...checking in after an enforced hiatus...

...so wazzuppp guys???

...eh so much to read... got summary ka what happened? heh heh... never mind...

... as always, anyone up for a game with an unbelievably even rustier old guy in melaka?

...

...eheh ~Battousai~ dude... yes la... don't worry it's not you that have not seen me long time... I was uh... kinda disconnected from the world for a time... but back now, even more good-looking than ever (if that is even possible heh) and raring to catch up for lost time... yeahaaa!!!

...so how are you mate?

Very very nice for you (bugger never invite me also heh heh... just kiddinggg... nice to see i haven't lost my rapier sense of humour!!!:D:D:D)

... was really looking forward to renew my tennis@mylove after getting back, but seems in my new post i have to learn to play... GOLF!!! arghhhh!!! ...helppp!!! ...ah well, always good to learn something new... as it is, still haven't gone to the range for first lessons... my shoulder still has not fully healed so thankfully will delay the inevitable for at least a few more weeks... why la I didn't get a job that requires playing tennis...

...but still looking to train my son tennis at least twice a week from now on (said that last week, but eh...) ...someone's gota be the first malaysian to win wimbledon... who better than my son?

...calling again for playaz players in melaka area... let's whack some balls!!!

This post has been edited by grinner: Sep 29 2009, 02:53 PM

...on another topic...

...I was reading a very interesting discussion yesterday, about how this player commented that he uses one face of the racquet when hitting backhand and the other for forehands, which there were two camps for and against (as usual)...

...so i just wanted to ask here, do you favour a particular face for each shot, or do you hit regardless, or even more unusual (i think) like me where I hit both forehands and backhand with only one face of the racquet(!)... which other people also had noticed, since when they check my racquet, only one side of the stringbed has marks while the other side is almost untouched... (I had not noticed that until it was pointed out)

...so, share your experience here and make me feel less like a freak

...well yeah for most part your grip determines the part of stringbed mainly used... but the crux of the argument is two-pronged i.e. i) that during matchplay, the player does spin/change his grip position and does not only hang on the grip all the time; and ii) a player does not consciously know which side of the racquet he is using...

...for both parts, my observation is that I do spin my grip constantly, no idea why but possibly to relieve the tension in my gripping hand -but- somehow, without consciously doing it, the grip will -always- come back to the side i started with and favour using e.g. on my prince extender graphite, I always hold it so the prince side lettering is facing me... (the flip side, if i'm not mistaken has the hologram and string/tension stuff)... am i explaining this clearly enough?

...anyways, it concerns more on do you have a particular side you hit with throughout matchplay, during points etc... some say they have a particular side, particular grip side while some don't... just that...

This post has been edited by grinner: Sep 30 2009, 12:17 PM

... That's why, until it was pointed out to me by friends, I never gave a thought to it, but then seeing their stringbed with marks on both sides (as opposed to my freakish one-side gleaming, one side worn) made me wonder... and no, I don't suppose there is much difference, though some may argue about durability of the strings since only one side is used...

...well, if you just grip it and don't spin it during points, you do hit with with the same side each time... but that's another poser, do all players grip constantly without changing/spinning the grip...

This post has been edited by grinner: Sep 30 2009, 12:33 PM

... i can't help you regarding the grips mate, since I just use whichever is at hand (as long as first experience is good, then i'll add to 'Can Buy and Use' list)... pacific, wilson, prince, babolat, all good for me... karakal i have red-flagged cos first time i used it, the grip literally crumbled after a few practise rounds (but maybe they were old stock)... and man, how sweaty are you dood? my grips last for a couple of months at least, even with daily practise... how to do the tango with sweaty palms like that? ...just kidding!

...erm thankfully my main criteria when choosing grips is they are either white (1st choice) or red (close second)... though white grips are a b1tch to find here in melaka...

ah really ah Yan? thanks for the info mate... no idea there was a tennis shop there... uh do you know if they re-string racquets reliably there? my beloved racquets with their 10 year old strings need changing... all the other 'sports-shop' i have been to here use the manual machine... how can i let my babies be subjected to that

p.s. you bought a 2 boxes of grips??? ...danggg man... heyyy you come to melaka just pass by or staying? i'm in desperate need for good hitters to hit with... (thought i must state again, I have not hit (properly) at all since 1999... so my memories of myself being a good player is probably very exaggerated in my current state )

... ahwee87 i have hit with, when he was here... very nice chap... thought he finished studies already and outta here? hmmm must call him up one of these days then... celsiuz i haven't had the pleasure of knowing...he's a regular in here? i'll keep an eye out for him... ah if you would be so kind and hit with me when you are here, that would be superrr mate...

