Guys! Just to answer a lot of the questions. I'd love to play all of the creators that everyone suggested (and I'm sure I will) but there are only so many hours in a day hahah I spend a lot of hours on court coaching every day so it ain't easy. That being said, I am going to start playing more to maintain my level as it is currently dropping fast 😂 Want to get more pros, high level juniors and so on. So stay tuned, subscribe and hit the bell button!! Appreciate the support
One of the best tennis channel. You Could do on your serve : 1st serve and follow at the net as mandatory. ( Serve and volley). And on return 2nd serve. Return and volley mandatory. ;).
Man I really hope to see you play the Intuitive Tennis guy Nikola Aracic. I know you two don't agree on some coaching philosophies though for me they are just different and people can pick whatever fits them. Still I wanna see the clash. I am sure you'll win but Nikola is also definitely way better than the 4.5 or 5.0s. He may decline as he's much older but still... Anyway, thanks for all the awesome content Karue.
@@jimmehaitch2912 I was thinking the same. Would be great to watch no matter what, and esp. if both did commentary on various points throughout the match.
I agree, I would rather see you play higher level players. As far as TH-camrs, would love to see you play Intuitive Tennis, TenFitman, and BOTH Simon and Alex from Top Tennis Training.
Karue: "You have to be really good at forgetting errors". So true. Joel and I enjoyed our time with you immensely, Karue! Thank you so much for welcoming us in. Can't wait to share the behind the scenes footage 😊
@@EssentialTennis yeah yeah, but maybe one with the link of the vídeos haha but your channel and the series are awesome anyway, just afraid of loosing one
@@matheuspage1 Ooohh......sure, I can't do that until after they've been posted though. Once they're all out (probably 30+) I'll definitely do that, great idea.
A great example of just how good you have to be to make it professionally. I feel like people write off anyone who's not top 150 on the tour. When you see matches like this and series like on Tennis Brothers, you realise just how good you have to be to even get a single point.
That was exactly my biggest takeaway from our collaboration together, Foot Fault. When watching a playing like Karue compete against a peer on a computer or phone screen its SOOOOO deceptive. He's so talented and his mechanics are so refined that he makes it look easy. The reality is the very best players at most local courts are in a completely different universe of play. I wish more tennis fans could understand that, but it really takes a personal experience like the one Joel had to really " get it".
100% agreed. This is why tennis needs to be better marketed across the globe. People need to understand they can go watch their local futures tournament and still have a blast. Obviously the level at the top of the game is higher but there is a lot of good tennis out there. We need to push tennis at a local level with more events, money tournaments and such to engage the community
@@EssentialTennis 100% On a screen, watching a fairly even match, it can just look like forehands and backhands. But when you see a more uneven battle, the technical and tactical improvement is so apparent. As someone who's trying to improve their analytical skills for entertainment and self improvement purposes it's actually very useful to see.
Exactly. Many tournaments’s qualifiers rounds are free and you get to watch very high level tennis. The sound off their racket or even the bounce hitting the fence from their serve is so loud. You really have to watch it live to appreciate it fully.
Damn. I feel like we have all thought about how wed do against a pro. Not that any of us would think wed do well but losing nearly every point on the second ball really shows how big of a gap there is wow. Great content!
Had the chance to play against ex ATP 400, David Cup player for Venezuela. It's impressive how clean these guys hit, from both sides. They can hit winners from absolutely anywhere on the court. The second thing that strikes me is how early they hit the ball. The ball comes back at you so so so fast... Pros don't hit necessarily harder (except serves) but it's effortless and consistent. Can't even imagine what it takes to enter top 50 or top 20.
In January 2021 I started playing tennis again after a very long hiatus. A friend I was practicing with and I were watching the Australian Open final between Djokovic and Medvedev and she asked me whether I think we could win a game against a pro and I just replied "there's no way we could even win a point" lol. Looking back, it's extremely obvious we wouldn't win a single point if we played any of the pros, but with how much I have improved in that past year and a half, I like to think I would be able to at least win a few points on my serve today (I have a really big serve for my level so that certainly helps as well). Definitely no more than a few though.
I can’t be the only one who loves these collabs between tennis channels. Ian vs MEP. Karue vs Winston. So cool! Now go on over to London and do a set against Simon from TTT
I love these modified sets! I’m a 4.5 and my bf is a 5.0 and I need ideas on how we can play competitively with each other without him “going easy” on me. Keep ‘‘em coming! And thank you for the analysis talks at the end!!
Fuuuuuuudge! Karue is a beast. I always wondered how Karue would handle someone like MEP but this answers the question. You don't grasp the speed, control, and quality of shots when he's hitting against Giron or Osaka. But watching him against a 4.5 it's night and day. Karue is on a totally different level. Is it strange that if I ever see Giron or Osaka with Karue at an event that I'd be most excited about meeting Karue and ignore the actual pros? Love these videos along with the tips and all the advice he gives us normal players.
It is a funny thing with tennis how it looks so much slower/worse on video than in real life. Karue is definitely a TH-cam star now. Saw a recent video of his where it sort of hit him, or he acknowledged it, and I thought it was funny that he must now be SOOOOOOO much more famous and frequently identified than when he was a pro, something I'm sure he never expected.
