OT: Can you do what the pros do?

[Excalibur]

At 22, maybe score in a D1 game (you didn't say high major). I scored a few buckets in games against teams that had multiple D1 players and at summer camps etc., and was a decent shooter even though I was slower than molasses.

Now, at 47? Not a chance.

And return a serve from a pro tennis player? Unless you were good enough to play in college you're kidding yourself.

I suppose a younger guy who was an upper level high school hitter could maybe get a hit against a big league pitcher with enough chances. They'd probably go 1-30 or something.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Are we talking a 1-on-1 open field tackle against and NFL RB? I’m not sure anyone on this board would even graze Jersey in that scenario. MAYBE if you were a weakside defender and cleaned it up after he was stopped at the line.

Even if three guys stood him up for me to take my shot, I'd still break my clavicle.

I was thinking this as well. First, I would need the guy to basically run into me trying to elude other players and second, if that did happen, it would not end well for me regardless of whether or not I got the tackle.

Now you are getting in to the nuance between making a tackle and being credited with a tackle in the box score. And I'm confident where all of us would end up being categorized between the two acts.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Are we talking a 1-on-1 open field tackle against and NFL RB? I’m not sure anyone on this board would even graze Jersey in that scenario. MAYBE if you were a weakside defender and cleaned it up after he was stopped at the line.

Even then I think you'd be overestimating your own strength/athleticism unless you're a 20-something in great shape and/or a former high level athlete. Most middle aged dudes would blow out their hamstring and then get stiff armed into Bolivian if they could even get within 3 feet of a running back. We randomly stayed at the same hotel as the Cal football team a few weeks ago and their running back, Jaydn Ott, was on our floor. I'm laughing at the idea of trying to tackle this dude in any situation other than one where someone already has his legs wrapped up and I just have to fall on top of him, let alone someone like Derrick Henry.

The only one that seems remotely conceivable is the hoop thing, which would be a hell of a lot more attainable if it was any points because after one lucky three you're probably getting locked up. I just think about how overmatched Andrew Hurley looks when he's in against starters and then reduce the athleticism by about 70%.

 

[storrsroars]

Back in the day, my wife was a decent tennis player and whenever she wanted to score a point, she would just hit right to me essentially jamming me up. Now, the easy thing to do would be for me to take a step back, but she knew that if a ball was coming towards me quickly, my mind was wired too stay in the box and try to foul it off.

Footwork and anticipation is everything in tennis. I played a ton in my 20s and while I had a piss poor volley game, I could spin a 95mph serve in the box quite often (at least that's what the speed tracker machine at the US Open said), giving me a chance to score points against much better players. But the end of my interest in tennis was in my mid-30s when I played this chunky girl I worked with. I thought I was doing her a favor agreeing to play as there was nothing the least bit athletic looking about her. But I could not get a shot past her. It was like she knew where every ball was going before I hit it. And it was extremely humiliating. Lost in straight sets, even dropping one set 6-0. Basically quit after that.

 

[temery]

The funniest would be watching any of us try and return a serve from a professional tennis player.

Done, but it was a long time ago. Wood racquets.

 

[superjohn]

Even then I think you'd be overestimating your own strength/athleticism unless you're a 20-something in great shape and/or a former high level athlete. Most middle aged dudes would blow out their hamstring and then get stiff armed into Bolivian if they could even get within 3 feet of a running back. We randomly stayed at the same hotel as the Cal football team a few weeks ago and their running back, Jaydn Ott, was on our floor. I'm laughing at the idea of trying to tackle this dude in any situation other than one where someone already has his legs wrapped up and I just have to fall on top of him, let alone someone like Derrick Henry.

The only one that seems remotely conceivable is the hoop thing, which would be a hell of a lot more attainable if it was any points because after one lucky three you're probably getting locked up. I just think about how overmatched Andrew Hurley looks when he's in against starters and then reduce the athleticism by about 70%.

I miss this show. It did a good job of putting into perspective how freaky the very top athletes are...

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Even then I think you'd be overestimating your own strength/athleticism unless you're a 20-something in great shape and/or a former high level athlete. Most middle aged dudes would blow out their hamstring and then get stiff armed into Bolivian if they could even get within 3 feet of a running back. We randomly stayed at the same hotel as the Cal football team a few weeks ago and their running back, Jaydn Ott, was on our floor. I'm laughing at the idea of trying to tackle this dude in any situation other than one where someone already has his legs wrapped up and I just have to fall on top of him, let alone someone like Derrick Henry.

The only one that seems remotely conceivable is the hoop thing, which would be a hell of a lot more attainable if it was any points because after one lucky three you're probably getting locked up. I just think about how overmatched Andrew Hurley looks when he's in against starters and then reduce the athleticism by about 70%.

