Hitting Winners

One of my pet peeves is when I see players going for flat-out winners at inopportune times. Now, winners come in all shapes and sizes, and it's difficult to encapsulate this concept without some form of live demonstration. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that a smart winner will take place when (1) the opponent can't get to the ball (obviously!!!); and (2) when the risk of missing is small or non-existent. 

Often times, I see a player going for a winner that appears to be aimed directly from the line. If we freeze-frame the positioning of the opponent, we can sometimes see that her location is in the middle of the court. In effect, the ball is 12 feet away from the opponent (i.e., satisfying the first element) but the ball is also 2inches from the line/over the net (coming dangerously close to not satisfying the second component). This is very frustrating for a coach to watch because it's a lot like watching someone go "all in" in a Poker match with a weak hand.

A player has, generally, no business going for winners unless the SECOND element is satisfied. The player will be effective at achieving this objective when the player manages to move the opponent away from the middle of the court. For example, try to move your opponent 2 feet towards the backhand; then, 2 feet towards the forehand side; then 4 feet towards the backhand, then 4 feet towards the backhand side of the court, then maybe 6 feet towards the backhand. At this point, if you go for a winner (the other way) that is 12 feet from the opponent, you are only still aiming 6 feet from the middle of the court (cutting the risk for missing long/wide dramatically). Conversely, if you go for winners when the opponent sits on top of the center-T on the baseline, you HAVE to hit the lines in order for the opponent to not get there. This is HIGH RISK tennis and should be avoided 99% of the plays. 

Practice Patience

In terms of tennis, technological developments have had a positive as well as a negative effect on tennis development. Improvements in racket, string, ball and shoe technology has resulted in an exponential increase in power but with a detrimental effect in the artistry of the game. American players, in particular, are affected the most because we don't tend to play as much on clay (which takes away some of the advantages of power and teach the player how to create opening with angles, placement, spin, depth and guile). 

Now, we can talk about the benefits of playing on clay until we're blue in the face. The fact is that until clubs and parks figure out a way to make clay court maintenance as financially efficient as hard courts (maybe a wash once every two weeks) the fact remains that we will continue to be a hard-court nation. So, with this in mind, how do you learn to patiently push your opponent around the court and create openings? One answer is to PUT THE RACKET DOWN! Literally! Put the racket down and play games where the players have to THROW the ball around the court. This game will not only develop your throwing ability (good for serves) but is is also a great way to figure out the geometry of the game. In addition, this is one of the best ways to improve tennis-specific fitness because the points last longer and you don't have a racket with which to reach the ball. 

I suggest that, once in a while, you spend 10-15 minutes (perhaps as a warm-up, perhaps as a way to finish the workout) by playing games up to 15 where the players have to catch and throw the ball. The rules are fairly simple: the player must throw from the place from which s/he catches the ball (or, like frisbee games, can only take one more step to stop and throw). The clever player will figure out how to push their opponents around the court with just as much angle to make the opponent sprint for the ball, but not so short that the player can "attack". Your tennis IQ will improve dramatically when you learn how to open up the court and make the opponent work for every point. 

Who Does Roger Federer Practice With?

Parents usually have the best intentions in mind for their children. When playing practice sets (or even tournaments), they sometimes believe that the best strategy is to have their children practice with players who are of a higher caliber. When feeling like you're getting sucked into this mentality stop and ask yourself: WHO DOES ROGER FEDERER (OR WOZNIACKI, NADAL, SHARAPOVA, DJOKOVIC, ETC.) PRACTICE AGAINST? I guarantee you that the answer is not one of the other players  are of the same caliber. Often times,  Federer actually practices against juniors. The fact is that there are a lot of good players that someone can, and should, practice against in order to improve. 

I believe that the best option is to play 33% of the time against players who are "worse" than you. These are the players who might not give you all the pace, spin and consistency you want, but against whom you can play your game and work on certain components without worrying about hurting their feelings. For example, when playing sets, you can practice serving and volleying, hitting no forehand winners, chipping-and-charging, hitting mostly backhands, hitting only slice backhands, finishing the point in less than 3 (or 4, 5, 6) strokes, hitting only second serves or slice serves, working on not hitting winners, etc. These opponents will push you just enough if you don't pay attention but, overall, you can use them as a way to boost your confidence and develop feel. And remember, the way you "zone" against better players (because you have nothing to lose) they will be "treeing" against you. 

33% of the time, you should practice with players at or around your level. These are the players who will beat you even if you're only 2% off your game. These practices are often very competitive and, unfortunately, a lot of juniors tend to shun them because they are afraid that their confidence will be ruined if they happen to lose. Losing and winning is part of the game and you can use these matches to constantly fine-tune your game during drill workouts. 

33% of the time, you should play against people who are better than you. Unlike the players who are your level, these players will give you more pace, spin, consistency and accuracy so you really have to be on your game in order to even come close to them. But, beware! Just because you play well against them doesn't mean that you are AT their level. Sometimes, weaker player step up the game because they feel that they have "nothing to lose". But this is not always the correct attitude. Often times, during a match, you will play against people your level and there is something to lose even if that one thing is pride. Therefore, you should practice under pressure as well as when there is no pressure. 