Scott from Essential Tennis was able to play through MEP with no problems at all, so MEP vs. someone around ATP level isn't even worth thinking about. MEP is great for exposing amateurs who are caught up in stroke details and equipment while forgetting to actually play the game but ATP tennis is a completely different sport basically.
Hi Karue! I’ve been watching your content for about 5 months and I love it! It’s so practical and I love hearing from a person who is an embodiment of what they teach. I’m a 4.5 NTRP and 7UTR. I’m 33 years old with a dad bod and I’m inspired to get back into shape and playing tournaments again and a big factor of my improvement in tennis has been the mental tips you’ve shared such as aiming into a smaller court and just having bigger targets in general. I love how it’s simple and immediately actionable and the philosophy is so solid. I’m also a PTR certified coach who’s taught tennis for 10+ years and I haven’t done tournaments in a while until picking it back up again this year but the things I’ve been implementing for myself are also benefiting my students. I love this video as well as the one with Winston! I like the difference in contrast and styles and I found it interesting where you made a lot more errors in this video than the other one (naturally) and it made me reflect on my own style seeing how being too aggressive leads to more errors so it’s helped me refined my game a bit to be more patient. I’m sort of the opposite from you because I like to play very aggressively and keep points shorter, perhaps because I’m out of shape. In any case I’ve been turning every hitting session into a game with myself to never hit winners so I can work on my stamina and shot tolerance so that way when I hop back into higher level tournaments, I have more tools.
Love this collaboration! Although I love watching you hit your groundstrokes and probably could watch you hit all day, it was a little refreshing to see you play more aggressively! Looking forward to the next video!
It’s like Mike Tyson use to say, “ Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face” so it’s the same when you play an ATP pro. I have had the experience of practicing with a player from Florida who was on the Futures Circuit and got to experience what it’s like. I played 5.0 in my USTA section and reached the semifinals often but my best shots were his average. After a hour and a half practice I was out of energy from the workout. He took a half hour break and played a practice match against another player. There are so many levels in Tennis. Actually getting your tennis butt kicked is a good learning experience if you then work on developing your skills around what you experienced.
Whilst it is not important, the phrase "Everyone has a plan until they get hit", is a Joe Louis quote. It has been a common expression in boxing since the 1940s I believe.
Me too. Used to play high 4.5 -low 5.0's in California when I got back into tennis and weighed over 200 lbs. Played at CSUN division 2 until they cancelled the team in '87. Much later took lessons from a mid 20's ex D1 champ at Karue's level. Fought my ass off every lesson for a game! I had to tell myself I was the best player on the court just to stay in the rallies it was insane. 2-6 was the goal. 1-6 was average score. He said the pros were a different beast than college. We were both dripping in sweat and lungs were burning in between some points so quick recovery was super hard. He did this to Cal freshman players at our tennis club
I played ncaa d1 hockey in college. Every pre season we would scrimmage the local pro farm team. Young and good we thought we were tops, until... Each time we did it we would realize, quickly, that their 4th line was better than our 1st line. It's truly amazing the skill difference. Hard to appreciate it till you actually experience it. Fun and inspiring stuff
Good try, Joel! Much respect for getting out there and taking a shot. One of your inside-out FH returns from the ad side was fantastic. Thanks for taking the grenade so we can starkly see the difference between your levels.
Great video! I'm approximately a 4.0 and my wife, who plays good veterans tennis 2 age groups older than me, used to beat me handily before she got injured. There is no hiding place on a tennis court. Keep up the good work!
The difference in level is really stunning. A 4.5 player hardly wins a single point once an ATP-level pro like Karue decides to play seriously and hit winners.
Plus, Karue hasn't been pro for a while and says his level has been "dropping fast." Surely nothing close to his level when he broke into the top 400. Crazy ... I just recently watched some guys around the 100 level at a Challenger tournament. Insane how good they were. Doesn't match at all with what it looks like on TV.
The guy is also 45+ and karue is 30 ish. A youngER 4.5 who anticipates well, splits and moves (doesn't split and stay) would be great. Hey Karue! Can we play an 8 game set?!
I love the collaboration. Really fun to watch. Here’s an idea: You play against a doubles team of two 5.0 level players. That would be interesting to see.
I watch both HQ and Essential and have been. I learn something different from both. It is so refreshing and entertaining in a way I couldn't imagine when you guys collaborate! ie, MEP, Ian and crew, Winston and Mark, Karue and Winston. It's just so fascinating frankly. Collaboration makes the water level rise, along with all boats.
lol few games in and this guy and his out calls remind me of junior tennis :P nothing like someone calling a ball out that was an inch inside the line haha
Great collabs. Love the post match commentary. I've been trying to improve my lazy footwork so it was really helpful that you mentioned to focus on your footwork in the videos.
@@Rodrigorodriguez20241 This is a question that I can't answer for you. Good question though. However, he's done it a few times before, and probably at the time it made sense to him and he's had massive viewership so that maybe one reason for him. Just a guess on my part. He probably doesn't have the time now anyhow. Remember, when I wrote this comment I don't think he was on the pro tour.
this channel is better for intermediate to advanced players IMO. most channels on youtube are focused the technical side but once you get ur basics down, karue provides way more valuable information.
It's easy to miss how talented he is just watching him hit on a screen. He was so impressive in person. The quality of shot it takes to make him even a little uncomfortable is extremely high.
