Your League Tennis Podcast
Tennis talk, for people that love to PLAY tennis.
Your League Tennis Podcast
Diving into the World of Ladies League Tennis: A Chat with Director Jeanne
Join me as I sit down with Jeanne, the director of Ladies Tennis at the Murrieta Tennis Club, and journey through her fascinating transition from a novice player to a seasoned coach and director. As she reminisces about her initial reasons why she chose to play tennis, explains the art of managing 15 USTA league tennis teams a year, and uncovers the complexities of the sport, you'll feel her passion for tennis that's as infectious as it is inspiring.
She unveils the challenging nature of teaching, and how she crafts strategies to improve performance. We discuss footwork, the subtle differences that separate a 3.0 from a 3.5 player, and how to use shot variety to your advantage. But the learning doesn't stop there. She also shares how understanding the 'why' behind each move can significantly enhance a player's performance and the effectiveness of private lessons.
But tennis isn’t just about the perfect serve or the artful lob; it's equally about strategy and mental gameplay. Jeannie shares insights into the dynamics of setting up a team, and how to adopt the right approach within the USTA.
With an emphasis on the importance of footwork and the nuances of mixed team play, this episode is a deep dive into the world of tennis. Tune in for a conversation that's as much about strategy and technique as it is about the love for the sport.
You are listening to your league tennis podcast with your host, anthony Radonia. Anthony is an avid weekend warrior tennis player, just like you. Every week, he'll be interviewing new and exciting guests that will not only differ in experience and skill level, but also in age and physical ability. Your league tennis podcast is about making you a better tennis player, whether you're a beginner or have been playing for years, in your 20s or in your 60s. Now here is your host, anthony Radonia.
Speaker 2:All right, unmute. So we're unmuted, jeannie.
Speaker 3:That's always my favorite part.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the applause, and that's an actual button. I thought I want some people cheering, so there's an applause button that I have to press every time. It's pretty fun. So, first of all, I always spelled your name wrong until very recently when I was texting you about coming here and then Denise was looking at my phone she goes this isn't right, but my sister's name is Jean Regina, so for short, I always put Jean G E N E. But that is not you. You are J E A N N E.
Speaker 3:Right, I'm like Jean, but it's Jeannie. I'm named after my grandmother.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, and what do you do for short? Is there any short? Jean, jeannie, jeannie, there's no short.
Speaker 3:No, let's see Jeannie Weenie, the queen.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:There's some who's not a meanie is what the kids?
Speaker 2:call me, oh well, not a meanie. That's nice, not a meanie.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a compliment.
Speaker 2:My theater kid friends will love that. Okay, but the Weenie part maybe not be a compliment.
Speaker 3:My mother called me Jeannie Weenie.
Speaker 2:Oh, it did and rhymes. I guess that works. So we met at the club, the Marietta tennis club. I mean, I don't even know how long, maybe four or five years, not really sure to tell you the truth. What do you think? Is that a good guess?
Speaker 3:I don't know.
Speaker 2:I've been there 13 years You've been there 13 and I barely got there in 18, I think so if I got there in 18, that's probably how long we know each other.
Speaker 3:And I probably didn't know you that well. Yeah, yeah, I was in the five men's circle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so you were always coaching there, or just you joined as a what Like did you just join to play and then became sort of like coach slash running you know nothing about me, do you? I know absolutely nothing. Jeannie. I didn't even know how to spell your name, obviously.
Speaker 3:I started playing tennis 13 years ago. Oh wow, I was 40.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 3:And then my baby, baby Morgan, was turning two and she was going to preschool and I wanted to do something for me.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 3:Not just run around to errands and clean house. So and I'd started businesses and done other crazy things, but this was. I wanted to do something for me. So I said to a friend, let's go learn how to play golf, because my oldest was in high school at the time and she was playing on the golf team.
Speaker 3:So I thought this would be good for me to learn how to play golf. I could play with my daughter. Of course, she would have never played with me, not in high school, now she would. And my friend said no, I know somebody who's teaching tennis lessons. That would be Nate Bell at the Muriela to tennis club and he has a beginner clinic on Thursdays. Let's go do that.
Speaker 2:And I said, okay, and then what was the racket choice, the shoe choice, all this stuff? How did that work out it?
Speaker 3:was long pants, I was not showing legs, it was a hat and I borrowed a racket, and at some point, andy, who worked up in the office, he helped me pick out a racket. I had no clue, so I had started with the Babylon and I still have a Babylon.
Speaker 2:Did you actually wear tennis shoes at the time, do you remember?
Speaker 3:I wore cross trainers.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 4:That was as close as.
Speaker 3:I got, but it just grew from there and once they invited me to the Tuesday class I thought I had made it. That was the 2.5 to 3.0 class. And I thought oh, here I've arrived. And then I remember Nate teaching me about the diagonal Doubles, in me thinking I'm never going to get this, but I got it.
Speaker 3:And I continued to grow and at one point I was running round Robbins for the club for all the beginning, ladies, we were practicing playing matches, and one time I had a basket on the court with me. I thought that was really convenient, it was sort of in my way. And Nate came by and said Jeannie, get the basket off the court. Oh geez, you can't play tennis like that. So it was definitely a learning process. And after that, andy and Scott approached me and said you're really good at organizing this stuff. Would you like to come work for us and learn how to run teams? So I was just at that point where I was on the team, and then I got to be the captain, too, of all the teams.
Speaker 2:So you were at the 2.5 level at that time.
Speaker 3:Probably about 3.0 by then. 3.0, ok, and because I had started taking privates, which helps a lot, makes a big difference. So, scott, he said I'll teach you how to do this, and so I started running the teams, which was a lot for somebody who was just learning how to be on a team, but I've been doing that for about 10 years now.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow. So not that I want any of the particulars, but are you then actually working for the club, or is this just purely out of fun?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I work for the club.
Speaker 2:Work for the club OK.
Speaker 3:So I work for the club. I'm the director of Ladies Tennis actually. Oh, you are OK.
Speaker 2:Trust me, Jeannie, I know nothing 10 years. I just show up and say give me a Gatorade and I go out in the court.
Speaker 3:I have worked up in the office on a temporary basis just to fill in, so I know how to do that job. But that's not where I want to be. I want to be outside and my job as the director of Ladies Tennis is to run all the ladies teams and help ladies get started at the club.
Speaker 4:OK.
Speaker 3:So they'll give me all the new ladies information and then I'll walk them through how we run everything, if they want to do a clinic, how to get into those clinics and so on and so forth, and when they're ready to join teams, I'm the one that says hey, you're looking fantastic out here.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Do you have time on the weekend? Would you like to play on a team? Is that something that interests you? So that's how I grow our teams at the club.
