Going to matches early and hitting on racquetball court. Was practicing a two hand forehand and totally forgot about an eastern forehand...

From most control/least power to least control/most power:
1. Slice backhand
2. Two handed backhand
3. Beginning with two hands but left hand letting go before contact
4. One hand backhand
a. continental
b. eastern
c. extreme eastern

1. Slice forehand
2. Two hand forehand
3. One hand forehand
a. continental
b. eastern
c. semiwestern
d. western

Because of tennis elbow issues I've had to start using a very heavy racquet. 15 ounces and it definitely makes a difference. Unfortunately I need it for my serve, (that's the shot that hurts my elbow). I like to hit a lot of topspin on my groundstrokes though and that doesn't go well with a heavy racquet. So I've been trying to change my grip to hit less topspin (eastern forehand grip). It worked really well one day. (Beat Brewster 6-0, 6-3.) Next I played doubles and it didn't work well at all. Although it's harder to get a rhythm in doubles and maybe it was fatigued or something from that very first time. Thinking instead to just choke up on groundstrokes.

Serve
1. Stand like McEnroe.
2. Don't bounce the ball.
3. Do a bit of a rocking motion like Becker to help keep the toss good.
4. Turn your torso into the court and swing your arm around at the same time.
5. Don't lean torso downwards as you swing your arm.
6. Keep the swing very smooth for the sake of your arm if nothing else.

So much to remember on serve compared to other shots.

Forehand
(Choke up?) No idea what to do. Other than be smooth....

Backhand
1. Continental grip
2. Backswing like going to hit a two handed backhand but actually hit it with either one hand or two hands, whatever feels comfortable for a given shot. Either way, lean forward.
4. Aim for corners or right at opponent.
5. When opponent is at net, most likely hit two handed

Or perhaps just keep western grip with right hand when hitting two hand backhand. At least on the serve? Not sure. And if I choke up on the forehand, hitting a two backhand may be a problem as the left hand is halfway not even on the handle. So I don't know. Was watching Fabrice Santoro and thinking I really like his two handed volleys also.

So either I switch to an eastern or continental or I choke up. On two handed backhand not sure if I should use continental or western grip. On ROS western may work better but otherwise then have a grip change if I want to hit a one handed slice or even drive.

Since I had kidney stones and spent a couple weeks in bed last summer I've pretty much quit playing the cello. And since I started playing tennis I've gone running less and less. Especially with the winter as I get so sick of the treadmill. With the birth of Hawthy I've especially gotten bad at these things and have really become very unhappy. Really having a pessimistic outlook.

This evening, instead of spending time with Hawthy, I got back from Cali, took a nap (couldn't sleep on the red eye) and went for a 50 minute run and then pulled out the cello.

I feel so much better. Though J guilts me. I have to get a couple runs in every week and keep playing the cello. On days I work I'm going to feel bad, not to mention J will continue to guilt me, but I HAVE to. Otherwise I just drive myself so far down.

I could say a lot of negative things about the cello. But it does something very positive for me that other music stuff doesn't. Do want to get a piano though, will have to see how that compares. Of course I have a bunch of synthesizers... lol. I never truly play them... Maybe should try to at least play some Muzio Clementi on them....

Read a couple Anne Bishop books. Daughter of the Blood and most of Heir to the Shadows. It's a dystopian world, which is good. Negatives include so little mention of normal people I wasn't entirely sure they even existed. Really counters the whole dystopian world thing. More like it's dystopian for a few people, no idea what it's actually like for the majority. And in some ways it's incredibly sappy. Very YA at the same time there's a lot of rape/sex. What especially hurts it is that I started instead reading The Necromancer's House by Christopher Buehlman which is written so much better.