... ah i see... next week? heh heh good for me, too bad for him stuck in melaka again... nahhh just kidding, melaka is the best... just tennis-wise sucks... hits heavy spin that dude if i remember correctly...

...ikan bakar? no problems... i know the owner of the best ikan bakar restaurant in umbai... mmm okay so i don't eat seafood much, except sotong but no problemsss...

...well, i am very buta-jalan so thank god for the inventors of gps ...see if we can hold a mini-gathering for the other lowyat members melaka there also ...my treat!!!

...bwahahaaa... my racquets i still have are the (i am slightly guessing here) are the prince extender graphite 95 (green,purple in colour) and an even older donnay pro-one (orange-grey)... as i've mentioned here loooong before, I would love to have the dunlop max200g again, if anyone is looking to let that go...

This post has been edited by grinner: Sep 30 2009, 01:51 PM

...i dunno how the thinking is today (bear in mind i am quoting from long ago experience ...) thin vs thick gauge has not much to do with spin... whether it's open or closed stringing pattern will play the most part in imparting spin... i seriously doubt a few mm's difference between patterns will affect spinrate... the argument between thin vs thick is (was?) more feel vs durability...

...as for texture, again i quote a long ago tennis magazine article, which states texture does not impact much, if any effect on spinrate... it's mostly marketing spiel... i stopped using textured strings after noticing that spins were more or less the same what strings i used... but if you do feel they give a difference, then stick with what you feel... if it gives you confidence, then at least there's a mental advantage... oh for the question, i would say the argument would be correct i.e. a thicker gauge would give more effect compared to the same string, but thinner... that's just my logic...

...hmmm if i might just add something to Yan's question regarding thin vs thick gauges affecting spin... it got me thinking about one racquet manufactured long time ago 9...well, maybe around 12-13 years ago kot?) ...for the life of me I can't recall the name nor the brand, but it had a wicked stringing pattern, with offset staggered uh string holes(? ...got technical name for it ka?) so when it was strung, seems like the side (where the string comes out of the inner grommets) like crazy spider cobweb... uh no idea how to explain... you look at my hands---> like this ...ahh ferget it... i tried to find any pics, but google also pening with my keywords... anyways, the reason given was it raises the stringbed (from outside to inside) to create a more raised surface area for generating topspin... i actually managed to demo the racquet... and the feeling was shite, really... or maybe it was just me... hang on, maybe it was a prince model??? sorry still can't recall...

...anyway, which got me remembering again about an article which stated some people like to use string-savers so they can create those peaks/valleys on the stringbed, same concept with using thicker gauges to create the same effect i.e. thicker gauges interlacing create higher peaks/valleys... (i am sure someone else remembers this article in tennis magazine circa. early-mid 90s... anyways, so i put it to you that thicker gauge strings -are said to- create more spin compared to thinner gauges... i dunno... I would humbly add that I could generate wicked spin on my 18x20 dunlop max 200g, so yes, it is mainly due to technique and not so much on equipment... Helps, but not necessary.

...enough rant from me now.

erm... just finished going back (quite) a few pages and now I understand what this is about

...susah la like this one ... anyways, I just have to say that Rules being Rules, and to prevent the thread and its followers (both old and new) from being distracted, or worse fed-up with the non-related chatter, why don't we just agree to keep the empty chit-chat to a minimum (of course la have to have chit-chat, or not this would be like a dusty goverment (Go BN!) website) and if anyone feels have to talk kosong, use the PM thingy... I especially agree with (sorry forgot the name) that minors do come in here and it is totally inappropriate to subject them to such chatter (however fun that may be )...