Speaker 2:What's our highest ladies team at the club right now? 4.0., 4.0. And our lowest is 2.5?.
Speaker 3:No, we don't have a 2.5 team. No, it's a different. There's very few 2.5 teams out there. They're hard to find.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's probably tough.
Speaker 3:It's about as hard as finding a 4.5 ladies team. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So probably is some 4.5s at the club. You think Not right now. Not right now, okay, no, we have had many.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but right now not NTRP rated. There might be some ladies who can definitely hang at the 4.5 level.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes that's what.
Speaker 2:I sort of meant because, as I've done this podcast, I've learned it. It is really tough to bump your level up unless you're going out and playing a tournament or winning consistently in league, which doesn't always happen, right? I mean, even if you lose one match here and there, people's ratings are really high. There are people's ratings for years. It's really tough to move. It seems like, yeah, because I think the only reason I even got to bump up is me and Adam. We were playing open tournaments outside of league. So that's probably what it was, because I don't think we were doing anything different than everyone else in the 4.5 league.
Speaker 3:Really, there are different ways to get bumped up. Playing tournaments is one of the quickest ways. Obviously, playing better than the level you're at is the number one way. So you will get bumped up eventually.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But you have to play a lot of matches. I was bumped because we went to sectionals and won.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:So when that happened, our entire team got bumped up, so I was a 3-0. We went to sectionals altogether for the Fall SCTA doubles league and it was in January. But we won and because of that we all got bumped up. I got bumped up two levels.
Speaker 2:You went to a 4-0. Wow. So are you playing right now on some teams, or just your? And it's which one? The 3-5?
Speaker 3:No, I'm on the 4-0. Because?
Speaker 2:you're on a 4-0 level. You can't play a 3-5.
Speaker 3:Oh cool. And then I play mixed doubles.
Speaker 2:You play some mixed and that's been fun too, like watching Denise play mixed. I think it's the 7-0. Does that sound about right? Because she's a 3-0.
Speaker 3:But Denise can play at a 3-5 level. She's fine there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's so nervous to play, it's so funny.
Speaker 3:She just has to keep playing more matches.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Eventually even when I have to take a break for whatever injuries happened and I go back to playing. I'm nervous again.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I can play a few more. And then you're like, ok, this isn't anything to be nervous about, but she just hasn't played enough matches.
Speaker 2:So prior to 40 years old did you do other sports or anything? I mean when high school college.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was a track runner, oh.
Speaker 2:OK.
Speaker 3:I ran the half mile and I did. I played a lot of basketball.
Speaker 2:Basketball, oh wow.
Speaker 3:That sure is crazy, bro, the minute we were done with high school.
Speaker 4:Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:There's no. I mean it's really hard to find a late basketball league.
Speaker 4:Oh, totally men yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean no that's true.
Speaker 3:So you know, I got married, I raised. My kids are very far apart. I have a 28 year old and I have a 15 year old 28. Okay, wow 21 and 15, okay, so you got three, and they were every six years. Yeah, so there wasn't a lot of time for individual sports in there yeah yeah, but once I I I jumped onto the tennis wagon, I was obsessed.
Speaker 2:That's how it happens. For some reason yes, that's how Denise says she plays more than me. Now, yeah, I have to like go around her schedule. She used to go around mine, but now it's like are you playing today, babe, because I would like to play. That's what happens.
Speaker 3:Well, that's why I was on the court, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that. And then your kids one of them played golf. Mm-hmm, she was a golfer but none of them played tennis when they were young.
Speaker 3:Okay, no, I tried, but I didn't want to be pushy about it. Yeah, and they would all say mom, that's your thing, not ours. Yeah, yeah so okay, miles is a Band person, oh cool was in marching band. Yeah, and Morgan's my actress. Oh, mary was my golfer.
Speaker 2:And how old is Morgan? 15, 15. So that's, that's the girl that my wife went and watched Yep, okay, oh, that's awesome, and where's she going to high school?
Speaker 3:You're at a valley.
Speaker 2:Okay, oh, that's so cool. So you're running these leagues and I was only captain. I think twice and that felt like enough for me. So not to obviously Intentionally pull drama where there is none, but oh, maybe there is. But like I mean, let's just talk about that first. How tough is it running one league, let alone a bunch?
Speaker 3:I it's, I Get paid to do it yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's true, that might be a little different than most people don't get paid.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I in fact I've never met anyone else that has been paid for yeah, I do. I don't get paid a lot, yeah, but I do get paid for it. So when it gets tough, I I say to myself this is a job, yeah, and I Don't get personally involved, and I've learned that most people are not my friend hmm, Just there to be their coordinator and either cheerleader and help them, you know, and help put together the teams. Yeah, I have at least 15 teams a year.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, that that it almost doesn't even seem possible. Running one team Was so tough to like. Try to coordinate. If we have a match Saturday, like I would start the week before and go who's around Saturday and then Tuesday I'd be a. Is everyone's still around Saturday and then Thursday and then so I can't even imagine that many teams and the problems.
Speaker 3:I have some software that helps.
Speaker 2:Oh, really you do that. Oh, wow, okay. Well, you're on a different level than teeny.
Speaker 3:I've had to. It costs money, but yeah, the software and and imports USDA information for me so I don't have to upload it.
Speaker 1:I mean, I don't have to type it in.
Speaker 3:But once I have all that information in and I have it ready and everybody's logged into it, they put their availability and every Sunday I remind everybody I already did it today. Send out a text to everybody or an email. Yeah, upload your availability. Make sure you update it. Oh, I need to set the match by Monday or Tuesday. Don't make me chase you down, please. Yeah, and every week I will have to chase down a number of ladies yeah, who will? Or men.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I could captain the mixed and then they give me back all their availability and then I go through and I have pros that back me up on my lineups okay so I I know how to set a lineup, yeah, but I have a Nate Bell, for example, helps me with the 3.0 lineups.
Speaker 4:Hmm.
Speaker 3:Call me when you're ready. Here's who is available. Yeah these are players that need to play because of timing or whatever, because I can look ahead. Oh, they're not available in a couple of weeks, so I need to make sure they play this week and now. Based on all of this information now I get to pick the team that's gonna win.
Speaker 2:So you're picking the whole, you're trying to do the whole schedule at the beginning of League, maybe like well, at least there Okay these people are at least giving their availability ahead of time, ahead of time.
Speaker 3:So if, for example, denise is not available for the next two weeks because you guys are on a trip, yeah she'll click on not available and so when I'm looking at this week, I kind of look ahead Okay and I go oh wait, denise isn't available for two weeks. I got to make sure and get her a match now. Yeah because it won't help next week if I go. I need to go. Wait, you're not here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, so I do kind of have to plan ahead. I want it to be somewhat fair, while still trying to win matches.
