple of years ago I decided to get back into playing tennis.

I’ve been taking regular (lawn) tennis lessons & periodic real/court tennis lessons. For tennis I’m always remembering when I had a great game & played for my high school, but at that time I was 6” shorter & very skinny.  With real/court tennis I’ve got two major issues which apparently are carry overs from squash (& also affect my lawn tennis game), which are my forehand (too much power) & service (tossing the ball up). If people didn’t get angry, I could serve like table tennis (underhand) & play the whole game with my backhand.

So i have quite a bit of work still ahead of me, but it’s time to get myself into the same level as I am with squash; which is two below professional level aka Super B.. (Pro, A, Super B, B, C, D, novice). I’m playing about a C currently.

N.B., When I was in middle school a hardball squash stroke was still used with softball/international squash. Which was the complete opposite of tennis. Squash = high to low; Tennis = low to high.

William Thelwall Thomas (1865-1927) and a woman by LlGC ~ NLW on Flickr.Via Flickr:Teitl Cymraeg/Welsh title: William Thelwall Thomas (1865-1927) a gwraigFfotograffydd/Photographer: John Thomas (1838-1905)Dyddiad/Date: [ca. 1885]Cyfrwng/Medium: Negydd gwydr / Glass negativeMaint/Dimensions: 16.5 x 12 cm.Cyfeiriad/Reference: jth02796Rhif cofnod / Record no.: 3363736Rhagor o wybodaeth am gasgliad John Thomas yn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol CymruMore information about the John Thomas Collection at the National Library of Wales Mae ffotograffau John Thomas hefyd yn rhan o Broject Europeana LibrariesJohn Thomas’ photographs also form part of the Europeana Libraries Project

William Thelwall Thomas (1865-1927) and a woman by LlGC ~ NLW on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Teitl Cymraeg/Welsh title: William Thelwall Thomas (1865-1927) a gwraig
Ffotograffydd/Photographer: John Thomas (1838-1905)
Dyddiad/Date: [ca. 1885]
Cyfrwng/Medium: Negydd gwydr / Glass negative
Maint/Dimensions: 16.5 x 12 cm.
Cyfeiriad/Reference: jth02796
Rhif cofnod / Record no.: 3363736

Rhagor o wybodaeth am gasgliad John Thomas yn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru

More information about the John Thomas Collection at the National Library of Wales

Mae ffotograffau John Thomas hefyd yn rhan o Broject Europeana Libraries

John Thomas’ photographs also form part of the Europeana Libraries Project

Tennis

Just toured the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Rather amazed by how much of the history & players I know. I played through high school on the team, regulary recreationally, though not much since.

I’m lucky to be a member of one of the preeminent lawn tennis clubs in the USA. (We have 30+ grass, 12 clay & 2 indoor courts.) In middle school my team was regularly were trained by Arthur Ashe.

I’m working myself back into playing tennis. Currently court(real) Tennis is coming back quicker. Whereas lawn tennis I can barely keep my forehand in & my backhand (one handed, as that’s how I learned) has a lot of control/spin.