Thoughts about Tennis Tradition...

[don_budge]

The Yips, Shanks and Chili Dips...Yikes! The Claw Grip...Yippee!

The Winner Takes It All...(ABBA 1980)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cwKCU8Z5c

I don't wanna talk about things we've gone through,
Though it's hurting me, now it's history
I've played all my cards and that's what you've done too,
Nothing more to say, no more ace to play
The winner takes it all, the loser standing small
Beside the victory, that's her destiny

I was in your arms thinking I belonged there,
I figured it made sense, building me a fence,
Building me a home, thinking I'd be strong there,
But I was a fool, playing by the rules
The gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice,
And someone way down here loses someone dear

The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall,
It's simple and it's plain, why should I complain


But tell me, does she kiss like I used to kiss you,
Does it feel the same when she calls your name
Somewhere deep inside you must know I miss you,
But what can I say, rules must be obeyed
The judges will decide the likes of me abide,
Spectators of the show always staying low

The game is on again, a lover or a friend,
A big thing or a small, the winner takes it all

I don't wanna talk if it makes you feel sad,
And I understand you've come to shake my hand
I apologize if it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense, no self-confidence

The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all

I guess the lyrics speak for themselves. Winners and losers. Don't get caught on the wrong side of that line. The lyrics say it all.

"The gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice, And someone way down here loses someone dear..." Spoken deep from the land of Scandinavia. Their minds as cold as ice.

Agnetha is a dead ringer for my wife when she was young. They used to mistake her for Agnetha in Gothenburg back in the day. Do I repeat myself? Of course I do. I am a tennis teacher. Its the nature of the beast.

ABBA...it was a different time. No cell phones. The reality constructs were beyond us. It was simpler. We could take so much for granted. Only questioning the obvious. Yeah...the winner takes it all. But still the loser has a choice. Quit or reinvent. Soldier on. Dust off...bite the bullet. Live to play another day. To love another day. Lord have mercy!

I just love this song. The winner takes it all. It's true isn't it? Do you play golf? Do you know what a shank is? Do you know what the yips are? Shanks, skulling the ball, hitting it fat, chili dipping. 10splayer knows what I am talking about. At least in the beginning of this discussion. I might lose him with the philosophical angles...but I doubt it. He's a perceptive fellow. Sensitive too.

If you have the shanks in your chipping. If you cannot make solid contact and contract the yips therefore alternating between variations of skulled shots, hitting it fat...repetitive chili dips. You lose your appetite. Not only for golf but you feel like a loser. There isn't a worse feeling...partcularly if you consider yourself a winner. ABBA is singing a song about love...losing at love. A bitter feeling also.

Some things make me talk about the darkest that life has to offer. It always is in the background. After suffering a devastating blow you get gun shy. You know the consequences. You understand there are times when you are feeling with your feet...where's the bottom? You ask yourself...is there a bottom? A couple of years ago my dog Frankie died. Two and a half months later...on my birthday the wolf Dylan fell deathly ill. He died two weeks later. God...how I loved those animals. I asked myself over and over...where's the bottom? Is there a bottom? Life does that to you. I've been a loser before. I'm not too ashamed to admit it. Married twice now...divorced around eighteen times now.

Most of the time...I am what you would call a realist. I am the first to have discovered that the glass is never half full or half empty...it's never one or the other. Never forget...it is half full AND half empty. Don't give me that shit about being an optimist or me being a pessimist. It's just the way it is.

But this business of not being able to make solid contact with the short shots on the golf course is completely miserable. My God...shanking is the Devil's play. Unable to stop hitting the ball ninety degrees to the right. On such a short swing. It's a simple thing...isn't it? Ok...the shanks are cured and suddenly it is impossible to make solid contact with the golf ball with your wedges on the short little swings. You hit behind the ball...that is called hitting the ball fat and your shot comes up woefully short of your target. It's embarrassing for a swing connoisseur. Or instead of hating it fat...you hit it thin and skull the ball and it goes rocketing by your target. How fucked up is that? Thoughts become comments...you mention hanging yourself in the barn. Never really meaning it...it is just an expression as to just how fucked up the feeling is. To be such a loser. A psychological mess.

