Second Serve Tennis

What Adult Rec Players Can Learn From The Pros

• Second Serve with Carolyn Roach & Erin Conigliaro • Episode 295

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What can adult recreational players learn from the pros?  

Join us for a compelling conversation with Bill Oakes, a veteran in sports marketing with over three decades of experience. Discover how concentrating on minimizing unforced errors and focusing on strategy rather than hitting winners can revolutionize your performance, whether you're a 2.5 or 3.5 USTA player.

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Carolyn:

Hi, this is Carolyn and I'm here with Erin, and we are excited to have Bill Oakes back with us tonight. He's going to tell us what we can learn from the pros to help our adult recreational game. Bill has worked at Wake Forest University, the Winston-Salem Open, the USTA Southern section, and numerous sports marketing firms over the last 30 plus years. So, Bill, tell us what we can learn from the pros to help our adult recreational game.

Bill:

Well, some more than others. I will use uh I'm going to start it with something I heard from Ellis Ferrera, who, if you don't know who Ellis Ferrero was, Ellis was ranked number one in doubles for a long time, has won many Grand Slam titles in doubles in men's doubles and mixed. He is a South African who played at the University of Alabama and is just a really smart, good guy. And what he I heard him say once was don't hit winners to 90% of you know USTA players. Just keep the ball in play because honestly, it's a war of attrition. You know, there are levels of USTA players that are 4-0, 4-5, 5-0 that can play it. But the average USTA player, which is a 2-5, 3-0, 3-5, they just need to keep the ball in play. And so it was a really interesting conversation because he was he said that half the time that when he coaches, he notices that people try to do stuff that they really don't need to try. If you go to the 55s and 60s and 65s nationals, top players in the country, those guys aren't necessarily hitting winners. They're just keeping the ball in play. Those matches may go forever. But, you know, and it they're trying to, you know, they may not hit it down the center every time, the guys and gals, but they're that you know, they'll they'll a little bit, a little bit, but they're not trying to hit lines. They're not trying to go down the line, they're not trying to do something that's crazy because they know that the quality of player will make their own error. That's why we have unforced errors. So I think keeping the ball in play is one thing I hear regularly from the top players is to most recreational players, keep the ball in play. And since most of us play doubles, I think that the real issues are related to doubles. I I don't think you know, people that play singles, it it's a little bit of a different game, uh, obviously. But I think when we're talking about USTA players, let's let's concentrate on doubles. The number one thing is communication, being able to communicate with your partner of where you're gonna go, what you're gonna do, what they're gonna do, what what they're gonna where they're gonna go, and understanding that. And when you look at the players, watch doubles. And I I will say this, watch the doubles players between every point they they talk. They and it's not just a fist bump, they will talk about what's going on on the court, what they're what they are seeing. Hey, this player can't do this, this can, you know, don't worry about it. Sometimes it's a pep talk. Um I I love my I I will say that I loved mic'ed up players on changeovers because what when coaching has occurred at the WTA and ATP level, they've mic'd up some coaches. And you know, sometimes they're talking about um, you know, where to hit the ball or whatever, you know, keep the ball deep, you know, hit hit to their back end. But sometimes they're talking about where they're gonna go have dinner. I I mean I remember a uh on tennis channel watching uh two women's players, and they're talking about literally where they're gonna go have dinner that night. That may not always be the best. I just always thought that was pretty funny uh because they were taking, they were trying to take their mind off a bad game. Another component that I think is really important for tennis is what professional football players call the cornerback mentality. You get if you're a cornerback, the guy who's on the outside covering the wide receiver, throw touchdown pass against you, they tell cornerbacks to have a short memory. Don't don't remember what just don't remember the bad thing that just happened. And I use the same mentality with what I would say, use the same mentality with players. Have a short memory. If you make a bad shot, you make a bad shot. Try not to think about making the bad shot because the core the cornerback mentality, the short memory will go a long way to your confidence. And that's the other part. Play with confidence. That doesn't mean play with arrogance. If you go into it with with feeling like I can't do it, and that's what going back to my first point, keep the ball in play. Everybody that plays can keep the ball in play. You have confidence that you can keep the ball in play, so keep it in play. The other parts I would say are you know, focus on playing. You know, stay stay in the game, stay in the match. Don't be thinking about picking up your kids. That's hard though.

Erin:

That's really hard.

