The rain stopped in the early afternoon as predicted and a message arrived in my inbox from Sharyl saying play was on tonight in Scotts Valley. I’d be doubling up since I have plans to go to Brommer tomorrow morning.
I arrived at Skypark at about 6:40 p.m. There were a couple of games underway. There were three of us waiting to get into a game. The players would top out at a dozen tonight.
“Are you going to share this with the world?” Yes, Mark! Mark and Marie waiting to go. Eric on the far left. Melody between Mark and Eric. Rob—the firefighter—on the far right. Hal—whom I’d never met—was Rob’s partner for their match.
If Monday was a high, tonight was a low. I was unhappy with my play, though it started amazingly well. Colleen and I took on Mark Dettle and Marie. I played flawlessly. Seriously, I didn’t make a single error in that game. (That must be a first.) All my serves were in, my drop shots were—if not perfect, not damaging, my backhands were good, my dinks all where they ended to go. All good. Colleen and I won 11-0. I think they got to serve four times over the course of the game, but it was a dominating game.
I realized during the first game that I had forgotten to put on my ankle brace. In the second game, my ankle reminded me that I had forgotten to put on my ankle brace. Not too bad, but enough momentary pain that I put the brace on after that game ended!
The Slide
And it was all downhill from there.
Eric and I played a game against Marie and Rob, the firefighter. I was expecting a lopsided game. Not that Marie is bad, she’s not. And Rob isn’t bad either, just still pretty new. But Eric and I were behind several times in the game. We eventually did win, but we did not walk away with the game.
Later in the evening, a discussion about player grades came up with Colleen. She said that Eric is a 4.0 player. I told her that the grades aren’t what they used to be. To which she said that the official descriptions of the different grades hasn’t changed. But I said that the completion has gotten harder in tournaments and that a 4.0 a few years back is not a 4.0 these days. Is Eric a 4.0 player? I don’t think so. Getting there, but not yet. He and I are pretty darn close in skill, though I’d give him the edge. Six months from now? Maybe.
My play in the last few games was not where it should have been. Balls hit too deep. Drop shots too high. Taking a gamble on a drive when it should have been a drop shot. Returns too shallow. It went on. There was a drive where I had every belief it was going over until it unexpectedly hit the white tape. And another hit shot that I attempted to volley but when I swung, the ball wasn’t there. The lights are very much an odd factor in night games.
I’m not sure what caused it. The cold? The lights? Being tired from a long day? Not focused? I simply don’t know. Maybe my right shoulder? It’s a little sore, I was talking about that to a customer at work earlier in the day. I haven’t played for three days, but still it was sore. Dunno.
Play wrapped up a few minutes after 9. I chatted with Rob in the parking lot after a few minutes. I told him that he’s coming along. He said he’s playing in a firefighter pickleball tournament in a couple weeks but his main goal is to get better. His wife is an ER nurse who works in San Jose and he wasn’t sure if she’s be home or not. That’d be a crazy life, if the two schedules didn’t line up, you might not see you spouse very much—if at all—in a given week!
My shoulder may be even sorer if I get to Brommer tomorrow morning as planned!
Number of days on a court: 137
Number of total hours: 392
To start at the beginning of this blog click on “1st Post” in the menu above
I arrived at Brommer Park at 9:10 a.m. There was a game going and a few players getting settled. Leslie and visor Tom were doing dink warmups. I wandered up and inserted myself into their warm-up. Eric showed up not long after. (I’d texted him the night before telling him that I’d be there.)
Melody, Tom S., Wayne, and Barb S. starting the first game of the day. Visor Tom and Leslie are on the far court warming up before I joined them.
I spent most of the day circulating in games where I was the strongest player on the court or sometimes where there might be one other player that was of similar skill. Not a lot of challenging games. Though still fun, of course.
Dean was funny: “You’re wearing a gold shirt! Is that because you won that gold medal? Flaunt it!” Of course, Dean has won more than his share of medals at higher skill levels!
Throw? Or Not Throw?
In the midst of one game, Eric ran by and said, “I’ll wait for you.” We hadn’t had a game together and since we’ll be playing as partners in a tournament next month, he opted to sit out until I was free. I was in a game where I was easily the strongest player. As game went back and forth with little to no scoring with all the errors, I’ll admit that I was seriously tempted to throw the game. Eventually, we were down 10-9. All it would take would be to mess up one shot and we’d be done and I’d be ready to sign up with Eric. But no. It wouldn’t be fair to my partner nor to my opponents. I figured I’d just knuckle down and do my best to close out the game by winning. And we did. 12-10. Or 13-11.