Hey Karue! Love your videos! I think it would be super cool if you played a match against current college players (D3, D2, D1) and really do a breakdown on the difference between the level of play between divisions. It would also be a cool challenge to see where your level is at right now too
"pay a lot more attention to the other side of the court and not be consumed by..." - common sense, but we amateurs especially the ones more technically oriented tend fail so badly at it - GOLD !! thanks for the reminder !
Love this type of content. Missing in tennis world what pros in other sports have done engaging amateurs. This type content is very interesting for amateurs just to appreciate and enjoy the level of Pros. Would love to start 0-4 in a set or something or 0-30 each game.
used to play points like this in drill group in juniors against a good counter puncher/pusher to work on offensive game. great drill that keeps you alert on your toes. thanks for vid. like the collabs. channel going to hit 100k sub soon.
Liked and Subscribed! Congrats on the channel Karue. Excellent content! Greetings from a former college player who is also from Brazil and currently lives in SD. abraço
Been a fan, and showed these Rec players how hard it can be at higher levels. I play 4.5 and try to follow your tips - definitely it's a different train of thought when hitting the shots. Reaction time is just so much faster. I would like to watch more of these videos.
@@info781 Depends what kind of tournaments you're referring to since they are at a different level. Karue would actually beat Chase quite convincingly. Being professional is just a different ball game.
Really interesting video. Any advice for what to do when finding oneself in Joel's position, i.e., hopelessly outclassed? One thing I wish he had done was hit two first serves in the 3rd game when he got to game point. I groaned when he spun that 2nd serve... that was almost the same as conceding the point, and it was likely to be his only chance to take a game. Your pace was clearly making him late on almost everything even when he got it back... any tips on what to do when someone is overpowering you? I know you say to win with your feet, but I think Joel was already moving his feet as well as he could. Should he perhaps have shortened his swing, and played your groundstrokes more like service returns? Would it have helped for him to play farther back? Of course, no tactic would allow him to win, but how could he have perhaps won a game?
an idea: he should have gone for a powerful 2nd serve. nearly all his points were from 1st serves, might as well take a chance and play the 2nd like a 1st.
I think the interest in this kind of matchup is because club level players wonder what it would be like to hit with a pro going for winners. What always happens is that even club pros who are often between the 4.0-5.0 level dial back on their strokes when hitting with lower level players. I had the opportunity to hit with a teaching pro who had previously worked as a hitting partner with Federer in Dubai, and as you might expect, he could crank the ball when he wanted to. I would encourage him to do it when I was on the court and it was fun to experience that higher level! With that said, I think Karue hits an even bigger ball! Whew!
I'm a newbie to tennis, but just got a coach who is 24 and most certainly could go pro but would struggle to get beyond Challengers - at Karue's level perhaps. I ask him to go 100% from time to time just so I can see/experience it. It is SOOOOOO much fun to experience that. Of course, I don't have a chance in hell to even get the ball back the vast majority of the time, but as a fan, there's hardly anything I like more than watching that level come at me on the court. So much fun!
4:24 I hate playing against players that do this. At least he said "I THINK it was a little out" instead of "that was DEFINITELY a little out". Anyway, it's always frustrating when you clearly hit it in, and your opponent calls it out.
Karue, would love to see you in Australia and play a set against you just to get a close up look at the shape, the spin and the depth of your ball. Amazing.
I play sets like this all the time in practice. Serve and two balls to finish the point. Also opponent hits only second serves and then return and 2 balls to finish the point. I'm a 5.0 player who has played a couple of low futures level players and while they're better than me at everything the biggest difference I find is how they immediately start to control points. I think any 4.5-5.0 level player who is serious about improvement should play sets with rules like this and just generally work on serve/second serve return + 1.
Commentary is excellent - caused me to go back and watch the WHOLE video and second time. My take away - “really pay attention to the guy in the other end of the court”. I tend to just watch the ball and often don’t recognize opportunities early enough.
Great video. As a 4.5 myself I’ve learned through bitter experience that my only hope of being even remotely competitive against a good 5.0 is to get to the net. If I’m stuck at the baseline they can break me down within 3-4 strokes, basically toy with me. Against someone as good as Karue I’d be lucky to win five points in a set.
At what point in your life were you about this guy's level (4.5ish) and how long had you been playing at that point? Could you have won this match at age 10 etc.? If someone at this guy's level were to train the way you trained for, say, 10 years (multiple hours a day, playing against high level opponents, etc.), do you think he could reach a high level or is that something you have to do in your formative years when you are young?
I coach a couple of 12 year old girls who would most likely beat him/most 4.5 usta amateurs. I'd say probably when I was 10 I was a bit better than this. And no, if you can put in the hours you can definitely improve. Mostly is the physical limitations of older people so I think more work on that side would actually be the most beneficial
When you saw the rules you might think you need to play defense in order to make more rallies,thus wining the point.But on the contrary you need to be aggressive ,yes you might miss a lot of shots,but keep feeding soft balls to a guy who used to be Atp top 400 ,it's suicidal ,Karue literally ate this kid alive. The best defense is a good offense ,I know it's easier said than done,but still.