Speaker 2:Yes, complicated, yeah, no, that is the most complicated because you want to have fun, mm-hmm, like everyone's there to have fun. We all, like the people that are playing usually have a different job. That's their tenant. Tennis is not their job.
Speaker 4:Usually right.
Speaker 2:So you're trying to provide them with some fun, but then you're also trying to win right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's the team aspect yeah, that doesn't always fit in with the tennis ideal.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and.
Speaker 3:It does with the women. Get it because most women are in the same position. I am. They didn't play in high school. Yeah maybe they did a little, but they didn't play in college per se and okay and make a serious effort at their tennis career there. This is kind of new for them. So those ladies that played at that level, they're probably four or five and up.
Speaker 4:Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So most ladies I can relate to because they started tennis and their 30s or their 40s and they're athletic and they're doing great and so they want to play team tennis, mm-hmm. So they get it.
Speaker 3:But the team aspect is is difficult because tennis is such a solitary sport sometimes yeah and maybe you have a doubles team but you don't play on a team with other players yeah it's just different, so it's been hard for some people to get the idea of well, I know that's not gonna help your rating per se playing line three, but I need you on line three for the team. Yeah because my goal is to get a team win, it's not to get you up to three point, five or four point.
Speaker 2:That's true, huh, because that's what we were talking about earlier. If you're playing at a Whatever it called slot three or whatever and it's probably not a the best team, then you're right. Even if you beat them, it's probably not affecting your rating. If you want to bump up.
Speaker 3:True, yeah, but what's the?
Speaker 2:big deal about bumping up. Yeah, no, it's true.
Speaker 3:Actually, most men don't love that idea.
Speaker 2:They want to win me and me and Adam. Since we bumped up to 5.0 it's been a nightmare like because we were all the four or five team was the best. We had the best time. It was so fun. You know Scott helped that team a lot and, oh my gosh, once we got bumped it just sort of like now what I have to go play open tournaments like against some college.
Speaker 3:There's no 5.0 teams.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's rare. So I joined actually a San Diego team recently, which is a good team, but I had to go there, had to go San Diego or had to go Orange County or something like that, because it's hard. You're right, 5.0 team. It's very tough to find a lot of guys.
Speaker 3:Now I see someone like Denise wanting to get bumped up just three, five, because those matches are probably more Competitive for her.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And sometimes at the 3.0 level you're playing more the lob game. It's a little softer game and it's a little infuriating. Mm-hmm and I. Just the way I coach is. Well then, learn how to take that ball out of the air yeah finish the point.
Speaker 2:Yeah, punish them, and so we work on stuff like that. We were just talking about that because I had One of my losses, like eight, nine months ago was against a guy that I don't want to call him a pusher, because I don't even remember what a pusher was. When I was young we thought pushers were just flat lobs no one's really doing flat lobs in in the 50 level. But he definitely was lobbying with some spin and so me and Denise were talking about that, how tough that is, and she's like I know some, I play some matches and they're just lobbying, and so we were talking about the strategy and stuff. So, but I lost to this guy. I thought. I thought I was so much better when we were warming up. I'm like this is, this is gonna be a pretty easy match and I couldn't put the ball away on. This guy was very quick. That was another thing. So he probably knew his strengths you know, he was really quick.
Speaker 2:He got every ball back, not even really that deep, but sort of high. So I was. I felt like I was always in the wrong position, like I was, like, do I scoot up, do I scoot back? Like it was really strange for me.
Speaker 3:You made you uncomfortable.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally so. But you are also coaching at the club too, guess you do privates, or is it just groups?
Speaker 3:I did privates for a while. Okay, but there's a lot of standing on concrete and 80 bucks an hour sometimes isn't even enough.
Speaker 2:You're right actually so I stopped.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was. It was getting in the way of me playing tennis, yeah, and I wasn't enjoying it. I was starting to feel like it was a job, so I Just went. You know what I'm not? It's not, this isn't me. I'm also not a pro. I don't have my USP TA.
Speaker 4:Okay certification.
Speaker 3:I'm just junior tennis certified, but some of the ladies like to hear from my perspective. Yeah and I know how to coach 3035 tennis. Yeah so you don't really need to be certified. But you know, I just I stopped doing that, I started to coach. At one point Scott said I think it's time you start coaching. Hmm and he put me out on a court with a racket and a chair and said try to feed to that chair.
Speaker 2:Okay, I was not. You're gonna sit on the chair.
Speaker 3:No, no, I had to feed to the chair and he said I want you to hit the ball from here and Bounce the ball so that it lands on the chair.
Speaker 4:Oh.
Speaker 3:I was a harsh thing I'd ever done. Oh, heck. Yeah, that seems pretty tough and then he brought somebody out and said she's gonna hit the balls that you're feeding yeah and I learned real quickly not to drop your head. Yeah, after you got hit like oh, that's why you guys always look up and you're just reaching into the basket. So now I'm just I do, honestly, I don't even teach the kids in the afternoon. Right now my kids schedule her, her schedule, so busy, I can't okay.
Speaker 3:So I just teach ladies tennis in the morning with Nate Bell.
Speaker 2:Oh, cool, and I love it. Yeah, you love it, mm-hmm. And then your husband plays too.
Speaker 3:No, he played in high school, so we do play together. Okay but I'm usually just on vacation.
Speaker 4:Yeah, with a beer. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 2:No, that is fun. We got to incorporate that more often. More beers into the game, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:There. In fact, when we go to Palm Springs, we play at Mission Hills Country Club. Okay on the grass courts barefoot, with one beer in this hand. Yeah right in that you can only put the beer down when you serve.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, that's funny. That is funny. Grass court, huh, mm-hmm barefoot. Wow, that's nice, it's not slippery. Oh that that this sounds so relaxing. I've never you know what. I take that back. I've played on the grass court once in high school. Do you remember industry Hills? Where did you grow up in the area?
Speaker 3:I grew up in LA County.
Speaker 2:Okay, because it actually was probably prior to you playing, but industry Hills Tennis Club was huge when I was young and then, so I forget when it shut down. I don't even know why it shut down, but they have one grass court, the only grass court I've ever even seen around here.
Speaker 3:Well, they have a mountain, the desert do they?
Speaker 4:yes, and they're nice, yeah, very nice, and it's so low.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but the ball doesn't bounce. That is a little bit annoying. Yeah, your first swing is always a miss.
Speaker 2:Have you played mini tennis? Do you know what that is with the? The squishy ball, not, not Pickleball, it's called mini tennis. Have you played that?
Speaker 3:Well, not technically, no, I mean I've played with the squishy ball. Yeah in with kids. Okay so we play mini tennis in the classes. Yeah cuz it's.