...and I detect the formation of camps in here, so to nip this in the bud, I would suggest a pow-wow between us all, smoke the peace-pipe, down some firewater (read: teh tarik)... Why can't we all just... get along???

p.s. okay I will be the first to admit i have no standing in LowYat, formal or otherwise... just would like us all to have a nice time in here... can right? so, smoke-um the peace pipe, everyone?

p.p.s ...though I have not played for almost 11 years now, I bet I still have something left to claim some player seniority in here ...so please, don't even try it friend...

...agree with praetorian on what he said. Just to add though, as long as you are the one in this duel with superior/more varied shot-making, then no need to worry. Just need to have lots of patience and use your shots to move him around. As mentioned also, some/most thrive on power from you, so just give pattycake shots, slicers etc... force him to apply himself... this type of players rely on frustrating you, where he wants you to beat yourself... and trust me, they are more than capable of doing that. They also rely on this gameplan because they have no killer or consistent hard shots, thus this way of playing. Nothing wrong with that, just think of greece winning the euro championships before... same tactics...

...that said, I remember me playing at college tourney man, many years ago... met this friend of mine with absolutely no skills at all except the moonball and backspins... I had a basketball match in about 30 minutes time... should be over in ~10 minutes, i thought... but goddamn it, with time pressure and his dang moonballs, I think I just lost it after the first few games... want to wait for the moonballs to come down satu hal, my bball teammates tengah tunggu at the side for me to finish satu hal lagi... awek semua tengok hero (hah hah) add to my frustration and ultimately my downfall... so moral of story, don't let the guy beat you... even though you are superior, let your shots do the talking and not your mind/ego...

...tecnifiber eh? ...erm well you kids have fun... i'll just stick with whatever the shop has that's not too cheap... (and not blue/green/purple in colour ) ...eh this brand triangle stencil eh? what brand aaa has stencil at the bottom, T-shape one? ...i remember that was a popular brand some time ago, before being replaced by the double line stencil... I thought t = tecnifiber... ah well...

...hello there don8ld how's it hangin? ...it's quite hard to recommend a racquet for somebody cos it depends on a lot of factors, not least personal preferences... some racquets I would swear is sooo good i'd trade a girl for them, while friends would say they're shite, and vice-versa... ...so the best would be to test a few racquets which you either fancy, or have heard/read good reviews about them... categorise how you play first e.g. baseliner, all-courter or serve-and-volleyer, then demo a few accordingly. As you have played before but haven't for a while, if you played well enough before to sustain a rally, and confident of getting the strokes back, then try racquets with headsize smaller than 100sq/in... if not, then 100 and bigger would be better for getting the groove back.... but again, that's personal preference.

...good thing about living in somewhere like the uk is you get to demo racquets before buying... or at least a return policy... bad news is the racquets cost a hell lot more (or they were the last time I was there)...

...anyways, all the best playing the game again. say Hi to the cute wimbledon ball-birds for me

... I would think it's more to own feeling i.e. the strings feel different after a few hitting sessions... though i don't know if anyone here has the thingamajig to measure string tension and does that ...*coughtrainspottercough*

...*ahem*... anyways, string tension goes due to other factors as well... even an improperly tied knot will cause the string to lose tension... for me, I actually prefer the strings after a few hitting sessions, but if i try to string lower tension straight away, doesn't fell nice, so have to go through same routine again i.e. string hard, then let it come down a few pounds...

...freakinnnn Sweeeeeet man... hey thank prae for the pics... this purple model (if my wonky memory serves me right) was used by Steffi herself at the tail-end of her career... was also the model sold at a sports shop in jaya supermarket many eons ago, which I wanted sooo bad... price was north of 1K, and as I was still a student that time, I gave the stick back (tears and all ) ...still came in every week to stare... what to do...

...I have no idea how the model evolved or how many variants there are, but mine was the one more usual one with the double arrow (mine was uh green and gold, me thinks)... after intense digging around (during work hours no less), I came up with this---> Dunlop Max200G http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=264035 ...I had the one in the first post, the second post and my favourite, the one at post #10... why oh why did I lend it to my brother *sobbb* (If you didn't know, I would wipe it totally clean after every match, and it would sleep next to me... No-one could borrow it, not even my gf... that was one very special racquet ... *reminiscences*)