Loved this! Love also in some other videos when you stop the video during points and draw little pictures showing the options on the table and the reason why you go with one or the other.
hey karue i was watching us open practice courts who were you working with again while you were there ? nice video just the fact that you are telling us to take it early and be more aggressive will help alot . i have a final coming up and we'll try this to see what happens lol.........us open 2023 !
You described me to a T as one who isn’t looking for the short ball coming back. 😮 Thanks for tip (be aggressive and watch the action on the other side of the net)
As a self-proclaimed 4.5 player, I remember playing a former ATP ranked player in a singles league match. I had the same result as Joel only winning 4-5 total points during the set. My opponent aced me so many times, especially out wide.
Never seen this guy in any of the ET videos in the past 10+ years, but ok. I guess Ian didn’t want to take the bagel. Would have been a better video though because we’ve at least seen him play and we know his level. Oh well. Nice playing as always Karue.
exactly my thoughts, I was hoping Ian would be challenging all the youtubers that he is visiting, but it seems Joel was playing instead of him. Would have been much more interesting to see two real coaches playing against each other....opportunity wasted!
Nick from intuitive tennis just did a video recently saying how a good rec player has no chance against a high-level player...even an older one. Easy to see the difference in this match. Of course the high level player is superior in every way. Fun to watch.
Murray casually beating Dominic Thiem in the background! This series is really cool, especially since the opponent doesn't know what you are trying to do. An interesting one would be you just hitting high over the net with lots of spin/ safety and backing your own movement to grind out points. I bet the opponent would go crazy haha.
I absolutely love the concept of this video. I think it would be better to have a more talented non-douchey 4.5, and have him deliberately try some different tactics to see how each one plays out. Also, if there were a way to take away the easy aces / service winners. I think what people really want to see is how effective a 4.5's serves, slices, lobs, topspin, approach, etc would be against a top player. Which ones are dead in the water and which ones can hang in there somewhat. Thanks again for the excellent content!
Guys! Just to answer a lot of the questions. I'd love to play all of the creators that everyone suggested (and I'm sure I will) but there are only so many hours in a day hahah I spend a lot of hours on court coaching every day so it ain't easy. That being said, I am going to start playing more to maintain my level as it is currently dropping fast 😂 Want to get more pros, high level juniors and so on. So stay tuned, subscribe and hit the bell button!! Appreciate the support
One of the best tennis channel. You Could do on your serve : 1st serve and follow at the net as mandatory. ( Serve and volley). And on return 2nd serve. Return and volley mandatory. ;).
Please try to use a 60 fps camera in the future. It makes it much less choppy and you can follow the ball easier.
Man I really hope to see you play the Intuitive Tennis guy Nikola Aracic. I know you two don't agree on some coaching philosophies though for me they are just different and people can pick whatever fits them. Still I wanna see the clash. I am sure you'll win but Nikola is also definitely way better than the 4.5 or 5.0s. He may decline as he's much older but still... Anyway, thanks for all the awesome content Karue.
@@jimmehaitch2912 I was thinking the same. Would be great to watch no matter what, and esp. if both did commentary on various points throughout the match.
I agree, I would rather see you play higher level players. As far as TH-camrs, would love to see you play Intuitive Tennis, TenFitman, and BOTH Simon and Alex from Top Tennis Training.
Karue: "You have to be really good at forgetting errors". So true. Joel and I enjoyed our time with you immensely, Karue! Thank you so much for welcoming us in. Can't wait to share the behind the scenes footage 😊
Thank you for coming out to LA, Ian and Joel. I had a blast. Hopefully this is the first of many collaborations!!
Ian, you should make a list or a video that lists all the channels that a posting videos with you. Links would be awesome too haha
@@matheuspage1 I did 🙂. Posted the announcement video explaining the whole collaboration tour a week or two ago. Thanks for watching!
@@EssentialTennis yeah yeah, but maybe one with the link of the vídeos haha but your channel and the series are awesome anyway, just afraid of loosing one
@@matheuspage1 Ooohh......sure, I can't do that until after they've been posted though. Once they're all out (probably 30+) I'll definitely do that, great idea.
A great example of just how good you have to be to make it professionally.
I feel like people write off anyone who's not top 150 on the tour. When you see matches like this and series like on Tennis Brothers, you realise just how good you have to be to even get a single point.
That was exactly my biggest takeaway from our collaboration together, Foot Fault. When watching a playing like Karue compete against a peer on a computer or phone screen its SOOOOO deceptive. He's so talented and his mechanics are so refined that he makes it look easy. The reality is the very best players at most local courts are in a completely different universe of play. I wish more tennis fans could understand that, but it really takes a personal experience like the one Joel had to really " get it".
100% agreed. This is why tennis needs to be better marketed across the globe. People need to understand they can go watch their local futures tournament and still have a blast. Obviously the level at the top of the game is higher but there is a lot of good tennis out there. We need to push tennis at a local level with more events, money tournaments and such to engage the community
@@EssentialTennis 100%
On a screen, watching a fairly even match, it can just look like forehands and backhands. But when you see a more uneven battle, the technical and tactical improvement is so apparent.
As someone who's trying to improve their analytical skills for entertainment and self improvement purposes it's actually very useful to see.
@@KaruesellHQ Where do I even look to find futures events in SoCal?
Exactly. Many tournaments’s qualifiers rounds are free and you get to watch very high level tennis. The sound off their racket or even the bounce hitting the fence from their serve is so loud. You really have to watch it live to appreciate it fully.
