March 3, 2005

Four ways to challenge your opponents without having to hit outright winners

• How to be versatile and unpredictable in both singles and doubles

• How to take the pressure off of you to "win" the point...

Tennis players tend to get very narrow minded with their strategies (shot type and placement) on how to challenge their opponents.

Consequently, you become predictable, and even if you've got a big time "weapon", let's say a big forehand groundie, if your opponent knows when and where it's going, you're in trouble...

If I know where my opponent is hitting a certain shot in a certain situation, no matter how good that shot is, hey, I've got the advantage...

So, it's important that you can vary what you present to your opponents in such a way that you don't get stuck in a rut and become predictable.

Here are a four ways to present problems to your opponents that don't require that you hit outright winners past them to win points...

• All players have "comfort zones" for their contact points on their groundstrokes.  Some grips will dictate what that comfort zone is. 
  
  A player's comfort zone at contact is a small area slightly out to their side, slightly in front of them, slightly low, and slightly high...
  
  If you're limited to only a topspin forehand for example, the bounce from your shots will eventually become very predictable and opponents will be able to adjust their position to your shot's bounce to allow the bounce to enter their comfort zone.
  
  Learn how to vary the type of spin you can generate on your shots (more and more topspin is NOT the answer...!).
  
  Flat, sidespin, loopy semi lobs that bounce up high, even underspin shots will react differently through the bounce on your opponents' side of the net, and consequently, you'll be able to get the ball out of their comfort zone. 
  
  Right now I've got an instructional video product on the Slice Backhand Groundstroke.  It's listed to the right... --->
  
  I'm in the process of creating a lesson on the Slice Forehand Groundstroke, an easy shot to hit if you've got the right grip, and absolutely devastating to your opponent.  Be looking for it in upcoming newsletters.
   

• Mix in a "vertical" attack from time to time. 
  
  Rather than always moving your opponent from side to side horizontally and trying to drive a winning past them, try playing a drop shot that pulls your opponent in close and then lob their shot deep over their backhand side.
  
  Play your drop shot only if you're pulled forward slightly inside your baseline.  Never attempt this shot from behind your baseline unless you've got your opponent way out of court and you're good at feathering this shot just over the net.
  
  Practice this shot sequence, drop shot and then a lob over the backhand until you feel really confident that you don't have to hit a drop shot winner to be effective with this vertical strategy.
   

• Challenge your opponents to win points by forcing them to hit outright winners past you.
  
  You're challenging now from where you are on the court, not so much as a shot maker.
  
  Play more serve and volley...
  
  Play more approach shots on their short shots during baseline rallies...
  
  Play more approach shots when you're returning 2nd serves.
  
  Mix this in liberally.
   

• Play the high percentage shot each and every time.  Play your groundstrokes in singles cross court over the lowest part of the net into the biggest part of your opponents' court.
  
  Become an Agassi like machine and simply never miss hitting cross court shots from the baseline. 
  
  Force your opponent to have to hit low percentage shots up the line over the highest part of the net into the smallest part of the court that opens up a high percentage cross court shot for you into their unguarded open court...!
  
  Got all of that...?  Read it again...!
   

Now, these different strategies are simply variations of spins, placements, and your court positioning.

Ideally, you can mix each of them against your opponents so that you're not predictable. 

Shot direction and your court positioning is fairly simple to achieve.  Being able to vary the spins that you produce takes practice.

Get out there on the practice court and tinker with the different spins you can produce and how those spins react differently as they bounce.

Check out my list of current video instructional products that I've produced over in the column to the right and up above...--->  or down below...

And as always, any questions...?  Just drop me a line at brent@webtennis.net.  Thanks... 

Would you do me a favor....?

If you enjoyed this tip, would you invite two tennis players to subscribe to my newsletter...? 

I'd really appreciate it.  Just send a quick email to your friends and ask them to visit www.webtennis.net.  Many thanks...

Brent

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