This will likely be the most timely blog post I have ever written, thanks to a lovely two-hour flight delay in Las Vegas. (And thanks also to McCarran Airport's free WiFi, which gives me better options than to keep feeding the slot machines sitting in front of us.)
Tennis camp at a resort sounded like a perfect mini-vacation for us, because we get to play tennis all day, and then jump in the pool, soak in the hot tub, or get a massage. I was first drawn to the idea of doing the camp at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Tampa, FL, because the resort is beautiful and they seem to have a reputation for being very intense training-wise. Plus the timing would have worked out perfectly so that we could see BOTH a Red Sox spring training game at Fort Meyers, AND some matches at the Key Biscayne Masters. But in the end, we were afraid that maybe Saddlebrook would be too physically demanding, and decided to stay closer to home.
The Vic Braden tennis camp appealed to us, because like Saddlebrook, they use video recording to tape your strokes and analyze how to improve your technique. They're known for being very scientific in looking at the physics of what the pros do, and isolating what works and why. Chris and I obviously already take private tennis lessons (and think Rick's doing a great job with us!) but we were excited to get a different point of view on what we're doing and how to improve.
Besides, nobody takes pictures of me when I play (because I take all the pictures), so I really wanted to see what I look like, haha.
Turns out it was a great decision. We both thought we got some really cool tips and insights from having the coaches analyze our strokes and drill us on how to fix them. We're so impressed that we're thinking about doing it again in the fall, after the USTA Adult season ends.
We signed up for the three-day camp, both morning and afternoon sessions (hard core!). We had the option to stay in the same group, but thought we'd both learn more if Chris signed up as an advanced player (4.0-5.0 USTA rating), and I signed up as an intermediate (3.0-4.0 USTA rating). There were a different number of students everyday (between two and six more), but they added instructors so that the ratio was never worse than 4:1 (students to coaches).
The schedule went like this:
- Day 1: Backhand groundstrokes and volleys (both sides).
- Day 2: Serves and approach shots.
- Day 3: Forehand groundstrokes and lobs.
We both got some really effective advice on groundstrokes and volleys. For instance, on my backhands, I need to "add a loop" or in other words, take the racquet straight back and let gravity accelerate it as I swing low-to-high. On my forehands, I need a lower my contact point so that the ball is in my "power zone" when I hit it.
By far the most REVELATORY day, however was when we worked on serves. As you might know, I've always hated serving (think multiple shoulder dislocations, painful surgery and recovery). As a result, my serves are weak, inconsistent, and overall no fun to practice. No amount of hearing "reach up!" or "snap your wrist!" or "whip your arm forward!" helped, until I saw myself on tape.
Slight digression for a moment. Let me first say that the tape was not flattering to my figure in general. I think the aspect ratio was off, because I looked like a massive chubster. I was like, "Hmmm...no wonder Rick keeps saying 'you're a strong girl, not like one of those toothpicks that blow over in the wind'".
Chris saw my tape and was like "wow you look like a little tank".
Yeah. Thanks.
Anyways, my serve was not flattering looking either. My arm was choked in and I sort of short-armed every ball. I was like "OHHHH...I get it. I need to reach up." But how?
Dave Nostrant, who runs the camp, is an extremely knowledgeable coach who does an excellent job at teaching people with all sorts of learning styles. He said that some players were musicians, and they learned better when he could hum the rhythm of the serve to them. Software engineers liked having a step-by-step guide to the motions – totally true for me – turns out I cut out a few key steps before.
By the end, I cracked a couple good ones – much faster than I ever thought I could hit a serve. The guys at the Vic Braden Tennis College really know what they're talking about!
Food in St. George
On a slightly non-tennis-related topic, during the trip, I decided to play with FourSquare and Gowalla. It was sort of fun being the first person to check in at a lot of businesses; apparently neither of these services are very popular in southern Utah yet. What I REALLY wish is that I could export my check-ins and share all the places we went, for the edification of any future visitors to St. George. For now I'll just list a few of our favorites:
[Google][FourSquare][Gowalla] Jimmy John's: Delicious sandwiches!
[Google][FourSquare][Gowalla] The Orange Peel: Smoothies + bubble tea.
[Google][FourSquare][Gowalla] The Egg and I: Breakfast + brunch.
[Google][FourSquare][Gowalla] The Dogfather: Hot dogs, what else, haha!
But this was the coolest business we found by far.
We didn't even go in, but the name speaks for itself: "Paintball, Food Storage, Violins & Band. Your Family Still Matters." When I first saw it in Google Maps, I thought it was some sort of title spam or keyword stuffing. But nope, it's real!