Damn. I feel like we have all thought about how wed do against a pro. Not that any of us would think wed do well but losing nearly every point on the second ball really shows how big of a gap there is wow. Great content!
Yup, it's a muuuuuuuch bigger gap than most people realize.
Had the chance to play against ex ATP 400, David Cup player for Venezuela. It's impressive how clean these guys hit, from both sides. They can hit winners from absolutely anywhere on the court. The second thing that strikes me is how early they hit the ball. The ball comes back at you so so so fast... Pros don't hit necessarily harder (except serves) but it's effortless and consistent. Can't even imagine what it takes to enter top 50 or top 20.
@@manuelbaretwhen you have an appreciation for the skill level it sure makes watching the madrid open more fun!
Just be honest in your line cas. Horrible
In January 2021 I started playing tennis again after a very long hiatus. A friend I was practicing with and I were watching the Australian Open final between Djokovic and Medvedev and she asked me whether I think we could win a game against a pro and I just replied "there's no way we could even win a point" lol. Looking back, it's extremely obvious we wouldn't win a single point if we played any of the pros, but with how much I have improved in that past year and a half, I like to think I would be able to at least win a few points on my serve today (I have a really big serve for my level so that certainly helps as well). Definitely no more than a few though.
I can’t be the only one who loves these collabs between tennis channels. Ian vs MEP. Karue vs Winston. So cool! Now go on over to London and do a set against Simon from TTT
It seems like line calling and level go hand in hand :) The win in four hits after a serve is a solid drill thanks!
Calling the ball is actually a skill. I notice better players generally call the ball more accurately.
I do admit, these are my favorite videos. It is a good reality check for us rec players!
I love these modified sets! I’m a 4.5 and my bf is a 5.0 and I need ideas on how we can play competitively with each other without him “going easy” on me. Keep ‘‘em coming! And thank you for the analysis talks at the end!!
try 30-0 for you each game. one serve for him. and if you get any point at ad or deuce, you win.
have him play with his non dominant hand
Withhold pussey. So if he wins - he loses
Fuuuuuuudge! Karue is a beast. I always wondered how Karue would handle someone like MEP but this answers the question. You don't grasp the speed, control, and quality of shots when he's hitting against Giron or Osaka. But watching him against a 4.5 it's night and day. Karue is on a totally different level.
Is it strange that if I ever see Giron or Osaka with Karue at an event that I'd be most excited about meeting Karue and ignore the actual pros? Love these videos along with the tips and all the advice he gives us normal players.
It is a funny thing with tennis how it looks so much slower/worse on video than in real life.
Karue is definitely a TH-cam star now. Saw a recent video of his where it sort of hit him, or he acknowledged it, and I thought it was funny that he must now be SOOOOOOO much more famous and frequently identified than when he was a pro, something I'm sure he never expected.
MEP wouldn't stand a chance! OK, I'm stating the obvious. Just couldn't resist.
Scott from Essential Tennis was able to play through MEP with no problems at all, so MEP vs. someone around ATP level isn't even worth thinking about. MEP is great for exposing amateurs who are caught up in stroke details and equipment while forgetting to actually play the game but ATP tennis is a completely different sport basically.
MEP didn't stand a chance against a 12 year old!
I felt sorry for the other guy at first but as he got more annoying it became very enjoyable to watch his utter destruction 😄
I can feel for wanting to keep yourself pumped up and motivated but wouldn’t have minded it being dialed down to a 7 or 8 from an 11. lol.
i totally agree with you, he was so annoying lol
yes. that guy was very annoying. just have fun
He took himself way too seriously.
@@hingemethod5938 absolutely. I would had a blast playing even though I knew I didn't stand a chance
Hi Karue!
I’ve been watching your content for about 5 months and I love it! It’s so practical and I love hearing from a person who is an embodiment of what they teach.
I’m a 4.5 NTRP and 7UTR. I’m 33 years old with a dad bod and I’m inspired to get back into shape and playing tournaments again and a big factor of my improvement in tennis has been the mental tips you’ve shared such as aiming into a smaller court and just having bigger targets in general. I love how it’s simple and immediately actionable and the philosophy is so solid.
I’m also a PTR certified coach who’s taught tennis for 10+ years and I haven’t done tournaments in a while until picking it back up again this year but the things I’ve been implementing for myself are also benefiting my students.
I love this video as well as the one with Winston! I like the difference in contrast and styles and I found it interesting where you made a lot more errors in this video than the other one (naturally) and it made me reflect on my own style seeing how being too aggressive leads to more errors so it’s helped me refined my game a bit to be more patient. I’m sort of the opposite from you because I like to play very aggressively and keep points shorter, perhaps because I’m out of shape. In any case I’ve been turning every hitting session into a game with myself to never hit winners so I can work on my stamina and shot tolerance so that way when I hop back into higher level tournaments, I have more tools.
Love the story. Fun to hear how others use this and approach their tennis.
This is one long love letter.
Love this collaboration! Although I love watching you hit your groundstrokes and probably could watch you hit all day, it was a little refreshing to see you play more aggressively! Looking forward to the next video!
thank you
Love this lines. Karue I had no idea you were so funny! “It was a foot in” and “See, he’s just a man”.