Speaker 2:Actually it was getting big. I think pickleball sort of destroyed it. But um you, you're required to play with the junior racket and it's the heavy squishy ball and they usually put it on grass, sometimes on concrete, but the grass ones are so cool. You got to look that up on YouTube. It's so fun and that's why I was like thinking next house we get like we bought, we got to build like a little mini Tennis court in the back because you can hit the heck out of the ball. Doesn't really go anywhere so yeah, it is really fun.
Speaker 2:They play sort of tennis rules, because you know pickleball really isn't. Do you play that at all? Okay, we won't even get into pickleball then, me either.
Speaker 3:I've never tried it.
Speaker 2:I tried it once, it was yeah, whatever.
Speaker 3:I part of my joy in tennis is hitting the heck out of the ball yeah and I see that and I think I can't hit it hard enough.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's so weird and I just learned you're not allowed to serve in volleyball either. I mean, I knew the kitchen, but I also learned that you have to when you hit a serve. When they return, their return has to bounce. I just was watching on YouTube like is that real? What's up with that? So you can't even serve in volley. It's absurd.
Speaker 3:It's a fun part out. Yeah, they took. I'm sure everyone I've talked to said it's really fun.
Speaker 4:Yeah, everyone loves it, and.
Speaker 3:I'm sure there will be a point in my life when I'll play that. Yeah right now, that's not it.
Speaker 2:I didn't. Yeah, what's um, what's the big thing you see from a 3.0? That the 3.0 needs to get to the 3.5. Is there anything that's that identifiable? Or they're sort of all together, 3.0's and 3.5's no, they're not all together.
Speaker 4:Um.
Speaker 3:Consistency from every level matters and I would say the difference between the 3.0 and 3.5 in my experience is footwork, 100% footwork, footwork, footwork, footwork, and that's where my game grew. I remember the day that the coach said try taking seven or eight steps before the ball gets back to you and see what your game feels like. Yeah and all of a sudden it was.
Speaker 2:It was infinitely different instead of like the one or two big steps, and I think or hit and watch.
Speaker 3:Yes, okay, I mean the hit and watch, and then then you start moving your feet when the ball comes back to you. Yeah, it's too late, mm-hmm, and that's the one thing I try to get through to the ladies is okay, you're not moving, you just hit and now your heels are touching the ground. Do you feel that?
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yes, it takes a second for the ball to get over there, but if you're moving during that second, it will help you move faster on the way back and it make you get in a better position.
Speaker 2:Yeah number one footwork, footwork the better position to me thing is really interesting because when I Focus on, if I watch a pro match and I focus just on one side, it's really Not strange anymore. But at first it was very strange to see where they're positioning themselves, obviously with little quick feet like we were talking about. But I was so surprised to see, like, how, like Maybe it's physics or geometry, I don't know which one geometry- there you go.
Speaker 2:But how, yeah, how, they would line up like, exactly like, to make sure they're in the middle of where the other person can possibly hit.
Speaker 3:So you know, because when you're growing up, you just think you stand in the middle, right, yeah, you kind of mirror, yeah, yeah, and if they're out wide, you even in doubles, you know. I try to tell them you got to go out wide. Yeah, you see this angle, and sometimes we've actually brought ropes.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's cool, so they can see it see it yeah cuz a lot of ladies couldn't see, for example, going down the line when you're way out far that angle to go down the line, is it necessarily over the net? And so they would still stand way over here and they didn't realize how easy it was to go straight to the back of the court From way off the court. Oh, yeah, yeah, so we pulled ropes out and we stood there and went okay, so now look where you can hit.
Speaker 3:Look at how easy this is to hit this, and Now you see why you have to follow the ball. Yeah, I have to mirror it when you're in singles.
Speaker 2:So yeah, that is so awesome that that makes sense, because that was one of the things too when I, when I've been hitting with some ladies In the last few months, they're like, hey, just tell me where to stand and double, or not even tell me. We're saying what am I doing wrong in doubles. I was like, oh, it's where you're standing. It's like you don't realize the angles that returner has, like you're covering this like one spot that they can hit and now look at the rest of the court your partner has to cover, so just positioning.
Speaker 3:You have to take away the easiest shots. Yeah, you can't cover all of them, but yeah you want to make them hit the hardest one. Yeah yeah, whatever that one is.
Speaker 2:So footwork for 3035, 35 to 40. Is there another one, or is it footwork also?
Speaker 3:footwork more consistent, just like every level, but now you see more of a Diversity of shots. Now you're gonna see the slices. Now you're gonna see someone that can hit flat and spin, not just one. Yeah that's the difference. And or somebody who has really nice touch at the net. All those shots are more, much more involved at 4.0. Yeah so you'll see that in in 3.5 it's a little more cross-square, cross-square coach yeah and it ladies tennis.
Speaker 3:I'd say 75% and up could be. Up is done. By point I mean the second time, the second time someone hits a ball yeah it's like serve and done, or serve return, done.
Speaker 2:Which is probably a lot of us, though I bet you a bit, a lot of the points aren't in doubles.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So you know what's crazy about that too is the stuff you're saying I'm thinking about, because it's the stuff lately I've been practicing, because Not that I hit the same ball every time, but I think I was sort of Maybe not instructed, but just my thought process was hit a good, clean ball and lately I've been giving some Diversity to my shot and it's been so helpful to hit like a nice Spinny hard ball and then to throw in a slice and then to see the opponent have to move up two steps or move back two steps, and that's been huge for me lately. It's sort of changing that up.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, so knowing when to change it. Yeah, yeah, a, which ball You're? Yeah, for me on the backhand side, and like the ones that I should be slicing.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I don't necessarily slice those and I know I should Because that that's a better angle and it's a better shot. Yeah but you know, on the forehand side I'm fine. So yeah, it's like practicing those and throwing it in and keep working on it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what about Serving? So how, how tough it is like. I've been watching a lot of ladies at the club, I think I'm seeing a lot flatter Serves. So it seems like maybe the next level is probably some sort of kick, some sort of topspin Serve, and I don't know what level it changes to when you need that. You think three, five or even more, because it seems like a good flat servo work at a 3-0 level. You just get it in it. You just get it and you're going to do well.
Speaker 3:I would say we always tell the ladies they never practice, serve enough, because we do five minutes in a clinic and that's not enough, and that's all they do and I'm thinking, no, but if we try to do more in a clinic, ladies will actually quit practicing and walk away.
Speaker 2:Well, it's like the putting thing right. It's like you know, going to golf, You're not going to the driving range to play, Right Kind of thing.
Speaker 3:But if you can't serve efficiently, you're never going to win your serve. So it's the most important shot.
