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Time and time again tennis players find themselves losing a
match they know they should have won.
It is impossible to diagnose exactly what went wrong in
your own individual match, but many times players tend to mock
their opponents style of play.
This is never good.
It can be a serious issue when two players with
completely different styles clash!
My example includes two familiar styles of play.
The first player is referred to as the “pusher” and the
second player, known at the local club as the “gunner”.
I will begin by noting the strengths of each style of play.
The pusher, an extremely smart player, has the ability to
take almost any ball and put it back into the court.
The pusher is usually fast on his feet and will get to
any shot you throw at him.
The gunner is a highly aggressive, winner-hitting, big shot who
loves to slug the ball.
Generally, this player is very good at taking their
opponent out of their comfort zone by hitting with power.
When these two players play a competitive match it is easy to
see who has the more dominant style of play in this particular
match (usually evident within the first 4 games):
If the score is 2-2:
Chances are each player is having success with their own style
and the pusher will keep pushing, and the gunner will keep
slugging
*If the score is 4-0:
This is where things have gotten bad or soon will get worse.
Either the pusher or the gunner has found that they have
been successful thus far in the match.
The natural reaction when a player is losing is to “change a
losing game.”
We have heard this advice time and time again.
The problem with that advice is that most players
misunderstand it, take it to an extreme, and do something so
brash that it ends up making everything worse.
The player will adapt the other player’s game.
It is not uncommon for the hard hitting player to realize how
many errors he is making, flip-flop, and start tapping the ball
over the net in an attempt to fight fire with fire.
The problem is:
·
The big hitter has now been taking completely out of his comfort
zone and is playing under stress.
·
The big hitter will not get anywhere by pushing the ball over
the net
It is also not uncommon for the pusher to realize he needs to
start hitting harder to stop their opponent from hitting winners
The problem is:
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The pusher is not used to hitting the ball at a faster pace and
will begin to increase errors
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Secondly, the big hitter can handle a harder hit ball, and is
probably more comfortable with it.
The pusher may only be helping him by hitting harder!
Conclusion:
There are many
problems with reversing your game.
Remember that everything should be done in moderation.
When you hear the advice “change a losing game” it does
not mean you should try using your opponent’s game.
The better option is to rely on a different strength you
may have or avoiding a certain weakness.
Just remember when you change your game that it is not
good to play the way your opponent is.
Just because it is working for him, doesn’t mean that it
will work for you!
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