After my six weeks of tennis were done, a number of people in my group were up for another six weeks. Tonight we had the second of those.
Last week wasn't enjoyable at all. We have a different instructor, and I don't like his teaching style. He spends a lot of time talking instead of having us go at it, so we're not getting as much repetition. He also has us do a lot of stuff that's what I'd call "tennis pretend." That's stuff that you simply don't do normally when playing, and as a coach of 15 years who finds that kind of stuff ineffective, I loathe it.
This week started the same, but I think he finally got the message that after seven weeks, we (except for the new kid) are kind of beyond that. When we started having the chance to just rip on the ball properly, everything started to fall into place, and we looked like people who had been at it for a few weeks. That is to say, we looked like advanced beginners. I think if he allows us to continue along with more hardcore play, we'll continue to improve and have a lot of fun.
For me personally, I'm slowly starting to get a little more consistent. My forehand can be insanely fast if I don't crowd the ball. My backhand is getting better. Both are really contingent on moving my feet and having the right proximity to the ball. I feel like I'll get really dangerous if I can get that right, but I don't think it will unless I spend more time playing, or at the very least, do high repetition drills that require me to move.
In addition to the group lessons, I'm going to try and get some private lessons on the books as well. I'm still on the fence about playing in a league this summer, but only because I don't know if I'll be "ready" by then.
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