Speaker 2:Most important. I can't imagine having such a great serve and holding every single time on my serve. So now it just becomes a battle of breaking once and then you literally will win. Yep, literally will win the match.
Speaker 3:There you go, it's pretty simple.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3:But yet serving isn't. You know it is a hard thing. Yeah, you know, flat, get it in. Great yeah, 3-5, you start to see more, and then the diversity starts to play every level. I remember when I got bumped to 4-0, my coach said that's your serve. That's not a 4-0 serve.
Speaker 4:I'm like oh no.
Speaker 3:And so I started working on it, and so I've been working on it for years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've been working on it too. I recently took one lesson from Gerald, one from Joe Jr and a bunch from Doug, and each time I was like, just help me on my serve. And obviously every coach has a little different style, a little different opinion, absolutely. So I was getting a little from each of them and I just felt like my serve jumped astronomically just by their little, each person's little hints and I'm like, oh my gosh, and just thinking different too, like I never thought of it that way, kind of thing you know, like when they tell you something so yeah, serve huge. I got to make my returns in. So that's probably a big thing for any level, yeah, and I'm learning how to attack those soft serves as the level goes up.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Taking advantage of that. Srio doesn't even see that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they just hit it back. Hit it back in, yeah.
Speaker 3:Instead of going and like seeing it with their eyes really big, yeah, yeah. So as you go get at higher level, they start to recognize the different balls that they can take advantage of.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I try to get people to come in on a short ball.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And they don't necessarily see that.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And see why. And so we talk about that a lot. Why would you want to come in on a short ball? What does that do for you?
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So Nate has all these lectures.
Speaker 2:By the way, the why is sometimes the most important Because you know, I teach a class on Wednesday night on Zoom. It's a law school class and so we go over these rules and I've learned over the years that there's these things called comments on the rules and the comments are sort of the why, like why the rule came into effect anyways, like what problems people were having, like why this rule even exists. And once you learn that stuff, the rule's so easy and so it has to be the same in tennis, like you tell someone what to do and like robotically they'll do it. But if they don't understand why they're doing it, it might be in when you're out the other, they might not fully grasp like what's the point? So that's really interesting. So you will do that like explain sort of why we're doing this kind of thing.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Nate has this whole lecture that we go over, and sometimes he has me give the lecture and he's like you do it today. But it's the same lecture about why do we go to the net with? The balls in front of you. Why do you pull back? What's the diagonal? Why is it there If you're trying to memorize where you should be on?
Speaker 3:the court you're going to forget In the middle of a point. It won't make sense. You have to understand why you're where you're at. Why are you being aggressive? Why are you being defensive? What's going on? So, we talk about it a lot and then we try to practice it. But, that's how those ladies progress.
Speaker 2:But I think, like you were saying earlier, with the serving, the serving and the why, it's probably not the like, the funnest thing to do. You just want to go out there and smack the ball Like when you're practicing. It's probably the boring part, but maybe the most important. I love it. Yeah, I love it too.
Speaker 3:But see that practicing a serve going out with a basket by myself, that's boring. They do like to work with my coach, zach, after I do a group lesson and then I stay for a private and half of that private, half of that private and I like it because it's a half an hour, but I don't waste any time warming up. I've already been warmed up and we go right into the serve immediately. And he's been working with me on the slice and every time I look at him okay, what are we doing today? He goes slice.
Speaker 2:You're taking from Zach at the club. Yeah, oh, you do Okay.
Speaker 3:Every week I do at least 15, 20 minutes and he corrects what I'm doing. I'm like okay, serve at the tee. So okay, now go out wide.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Now jump. I mean a kick serve.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Kick serve to the tee. Now, okay, we're on the backhand side. Go out wide to the backhand.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I want to see you do that when I tell you to do it, not just by accident.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And so that's another key thing, obviously and I think you mentioned earlier which is taking lessons, because you know, a lot of times in lessons we're doing drills right. It doesn't. We're not necessarily doing how do I say this the shot that you would hit in a match, but you're doing stuff like probably bad example, but I was watching Steph Curry, the basketball player, dribble two basketballs. Obviously, you're not going to do that in a basketball game, but there's a point to the drill, right, right, the hand-eye coordination. So that's why lessons are so important, because you're doing stuff that is helping you learn, I guess, to do stuff in the match that you won't have a chance to do in the match.
Speaker 3:But I don't know, I also play against the coach and we hit against each other and then he'll say, okay, well, why did you choose to do that? What was your thought process there? And then he'll tell me I'm wrong.
Speaker 4:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:Or you know if I can beat him, you know, yeah, it was a good day.
Speaker 2:So have you played a set against anyone in a while? Do you like just straight singles?
Speaker 3:No, no, no, no, no, no no, if I want to continue to play in these knees. Single, single, single singles are out, so I stay with dubs.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that is getting harder and harder for me lately. I've had two knee surgeries Two knee surgeries on same knee or one each.
Speaker 3:One each.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:And Doc says oh yeah, you can play singles, and then I'll see you back here next year.
Speaker 4:Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:Or you can continue to play doubles and maybe you won't have to have a knee replacement before you're 60. Oh my gosh, yeah, so I just play doubles.
Speaker 2:No shoulder problems, nothing like that I have. Yeah. Haven't we all that's what I was going to say. It seems like everything, so I haven't. I had a bad knee injury in college, but besides that, my knees have been great. My ankles are always hurting, though. My shoulders are bad. My elbows are bad. It's hard All the joints. Yeah, it's hardcore, you're right.
Speaker 3:The one thing I've learned and actually Van Der Huyden shared this with me at one point not to play only tennis. And I learned that when I was obsessed with tennis and played six days a week and she said to me at some point you're going to mess something up, you need to work on other muscles in your body besides that forehand. You know, basically and she was right Pilates has helped me stay healthy and cycling and not playing tennis every single day, so I can play two or three times a week without hurting myself, but after that I can't do it.
Speaker 2:No, you're right.
Speaker 3:As we get older. I mean some of these young kids, man they can play every day, oh yeah. And the important if you want to be healthy at tennis is to not just play tennis.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally makes sense. So you are cycling, though you ride some bikes sometime Indoor, indoor. Oh, you're doing the indoor bike. That's cool, it's good for the knees. What's the thing, peloton, you do Peloton or just a I?
Speaker 3:didn't pay for that. Yeah, I know, I just ride the bike.
Speaker 2:That one's a little interesting to me.
Speaker 3:It's just a lot of money for the same thing that I already have. Yeah, yeah, and you?
Speaker 2:have an iPhone. Yep Works just as well. Yep, it's that big screen.
Speaker 3:And during COVID Peloton, let you use all their programs.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It was great fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were doing good. People were making money on Peloton stock during COVID, huge amounts of money and then it sort of turned sideways on them, unfortunately. Well, so you were talking a little about your kids and your husband. You said your husband does not play tennis, but what's he doing?