Bill:

It is hard, but that's where you need to stay focused. Yes. And when you look at the top players, and even the you know, person ranked 150 in the world, when you look at them, some of the things that you can take from them that I think are really important, footwork. Look how what they do after it's not just leading up to the point, but what do they do right after they struck the ball? What are they doing? Are they staying there? Don't admire your shot. This was one of my real problems. I'd make a shot and then I'd be like wanting to watch it instead of moving back into position. So footwork being and and positioning are so important. And the top, and when you look at players on the tour, when they make a shot, they're already moving. Once they've struck the ball, they've started moving to get back in position. So footwork and recognizing that your footwork, and the reason that's important is because if you if you don't start quickly, you're gonna get out of position quickly. And there's gonna be a especially if the ball is off to one side or the other, your forehand or your backhand or whatever, you're just not in a good position. The other thing I would say is when you look at the top players before the match gets started, they set up their seeing area. So when they come for a changeover, it allows them to focus, be comfortable, get their mind right, and create communication opportunities and doubles. So they're not setting it up like they don't keep their water bottle in their bag, and you know, they are they've got it set. I mean, I don't know that you need to be Rafa, but you need to be set up before. And and I would say even before your match starts, um, you know, you look at what players do after the warm-up, they'll go sit at their chair for a second to get their mind right, you know, and it's a mental part. We all recognize it's the mental part of the game.

Erin:

Yeah, I think fantastic. Yeah, I think the I I read recently, I don't know where it was, and I don't know what the exact statistic is, but at the levels that you mentioned, 2530, 35, it's more of a mental game. Because everyone has generally about the same skills, you know. I mean, there's certainly some better than others, but like you said, people can keep the ball in play, but it's such a mental game that I think the mental aspect comes in more in those lower levels.

Carolyn:

Yeah, it's also hard too because this is adult recreational tennis. So people will start talking to you about where are you going to eat, whether they're getting a divorce, what's going on in their life. And it's really hard, but to be like, oh, I need to focus, then you're the mean one.

Erin:

I think you're the weirdo if you're not engaging in conversation.

Bill:

Recreational tennis is recreational tennis, and it should be about fun. So I take this, there are many levels of this conversation that you can take in. And you, you know, maybe the the social part is why you play and you don't want to create the focus. But that doesn't mean you can't create the the situations as it relates to communication with your port your with your partner. Exactly. Using your opportunities at changeovers to communicate there, understanding your footwork, uh, not admiring, uh keeping the ball in play. I look, I agree. I I don't play tennis to to be a competitive person anymore. I play tennis to have a social experience with my friends. So for me, yeah, I'm I may not be talking about divorce. Uh I mean that sounds kind of like sad. I mean, Carolyn, I just can't believe that was.

Carolyn:

Exactly. That's what someone did.

Erin:

Someone someone felt comfortable enough with Carolyn because she's such a nice person that she felt comfortable. But you've also had people, she's also had, which I thought this was actually sweet, had people tell you about there was a woman that lost to Carolyn. Um, and then I think she apologized because she said, I'm I'm getting ready to have this huge interview for a job she really wanted, right?

Carolyn:

Yes.

Erin:

And then and she, you know, she didn't play well, Carolyn beat her. It was a nice match. And then I think you saw her like a few days later, but she was so excited to tell Carolyn that she had gotten that job. So, you know.

Carolyn:

Versus I was like, was this strategy? Is she telling me she's got this job interview to mess me up? You know, and then it was just like, no, she's just a really nice person. Yeah, she actually was she really had a job interview.

Bill:

Yeah, I look, I think that most of the people I think one of the great things about tennis is I think that most people truly are nice when doing it because of enjoyment. But when I when I look at the players and when I talk to them, you know, when they do clinics and um, you know, they don't talk about whether you're using an eastern or western grip, whether you're gonna hit a kick serve to the corner, whether you're gonna, you know, someone's creeping in, you know, too much on it and doubles to the center. So you should, you know, yeah, you want to know whether you're gonna come up and you know, that you know, whether the serve is gonna serve and volley, or whether they're gonna stay back or whether you're gonna poach or whatever. Those are the simple communication components. But people aren't going, okay, well, this person leans in, you gotta go down the line. Normally it's if you know that they're gonna poach, yeah, maybe you lob or, you know, whatever. But you know, so there's but keeping it simple, I mean, it the old McDonald's acronym acronym of of KISS, keep it simple, stupid, really does come into play, especially at the early levels and your and your enjoyment in tennis. Um and yeah, you may not get it right the the first time or the second time, and you need but you need to experience the opportunities and see what other people are doing and what what your capability is. And if you go in with thinking, I can do this, I can, I can keep the ball in play. That's half the battle.

Carolyn:

We really appreciate Bill being on the podcast. We have one more episode with Bill where he will give us more tips to help our adult recreational game, and he'll discuss his most memorable moment on the court, and it involves calling the ball out when he knew it was in. We hope you check out our website, which is secondservodcast.com. Thanks so much for listening and hope to see you on the court today.