Sets 532-533:
Stuart v. G. at Vista Ridge High School. Winner: G. 6-3, 6-2.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Ballroom Blitz
Sets 528-529:
Stuart v. M. at Little Stacy Park. Winner: Stuart 7-6(5), 7-6(2).
My Mojo: Persistent.
This was one of those epic grinding sagas. You can probably tell from the score that it was seriously close all the way through. This guy baffles me with the kick on his ball. It never ends up where I think it will end up, and it is always different. I've played kick players before, and I usually just adjust to the kick. This time I was reacting almost instantanously, as the kick was different in intensity and directionality almost every time.
But I play a defensive game anyway. So I just ground it out, like I usually do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time it did. I think when a match is close it spurs me on, too, and often I'm able to eke out an extra effort at the end of each set. There's something about pulling an inner energy out of my body from a secret place (no juvenile comments). Anyway, I did just a little better playing my defensive game against a blitzkrieg offense.
Stuart v. M. at Little Stacy Park. Winner: Stuart 7-6(5), 7-6(2).
My Mojo: Persistent.
This was one of those epic grinding sagas. You can probably tell from the score that it was seriously close all the way through. This guy baffles me with the kick on his ball. It never ends up where I think it will end up, and it is always different. I've played kick players before, and I usually just adjust to the kick. This time I was reacting almost instantanously, as the kick was different in intensity and directionality almost every time.
But I play a defensive game anyway. So I just ground it out, like I usually do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time it did. I think when a match is close it spurs me on, too, and often I'm able to eke out an extra effort at the end of each set. There's something about pulling an inner energy out of my body from a secret place (no juvenile comments). Anyway, I did just a little better playing my defensive game against a blitzkrieg offense.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Don't Slam The Door On Your Way Out
Sets 524-525:
Stuart v. F. at South Austin Tennis Center. Winner: F. 6-0, 6-3.
My Mojo: Pathetic.
I think I was just too tired playing this match. It didn't go anything like I thought it would. Nothing was working for me, and I just emotionally melted down. I felt like I was covered with a blanket, and couldn't find the way out. Things just got worse and worse. He outplayed me with the game I play.
In the second set, I was able to utilize a Plan B that worked a little better for me, but still did not cook the enchiladas all the way through. I tried for a more offensive game, and tried to pull him to one far side of the court and then hit winners to the other side. I also rushed the net more, trying more of a "chip 'n charge" game (or at least as much as my ability would allow). Like I said, that got me more points, but did not buy my way into a third set. I was a mess when this match ended.
Stuart v. F. at South Austin Tennis Center. Winner: F. 6-0, 6-3.
My Mojo: Pathetic.
I think I was just too tired playing this match. It didn't go anything like I thought it would. Nothing was working for me, and I just emotionally melted down. I felt like I was covered with a blanket, and couldn't find the way out. Things just got worse and worse. He outplayed me with the game I play.
In the second set, I was able to utilize a Plan B that worked a little better for me, but still did not cook the enchiladas all the way through. I tried for a more offensive game, and tried to pull him to one far side of the court and then hit winners to the other side. I also rushed the net more, trying more of a "chip 'n charge" game (or at least as much as my ability would allow). Like I said, that got me more points, but did not buy my way into a third set. I was a mess when this match ended.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Would You Like Fudge With Your Super Salad?
Sets 522-523:
Stuart v. B. at South Austin Tennis Center. Winner; Stuart 6-2, 6-2.
My Mojo: Untouchable At First, Then Stupendous, With Intermittent Fudge.
Sweet, merciful pizza, giver of life, you arrive just as my body is completely spent and replenish my fuel and electrolytes. More later when I can hold my fingers up.
__________________________________________________
OK, now I'm back and I'm recombobulated. So here's the back story.
After the previous match, I had a half hour to rest. And it put me back together well enough. But I didn't have time to get anything to eat. I started the match feeling like dynamite--explosive and powerful. The first four games, I just wiped almost every shot, and won 4-0. But he did get a couple good ones in. Two balls got hit over the fence (he slammed shots at me on both that hit my racquets and bounced askew) into really bad places. Not that they were bad places per se, but they were places that I had to walk all the way around the facility to get to. And it was about a ten-minute walk. When the first one went over, we just left it. But when the second one went over, we couldn't just play with one ball.
So I did my "walk of shame," (actually, there was no shame involved, just tedium) and got the balls. Somehow this break seemed to put a spell on my invincible mojo, because when I got back, I wasn't able to do anything right in the next two games and lost almost every point. Everything was all fudging up for me. My shots were erratic, my timing was in the toilet, and my mental state was kablooie. So now the score was 4-2.
Luckily, I tucked it back in, and was able to score the next two games. But they were definitely harder to win than the first four had been. In the second set, I had a major advantage in most games, but he pulled ahead in a couple of games in a mojo-busting fashion; once again, I didn't do almost anything right in either of those games. But I did take the majority of the games, even though it was a little tougher than before.