Soon, I was in a game of CeCe and Eric against little Barb S. and me. Eric was not on his game. He played ok, but not as sharp as he usually is. I learned later why that was. This game was closer than it should have been, but Barb and I pull off a win.
Rich (from Palo Alto) allowed Eric and me to join his and Kent’s advanced game. Eric and I lost 11-5 after we had been leading 4-1! Before game, Eric leaned over to me and said he’d injured his right leg yesterday and aggravated it playing in the previous game going for a short ball and that he wouldn’t be going all out for shots. I wish I had videoed this game since it would have been good to review.
Last two games. Me and Asian Dave against lefty Steve and John P. Dave and I won the first game 11-7. In the second game, it was more lopsided, we won 11-4. I did get out the video camera for these two games.
Today was a good day. I’m very happy with my play. Not perfect, but good.
I left at 12:25 p.m.
Later Note: Video Review
Tonight, I watched the first of the last two games that included Dave and me against Steve and John P. I was immediately depressed. I made far too many unforced errors.
After some reflection, I realized that I was focusing on my errors and not the errors of others on the court. They weren’t perfect either. When I get more time, I’ll go back and analyze the video in detail.
And, unfortunately, the second game—my better of the two games—didn’t record when I pressed the button on the remote. Maybe the camera had already shut off. I’ll have to investigate the shut-off delay.
Ouch
In the mirror, I noticed a mark by my right sideburn. Yep. About an inch long red scrape from the run-in with the chain link fence post yesterday. Maybe there was some blood and I just couldn’t see it. Still, a minor pickleball injury. I’d take that over my rolled ankle anytime!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 (No play) Evening
I spent some time last night and tonight chronicling the game I had video recorded on Monday.
Here I am returning Steve’s great crosscourt drop shot on the first point, as you can see, my feet aren’t set and the ball dropped into the net a few inches down from the tape.
First, the key to understanding my abbreviations below. (E) Even/right court, (O) Odd/left court. The score reflects the score as called by the server. We actually mess up the score in this game, but had no idea at the time though we should have. It’s obvious that with me in the even court as the starting server, our score could not be odd. Duh. (Sorry, Steve. Sorry, John.) UFE is unforced error. This is always a judgement call. I note it where it seems an error was obviously, well, unforced.
I’ve opted not to show the video since we moved from the court shown in the still above to one court further over and some unrelated warm-ups take place on the near court followed later by a game, so it’s not a clean recording.
Ok, here we go.
0-0-2:
Andrew (E) serves Steve. Brief rally. On the move, Andrew hits dink into net. UFE. 0-0-1:
Steve (E) serves to Andrew. Andrew returns to Steve’s backhand. Steve hits into net. UFE. 0-0-2:
John (O) serves to Dave. Blown somewhat by the wind, Dave lobs shot too deep. UFE. 1-0-2:
John (E) serves to Andrew. Brief rally. Dave volleys/slams shot into net. UFE. 2-0-2:
John (O) serves to Dave. Andrew hits to Steve’s feet. Steve hits into net. 0-2-1:
Andrew (E) serves to Steve. Dave drives too hard but the out ball is touched by Steve’s paddle. Steve UFE. 1-2-1:
Andrew (O) serves to John. Battle at the net between Dave and John. Dave hits the ball too deep/wide. 1-2-2:
Dave (E) serves to Steve. Ace. (Right on the baseline.) 2-2-2:
Dave (O) serves to John. Andrew lobs, Steve slams for a winner. (Andrew’s error) 2-3-1*(*Steve calls “2-3-1”, we miss the error. E/O reverses for Andrew/Dave):
Steve (E) serves to Andrew. Short rally. Andrew hits too deep. UFE. 3-3-1:
Steve (O) serves to Dave. Dave takes too much off the ball, drops into net. UFE. 4-3-1:
Steve (E) serves to Andrew. Serving fault. 4-3-1:
John (O) serves to Dave. John crosscourt dink at the net fails. UFE. 3-4-1:
Andrew (E) serves to Steve. Dave lobs, Steve slams for a winner. (Dave’s error) 3-4-2:
Dave (O) serves to John. John returns too deep. UFE. 4-4-2:
Dave (E) serves to Steve. Rally. John hits too high, Andrew slams for a winner. 5-4-2:
Dave (O) serves to John. Dave hits too deep/wide. UFE. 4-5-1:
Steve (E) serves to Andrew. Hard serve. Andrew returns just a few inches too deep. UFE. 5-5-1:
Steve (O) serves to Dave. Rally. John hits into net. 5-5-2:
John (E) serves to Andrew. Rally. Andrew volleys John’s crosscourt drop shot into the net. UFE. 6-5-2:
John (O) serves to Dave. Rally. John hits too high, Dave slams for a winner. 5-6-1:
Andrew (E) serves to Steve. Rally. Andrew hits too high/wide. UFE. 5-6-2:
Dave (O) serves to John. Dave rushes the net on a too-high 3rd shot drop, Steve hits a winner. UFE. 6-5-1:
Steve (E) serves to Andrew. Serve into het. Fault. 6-5-2:
John (O) serves to Dave. Rally. Dave slams John’s shot at Steve’s feet for a winner. 5-6-1:
Andrew (E) serves to Steve. Rally. Moving through the shot, Andrew hits drop shot into net. UFE. 5-6-2:
Dave (O) serves to John. Rally with slams and lobs. Andrew lobs too deep. UFE. 6-5-1:
Steve (E) serves to Andrew. Rally. Andrew hits the ball wide. UFE. 7-5-1:
Steve (O) serves to Dave. Hard serve. Dave returns Steve’s serve just inches too deep. UFE. 8-5-1:
Steve (E) serves to Andrew. Serve too deep. Fault. 8-5-2:
John (O) serves to Dave. John’s drop shot lands in the net. UFE. 5-8-1:
Andrew (E) serves to Steve. Rally. At kitchen, John slams ball into net. UFE. 6-8-1:
Andrew (O) serves to John. John’s return falls short of the net. UFE. 7–8-1:
Andrew (E) serves to Steve. Tricky serve lands wide. Fault. 7-8-2:
Dave (O) serves to John. Rally. John’s dink lands in the net. 8-8-2:
Dave (E) serves to Steve. Rally at the net. Steve slams Andrew’s too-high shot. 8-8-1:
Steve (E) serves to Dave. Rally. Dave slams John’s too-high shot. (Difficult shot by John.) 8-8-2:
John (O) serves to Andrew. Andrew slams John’s too-high shot. John UFE. 8-8-1:
Dave (E) serves to Steve. Rally. Steve unable to return Andrew’s “bounce off the net” shot. 9-8-1:
Dave (O) serves to John. John’s angled dink lands in net. UFE. 10-8-1:
Dave (E) serves to Steve. Rally. Dave hit a ball too high, John slams, Dave’s return is too deep/wide. 10-8-2:
Andrew (O) serves to John. John slams Andrew’s too-high 3rd shot drop for a winner. Andrew UFE. 8-10-1:
Steve (E) serves to Dave. Serves into net. Fault. 8-10-2:
John (O) serves to Andrew. Rally. Dave slams John too-high shot at Steve’s feet. John UFE. 10-8-1:
Dave (E) serves to Steve. Rally of slams and lobs. Steve slams a winner. (Disadvantage started with John’s excellent crosscourt dink that Andrew got to but popped up.) 10-8-2:
Andrew (O) serves to John. Rally. Steve slams Dave’s lob for a winner. Dave UFE. 8-10-1:
Steve (E) serves to Dave. Rally. Andrew hits shot deep to corner, backpedalling John’s shot hits into the net. 8-10-2:
John (O) serves to Andrew. Rally. Andrew slams John’s too-high angled off the court past Steve’s backhand for a winner. 10-8-1:
Dave (E) serves to Steve. On a difficult shot, Steve hits Andrew’s deep crosscourt lob into the net. 11-8. GAME.
So. What can we draw from all of that? First, I’m not alone in making errors. Without counting every shot, it seemed that Steve was the strongest player on the day. Dave and I were similar in the number of errors, give or take. John has the most work to do, but this was not an easy game—there were no weak players on this court. The other takeaway for me is just how much room there is for improvement. I know it sounds weird, but that’s encouraging in a way. If I can improve on all of my mistakes, I might just be formidable!
