Why Video a Match?

I’ve been asked by some people why I like to record matches.  While it seems somewhat self-evident to me, let me explain just what I get out of this.  First,  you have to understand where I am coming from.  Having  played minimally, although successfully,  in high school, I took up the sport again in my early forties when an injury kept me from doing long-distance running.  Being a little successful, I kept at it and found I was on the verge of competing with some of the “old timers”, that is, my peers who had never taken any time off from the game.  I think this is probably a pretty common story.

How do you make up a 25 year layoff?  Working hard at strokes, reading lots of books, etc., is a part of it.  But my strokes and technique will never catch up with a lot of guys.  So, how about making the most of what you have?  That’s where I started to video tape  matches, especially doubles matches,  to see if my partner and I could improve our winning just by playing smarter.   Well, by working on our movement and strategy, we actually had a year where where ended up ranked No. 6 in the U.S.  in the Men’s 55 doubles, a result I was pretty darn happy with!

Reason No. 2 for recording  a match?  If not just for learning, how about for the fun of it?  After I got  over the shock that I actually didn’t  look like Patrick Rafter or Federer, I found it could be just as much fun to watch a match.  Even if it’s someone else’s and not my own.    Personally,  I find that a tennis match played by 3.0 players is just as engrossing, if not more so, than what I see on TV.   The drama and tension in a 3.0 match is just as real as for a professional match, maybe even more so!  Not that there isn’t some pleasure in watching the athleticism and drama of a pro match, especially later on in a tournament when the stakes are high.   But it’s just as real for the participants in a lower lever match.

Are there reasons other than having fun and improving your game?  Do you need more reasons?  Anyone else have any?

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1-minute How-To Video: Mounting the QM-1 Portable Camera Mount

Coaches, Parents and Players

Improve your strokes, play smarter and win more tennis matches. Players practically coach themselves into playing better as they see for themselves what’s really happening! With tennis video instruction, a picture is truly worth a thousand words!

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Why the QM-1

  1. Simple, easy to use Patented design
  2. No assembly required – ever!
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