 

[huskeynut]

At my age - no way.

 

[Palatine]

I could kick an extra point in a college football game.

I could make a two foot putt with a major golf tournament on the line.

I could hit an open three pointer in a low end division one basketball game.

And I'm quite old.

 

[Kitaman]

I'm 57 years old. I would not come anywhere close to any of these and any of you in my age bracket who says you would? You're a liar.

I disagree. Many of nights I have accomplished this and still do in my old age.

Its just that I can't remember the opponent each time I wake up.

 

[bendm]

shouldnt it be score 3+ points in an nba game? that line is a lot further than college.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The funniest would be watching any of us try and return a serve from a professional tennis player.

I feel like given 10 tries I could probably get a return in play, but would be overhead smashed into oblivion.

Getting a non-bunt hit against a major league pitcher? That is like 100 times harder. What two knuckleheads claim they can do this?

 

[superjohn]

I feel like given 10 tries I could probably get a return in play, but would be overhead smashed into oblivion.

You couldn't.

 

[Scottzer]

Not now, but in prime I think a tackle is easier than the others. It would just really hurt. He would be bigger, faster, and stronger than you, but if you’re in the right position before the open field you can get them down.

(

 

[storrsroars]

I feel like given 10 tries I could probably get a return in play, but would be overhead smashed into oblivion.

The question didn't say you're returning against Djokovic or Nadal. Just a "pro".

It can be done. First of all, you'd need to have a decent amount of experience playing relatively competitive tennis so you know your angles, can read spin, and have an idea how much power to put into a return.

And even with that, you won't come close in 10 tries as your opponent is going to put oomph into each serve and is not trying to play a game, only to blow it by you.

However, if you possess #1 and play a lower-ranked pro (e.g. nobody in top 200) in a full three set game, you're going to face a few times where your opponent faults and has to put in a slower 2nd serve (unless he/she just doesn't care about losing a point and risks a double fault). Here's where you may have a chance to return one and actually keep it in play. The first serve is likely 125-130, but the second will typically be 30-40% slower at that level of pro. So you're looking 90-100mph, but with spin. You're odds are low of getting in a good return, but with a decent amount of experience, I would say the odds are not zero.

Of all the challenges, I think this is the easiest.

 

[Hoophound]

The funniest would be watching any of us try and return a serve from a professional tennis player.

Ha. That’s definitely my first choice, but I was a college tennis player. I lost to a future pro 6-4 7-5 my sophomore year. I played him a few times and that was probably my best showing but I always won a few games per match. I could serve at a very high level myself. I used to practice on a smooth rubber floor that caused the ball to skid really fast. When I went over to the real court, the game was in slow motion. It was a big help in learning to return a big serve.

I could also score in a D1 basketball game back then if given the minutes, but my defense would have guaranteed 0 minutes. I will say though, if the other coach assigned someone to me and told him not to let me score, I’d have trouble. I was a very good shooter and when I played against really good talent, I scored most of my points on transition jump shots and 3’s because the break allowed me to get open. In the half court I was in trouble unless someone set a great screen for me and I got the ball real quick. I lit it up playing with normal people but D1 basketball players are something else.

Also, I’d have to go back at least 15 years to have a shot at doing these things. My tennis playing days are long ever. I play pickleball now. Much easier as my rotator cuff is shot. Serving a tennis ball at top speed is painful and would result in surgery if I persisted.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I think scoring 3 in a basketball game would be the easiest. You just need a teammate to draw a double team or run to a corner on a fastbreak and hopefully hit the 3 pointer.

 

[maxw]

I still play tennis 2-3 times a week, and consider myself to be slightly above 4. There is no way I can return a one-off serve from a pro, any pro.

In 1989, when I was still a young student at UConn, I got to play some visiting German club players on the courts down the road from Gampel (they don't exist anymore). Without being able to read their tosses and the spins and kicks they put on the ball, I struggled to make contact with many of their serves kicking up head-high.

I recently saw an ex-Xavier tennis player (~12 UTR) toy with a college freshman tennis player (~7UTR) in our club, serving aces at will. I never paid attention, but learnt from the Xavier kid that UConn doesn't have a tennis team. Surprising for a state school as big as ours.

Watch this fun piece on tennis channel on a slightly related topic:


You can also find many videos on youtube of people making fools of themselves trying to return a 120mph serve from a pro.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I feel like given 10 tries I could probably get a return in play, but would be overhead smashed into oblivion.

Getting a non-bunt hit against a major league pitcher? That is like 100 times harder. What two knuckleheads claim they can do this?