Videos of Pro Servers
And, just because I haven’t wasted enough time on pickleball, here’s a good video that YouTube served up to me:
Number of days on a court: 136
Number of total hours: 389.5
To start at the beginning of this blog click on “1st Post” in the menu above.
On Tuesday, Eric invited me to lunch. With rain projected most of the week, he wanted to get at least some kind of pickleball fix. He let me pick the spot, so we headed to Santa Cruz Diner. He brought along his magnatized chess board . . . but we were not going to be playing chess! As you can see from the photo, after hamburgers, we spent part of the time working out strategies for certain circumstances on the court.
I mentioned to Eric a tournament in July in Pleasanton. He immediately expressed concern that it might be held outside. Pleasanton is known for 100 degree temperatures during the summer! I told him that I’d check.
Indoors?
On Thursday, I emailed the contact for the tournament to be held in Pleasanton. I asked if it would be held in a gym. I imagine the answer will be yes, since it’s at a middle school.
Well, that was quick. Within 90 minutes, Julian from the City of Pleasanton emailed me back: “It is indoors. :-)”
Stuck Indoors
On Thursday, I spent about 10 minutes drilling in my garage, hitting against the plywood cabinet doors with simulated net line and using my makeshift non volley zone. With all the rain, it was the best that I could do.
Back on the Courts
I arrived at Derby Park on Sunday morning at 8:45. I was expecting wet courts and even brought a number of towels to soak up water. Surprisingly, there was not even one puddle. John P. showed up a few minutes after I did and helped me set up.
Eric and I played a game against Stuart and a man I’d never seen before, I think he was visiting. Stuart had signed up in red and I asked Stuart if I could sign up in his box. Stuart agreed and Eric was added too. Our fourth signed himself up, I believe. He was not an intermediate player and didn’t belong in our game. After the first point or two, Stuart and I looked at each other across the net and sharing a knowing smile. Stuart wasn’t going to be winning this game! As the game progressed, after one point Stuart asked me, “Did you hit that with your left hand?” “Yes.” “You know that you need a permit to do that.” I think he was impressed that this newbie (me) has progressed to that level in my game where I can pull that off. Of course, I’m not a newbie anymore, I’ve been at this for 13 1/2 months now and have a gold medal to my name.
Wake Up Call
Of note today, Eric and I played a game against Kim and Cathy. We got creamed, 11-1. Eric and I weren’t at the top of our game, but we didn’t play particularly poorly either. Kim and Cathy were, as Eric said afterward, “on fire”. And they were. Angled shots, hard drives at the right time, great defense, all-around excellent play. Cathy hit one wicked angled cross-court shot and I went for it hard but still couldn’t effectively return it. I allowed the fence to help slow my momentum like I sometimes do, but to add insult to injury, I happened to run into a section of the fence where the metal pole was and hit my right cheekbone. Ow! I didn’t mention it to anyone but I did check for blood a few times over the next few points, but no cuts, just a bruised bump about 2″ in front of my ear.
Left It On The Court
I played a game with Janet against John P. and a newish player, Max. I’ve seen Max 2-3 times before—I’d put Max between 60 and 65, but it’s hard to tell. Max has ping pong experience, like Jeff. I played every shot in that game left-handed. My left hand’s backhand is not so good. My lefthand forehand is tolerable, but not powerful. Janet and I lost 11-2 or something like that. I made a fair number of unforced errors playing lefty, though I think I only missed one or two serves the entire game. Janet was amused and was a good sport about it. I told Janet, “If they get to 10, I’ll switch to my right hand.” “Oh, no you don’t! You are playing the whole game left handed!” And so I did. Even losing, it was good experience for me.
The last game was Jeff and Max against Janet and me. I played well and we won in a lopsided manner. Play wrapped up just before 1 p.m. A solid 4 hour day of pickleball.
What did I learn?
I can serve left-handed somewhat reliably.
Sometimes opponents will be having a fantastic day, and you are in trouble.
My left hand’s backhand is pretty bad being only sometimes effective. (Fortunately, there is no reason that I should typically ever have to use it!)
While it doesn’t always feel like it, I’m continuing to improve.
Number of days on a court: 135
Number of total hours: 386.5
To start at the beginning of this blog click on “1st Post” in the menu above.
Melody, Tom S., Wayne, and Barb S. starting the first game of the day. Visor Tom and Leslie are on the far court warming up before I joined them.
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