These things happen to golfers. It's a curious phenomenon. The greatest of all golfers become afflicted. It's a test of your resolve. A test of your character. A test of your faith in God. It's an existential question mark planted right in the middle of your being...your cerebral cortex. It's a yip. An involuntary jerk in your hand or hands. In my case it is my right hand. On touchy little shots. Shots I used to revel in...using the built in touch that I developed in tennis to hit daring shots around the green. But suddenly it disappears and these ugly shots suddenly come into play. It's the devil I tell you...feeling possessed. Now I know what Dostoyevsky wrote about in his wonderful epic work..."The Devils".

Listen to Ben Hogan here talking to Gene Sarazon on Shell's Wonderful World of Golf. He has the yips. He's playing against Sam Snead. He also had the yips and invented a myriad of ways to get around it. Those nasty little jerks...involuntary twitches. Damn things! Hogan is playing a perfect round of golf tee to green but he cannot make a putt for birdie. At 19.20 watch as he struggles to get his nerves under control and he holes the damn thing. Gene Sarazon has the following exchange with him:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7URngrpvb8

Gene: "You've played twelve holes. You've hit every green. You've had putts for eagles and birdies and you finally holed a putt."

Ben: "It was unbelievable. I couldn't believe it. I must of hit it on the right jerk Gene."

Listen to the rest of this. What the hell...watch the whole thing. Two golf legends with the sweetest swings. Look how the tip of the golf club points at the target like Roger Federer's forehand. The tip of the racquet...more white light. While you are at it look at this video that I have posted a number of times..."What is the most important thing in the golf swing is...by Ben Hogan and Sam Snead." It's classic stuff. An interesting discussion. Listen to Ben Hogan...he's a shaman. A "Swing Shaman". In this explanation he describes the problem that I have with the short shots. A disconnect between my movement to the ball when attempting short swings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4w2kX2aVlI

It's Good Friday here in Sweden. The Lord gave his only Son. Jesus Christ. Somehow today when I went to the golf club...it was snowing a light snow. Phil Collins sings of "the evil of a snowflake in June" in a song called "Mad Man Moon". Listen to this song. Phil Collins killing it. As always.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W-uOQ41n8U

"Was it summer when the river ran dry
Or was it just another dam
When the evil of a snowflake in June
Could still be a source of relief
Oh how I love you, I once cried long ago
But I was the one who decided to go
To search beyond the final crest
Though I'd heard it said just birds could dwell so high

So I pretended to have wings for my arms
And took off in the air
I flew to places which the clouds never see
Too close to the deserts of sand
Where a thousand mirages, the shepherds of lies
Forced me to land and take a disguise
I would welcome a horse's kick to send me back
If I could find a horse not made of sand

If this desert's all there'll ever be
Then tell me what becomes of me
A fall of rain ?
That must have been another of your dreams
A dream of mad man moon"

You see how I am...rambling as a Mad Man Moon. A lunatic by definition. Jumping from stone to stone. The water rippling beneath my feet inviting me to trip and fall. An invite to doubt my self. There's a point though. My God...my Good Lord there's a point. From winners to losers. From God to the Devil. From Hogan to Federer. Shamans. Illusions...reality. All points in between. Today...I am ecstatic. Good Friday...thank you Lord for giving your only Son.

The evil of a snowflake in April...in Sweden. Could still be a source of relief. Did I stumble across a cure...for the shanks, the chile dips, the fat shots, the skull shots? Could it be so simple? The Claw Grip. Amazing!!! It completely takes the right hand out of play.

