NextLevel wrote:
Go, Wilkinru! Keep taking those trophies, champ!
Lol.
So this is as good as a time as any to diary my experience thus far. Video will be coming, but I'm not entirely sure how useful it will be...
2015 Nationals is my second ever tournament.
To sum it up: Nothing is free or easy in these.
Just before Monday's matches I discovered the reason for my recent back problems. My massage therapist noticed multiple knots in my lower back just wrecking havoc on my legs. Looks like I'll need multiple massages to work them out along with other fixes. I honestly thought my problem was in my legs as I did not feel pain in my back until she pinpointed the spots. Not the end of the world and long term it's pretty good news (I have a plan to fix this issue!). However 48 hours before a set of matches just isn't time to get me back to full health.
The result is I basically cannot do much torso twist on my forehand or forehand loop. General movement isn't very good either.
Event #1 The U2000 super round robin:
Did not go that well. I didn't even win a game against anyone, but I also did not feel entirely out of place. I did give up against the highest seed, hoping to save myself a little bit for the others.
In the end they all at one point were 1800 players (one guy dropped down to 1550, but was around 1800 a couple of years ago) and the young kid beat a 1800 with some real skill. I thought I returned serve fairly well and wasn't entirely out of place.
I went into the E division and had 2 losses and 1 win, getting games in each match. Back was real sore during these.
Event #2 U2700 doubles with my buddy Raul (1250 rating)
We played a couple of older gentlemen at 8 AM, winning that one fairly easily and lost the next round in a tight match to a couple of gentlemen from LA. We made some pretty dumb mistakes.
Event #3 U1000 singles
I realize this is a lowbie tourney, but I will wanted to win it. Partly for experience. Nerves, time outs, tourney rules, etc.
Round Robin: Perhaps this should be called the long pips division! One guy withdrew and I had to play two long pips players. The first player was really solid and way above his rating of ~780. He could move me around and controlled play really well. We split the first 2 games and then I lost the 3rd pretty close. I took the 4th with a pretty important time out. Down a little and serving, took the next 4 points to win that game. Game 5 ended up being more of the close play. My main strategy at the end was to move him to the forehand side (push block still using the backhand) and then loop to the wide backhand where it was exposed. It worked, just enough.
The other match was against a leftie pips player and after being warmed up by the previous guy I was able to breeze through. For some reason his pips just created dead balls, unlike the spin reversal I'm accustomed to. That was actually a nice change.
Since I had beat one of the top seeds to win my group I was able to get a quarterfinal bye.
So the semi finals. One huge advantage for living in Vegas: I got to go home for a few hours and relax before the next match.
Oddly enough my opponent in the semi's was inverted on both sides. The bad news is he had a pretty good loop and a solid backhand in the warm up. Then something "strange" happened the moment the match started: he gave me a push ball to my forehand and I pushed it back shortish, he looped it into the back wall. Kind of the typical problem: lots of practice, but not much practice winning points. Not a terribly difficult match, just attacked in spots. Nerves are a big part on these sort of matches. I don't think I played nearly to the best of my ability but I was still winning.
On to the finals: I had watched the second semifinal. Another local guy was playing against a guy from Cali (the same "group" as we had lost to in doubles! Revenge time!). The local guy looked lost against the serves and backspin from the Cali guy and the match ended quickly.
Starting the final I realized I had no one in my corner and the other guy had 4-5 people cheering for him!
My opponent had a pretty good backspin/side spin serve which he varied the location and side spin direction. I returned them safely, content to push a little until I could line up a backhand loop. Sometimes a forehand loop but I was weary of my back. Early in the match I served various top spin serves and they worked, but then he adjusted. He was good at chopping them short enough. I switched to a flat low serve to his forehand, content to loop it to his backhand. (NL gave me an idea: if having trouble with spin, give LESS spin, get less spin)
A little word about time outs. People don't tend to use them and when they do, they use them terribly. In this final it was 1-1 and in game 3 I was up 9-4. I missed a few shots and suddenly it was 9-8, with me having 1 serve left. I called a time out and came out with a plan for my serve and my returns. I ended up getting a sweet high ball from my serve but the point didn't go my way, 9-9. I made sure to return the ball well and won the next two points. I have to think the timeout stopped my slide. Like a basketball game sort of. It's real important to win game 3 as we all know.
In the final game (game 4) I was again up 9-4. This time he took a time out. What a poor time to take a time out! The match is nearly over. I'm 2 points away from winning. I thought about it when I was up 4-1 with 1 serve left for him - he should take a time out now.
Time outs are best used to win close games, stop slides or to discuss a troubling situation (how to handle serve, 3rd ball attack, etc). Don't call time outs when the match is nearly over.
Friday and Satuday will be some more matches. I'm hoping to win those ones too
