An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
The Cordless jump rope is one of my favorite training devices. It is a ridiculous concept on the surface. I would have loved to be in the room the first time the device was pitched to a sporting goods manufacturer. Basically a cordless jump rope consists of jump rope handles with weighted foam balls attached to a short rope. Essentially it is a jump rope without a rope.
Yesterday we examined how the USA Women’s Tennis Team is likely to shake out for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Today we are taking a look at the possible participants on the Men’s side. Selection of the rosters are expected to be announced by 5 July. Since the selection process is different from what is done in professional tennis tournaments, most tennis fans are not familiar how Olympic spots are determined in tennis.
I recently sent a lengthy email with feedback to the USTA Adult Competition Committee. (ACC) A lot of women in the Senior Tennis Community did the same thing because there is concern within that community that recent innovations in USTA tournament formats is exacerbating the participation problem for national senior women’s tennis. Today I am covering the final point from my message. It is related to a preliminary round robin format that was used earlier this year at the Senior National Hard Court Championships at La Jolla.
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One of the best books on the game of doubles in tennis was written by Stan Smith. Smith was an accomplished professional singles and doubles player. The “Stan Smith” model of tennis shoes is iconic. Smith’s partnership with Bob Lutz formed one of the greatest doubles teams of all time. It should come as no surprise that Smith’s is able to sharply enumerate the key factors for competing successfully in doubles.
Each Wednesday this site examines, dissects, and generally overthinks the rules of tennis. Currently we are examining the specifications for the different types of balls that are approved by the ITF for sanctioned competition. Last week I stumbled across an article on the USTA Colorado website that provided a tidbit of information that had eluded me in previous analysis. Pressureless tennis balls are recommended for play at high altitude. In fact, pressureless balls have previously been used by ATP tournaments played in Mexico City. I was astonished to learn that fact.
The first thing I always do when unboxing a new pair of tennis shoes is replacing the insole. The default configuration provided by the tennis shoe manufacturers simply doesn’t work for me. The arch supports are not high enough and there isn’t enough cushioning for my feet. Recently one of my practice partners remarked that she couldn’t wear a particular brand of shoe because the insole wasn’t good for her feet. Before that time, It had simply never occurred to me that some players could wear tennis shoes out of the box. It was a mind blowing moment.
The Physical Activity Council (PAC) issues an annual report tracking sports, fitness, and recreation participation in the United States. The USTA and the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) lean pretty heavily on the 2021 report as the source of good news on tennis participation. In fact it is the go-to “filler” content used in periodic emailed newsletters from both organizations.
On a tournament by tournament basis, seeding is one of the most consistently controversial topics for USTA recreational play. Whether it is too early to complain about the seeding at an event is a frequent theme in the Facebook group for active USTA Texas tournament players. I am of two minds on this topic. Those divergent perspectives are reflected in the point from a feedback letter I recently submitted to the USTA Adult Competition Committee (ACC) which has purview over USTA Adult Tournament Tennis.
I participated in the inaugural year of the USTA NTRP National Championships. That tournament is played using “Fast4” format. I have also played a similar version of short set tennis in local UTR tournaments. Those experiences is what brings me to the next point of my feedback letter recently submitted to the USTA Adult Competition Committee. (ACC) In a way, it is a preemptive strike against something that the USTA hasn’t done yet, but might consider in the future.
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The book selection for this week is “Winning Doubles: Strategies, Key Concepts, and Shot-By-Shot Playbook for Players at All Levels.” It was written by Scott Perlstein, who is a veteran tennis instructor in California. I believe Perlstein may be the originator of the doubles playbook concept for tennis. The book is dominated by pictures of doubles positioning while still packing a wealth of information as supporting text.