Speaker 3:He's working or just relaxing. He's a hiker. He's a pilot for the Highway Patrol, oh, is he really?
Speaker 2:Yeah, helicopter.
Speaker 3:A fixed wing. Oh wow, yeah, he loves to go to the bus of that and then he can retire, but he loves to hike and surf and kayak.
Speaker 2:Wow, and so fixed wing probably just is what Like speed, like I'm seeing who's speeding on the freeway, or what does fixed wing?
Speaker 3:do that's back in the day. Oh, now it's pursuits, and street takeovers, oh really.
Speaker 2:It's kind of a thing now Like people taking over street, people in groups taking over street.
Speaker 3:Daily, really, yeah, haven't you seen it on the news?
Speaker 2:I don't know a little, I guess, wow, really.
Speaker 3:And so they're trying to break up that stuff.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:That's all he does. He's up there chasing bad guys.
Speaker 2:Oh, I would think that's better for a helicopter, I wonder. I mean, I don't know anything but.
Speaker 3:It can be, but if the weather means you have to be lower than yes.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:But he has a really good camera on that.
Speaker 2:Okay, and that's true. If you don't, if helicopter, you probably know someone's over your head staring at you. The fixed wing is different than that's probably the real reason. Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, cause I'm thinking about these house parties when I was in high school. I'm thinking about I think we call them the the get over. Yeah, the helicopter was the get over, and the helicopter just sat over your party and shined your light. That was more to kick the kids out, go home. I think. Right, that was probably just to scare us. I'm positive. Yeah, yeah, okay, wow, that's so crazy. So, highway California, highway Patrol, that's so cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, he doesn't. He doesn't love the drive to Fullerton from here.
Speaker 4:Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:That's three hours a day of driving, so.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause you got to go up to the 91 and then back around. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:It's horrible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's tough yeah.
Speaker 3:But you know, in general, that's the job. I remind him every day, that's your job. Not flying, cause he loves to fly.
Speaker 2:He loves to fly, so no airports out here he can do it from.
Speaker 3:Not for highway patrol.
Speaker 2:Not for highway patrol, okay.
Speaker 3:We have an airport that's right next to your house.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I was going to say. That's where you trained out of French Valley. Is that what's called? Yeah, yeah, oh my gosh, we were looking for a house right now in French Valley. By the way, I love that area. Where are you? You're in Marietta. Where Off the.
Speaker 3:Clinton Keys. Do you know where Bear Creek?
Speaker 4:is yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, right there.
Speaker 2:You're next to Bear Creek or in it.
Speaker 3:Across from Bear Creek. But when I say Bear Creek, everyone knows where it is.
Speaker 2:Have you played in Bear Creek? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's nice.
Speaker 3:We're interesting to play on, but now USTA doesn't allow that. That has to be hard court.
Speaker 1:But we used to play on the clay courts when I first played league.
Speaker 2:We'd play clay court over there. Oh my gosh, that was interesting.
Speaker 3:Have you played clay?
Speaker 2:So I've played on green clay. Me and Adam actually went to a tournament in Atlanta last year. We played on green clay, which was so fun, and I think Bear Creek has green clay right. Do you know the? Color it was gray back in the day it's gray, I don't know what it is now, because they redid them.
Speaker 3:But it might be green and I know that makes a difference.
Speaker 2:It does. That's all I was going to say. Do you know the difference? I don't know what the difference is, I just know that it makes a difference. Yeah, it does.
Speaker 3:Yes, but I can walk to Bear Creek. So yes, I've played there, oh cool. And that's fun that it's so close.
Speaker 4:But you have to live there to play there.
Speaker 2:And I don't live in the community Just outside Because they have, I think, two or three clays right and then some hard Wow.
Speaker 3:Used to be six clay, I think years ago. But, like I said, I haven't played clay in a long time. I didn't like how the slide. Yeah, I don't like that.
Speaker 2:But the big thing for me was I never played clay growing up. Adam did, but he was teaching me how to slide into the hit. I was hitting and sliding out of the hit or something If that makes sense.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it does.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I had once. He told me that it blew my mind Because then everything changed. I said I didn't realize that I was trying to get to the ball, hit and sort I don't know, doing everything backwards, but he was having me slide into the hit and then you're sort of positioned when you hit. It was really strange. I got killed when I played on the, when I played.
Speaker 3:Well, you just already used to it. Yeah, it was fun.
Speaker 4:It was a different game.
Speaker 3:And then the way it hits the tape. Whenever it hits the tape, it goes flying in a different direction.
Speaker 4:You just have to accept that. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. So you plan on doing this league stuff for a while. Then you plan on it. It sounds like you're happy.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's a job.
Speaker 3:It's putting my middle kid through college, so we just, whatever I make, I put towards that.
Speaker 4:Oh, that's good. It helps pay for college, which is good, that's a great thing.
Speaker 3:There are days when I don't want to do it anymore.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like I said, you learn how your friends are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's the craziest story? So, one of the stories, we actually two stories. We had the Joes I think I don't want to go into crazy detail, but the Joes were getting sort of mixed up on their results because they have the same exact name and the league got mad. Usta got mad. Somehow One was reported here and it wasn't even our fault, but somehow one was reported with a loss, one was reported with a win, something like that, and they got in trouble. And then the other big story was we played sectionals against this team that we all sort of knew for a fact. The guy playing was not the guy that they had listed and he kept saying that was his name and we never proved it. But we knew for a fact. It was like that you are not this person. So anything, any funny stories or crazy stories like that.
Speaker 3:There was a mixed doubles male who had played in college.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 3:And Raiden himself at two five.
Speaker 4:At two five.
Speaker 3:Two point five.
Speaker 4:Oh no.
Speaker 3:And when he played, it was so obvious he wasn't a two point five and one of the other captains. She lost her mind about it. She just completely lost her mind and I just kept saying, well, I don't know if he's gonna cheat, and this means so much to him, whatever I mean. Did she show me all the cuttings from the newspapers of?
Speaker 2:you know, she looked him up. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:He played in college. Here's his record. This is what he did. I said I report him. I don't know what to say and so she did. She filed a grievance, but he's, and they looked at him and said, yeah, you need to be a three-0.
Speaker 2:At least a three-0. I thought if you played college you're probably a four-0. Yes, you are. Oh my God.
Speaker 3:So, but they never went any further with it and that team went to nationals and I always thought well to me. I wouldn't want to win that way. If that's what you need to do to win, then yeah. So, but I've encountered a lot of that stuff at 15 teams a year. I think I'll have 17 this year, probably. So you run into a lot of that stuff and I just learned not to get fired up about it.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean the, the. The radiant system is tough, like you have to go in and answer these questions and stuff. I sort of remember, right, is that what you do on that?