I was lmao, 😂 the ET guy kept grunting like a crazy
It’s like Mike Tyson use to say, “ Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face” so it’s the same when you play an ATP pro. I have had the experience of practicing with a player from Florida who was on the Futures Circuit and got to experience what it’s like. I played 5.0 in my USTA section and reached the semifinals often but my best shots were his average. After a hour and a half practice I was out of energy from the workout. He took a half hour break and played a practice match against another player. There are so many levels in Tennis. Actually getting your tennis butt kicked is a good learning experience if you then work on developing your skills around what you experienced.
Whilst it is not important, the phrase "Everyone has a plan until they get hit", is a Joe Louis quote. It has been a common expression in boxing since the 1940s I believe.
@@jeffbrunswick5511 ha, didn't realize that. :P :D
Me too. Used to play high 4.5 -low 5.0's in California when I got back into tennis and weighed over 200 lbs. Played at CSUN division 2 until they cancelled the team in '87. Much later took lessons from a mid 20's ex D1 champ at Karue's level. Fought my ass off every lesson for a game! I had to tell myself I was the best player on the court just to stay in the rallies it was insane. 2-6 was the goal. 1-6 was average score. He said the pros were a different beast than college. We were both dripping in sweat and lungs were burning in between some points so quick recovery was super hard. He did this to Cal freshman players at our tennis club
I played ncaa d1 hockey in college. Every pre season we would scrimmage the local pro farm team.
Young and good we thought we were tops, until...
Each time we did it we would realize, quickly, that their 4th line was better than our 1st line. It's truly amazing the skill difference. Hard to appreciate it till you actually experience it.
Fun and inspiring stuff
Good try, Joel! Much respect for getting out there and taking a shot. One of your inside-out FH returns from the ad side was fantastic. Thanks for taking the grenade so we can starkly see the difference between your levels.
Great video! I'm approximately a 4.0 and my wife, who plays good veterans tennis 2 age groups older than me, used to beat me handily before she got injured. There is no hiding place on a tennis court. Keep up the good work!
The difference in level is really stunning. A 4.5 player hardly wins a single point once an ATP-level pro like Karue decides to play seriously and hit winners.
He's probably taking it easy too.
And he wasn’t even allowed to construct points. He had to go for winners within two shots.
@@DanTuber NO, he was going ultra agressive so he missed more than if he played normally. IF Karue played his normal game, he golden sets him.
Plus, Karue hasn't been pro for a while and says his level has been "dropping fast." Surely nothing close to his level when he broke into the top 400. Crazy ... I just recently watched some guys around the 100 level at a Challenger tournament. Insane how good they were. Doesn't match at all with what it looks like on TV.
The guy is also 45+ and karue is 30 ish. A youngER 4.5 who anticipates well, splits and moves (doesn't split and stay) would be great.
Hey Karue! Can we play an 8 game set?!
That crack when Karue hits a ball is just so satisfying
the rules/concept is great. have only watched 2 points so far and already love it haha!
I love the collaboration. Really fun to watch. Here’s an idea: You play against a doubles team of two 5.0 level players. That would be interesting to see.
Yeah, would love to see that
Essential Tennis is not at par with Karue's level.
Karue would destroy 5.0 level players. A pro tennis player and a 5.0 player are not remotely in the same stratosphere.
I watch both HQ and Essential and have been. I learn something different from both. It is so refreshing and entertaining in a way I couldn't imagine when you guys collaborate! ie, MEP, Ian and crew, Winston and Mark, Karue and Winston. It's just so fascinating frankly. Collaboration makes the water level rise, along with all boats.
YESSSSS!!!!! Best content type right here. Mic’d up sets of Karue playing, and it it’s high-ish level or a well known TH-camr it’s a bonus. So good!
lol few games in and this guy and his out calls remind me of junior tennis :P nothing like someone calling a ball out that was an inch inside the line haha
Great collabs. Love the post match commentary. I've been trying to improve my lazy footwork so it was really helpful that you mentioned to focus on your footwork in the videos.
Loved this!
Thanks Karue!
Would love to see more with 4.5-5.0 players!
Cheers!
MM
Why would he continue to do that? He’s a pro tennis player. 4.5/5.0 players are not remotely close to his level whatsoever.
@@Rodrigorodriguez20241 This is a question that I can't answer for you. Good question though. However, he's done it a few times before, and probably at the time it made sense to him and he's had massive viewership so that maybe one reason for him. Just a guess on my part. He probably doesn't have the time now anyhow. Remember, when I wrote this comment I don't think he was on the pro tour.
Loved hearing the coaching in between for sure, and I love the special requirements like serve plus 2 or no winners. Very entertaining!
This series is so good, thank you! Please consider collaboration with Kevin/Total Tennis Domination!! That guy is so funny, seems like great sport!!
this channel is better for intermediate to advanced players IMO. most channels on youtube are focused the technical side but once you get ur basics down, karue provides way more valuable information.
Thank you sooo much! I really enjoyed the commentary at the end - very enlightening
Karue I hope to run this back in a year!
great to see Ian here! He is FOR SURE the OG !
This collaboration is great! Very original and entertaining. All in good spirit as well!
You guys are absolutely class! Love the content
The collab we all needed 😀
Karue's shots were so good, it was hard for his opponent to even see it and call it...let alone hit it lol
True, dude barely had any idea whether these shots were in or out because he's not used to seeing shots this pure.