I realized in my practice that I could chip with just my left hand on the club. Like a slice backhand...a simple motion. The simplest of all motions. So I tried barely having my right hand on the club. Zero grip pressure...just on for the aesthetics. The look of a two hand grip. But alas...just the presence of the right hand being there was enough to reduce my chances of solid ball contact to zero. In my head. I couldn't get my head around it...whenever my right hand was on the grip. I was resigned to chipping one handed which certainly would have made me an anomaly around the golf club. But somehow there was an idea...I don't really know why I thought of it.

Some golfers resort to what is called a "Claw Grip" when they are putting. Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson for example. Obviously many of these are probably suffering from the "jerks" as Hogan put it so delicately. I tried it with my chipping stroke. VOILA!!! Every single swing produced solid ball contact. Not one with funny business. No shanks, no fatties, no thinned...no fucking chili dips. I will pray tonight that this is the cure. Thank you Lord. Trust in God.

Good Friday to all...Happy Easter. He gave us his only Son. Never forget this. Hold this in your heart to know what love is. God Bless.

[bottle]

The Winner Takes It All...(ABBA 1980)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cwKCU8Z5c

I don't wanna talk about things we've gone through,
Though it's hurting me, now it's history
I've played all my cards and that's what you've done too,
Nothing more to say, no more ace to play
The winner takes it all, the loser standing small
Beside the victory, that's her destiny

I was in your arms thinking I belonged there,
I figured it made sense, building me a fence,
Building me a home, thinking I'd be strong there,
But I was a fool, playing by the rules
The gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice,
And someone way down here loses someone dear

The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall,
It's simple and it's plain, why should I complain


But tell me, does she kiss like I used to kiss you,
Does it feel the same when she calls your name
Somewhere deep inside you must know I miss you,
But what can I say, rules must be obeyed
The judges will decide the likes of me abide,
Spectators of the show always staying low

The game is on again, a lover or a friend,
A big thing or a small, the winner takes it all

I don't wanna talk if it makes you feel sad,
And I understand you've come to shake my hand
I apologize if it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense, no self-confidence

The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all

I guess the lyrics speak for themselves. Winners and losers. Don't get caught on the wrong side of that line. The lyrics say it all.

"The gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice, And someone way down here loses someone dear..." Spoken deep from the land of Scandinavia. Their minds as cold as ice.

Agnetha is a dead ringer for my wife when she was young. They used to mistake her for Agnetha in Gothenburg back in the day. Do I repeat myself? Of course I do. I am a tennis teacher. Its the nature of the beast.

ABBA...it was a different time. No cell phones. The reality constructs were beyond us. It was simpler. We could take so much for granted. Only questioning the obvious. Yeah...the winner takes it all. But still the loser has a choice. Quit or reinvent. Soldier on. Dust off...bite the bullet. Live to play another day. To love another day. Lord have mercy!

Embarrassing!

[don_budge]

The Winner Takes It All...(ABBA 1980)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cwKCU8Z5c

I don't wanna talk about things we've gone through,
Though it's hurting me, now it's history
I've played all my cards and that's what you've done too,
Nothing more to say, no more ace to play
The winner takes it all, the loser standing small
Beside the victory, that's her destiny

I was in your arms thinking I belonged there,
I figured it made sense, building me a fence,
Building me a home, thinking I'd be strong there,
But I was a fool, playing by the rules
The gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice,
And someone way down here loses someone dear

The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall,
It's simple and it's plain, why should I complain


But tell me, does she kiss like I used to kiss you,
Does it feel the same when she calls your name
Somewhere deep inside you must know I miss you,
But what can I say, rules must be obeyed
The judges will decide the likes of me abide,
Spectators of the show always staying low

The game is on again, a lover or a friend,
A big thing or a small, the winner takes it all

I don't wanna talk if it makes you feel sad,
And I understand you've come to shake my hand
I apologize if it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense, no self-confidence

The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all

I guess the lyrics speak for themselves. Winners and losers. Don't get caught on the wrong side of that line. The lyrics say it all.

"The gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice, And someone way down here loses someone dear..." Spoken deep from the land of Scandinavia. Their minds as cold as ice.

