The Last of Six Lessons for Lester Elder
High Balls and
Moving Through the Hit
by
Robert J. Ray
Lester has always had a problem with high balls.
He loves to lob, but when someone lobs him, he gets the jitters.
He has trouble tracking the ball.
It’s worse now because of his age and fading old person balance.
Back in Seattle, in Senior Drill and Play (six seniors plus the coach), that’s what the coach drills Lester on: High Balls.
Over and over and over.
*****
For Lester’s last lesson at the DCTC, the Coach positions him on the service line of the deuce court.
The Coach feeds a waist high volley.
Lester’s response is slow, his return hits the tape.
The next feed is higher, even with his right shoulder.
His return ticks the tape, wobbles over.
The third feed is higher, level with the brim of Lester’s sun hat.
This time his return tags the service line of the ad court.
The fourth feed comes in over his head.
His return goes long.
The Coach advises Lester to think about elevation.
And when he thinks about elevation—he nails five high volleys in a row—all five of them clear the tape by five feet.
The Coach tells Lester to return every high ball at its own personal level.
It’s like a mantra, he says—don’t change the level—don’t mess with the universe.
Lesson six morphs into a real workout.
At the 20-minute mark Lester is sweating.
Feeling better. Feeling younger. Feeling like he can hit again.
Lesson six is over.
The Coach introduces Lester to a senior player from Bellevue.
They share info about Seattle and its environs. Lester wants more lessons but his time is up.
The clock has run out on the DCTC.
*****
Mrs. Lester meets Lester by Pool 5 when he is halfway home. She reminds Lester of the DCTC library group. Lester is scheduled to speak to the group tomorrow, their last morning at the DCTC.
What will you talk about?
They ask questions. I try to answer.
Will you tell them about your tennis book?
It’s not a book yet.
Are you sad we’re leaving?
Yeah. Just when I’m finding my groove.
Maybe we can come back soon, she says.
Yeah. That tennis coach is terrific.
How so?
He reads me like a magician.
That’s what tennis is for you, isn’t it?
Like magic, you mean?
Yes, she says. Like magic.
Read More about Lester Elder’s Quest for Ultimate Tennis in Robert Ray’s new book called
Play or Die: Senior Tennis and the Art of Spin