Love this content! Definitely helps me understand how to approach playing someone who is higher level than me
Both these guys are way above Ian’s league and it is hilarious that Ian gives him advice!!
4:28 "I think it was a little long what do you think?" You: I think you are blind.
Our eyes play tricks on us sometimes. At least a foot in.
This aggressive game was hilarious to watch lol
Awesome content. Karue is so good, and the analysis is great
It's easy to miss how talented he is just watching him hit on a screen. He was so impressive in person. The quality of shot it takes to make him even a little uncomfortable is extremely high.
Very best type of content!!! You beat these guys hard but with very good sportsmanship. Keep going!
Hey Karue! Love your videos! I think it would be super cool if you played a match against current college players (D3, D2, D1) and really do a breakdown on the difference between the level of play between divisions. It would also be a cool challenge to see where your level is at right now too
I especially liked when you gave some coaching to Winston between points. That was very helpful.
Great great video! Thanks a lot! But I would like you to play against Ian as well as he is the main character on Essential tennis.
Amazing content. Really fun to watch, Karue. Thanks for sharing this!
Very enjoyable! Real insight into the features of an effective, aggressive game'
That forehand at 8:42 was immaculate👏had buddy froze up lol
"pay a lot more attention to the other side of the court and not be consumed by..." - common sense, but we amateurs especially the ones more technically oriented tend fail so badly at it - GOLD !! thanks for the reminder !
Love this type of content. Missing in tennis world what pros in other sports have done engaging amateurs. This type content is very interesting for amateurs just to appreciate and enjoy the level of Pros. Would love to start 0-4 in a set or something or 0-30 each game.
This is my mindset when I play …is always looking to move forward and I find it makes me more attentive to the balls coming in
Love your “down the line” shots--pls make a video for this -both BH & FH
I like the new format, it is informal yet instructive. Loose in a way, like good tennis... : )
Really like the insight you provide after the match - pure gold
Thank you!
used to play points like this in drill group in juniors against a good counter puncher/pusher to work on offensive game. great drill that keeps you alert on your toes. thanks for vid. like the collabs. channel going to hit 100k sub soon.
Liked and Subscribed! Congrats on the channel Karue. Excellent content! Greetings from a former college player who is also from Brazil and currently lives in SD. abraço
Been a fan, and showed these Rec players how hard it can be at higher levels. I play 4.5 and try to follow your tips - definitely it's a different train of thought when hitting the shots. Reaction time is just so much faster. I would like to watch more of these videos.
Ah ha this is the content I like to see!
Super awesome as usual Karue. Would be awesome if you could play Winston's friend, coach Chase. I think he's a 5.5+/6.0
oh that would be really interesting!! I would love to see that match! We need to talk this up seriously!
I would like that too, but in theory all these high level players meet at tournaments. They are the guys who finish top 2 or 3.
@@info781 Depends what kind of tournaments you're referring to since they are at a different level.
Karue would actually beat Chase quite convincingly. Being professional is just a different ball game.
Really interesting video. Any advice for what to do when finding oneself in Joel's position, i.e., hopelessly outclassed? One thing I wish he had done was hit two first serves in the 3rd game when he got to game point. I groaned when he spun that 2nd serve... that was almost the same as conceding the point, and it was likely to be his only chance to take a game. Your pace was clearly making him late on almost everything even when he got it back... any tips on what to do when someone is overpowering you? I know you say to win with your feet, but I think Joel was already moving his feet as well as he could. Should he perhaps have shortened his swing, and played your groundstrokes more like service returns? Would it have helped for him to play farther back? Of course, no tactic would allow him to win, but how could he have perhaps won a game?
an idea: he should have gone for a powerful 2nd serve. nearly all his points were from 1st serves, might as well take a chance and play the 2nd like a 1st.
That's a challenging drill. Good stuff.
Your boy needs new contact lenses on the calls. You clearly hit the aces, and clean winners. This was a fun match to watch my friend.
4:24 "I think, it went a little long..." jajaja :D when you have to pull all the tricks ;)
I think the interest in this kind of matchup is because club level players wonder what it would be like to hit with a pro going for winners. What always happens is that even club pros who are often between the 4.0-5.0 level dial back on their strokes when hitting with lower level players. I had the opportunity to hit with a teaching pro who had previously worked as a hitting partner with Federer in Dubai, and as you might expect, he could crank the ball when he wanted to. I would encourage him to do it when I was on the court and it was fun to experience that higher level! With that said, I think Karue hits an even bigger ball! Whew!
I'm a newbie to tennis, but just got a coach who is 24 and most certainly could go pro but would struggle to get beyond Challengers - at Karue's level perhaps. I ask him to go 100% from time to time just so I can see/experience it. It is SOOOOOO much fun to experience that. Of course, I don't have a chance in hell to even get the ball back the vast majority of the time, but as a fan, there's hardly anything I like more than watching that level come at me on the court. So much fun!
This is my first time watching any of your videos, but I think you could definitely make top 200 ATP.
That's awesome! Love the court as well.
4:24 I hate playing against players that do this. At least he said "I THINK it was a little out" instead of "that was DEFINITELY a little out". Anyway, it's always frustrating when you clearly hit it in, and your opponent calls it out.