Agnetha is a dead ringer for my wife when she was young. They used to mistake her for Agnetha in Gothenburg back in the day. Do I repeat myself? Of course I do. I am a tennis teacher. Its the nature of the beast.

ABBA...it was a different time. No cell phones. The reality constructs were beyond us. It was simpler. We could take so much for granted. Only questioning the obvious. Yeah...the winner takes it all. But still the loser has a choice. Quit or reinvent. Soldier on. Dust off...bite the bullet. Live to play another day. To love another day. Lord have mercy!

[klacr]

Yes, I'm the pro. One of many that will be there that day. Not just Aaron and I.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

He's still an enthusiastic kid when it comes to the maize and blue. Aaron says "Hi" by the way. Playing in his pro-am later this week.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Made my day! I'm sure he is still a great, great Kid. He will always be "The Kid". Say hello for me my friend...and my best to the entire family!

Thanks Kyle. The Pro-Am should be great fun...are you the pro?

[klacr]

That's just fantastic klacr! I think I saw that coming. Meeeshigan. I remember the Kid saying it just like that.

He's still an enthusiastic kid when it comes to the maize and blue. Aaron says "Hi" by the way. Playing in his pro-am later this week.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Thanks don_budge! Happy New year to you as well. I have another friend in Sweden, a female teaching professional that I often communicate with, she sent me some pics of the gray, dark winter wonderland. Snow expected Tuesday and Wednesday there. Bundle up don_budge. Yes, tough game for my beloved wolverines. Funny, Aaron and I were texting back and forth during the whole game. He actually was at the game, I was in the comfort of my own home. We were both pretty bummed about the outcome, but the next day we were both on court teaching and doing our thing. Win or lose, Go Blue!

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

That's just fantastic klacr! I think I saw that coming. Meeeshigan. I remember the Kid saying it just like that.

[klacr]

Michigan versus Florida State...


I have a minimal interest in football. Even University of Michigan football. It's strange that in Europe everybody here thinks the same way about American football...it is a non event. Even though it is happening there to the tune of hundreds of thousands of spectators and millions of television watchers...here it may as well not be happening. Such is culture. What is important to one on the other side of the world is not even on the radar screen on the other side. Get it? It's culture.

A couple of highlights to a college football game yesterday. So many in the USA were banking on this. So many wishing for a particular outcome. I imagine that it was quite a game. Somebody had to lose. Everybody shook hands afterwards and got on with their lives. It's complicated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEpZ18PczSc

There's a man child that lives in Florida. Dade County. More than one for that matter. I know who he was pulling for. But today he will get up and get on with his life doing what he always does...his best. Greetings from Sweden klacr and Aaron. Happy New Year and give 'em hell in 2017!!!

Thanks don_budge! Happy New year to you as well. I have another friend in Sweden, a female teaching professional that I often communicate with, she sent me some pics of the gray, dark winter wonderland. Snow expected Tuesday and Wednesday there. Bundle up don_budge. Yes, tough game for my beloved wolverines. Funny, Aaron and I were texting back and forth during the whole game. He actually was at the game, I was in the comfort of my own home. We were both pretty bummed about the outcome, but the next day we were both on court teaching and doing our thing. Win or lose, Go Blue!

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Michigan versus Florida State...


I have a minimal interest in football. Even University of Michigan football. It's strange that in Europe everybody here thinks the same way about American football...it is a non event. Even though it is happening there to the tune of hundreds of thousands of spectators and millions of television watchers...here it may as well not be happening. Such is culture. What is important to one on the other side of the world is not even on the radar screen on the other side. Get it? It's culture.

A couple of highlights to a college football game yesterday. So many in the USA were banking on this. So many wishing for a particular outcome. I imagine that it was quite a game. Somebody had to lose. Everybody shook hands afterwards and got on with their lives. It's complicated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEpZ18PczSc

There's a man child that lives in Florida. Dade County. More than one for that matter. I know who he was pulling for. But today he will get up and get on with his life doing what he always does...his best. Greetings from Sweden klacr and Aaron. Happy New Year and give 'em hell in 2017!!!

