Invitation to the tournament XX Lawyers Polish Open

Ladies and Gentleman,

On behalf of the Chairman of the Katowice Court of Appeal along with the Chairman of the Polish Lawyers Association Katowice and the Dean of the Regional Association of Legal Advisors in Katowice, we have the honour to invite the lawyers of all professions from the whole Europe to take part in:

XX Lawyers Polish Open

The twenties anniversary edition of the most famous tennis tournament will take place on the20-22nd of May 2016, on twelve picturesque open tennis courts “Sport Park Budowlani” in Park Śląski in Chorzów.

The tournament will feature the following age categories:

- men: open, 35+, 45+, 55+, 65+, doubles open and 45+, consolation tournament,
- women: open, 35+, doubles, mixed,
- guest tournament.

The number of players is unlimited.

On account of the observed jubilee edition of the Lawyer’s Polish Open, the organisers invite all the tennis players with accompanying persons and fans to take part in two exceptional events. On Friday, in Sport Park Budowlani, we will hold an open air party in the marvellous setting of the largest city park in Continental Europe, with wonderful music and plenty of surprises. On Saturday, we would like to invite everyone for a formal dinner at one of the most charming restaurants in the park. In the evening, we have planned many jubilee attractions, along with our traditional prize drawing and dance party.

All interested lawyers of all professions are kindly asked to send their registration forms, along with confirmation of the paid entry fee, before the 18th of May 2016 to the following email address:

zpp.katowice@wp.pl

The drawing will take place on the 19th of May 2016. The entry fee is 65 euro (45 euro for legal apprentice). The payment should be transferred to the following bank account:

Zrzeszenie Prawników Polskich Oddział Katowice
SWIFT Code / BIC Code – INGBPLPW
PL 68 1050 1214 1000 0023 1237 0923

In the form, as well as in the money transfer title, please state: “XX Lawyer’s Polish Open”.

Please send any additional questions to the following email addresses:

pzarzecki@kancelariazarzecki.pl; maciej.czajkowski@gcmc.pl

All detailed information will also be available on the websites of the Katowice Court of Appeal, the Polish Lawyers Association in Katowice and the Regional Association of Legal Advisors in Katowice in the “Dla Radców – po godzinach” tab and on the OIRP Katowice Facebook page:

http://www.oirp.katowice.pl/po-godzinach/sport 
http://zpp.katowice.pl
http://www.katowice.sa.gov.pl/strona-glowna

We encourage all lawyer-tennis players to take part in the Tournament, and all of the enthusiasts of this noble discipline to come, cheer and support the participants during their battles on the court and in the evenings – to enjoy together all the planned social activities.

We are looking forward to seeing you,

The Organising Committee

R. BERANKIS & L. GRIGELIS vs. C. RUUD & V. DURASOVIC | Davis Cup 2016 Siauliai

Ricardas Berankis & Laurynas Grigelis (Lithuania) vs. Casper Ruud & Viktor Durasovic (Norway) Davis Cup 2016.  Lithuania v. Norway in  Siauliu Arena, Siauliai, Lithuania Hard (I). 5 Mar 2016

A few thoughts from legendary player Andre Agassi

Here are some takeaways from Andre Agassi interview in Harward Business Review magazine:

Q: You had epic match comebacks too. How did you develop that resilience?

It’s about recognizing that regardless of what the score is, the most important point is that next point. If you can get yourself into that state of mind, you just are who you are. People give you more credit for coming back than they do for blowing somebody out, but both require the same skill set. After a blowout, nobody says, “Wow, how strong and focused you are.” But you really are.

Q: How did you learn to manage your emotions when you played?

I don’t know that I did. I’ve seen people use emotion, positive or negative, as a tool, and it works for them. But typically, the more you can remove emotion, the more efficient you’ll be. You can be an inch from winning but still miles away if you allow emotion to interfere with the last step. So you have to accept: the weather, heat, rain, stops and starts, the line calls, whatever your opponent is giving you, however tired or injured you are. There are so many things that can distract you from taking care of business. The only thing you can control is your engagement.

Original source: Life’s Work: An Interview with Andre Agassi by Alison Beard FROM THE OCTOBER 2015 ISSUE

The plan for warm up

The warm-up doesn’t have to be long, but there are three things you want to accomplish:

1. Continue physical warming up of your body and mind that began with stretching and pre-match planning and visualization.
2. Get your eyes and body working together for successful stroke production, which includes managing nerves,
3. Learn as much as you can about your opponent.

Groundstrokes

First thing to remember: try and hit your initial groundstrokes deep, just inside the baseline. In fact, if the ball is a little long, great. Aim for just inside the baseline. Don’t let a ball fall to short. Pay attention to what you are doing. If a ball lands in or near the service box, correct it and go for the baseline.

Get the stroke extended by hitting deep. It sets an early pattern of hitting to the back of the court, which is one of the single most important habits you can have. In your match it’s better to hit one out of five shots long than four out of five short. So start hitting deep early.

Overheads

Overheads get ignored in warm-up, especially by B and C level players. Here’s why. It may be the shot you hit worst and nobody likes to look bad in front of their opponent. Nobody likes to look bad in front of themselves. It’s the most difficult shot to time right, especially when you just started.

The overhead warm-up does 2 things:

1. It warms up the overhead;
2. It also starts warming up your serve.

The Serve

Hit 4 serves to both courts, both wide and down the center. Hit your initial serves with an easy, relaxed motion. Keep your wrist very loose – almost floppy. Hit your first three serves with almost a lazy motion. Aim for the service line or beyond. Then gradually increase velocity.

You want to help yourself as much as you can for the first service game.

Service Return

When your opponent is hitting serves during the warm-up, hit them back. Practice hitting their serve with a good service return. Hit some focused, rhythmic and connected returns. 