You're right.
Plus... The thing i didn't clarify about all of this is that I was referring to a 'game situation'.
Not Chris Sale throwing some scrub 100 pitches in a row. That's not how the game works. If an mlb pitcher really attacked a non-pro at the plate, I agree: they'd k every time.

 

[storrsroars]

You can also find many videos on youtube of people making fools of themselves trying to return a 120mph serve from a pro.

You can also find some where the challenger succeeds.

 

[Bezzz]

I feel like given 10 tries I could probably get a return in play, but would be overhead smashed into oblivion.

Getting a non-bunt hit against a major league pitcher? That is like 100 times harder. What two knuckleheads claim they can do this?

I have hit a 90 mph fastball in my younger playing days (college and beyond) It's a matter of timing. Just don't throw me any breaking balls. Those are impossible to hit.

 

[Hoophound]

I still play tennis 2-3 times a week, and consider myself to be slightly above 4. There is no way I can return a one-off serve from a pro, any pro.

In 1989, when I was still a young student at UConn, I got to play some visiting German club players on the courts down the road from Gampel (they don't exist anymore). Without being able to read their tosses and the spins and kicks they put on the ball, I struggled to make contact with many of their serves kicking up head-high.

I recently saw an ex-Xavier tennis player (~12 UTR) toy with a college freshman tennis player (~7UTR) in our club, serving aces at will. I never paid attention, but learnt from the Xavier kid that UConn doesn't have a tennis team. Surprising for a state school as big as ours.

Watch this fun piece on tennis channel on a slightly related topic:


You can also find many videos on youtube of people making fools of themselves trying to return a 120mph serve from a pro.

It’s kind of hard to know what you could do if you trained for it. The guy I played had a big kick on his serve, but I was used to returning those kinds of serves from good players. You’d be amazed what you’d be able to do if you got to spend an afternoon having great players hammer serves at you for hours. Eventually, the ball doesn’t look like it’s traveling nearly as fast and you go into your back swing way faster. You start blocking them back and just keep adjusting until you are swinging at it. Very few people get the opportunity to get a lot of repetition against really good players. When you do, your game gets better quick. Whenever people were practicing their serve I’d always ask if I could return them. I felt that I got a lot out of facing different serves.

 

[maxw]

You can also find some where the challenger succeeds.

Did you watch the video?

The servers in the video don't look like real pros to begin with, the challenger gets multiple chances on his forehand side always from the deuce court, still misses every one except the seventh serve, which seems like a pity serve done for the video. Any decent player will mix up where you serve and make it hard for you to guess. I can guarantee that your challenger will have no chance if the serves were coming to his backhand, or body.

If you have some athleticism and a decent hand-eye coordination, you can even get a hit of a 100mph fast ball after some (a lot of) practice. But if you take one of the yarders here that is not a pro or college level player, they will have no chance of making contact with an 80mph pitch.

Go find those videos/links where the guy serving offers $100 (or $1000, I forget) for someone to return his serve, you can see no one succeeds.

 

[storrsroars]

Did you watch the video?

The servers in the video don't look like real pros to begin with, the challenger gets multiple chances on his forehand side always from the deuce court, still misses every one except the seventh serve, which seems like a pity serve done for the video. Any decent player will mix up where you serve and make it hard for you to guess. I can guarantee that your challenger will have no chance if the serves were coming to his backhand, or body.

If you have some athleticism and a decent hand-eye coordination, you can even get a hit of a 100mph fast ball after some (a lot of) practice. But if you take one of the yarders here that is not a pro or college level player, they will have no chance of making contact with an 80mph pitch.

Go find those videos/links where the guy serving offers $100 (or $1000, I forget) for someone to return his serve, you can see no one succeeds.

Yes I watched the video.

And, as I mentioned well upthread, I have scored a point vs a ranked player (I don't recall exact number but he had completed in Opens and was, I believe somewhere around 250-300 at his peak).

Having also played college baseball, I put this task as a bazillion times easier than putting a 100mph pitch in play.

I did not play tennis in college and did not belong to a club. But I played a ton of tennis, often every day in summer, generally against people much better than I was. I regularly played against the club pro at Shippan, even winning a few sets over the years. I also stipulated that success would come playing a full 3 sets as you are pretty much guaranteed to face a second serve a few times. I also mentioned several other qualifications that come with experience, even if one isn't a pro, like reading spin, knowing how to take angles, etc.

I agree with Hoophound's post above.

 

[superjohn]

You can also find some where the challenger succeeds.

Actually watch the video. Those serves are nowhere near 120 mph and the black guy was never a top 100 player. He was never even on the tour.