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There are several definitions of a “pusher”.
Even encyclopedias attempt to describe a pusher.
No matter who you talk to, you will see there are many
theories on what exactly a pusher is.
Topspin Sports defines a pusher as:
A player who is extremely skilled at keeping the ball into play
regardless of the situation
The important thing to note is that there is no mention of skill
level in our definition of a pusher.
There are pushers at every level of tennis (yes, even
pushers on the pro tour too).
This article will help you understand why the pusher
should be respected and even why people continue to lose to
pushers time after time.
The typical pusher, who has found it a goal to destroy
you from the inside out, has certain characteristics about his
style, mental toughness, and physicality that puts him among the
elite.
They are smarter players
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Pushers understand that you will hit more errors than winners.
Unless you are on tour (or getting there), chances are in
a typical match you will hit more balls out than winners.
Even if you are a “pusher” you will hit more balls out
than you will hit winner.
This is one of the most important things to remember
about the average tennis player!
·
Pushers will always put the ball right to your weakness.
There is no need to hit the ball hard to a weakness.
That is making things to risky.
If you get a ball to a weakness all the time, you will
force several more errors out of your opponent.
The goal of hitting to your opponents weakness is to
force him to make an error, right!
·
Pushers in times of trouble will simply get the ball back into the
court.
It’s easy, if you are in trouble just put the ball back
into play. You are
in trouble anyway, why sit back and hope for an error!
They are faster players
·
Generally, a pusher will hunt down
anything you hit at them.
They are good at running down balls; if they weren’t good
at it, you could just hit winners!
They are content with their style of play
·
Pushers tend to use slice more often than the
average player. This
enables them to hit safer shots in times of need
·
Pushers love when you get down on yourself.
The typically pusher will get more excited each time you
yell, curse, or throw a racquet.
As terrible as it sounds, every time you lose your head
in a match, another pusher is born!
They win
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Most pushers have a winning mind frame.
When it comes down to it, any pusher wants to win.
They care little for how they look on the court, how
fancy they get, or how much they improve their strokes during a
match; a pusher simple wants to win.
Every competitive player at one time or another has lost to the
infamous pusher. It
is important that players understand what pushers are good at
and how they beat players time after time.
Hopefully, after reading this article you can come one
step closer to respecting the way a pusher plays.
Maybe next time you play the pusher, you will not get so
down on yourself.
Just because you look better than the pusher, that doesn’t mean
you are!
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