Remember, winning can only be LEARNED. It CANNOT be TAUGHT. A coach's job is to help you with technique, strategy, tactics and attitude. But she cannot do the playing for you! You have to learn to figure stuff out (what/when/how to do it) on your own. If you constantly play matches against better players who kick your butt, what are you really learning?! You're learning how to LOSE. Furthermore, once you're content with losing, then turning the ship around is very difficult. All good players have learned how to WIN and have learned how to DEAL with losses. That's why not every tournament is a Grand Slam Event. Some smaller tournaments ("tune-up events" anyone?) are utilized for working on certain kinks and gaining confidence for the bigger tournaments. Same concept applies to practices. 

No Pride

A player should be proud of her preparation, training, attitude, passion for the game, etc., but many times certain variations of on-court pride leads to poor results. Obviously, you should always be honorable and seek to avoid engaging in gamesmanship or performing kabuki theater that is so prevalent in modern junior tennis.

By "having no pride", I mean once you step on the court to play a tournament, most of everything that you have learned up to that point is theoretical. Too often, players attempt to actively BEAT their opponents (going for low-percentage winners on every shot); not enough times do they make the effort to allow the opponents to BEAT THEMSELVES. This is not always helped when the player's parents clap for aces or wild shots but are silent when it comes to long points - cleverly thought out and constructed - but not flashy. What message are you sending your player when you clap every low percentage shot?!

For example, not every match needs to be played as if the ESPN highlight real is at stake. In most matches, good, solid tennis is sufficient to pull through. In these matches, don't be afraid to resort to a strategy that is beneath you in the event the gamestyle or strategy that you have initially picked does not pan out. Yes, sometimes you will have to dink, other times you will have to push, some other times you may have to chip your forehand or serve underhand. First, it's obviously important to practice these shots so that you are comfortable executing the same under pressure. Second, it's important to practice these shots so that you can draw upon them by instinct rather than forethought. Third, it is important to understand that these shot have no bearing on who you are as a player. They are just tools for being used at the correct time and discarded. 

On the other hand, however, there are some players who seem to specialize exclusively on these shots. This is not something I advocate although players such as Fabrice Santoro have made a very lucrative career at mastering the odd-ball shots or strategies. Prior to Santoro, there was Karsten Braasch. It seems that Santoro's heir apparent may be Dolgopolov although he possesses more pop and dimensions than his predecessors. However, when you watch Dolgopolov you will notice two things: (1) he's having fun. Tennis does not seem to be a burden for him. He's often smiling and doesn't look like he has too many cares in the world. And (2), he's not afraid to hack, slice, chip, drop shot or hit jumping shots. Although cameras are rolling, he doesn't seem particularly interested in making the highlight real. When the opponent's game calls for a slice, he slices. When the opponent's too far back, he drop-shots. 

Developing players would be well-served by sitting on an outside court and watching a player like Dolgopolov practice his craft. Often times, juniors watch the top players (Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic) and think that that's how the game should always be played. Yes, those guys are certainly the cream of the crop. However, in the trenches of junior, college and low-level pro events, it is often a different type of animal who is king of the jungle. Your objective, as a developing player, is to be able to come up with any stroke, any time. Master all the shots and don't feel like you're too proud to rely on them under pressure. Remember, matches are won point-by point. If you can hit a great shot one point, scrape another point, allow the opponent to miss on the third point and get an easy point on the fourth, you win the game. Like a poker player, don't be afraid to bluff and whittle away your opponent's chips. You don't have to have 4 Aces to win the hand. Sometimes, a well-played weak hand will do. 

No Battle Is The Same As The Previous One

In the history of military warfare, hundreds (if not thousands) of battles have been lost by superior armies that have failed to adapt their strategy to the new battle. In other words, they have continued to fight the "last war" where the enemy has learned from its losses, adapted to the conditions, adopted new tactics, practiced those new tactics and implemented the same in the next battle. 

As player, it is important to never ever "rest on your laurels". You must always seek to improve and develop new weapons and new tactics because you can bet your bottom dollar that the opponent is doing exactly the same thing after hit initial defeats. When coaches tell you that you must learn from your losses, the misconception is that you must learn ONLY from your losses. This is not the case; you must learn from your wins as well. Always figure out what worked for (along with what didn't) and determine ways for the opponent to breach your defenses (or break down your weapons) so that you can anticipate the attack during the next battle. For example, if you beat your opponent with a great inside-out forehand (I use this example a lot since it seems to be the meat-and-potatoes play for most players), make sure that you also practice hitting against a slice or heavy/hard down-the-line backhand from the opponent. Also, make sure that you are comfortable coming in or hitting passing shots off your backhand since the opponent may practice a new "play" between tournaments and seek to use it against you. 

Too often, players develop the mentality that because you've beaten an opponent in the past you will do so again in the future. WRONG! Every match, like every battle, is different. Not only will your opponent play differently but, often, the conditions will be completely different as well. Where you may have beaten him on a slow court, now you have to face him on a fast court. It may have been hot before - favoring a bigger hitter - but now it's colder (or windy) - making it difficult to generate pace. A soldier who takes the battle for granted and who is not ready for the element of surprise is a dead soldier. Although the stakes are dramatically lower when it comes to sports, the same principle applies. Expect the unexpected and you will find yourself victorious over and over again.