Speaker 3:Right, and I always say don't embellish.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because if you play three times a week, all of a sudden you become a 3.5.
Speaker 4:Oh Not necessarily true.
Speaker 3:You know, maybe you play three times a week for the last three weeks, but you just learned you're not a 3.5. And then I have to tell them you're going to need to appeal that they won't listen to us as pros or coaches or anything.
Speaker 2:You have to deal with that yourself.
Speaker 3:The person has to appeal it, yeah, and usually most players are where they should be I would say most players and if not, they will be after December 1st. You know if you've played enough? Some people know how to hide behind stuff.
Speaker 2:Whatever, yeah Are people? Do people routinely get bumped down, Like if they're playing where they think they should be and then they're losing? Let's say every time, Do you?
Speaker 3:get bumped down. It happens. Yes, I went down for a season after my knee surgeries. I didn't have a great year trying to get back into it.
Speaker 2:Because you didn't play a lot of matches or because you lost.
Speaker 3:It's not about winning or losing. It's about how well you play against the players you're playing.
Speaker 2:Oh really.
Speaker 3:Yeah, USTA, the algorithm looks at you and where you should be playing. And even if you lose, but you're playing against a much higher rated player say you got four games each set against a higher rated player, you're gaining ground.
Speaker 4:Oh OK.
Speaker 3:You're still lost, but you did better and he came down dynamically. So it's not just winning, although winning helps because obviously you're doing better against the players you're doing. How many games did you win against them? Usta looks at the total number of games you should win rather than wins or losses. But yes, I got bumped down. I wasn't playing that much, but what I did play, I didn't play that well, so I got bumped down, which? Was really fun Because.
Speaker 1:I'd never been a 3.5.
Speaker 3:And my partner, who I've been practicing, was a 3.5. So we went out and had a very good year it was quite fun, but we're now four O's again.
Speaker 2:And has your team that you played on? Have you guys been to sectionals?
Speaker 3:You said I've been yeah, I've been many times, and the one that we won I was a 3-0 when we won. I haven't won since then.
Speaker 2:And then you went to nationals, obviously when you won, or was there no nationals?
Speaker 3:for that team. No nationals for that team.
Speaker 2:Because it was a 3-0, or because that particular year or something.
Speaker 3:Because that particular league is a Southern California only league. And they always warn you this is doubles only, it's only Southern California. You will not go to national. Bummer, that's the one we won.
Speaker 2:Oh dang, so you haven't been to nationals. Then, on a league you played on Not, yeah, no.
Speaker 4:And that's fine.
Speaker 3:It's OK. It's not my ultimate goal and I've met people that I know captains, that that's what they're working towards and they're recruiting for that. I cannot do that when you work for a club. If you're a member of our team, you have to be a member of the club.
Speaker 4:Yes, OK.
Speaker 3:It's kind of like paying to play and you're paying $79 a month to be a member of our club, which is a great deal. However, I need to play you, regardless of your level or how good you are. I need to find you a place for you on my team. So I can't go over to you and say hey, would you like to come play on my team?
Speaker 2:Oh, by the way you have to be a member, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a little different Kind of throwing that in there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh yeah for three months, and so it's a little hard for me to recruit players. I can't go out and recruit players to build this team, which is what a lot of the teams I play on sometimes do.
Speaker 2:Like the 5-0 team I played on that we did out of the club last time the teams we played against. I would look these guys up and be like wait, this guy's from Ohio and I would look them all up, I go what.
Speaker 3:And they would just bring them Super team. Yeah.
Speaker 2:They would just show up for a week or to play, and I was like oh my gosh, I'm very limited, I cannot put together a super team it is.
Speaker 3:I'm limited to those that are members of our club. That's it. We do not allow anyone outside of the club to play on a team.
Speaker 2:OK, but that's how it should be probably Seems like Sure.
Speaker 3:That's our club and so I'm happy to do that. We don't tend to go as players get better. They tend to leave because of the money.
Speaker 4:I can play on this team for $25.
Speaker 3:So I don't want to go play that.
Speaker 1:So that we'll play somewhere else.
Speaker 3:But 3-0,. Every now and then I'll get a team where I've developed the team to the point where we're and we're at that right now with one of the 3-0 teams, that's, at least five of the ladies are ready to get bumped up to 3.5. Those ladies are going to lead this team and when you go to sectionals you have to be at that level to do well you have to do the verge of the next level and you can't have just one or two ready to be there.
Speaker 3:You have to have a good portion of the team ready to be there, and that's why we won. A good portion of our team was really on the verge of going to 3.5. And so you win at 3-0. To do that for a 3.5 team, you have to have a good portion be at 4.0 just about there and to have everybody grow all at the same rate, it's rare and difficult to develop a team, at least from my perspective, with what I can choose from.
Speaker 2:No, I totally get what you're saying now and everything you're saying totally makes sense, because I was surprised, though, at the 4.5 level. But now, thinking back on it, a lot of the people we were playing did end up getting bumped up, so it's exactly what you're saying. I think everyone was at that level. That little yeah Right there, yeah, right there, right there.
Speaker 3:And all of them were. That's the team you fear.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Not that one guy. Ok, well, we'll take that loss. He's going to be just at singles line one. All right, no problem, we can win all three doubles. We got this. So that's where the team aspect comes in. You do the best you can with what you have and USTA. There's some strategy involved.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know that. So, just like the leagues I played in, you guys have some singles, some dubs. It's not just pure dubs, true, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Our spring league yeah, it's the same thing, 18 and over in spring is Two singles, three doubles. Okay, so it's eight players every match. That's a lot of playing tennis.
Speaker 2:Yeah that's so cool. Okay, jeannie, I'm gonna ask you a few Tough tennis questions. Okay, this isn't a pop quiz, actually this is. I tell everyone, like when I do this podcast, it's actually just to help me. This is like a way to cheat and get free lessons. So so what?
Speaker 1:oh for me yeah from anyone this is what I do.
Speaker 2:I get everyone's perspective. Okay, so you, you know, I'm a 5-0, jeannie.
Speaker 3:Which is why I couldn't have you on my mixed team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so there, yeah, what would the mixed team be? Is there mixed 5-0s out there like a 10-0? Is there a 10-0 team, a 5-0 grown a?
Speaker 3:5-0. Not in early, yeah, but there is well. You could play 9-0. Okay, I'll be interesting, I'll be fun. Yeah, I mean we'll get there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that'd be cool.
Speaker 3:I have my eye on you.
Speaker 2:So I'm, you know I play all the time. I love playing. I don't know I'm not quite Getting the wins that I want to get, you don't? It's probably mental. You pointed right at your head Yep, and that was not a gun. No no, that was just pointing at your head.