For the last two games, though, I REALLY started running out of fuel. I hadn't eaten in a while, and I was probably starting to get an electrolyte imbalance. Though I started feeling weaker, I still was getting good shots in, and that helped. So I won the last few games, with somewhat of a fight. But by the time the match was over, I could barely stand up. I had to go report my score, and had to wait quite a while in line, and felt almost ready to pass out. Since I couldn't get the score reported, I sat down away from the tournament desk for a while, and kept going back to try to report, but still couldn't get in for a while. And then when I did report, the guy at the desk turned to somebody else quickly before I could find when the next match was. I was starting to feel at death's door, but finally, about ten minutes later, I got to ask my question about when my next match was, and the guy at the tournament desk, who was filling in, said he didn't know. Then some guy came up and said I was supposed to play him right then.
Well, that would definitely not have worked. Maybe if I could have rested for half an hour or so, I could have pulled it together. I didn't want to play a fourth match today much either. I want inside and lay down for a while on the couch, and when I came back, the tournament director had come back from his game, and told me that I played at 9 the next day. I thought he had said earlier that my next match would be the next day, so I was grateful to get that confirmed. I was starting to strengthen some from the pizza that I gobbled down when I got off the court. I maybe could have played another match. But I don't think I would have been a very happy camper.
Stuart v. B. at South Austin Tennis Center. Winner; Stuart 6-2, 6-2.
My Mojo: Untouchable At First, Then Stupendous, With Intermittent Fudge.
Sweet, merciful pizza, giver of life, you arrive just as my body is completely spent and replenish my fuel and electrolytes. More later when I can hold my fingers up.
__________________________________________________
OK, now I'm back and I'm recombobulated. So here's the back story.
After the previous match, I had a half hour to rest. And it put me back together well enough. But I didn't have time to get anything to eat. I started the match feeling like dynamite--explosive and powerful. The first four games, I just wiped almost every shot, and won 4-0. But he did get a couple good ones in. Two balls got hit over the fence (he slammed shots at me on both that hit my racquets and bounced askew) into really bad places. Not that they were bad places per se, but they were places that I had to walk all the way around the facility to get to. And it was about a ten-minute walk. When the first one went over, we just left it. But when the second one went over, we couldn't just play with one ball.
So I did my "walk of shame," (actually, there was no shame involved, just tedium) and got the balls. Somehow this break seemed to put a spell on my invincible mojo, because when I got back, I wasn't able to do anything right in the next two games and lost almost every point. Everything was all fudging up for me. My shots were erratic, my timing was in the toilet, and my mental state was kablooie. So now the score was 4-2.
Luckily, I tucked it back in, and was able to score the next two games. But they were definitely harder to win than the first four had been. In the second set, I had a major advantage in most games, but he pulled ahead in a couple of games in a mojo-busting fashion; once again, I didn't do almost anything right in either of those games. But I did take the majority of the games, even though it was a little tougher than before.
For the last two games, though, I REALLY started running out of fuel. I hadn't eaten in a while, and I was probably starting to get an electrolyte imbalance. Though I started feeling weaker, I still was getting good shots in, and that helped. So I won the last few games, with somewhat of a fight. But by the time the match was over, I could barely stand up. I had to go report my score, and had to wait quite a while in line, and felt almost ready to pass out. Since I couldn't get the score reported, I sat down away from the tournament desk for a while, and kept going back to try to report, but still couldn't get in for a while. And then when I did report, the guy at the desk turned to somebody else quickly before I could find when the next match was. I was starting to feel at death's door, but finally, about ten minutes later, I got to ask my question about when my next match was, and the guy at the tournament desk, who was filling in, said he didn't know. Then some guy came up and said I was supposed to play him right then.
Well, that would definitely not have worked. Maybe if I could have rested for half an hour or so, I could have pulled it together. I didn't want to play a fourth match today much either. I want inside and lay down for a while on the couch, and when I came back, the tournament director had come back from his game, and told me that I played at 9 the next day. I thought he had said earlier that my next match would be the next day, so I was grateful to get that confirmed. I was starting to strengthen some from the pizza that I gobbled down when I got off the court. I maybe could have played another match. But I don't think I would have been a very happy camper.
Time Keeps On Slippin'
Sets 520-521:
Stuart v. E. at South Austin Tennis Center. Winner: Stuart 6-2, 6-2.
My Mojo: Confident.
What a difference time can make. This was a guy who had a similar style to the last guy I played, but I felt much better, and handled everything that came at me a lot better. The difference was partially due to my increased confidence. For some strange reason, I felt better about what I was doing. Maybe it's because I was already warmed up and didn't muck it all up in the warmup.