Having the "Want" to win

Most recreational tennis players don't care enough about the winning the match. They expect to get into the court and have some good time chasing down the balls. They are usually long on running and short on thinking. That description probably fits many of the people you play. If it does, you are lucky because you can take the advantage of their mental laziness to win more often.

Recognize. Analyze. Capitalize.

Smart Tennis is a Three-Step Process

1. Recognize your opportunity.
2. Analyze your options.
3. Capitalize on the opportunity by using the best option.

Smart players know how to prepare correctly for a match and once contest is under way how to control their emotions. They know how to think through a match, avoiding low percentage shots that carry unnecessary risk at inappropriate times. Smart players observe what’s going on in match and analyze the information. They know how to capitalize on what they know.

The New, Improved You: 20 Percent Better

The way to make the biggest improvement in shortest time is to better understand and use the opportunities for gaining an advantage that exists in every match you play. The big opportunities and the small opportunities. Especially the small opportunities, the players neglect because of ignorance or laziness. 

Develop your powers of observation and analysis and then use the information, and your chances of winning wil go up by 20 percent or more.

Andy Murray vs Milos Raonic | SemiFinals Australia Open 2016 Highlights

Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer | SemiFinal Australia Open 2016 Highlights

Winning a match is like chopping down a tree

Tennis matches are not won with great shots. They are won with many, many pretty good shots. It is like chopping down a tree. You don’t do it with one tremendous stroke of the ax. You do it with the accumulated effect of many small strokes. There is no three-point play in tennis, as there is in basketball. You can hit the greatest shot in the world, and you still only get one point for it. And you can nullify this in one second by making an easy error.

In order to win, then, you must have more willpower and concentration than your opponent. This keeps your error rate low. You will ultimately win when your opponent runs out of willpower and his error rate increases. 

Orthopaedic injuries in tennis

Thassilo HAUN vs Benoit COPPENS ITF Tennis Vilnius Cup 2016 Seniors final

4-6 6-0 6-3

The eight basic shots that a tennis player has in their repertoire is

Basic tennis shots:

1. Serve - starts the point off and as you get better at tennis you can use a powerful serve to dictate points and have any easier time at holding serve. 

2. Forehand - In most cases this is the shot that a player uses with their dominant hand and makes up the very basics of tennis, and again in most but not all cases you use just your dominant hand. 

3. Backhand - This is the opposite of the forehand is can be used with either one or two hands, both with their own advantages. 

4. Volley - A very offensive shot that is much less used in tennis nowadays than in the past.  There are drop volleys which pull the opponent close into the net, but good drop volleys take a good amount of touch when playing at a high level. 

5. Slice - This can be applied to all of your shots and slows down the ball while also making the ball bounce low, possibly producing a slower shot in return from your opponent. 

6. Lob - Very important if you are playing a person who likes going to the net to hit volleys.  Just as the name suggests you hit the ball way up above your opponents head into the back court, you can apply topspin or slice to the lob to make it more effective depending on the situation.

7. Overhead - This shot should end the point in a match.  The overhead is used on lobs that do not go far enough back into the court so you go into a service motion and smash the ball back down into your opponents side of the court.

8. Drop Shot - This is a tricky shot in which you take all pace off of the ball and hit it close to the net while you are in the back part of the court.  If the player can make it to the ball at the net you usually have a good chance to hit a ball past them to win the point.

The main principles of playing tennis without a judge

The main principles of playing tennis without a judge:

• The player is responsible for all the decisions in his courts side.
• All the messages "out" or "fault" are orally shouted immediately loud enough to hear an opponent after the ball bounces.
• In case of doubt, the decision should be made in favor of the opponent.
• If a player mistakenly exclaims "out" when a ball hit the pitch, the point is played again. This rule does not apply if the point is a crucial player makes a mistake or is not the first time. In these cases, a player shouted "out" loses the point.
• Serving player loudly announces the result before hitting the 1^st serve.
• While playing ground courts, there are additional requirements that must be met:
• Ball left a mark can only be verified after the final decisive hit, or when the game is stopped.
• If a player questions the opponents decision, he mightask to see a ball mark. In this case, you can move the network to line to see the ball mark.
• If a player erases the ball mark, he loses the point.
• If a player mistakenly exclaims "out", he loses the point.

Tennis vocabulary

Ace – when the successful serve is untouched by receiving player.

Advantage - when the score indicates that the player or team has the “advantage” has a chance to win the game by winning the next point.

Break point – The situation when the player or team receiving the serve has a chance to win the game on the point

Deuce – Refers to the score when it’s tied a 40-40. Player or team must now win by two

Love – A term used in scoring which means “zero”.

Split-step – Refers to the slight jump that a player takes as an opponent is making contact with the ball. 

Service box - Refers to any of the boxes that are formed from the lines on the court adjacent to the net, bounded by the baseline, center line and sidelines. 

Tiebreaker - A specific type of game when the set score reaches 6-6, using an alternate scoring system

How to play tennis in the wind?

1. Start with the wind in your face
2. Lower your toss
3. Shorten your strokes
4. The best weapon against wind - play indoor :)

Types of tennis players

The Retriever
The Player with speed
The Attack to Your Backhand
The Serve
The Return of Serve
The Serve-Volley Player
The Weak Serve
The Lefty's Serve
The Heater

Some tennis insights

1. The technique is only needed only for tactics. You win because of tactics. Variation of technique lets You implement needed tactics.
2.  When You play a match You don‘t have to think about technique.
3. Serve return: You go for attack when returning second serve and you go fo defense on the returning virst serve.

4.It‘s better to hit to the out instead of hitting the bal to the net.

5. Move the net upper in Your mind.