Speaker 3:Okay, good, 100%. It's okay good, yeah, 100%.
Speaker 2:I've seen you play you're fantastic player.
Speaker 3:You just have to get past your own head.
Speaker 2:Wow See, that's good and bad, though, because it means I can easily do it. It's not a talent thing, right? You're not? You're probably. You didn't just say no, you got to get better, like you.
Speaker 3:You didn't say that, you said mental but I could say that about Almost everyone. Yeah and even the ladies today who I was coaching. After, you know, after their match, I asked him what did you love about your match? What did you do? Great, yeah. And and then they they immediately tell me all the things they did wrong, and I'm like okay. Hold on hold on, we'll get there. Yeah what did you do Well? Can you please just tell me one thing you did well.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's really hard to get them to do that, but once they do, and then okay, what did you want to work on? And I was so nervous, my, my rack, I, I just got tight. Yeah and I'm like were you swinging like you do in practice? Were you? Yeah, no, probably not.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's about they're being tight and that's the first level of being tight, but at your level it's more about, probably, you know you start thinking too much about what your plans are and where you're gonna put this ball in, how you're gonna beat this guy and what the heck is he doing.
Speaker 2:That's so funny. You said that genie because that's exactly the issue I was just talking to young Gavin on our club too about it, and we were both saying that we think too much. It's exact thing we just spoke about, and I never thought that would be a problem, because it's not really a problem in life, usually like at work or I get out of your head yeah, yeah, cuz I'm thinking like that when you're at work.
Speaker 3:That's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and actually going to work in like thinking about Multitasking and things. These are all good things like, but on the court I started thinking about four different shots right before I hit. That's a disaster every single time. Yeah, so I'm trying my best to not do that. I don't quite know how yet.
Speaker 3:I don't know how to coach you. Yeah your level for that. Talk to Scott.
Speaker 2:No, but that's but it's really nice that you can see that though, because it just helps me realize Exactly where I need to put my focus, because I go out there, I'll do forearms, or you know, that's not. That's not changing anything.
Speaker 3:No, but I think that the presence During a point there's something to be said about the presence of mind, to really focus on that ball. You say watch the ball Okay. Yeah what does that mean? Or stay in that point. What does that mean to you? Yeah it's important for you to find that place.
Speaker 3:That's then yeah and I have little tricks that I give the ladies at my level and at the lower levels and it's something like a Watching the ball and saying out loud I teach him this thing where they the balls coming over the net and they see it bounce, and they actually say bounce and as the balls coming up, they actually say hit and then, as it goes over, I tell them say split, when you're supposed to split stuff and when you're doing that, I just want you to do that just for a little while.
Speaker 3:Oh no, I don't hear you saying it. Try.
Speaker 1:Say it out loud.
Speaker 3:I know it sounds stupid, but say it out loud. Yeah and then all of a sudden, this rhythm develops with them, because I'm not thinking about where and how. They just let all that, all that muscle memory take over. Yeah now, that's kind of a lower level thing, but it gets them out of their head. Yeah so you have to learn something that works for you. Yeah, get you out of your head while still focusing on that one shot you want to hit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, during that point. Yeah, gosh, I don't. The crazy thing is is I don't know what to do, like, but but I think that thing you're saying is might help, because I don't. I don't, to tell you the truth, most of time I don't really see the ball. That doesn't make sense, right, because it's tennis. But now that I think about it, I'm not looking at the ball like even when it bounces. I, I'm almost positive I never see a bounce.
Speaker 3:Now that you say that, or you're not aware of it. Maybe you're not aware of it. Okay, about all the things you're the other stuff do with the ball. Try to be. It's a zen thing I guess more present. Yeah about watching that ball and then be just practicing that to get your Mind out a little bit out of it. Yeah, we're thinking everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just something to try oh no, I'm definitely gonna try it and I'm gonna try to see the bounce, which I can't imagine. That's so funny. I've never, actually probably, but you, like you said, I probably didn't notice it.
Speaker 3:You are watching it, yeah?
Speaker 2:I'm watching it somehow.
Speaker 3:But the fact that you know when I'm and I've done it when I start to get a little tight or out of my head. We're doing stupid things in a match. Yeah, I go back to split bounce hit.
Speaker 2:I say really quietly yeah, you don't say it out loud during the match, not really.
Speaker 3:No, but I'm I. That's what I'm focusing on. Yeah until I get into the rhythm of the point, and then everything kind of Works itself out. Yes because I know where to hit the ball when I get that winner shot. I know to go at their feet or go away from the player or whatever. Yeah but it's kind of more that Cross-court or full court ground strips that we tend to get in our head.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah for me. Oh, that's so cool. I appreciate that. See this, this free lesson was already worth it, and I'm glad you didn't tell me to shoot my head, because that I was a little worried when you point at your head, you said it, tony, it's over for you. Yeah, there's no hope.
Speaker 3:Oh I well, I think that that's sort of an elementary way of of working on presence. But yeah it's. It's a place to start. That's all, and it has worked for other ladies and it works for me.
Speaker 2:I promise I'm gonna try that. Let me give you a little gift before we get off. So yeah, I recently opened a box of it's called tops chrome. You probably don't follow cards, so this is like foreign to you, but I opened. I got two pretty cool cards. I want to give you these first ones cocoa goffs and she's she's she's a US open winner.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm. And the other is a person who I actually watch on YouTube all the time. Obviously, you know the name probably Martina Hengis, one of the best like doubles and singles players ever I know, but I watched her play doubles double. She was a maniac. I saw her play. Oh really.
Speaker 3:Yeah, she's amazing.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I love her yeah she's good and then I bought a few of these Carlos cards, so I've been giving these out to this. This one's gonna be good. It's not great price right now, but I think it's a good price like 50 60 bucks, but I think it can be more, depending in the world wait.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so you save that one, that one's a good one at over 30.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, seriously, but that that should be a good one. I bought a bunch of those, and so I've been handing those out too.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I felt very privileged.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but thank you, jeannie, I really appreciate it. Like Seattle, time flies is an hour. Seriously yeah, 59 around 59 well, that's great.
Speaker 3:I hope I said something worthwhile listening.
Speaker 2:You said a lot, Jeannie. I really appreciate your league perspective, which is huge, obviously, and then how hard you work on these leagues. I mean it's it's actually nice to hear, because sometimes I think people that are in the leagues don't really appreciate. You know how hard you captains work.
Speaker 3:It's a think list, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, but that's why I like when you speak about it, because everyone really sees your perspective and and I just appreciate you coming, jeannie, so thank you so much for everything, thanks so much yeah, definitely you, you.