[stotty]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39PiSwtUwoQ

Here's an interesting analysis of the match...in hindsight. Mats Wilander stunned me with his revelations. Craig O'Shannessey puts his "two cents" in. Interesting insights.

Interesting indeed. I remember Bernie Mitton well. He had a couple of good runs at Wimbledon in the 70s.The tactics were good ones, weren't they? And according to Matts it was a tactic Connors never really learned to combat.

Here is a clip I love http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4x93bc

Nastase rolls a serve in a follows it to the net. Arthur could lay into this one or go for the more intricate, dissecting option. He chooses the latter. He chips a deft return crosscourt. Nastase, moving beautifully - unmatched even by Federer in this part of the court - gets right down to the volley and places to the only place he can go. By this time Arthur has seized control of the point and hits a perfect lob.

I love that point for three reasons: One, you just don't see this stuff anymore. Two, Arthur's astuteness, Three, Nastase's speed and balance at the net.

Stotty

[don_budge]

Arthur Ashe's tactical plan to defeat Connors in the 1975 Wimbledon Final

Arthur's plan to defeat Connors had been executed several years earlier, by Pancho Gonzales. Charlie Pasarell, who had never forgotten that match, recounted it to Arthur on the eve of the Wimbledon final.

Who better to turn to on the cusp of the biggest day of your sporting life than a tower of acumen and strength such as Pancho Gonzales. No wonder Ashe was so mentally resolved and strong that day. With Pancho Gonzales in your corner as your source of inspiration, who wouldn't be?

Stotty





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcoR0gsZ_FQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39PiSwtUwoQ

Here's an interesting analysis of the match...in hindsight. Mats Wilander stunned me with his revelations. Craig O'Shannessey puts his "two cents" in. Interesting insights.

[stotty]

Arthur Ashe's tactical plan to defeat Connors in the 1975 Wimbledon Final

Arthur's plan to defeat Connors had been executed several years earlier, by Pancho Gonzales. Charlie Pasarell, who had never forgotten that match, recounted it to Arthur on the eve of the Wimbledon final.

Who better to turn to on the cusp of the biggest day of your sporting life than a tower of acumen and strength such as Pancho Gonzales. No wonder Ashe was so mentally resolved and strong that day. With Pancho Gonzales in your corner as your source of inspiration, who wouldn't be?

Stotty

On the eve of the final Ashe discussed tactics over dinner with Dell, his manager, and Charlie Pasarell, a fellow player and friend. Pasarell recalled a match he had watched Connors lose in 1971 in Los Angeles. The 19-year-old had been sweeping aside everyone in his path, but had been outwitted by the 43-year-old Pancho Gonzalez, who baffled him with an array of delicate and carefully placed strokes, including drop shots and lobs.

Ashe’s natural game was to attack and go for his shots, but the strategy the three men devised for him was to take the pace off the ball, focus mostly on Connors’ forehand, where he could be particularly vulnerable on low volleys, and use the lob. At only 5ft 10in, Connors might have trouble with lobs, particularly on his backhand side with his double-handed grip. Just before Ashe went on court, Dell gave him a hand-written note: “Keep the ball low, and mostly on Connors’ forehand side; serve him wide to the backhand; use the lob.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcoR0gsZ_FQ

[don_budge]

Arnold Palmer...passes away at 87 years old

First it was Gordie Howe at the age of 88 and now the sports world loses another legend Arnold Palmer at the age of 87. These men were from the "Romantic Age" of sports. When it was about the game...and not the business.

http://golfweek.com/2016/09/25/arnol...es-away-at-87/

Of course money is important. It pays for the golf or the hockey. It pays for the food we eat. These men considered it an honor to play a boys game and to get paid for it was a bonus. These two men might just be considered icons as they were one of a kind. Not only were they one of a kind...they broke the mold. Now they are gone. A little bit of traditional thoughts in sports dies with these men.