So I did well most games. My serve was on, and that helped. I was a little more aggressive, and that helped too. Plus, my lobs were working really well when he came up to net. My anticipation was decent, my strategy was good enough, and it all congealed into a pretty good game.
I was definitely a little peaked at the end of the match. They told me I'd be playing again in half an hour, and I figured that was OK. I recharged and meditated, and it worked.
Stuart v. E. at South Austin Tennis Center. Winner: Stuart 6-2, 6-2.
My Mojo: Confident.
What a difference time can make. This was a guy who had a similar style to the last guy I played, but I felt much better, and handled everything that came at me a lot better. The difference was partially due to my increased confidence. For some strange reason, I felt better about what I was doing. Maybe it's because I was already warmed up and didn't muck it all up in the warmup.
So I did well most games. My serve was on, and that helped. I was a little more aggressive, and that helped too. Plus, my lobs were working really well when he came up to net. My anticipation was decent, my strategy was good enough, and it all congealed into a pretty good game.
I was definitely a little peaked at the end of the match. They told me I'd be playing again in half an hour, and I figured that was OK. I recharged and meditated, and it worked.
The Big Kahuna Is Out Of Reach
Sets 518-519:
Stuart v. J. at South Austin Tennis Center. Winner: J. 7-5, 6-4.
My Mojo: Diffuse and Leaky.
Dang, we had some close games. But I just didn't have the mental clarity today. I was mostly scattered to the winds. I was able to pull it together for a few games at a time, but I kept finding myself drifting like a leaf in an erratic wind. Also, he had really big shots that forced me into playing more defensively than I would have liked, and my reaction time was just a fraction of a second too slow at critical times. Sometimes it is about those critical shots. Mine were just landing right outside the lines, or falling just short of the net. You know that the mojo is not great when that is happening. When the mojo flows, the tight shots get you through the maze.
In the warm-up, I was hitting really haphazardly. Nothing was going where I wanted it to. But when I started the first set, I had pretty good focus, and my game suddenly tightened up. I won the first three games 3-0, and felt pretty good. But then came that dreaded mid-set loss of mental sharpness. Suddenly, in the fourth game, I was stranded on a desert island with howling monkeys. He played really well, and I did not react well, and I lost the next three games.
So now the score was tied up at 3-3. My resolve came back, and I was able to play more aggressively the next two games with success. So now I was up 5-3. But then, the mind-drain thing cobbled my psyche, and though we had some close games, I couldn't muster up more than just a down payment. I lost the set 7-5.
OK. I sunk my teeth into the court for the second set. I reacted well, and thought I played pretty good games. But he played flawlessly for the first two games. Though my confidence was down a little, since I had been playing my best but still had not been able to get a good tide, I roared back in the third game through good serves. So I was down 2-1.
Anyway, the plot simplifies at this point. He just broke serve one more time than I did. And I deflated at the end. So through we were both playing well, he dominated most of the games he served, and I mine, but I couldn't catch the right wave to surf my way to the Big Kahuna. C'est la guerre.
Stuart v. J. at South Austin Tennis Center. Winner: J. 7-5, 6-4.
My Mojo: Diffuse and Leaky.
Dang, we had some close games. But I just didn't have the mental clarity today. I was mostly scattered to the winds. I was able to pull it together for a few games at a time, but I kept finding myself drifting like a leaf in an erratic wind. Also, he had really big shots that forced me into playing more defensively than I would have liked, and my reaction time was just a fraction of a second too slow at critical times. Sometimes it is about those critical shots. Mine were just landing right outside the lines, or falling just short of the net. You know that the mojo is not great when that is happening. When the mojo flows, the tight shots get you through the maze.
In the warm-up, I was hitting really haphazardly. Nothing was going where I wanted it to. But when I started the first set, I had pretty good focus, and my game suddenly tightened up. I won the first three games 3-0, and felt pretty good. But then came that dreaded mid-set loss of mental sharpness. Suddenly, in the fourth game, I was stranded on a desert island with howling monkeys. He played really well, and I did not react well, and I lost the next three games.
So now the score was tied up at 3-3. My resolve came back, and I was able to play more aggressively the next two games with success. So now I was up 5-3. But then, the mind-drain thing cobbled my psyche, and though we had some close games, I couldn't muster up more than just a down payment. I lost the set 7-5.
OK. I sunk my teeth into the court for the second set. I reacted well, and thought I played pretty good games. But he played flawlessly for the first two games. Though my confidence was down a little, since I had been playing my best but still had not been able to get a good tide, I roared back in the third game through good serves. So I was down 2-1.
Anyway, the plot simplifies at this point. He just broke serve one more time than I did. And I deflated at the end. So through we were both playing well, he dominated most of the games he served, and I mine, but I couldn't catch the right wave to surf my way to the Big Kahuna. C'est la guerre.
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