Karue, would love to see you in Australia and play a set against you just to get a close up look at the shape, the spin and the depth of your ball. Amazing.
Love what you're doing thanks Karue!
thanks for watching
Perfect drill for my vision of my tennis game. Great thx
Another “great” set. They really are instructive for us mere mortals. 😂
Thanks again for all the great content you put out.
4:23 how dare you challenge that serve 🤣
I play sets like this all the time in practice. Serve and two balls to finish the point. Also opponent hits only second serves and then return and 2 balls to finish the point. I'm a 5.0 player who has played a couple of low futures level players and while they're better than me at everything the biggest difference I find is how they immediately start to control points. I think any 4.5-5.0 level player who is serious about improvement should play sets with rules like this and just generally work on serve/second serve return + 1.
too much rallying out there and too little attacking
Commentary is excellent - caused me to go back and watch the WHOLE video and second time. My take away - “really pay attention to the guy in the other end of the court”. I tend to just watch the ball and often don’t recognize opportunities early enough.
Great video. As a 4.5 myself I’ve learned through bitter experience that my only hope of being even remotely competitive against a good 5.0 is to get to the net. If I’m stuck at the baseline they can break me down within 3-4 strokes, basically toy with me. Against someone as good as Karue I’d be lucky to win five points in a set.
line calls and grunts are hilarious =P
At what point in your life were you about this guy's level (4.5ish) and how long had you been playing at that point? Could you have won this match at age 10 etc.? If someone at this guy's level were to train the way you trained for, say, 10 years (multiple hours a day, playing against high level opponents, etc.), do you think he could reach a high level or is that something you have to do in your formative years when you are young?
I coach a couple of 12 year old girls who would most likely beat him/most 4.5 usta amateurs. I'd say probably when I was 10 I was a bit better than this. And no, if you can put in the hours you can definitely improve. Mostly is the physical limitations of older people so I think more work on that side would actually be the most beneficial
good questions!
@@KaruesellHQ what is the trajectory of those 12yo girls? going pro? college?
lol, wrecked. The level difference is crazy. Fun stuff to watch
Yeah. Poor lad literally have no answers lol. This is a really nice trend going on here with all this collab! Loving the content! 🔥
When you saw the rules you might think you need to play defense in order to make more rallies,thus wining the point.But on the contrary you need to be aggressive ,yes you might miss a lot of shots,but keep feeding soft balls to a guy who used to be Atp top 400 ,it's suicidal ,Karue literally ate this kid alive.
The best defense is a good offense ,I know it's easier said than done,but still.
@@Leo-nc3yx lol kid
Loved this! Love also in some other videos when you stop the video during points and draw little pictures showing the options on the table and the reason why you go with one or the other.
hey karue i was watching us open practice courts who were you working with again while you were there ?
nice video just the fact that you are telling us to take it early and be more aggressive will help alot . i have a final coming up and we'll try this to see what happens lol.........us open 2023 !
Video request: A good gym routine for rainy days that will build / tone the muscles needed for advanced level tennis.
I wish you continued success in the field of tennis and youtube thank you
FUN to watch!!!!!
This was really fun to watch!
You described me to a T as one who isn’t looking for the short ball coming back. 😮
Thanks for tip (be aggressive and watch the action on the other side of the net)
Power and accuracy just next level 👍
As a self-proclaimed 4.5 player, I remember playing a former ATP ranked player in a singles league match. I had the same result as Joel only winning 4-5 total points during the set. My opponent aced me so many times, especially out wide.
love these! play a 5.0-5.5 next maybe?
Hey, can you post more vids of you playing matches against your level? It's nice to see yourself being tested by same or higher level players.
that was actually very fun to watch. ANd yes that serve was in by a foot.
Never seen this guy in any of the ET videos in the past 10+ years, but ok. I guess Ian didn’t want to take the bagel. Would have been a better video though because we’ve at least seen him play and we know his level. Oh well.
Nice playing as always Karue.
exactly my thoughts, I was hoping Ian would be challenging all the youtubers that he is visiting, but it seems Joel was playing instead of him. Would have been much more interesting to see two real coaches playing against each other....opportunity wasted!
What a great content and great insight. Regards from 🇧🇷
Nick from intuitive tennis just did a video recently saying how a good rec player has no chance against a high-level player...even an older one. Easy to see the difference in this match. Of course the high level player is superior in every way. Fun to watch.
Selles would destroy Nick!
What a difference in accelaration and being proactive to hit the ball!
looved this!!!! i am attacker and this is soo difficult but if i go passive i start missing more lol
3rd ball controversy I love it!
Murray casually beating Dominic Thiem in the background! This series is really cool, especially since the opponent doesn't know what you are trying to do. An interesting one would be you just hitting high over the net with lots of spin/ safety and backing your own movement to grind out points. I bet the opponent would go crazy haha.
I absolutely love the concept of this video.
I think it would be better to have a more talented non-douchey 4.5, and have him deliberately try some different tactics to see how each one plays out.
Also, if there were a way to take away the easy aces / service winners.
I think what people really want to see is how effective a 4.5's serves, slices, lobs, topspin, approach, etc would be against a top player. Which ones are dead in the water and which ones can hang in there somewhat.
Thanks again for the excellent content!