“We loved him with a mythic American joy,” said Palmer biographer James Dodson. “He represented everything that is great about golf. The friendship, the fellowship, the laughter, the impossibility of golf, the sudden rapture moment that brings you back, a moment that you never forget, that’s Arnold Palmer in spades. He’s the defining figure in golf.”

"We loved him with a mythic American joy"...from the "Romantic Age" of golf these kind of feelings were once possible.

[hockeyscout]

Gordie Howe..."never refused an autograph".




Gordie Howe...they broke the mold with men like him. When sports was about loyalty, dedication and team. The money was secondary. One of the last of the traditional legends. A great athlete and a really, really fine gentleman.




http://www.freep.com/story/sports/co...idel/85953820/

You have a romantic version of things don_budge, but, it was a bad era in professional hockey that is best buried and forgotten. The sport took a lot of years to heal from those turbulent year where players were abused by owners.

Ask players what they think of those times - I have, and there was nothing positive sports owners did to benefit the young men (players) what-so-ever at the rink or away from the ice.

The majority of the owners ended up in jail, and even the head of the players association arrested, charged and spend serious ass pounding time in jail.

Hockey players we're the laughing stock of pro sports for many years, however, the unions eventually got smart, took initiative and gained control over the sport.

Howe was basically broke $$$$ at the end of his career and was taken advantage of by everyone being a nieve farm boy from Saskatchewan. The unions at that time really needed Gordie to take a stand, and he didn't.

Later on he learned “loyalty, dedication and team” were just phrases used to m manipulate players - in the 1980's Gordie wised up when he saw his pension plan was problematic, and players around him were dying with no access to proper coverage that they were promised. He joined forces with Carl Brewer, and sued, and they opened the books up to the NHL’s crooked pension business.

Gordie was not a sophisticated individual, but, he clearly had the presence of mind to marry a woman who had more balls than any owner, coach, manager, scout, agent, sponsor or businessman that crossed paths with the Howe family.

Years of hard lessons.

In 1971 he retired over a contract dispute (he wife did not step in, and negotiate).

At 43 Gordie realized his wife was right, and in 1973 she stepped in to negotiate professional contracts for her two sons Mark and Marty (before that Gordie would have to meet with the owner, and the wife was not allowed into the conversation).

Years later he learned journeyman NHL players like Bobby Baun were making more money than him.

Fortunately, the Howe's (Gordie and Colleen) really looked after their boys, and made sure they did not make the same financial mistakes they did.

She was a lady who learned the system, and wasn't going to allow anyone to walk over her sons.

Mark (the youngest son) became the highest paid professional player in the world at 18, and Gordie signed for 2.2 million dollars (his salary in Detroit was $13,000) as well in 1974. No one thought he had anything left in the tank, but, he sold tickets. Gordie had a personal career best year at 45. He was, a one of a kind athlete, but, not much of a businessman (thankfully, his wife was a heck of a business woman).

Gordie was a true pro's pro. His wife was a great sports wife who put her foot down, and a heck of a mama who didn't take anyone's crap. It was a combination that proved to be a winning one in the end.

[don_budge]

The Game...the way it used to be

Great video find. Great serving. Great volleying. Great attacking.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

It's all that klacr...and more. There is so much subtle stuff going on. What I find perhaps most amazing is the incredible amount of "work" Laver is putting on the ball. It is simply incredible. The seeming ease with which Gonzalez moves around the court is rather interesting as well. To me the video does do justice to the skill in both players but to the modern day tennis aficionado who is accustomed to watching this "reality" tennis that has been "discovered in modern times" it probably looks slow and antiquated.

Nothing could be more contrary to the truth. Can you imagine one single tennis player playing tennis today that would look even remotely comfortable playing balls from the positions that these two maestros do? I can only see one and I am curious to see how well he would fare. I'm not so sure.

Laver is really trying to work over his left handed spin with his serving to the ad court on Gonzalez. It's a fantastic find. The best of its kind that I have seen. The video certainly belongs here...Traditional Thoughts.