Podcast #157: 3 Simple Singles Necessities (Part 3)
So that's mean– you're probably going to make a few more mistakes but if you don't try it, if you don't at least give the effort to pressure them more and keep them more defensive they're going to beat you anyway or at least that's how it seems to be going, which is why we're trying this more offensive lower percentage tactic. So that means go ahead and go for more shots down the line, change the direction more frequently. Hit harder and more aggressively than you typically would, maybe much more aggressively than you typically would. And I mentioned in the first option a minute ago that you're going to have to play well in order to win. Admittedly when you play just kind of high percentage in smart tennis well guess what, when you just start going for the open court on every opportunity and you're hitting out and you're hitting aggressively and going for winners, even more so now, you're going to really have to be dialed in. You're going to have to have a good day hitting the ball otherwise you're just going to spray unforced errors all over the courts. So even more so, and this is not something you should be thinking about by the way oh boy I better be having a good day, I'm just putting it out there so you understand. I don't want you to go out there and try this tactic make a whole mess of mistakes and then come back and tell me that the strategy didn't work. You have to understand that it's a very likely scenario that you try option Number 2, the low percentage high attacking option, and everything wasn't quite clicking that day and you kind of give the match away because you made a whole bunch of unforced errors. So don't get upset if that happens. You have to realize that it's very possible you didn't have a whole lot of choice. If you just played high percentage and you kind of played into the hands of your opponent a little bit and they manhandled you, that would be one way to lose. And different personalities kind of have to decide which way they want to go at this because for me personally I have a hard time accepting my opponent beating me, even if I know deep down inside they're better than me, if I play high percentage and cross courts and approach down the line, I don't try down the line winners very often, and I just get beat and just get hit off the courts I'm extremely competitive and I have a hard time handling that ego wise. I'm honest enough to be able to say that I have a hard time dealing with that. So rather than do that my personality, and I realize this now after kind of stepping away from competition for a while, my personality is such that very early on I'll revert to this option to high offense low percentage option very early in a match. If I get a sense that my opponent is kind of the tides are switching over to their side and they're playing better than me that day. And you have to decide when you're playing somebody who's clearly better than you, you almost have to decide which way you'd rather lose that day. And I hate to lose that day. And I hate to sound pessimistic about it but sometimes it's just reality. I mean you step out and this person's just blasting you off the courts you have to decide which tactic you think, first of all, you want to decide which tactic could possibly be the most effective. And then secondly you might even have to decide which one suits you best and where you think you're going to be most successful emotionally as well tactically. There's a lot of different layers going on here. And so this is Option Number 2 be offensive, go for your openings immediately and as often as possible. And sometimes you just have to do that just to have a chance. And then Number Option Number 3 the last one is kind of the consistency special. Actually take some aggressiveness off of your typical shot and just aim for a high margin for error over and over again. If you have good hands and very good quickness and good stamina this might be the way to go. And basically we're playing the part of a pusher here or a counter puncher or a retriever or whatever you want to call it. Just very high percentage just put it in play aim high over the net, hopefully deep in the court, not a lot of pace and just don't miss. Don't even be offensive at all and just put the ball in play over and over and over again against a player who's much stronger you it's very possible that they'll just start cracking winners. Maybe you'll get three, four or five shots back in play slowly and very consistently and eventually they hit the winner. The hope in playing this tactic is that eventually maybe they start getting nervous, they started thinking wow I can't to lose to this player, or they miss two or three easy shots in a row and it kind of rattles the cage a little bit. And it's our hope that eventually it gets to them and they can't keep up their level of play and kind of crack and start making a bunch of unforced errors. So that's Option Number 3. And by the way it's important to point out that in playing somebody who's much better than you, you don't have to stick with any one of these you can try different tactics out and see what's working best and make adjustments as necessary. Those are your three main options and when you're playing somebody who's much better than you, you know, hopefully you can find one of those three that works the best. And you still may not win the match but you'll at least give yourself the best opportunity to play them close or best opportunity to make the upset. You never know and you don't want to just go down with the ship and just pick one of these and just stick with it the whole match. If it's obvious you're getting beat and your opponent is much stronger try different approaches. And again those three approaches were Number 1 play the percentages, play them straight up. Good fundamental shot selections. Maybe a little more pace than you typically Option Number 2 was low percentage, go for winners, be offensive and just try to hit with or maybe even out hit your opponent whose a level higher than you are. You're going to make unforced errors more than likely and if you don't have a good day you're probably going to hit yourself out of the match by making a lot of mistakes, but sometimes you just might have to try it or you'll get beat anyway. And then thirdly the consistency special really high percentage take pace off your shots, high over the net hopefully deep in play, nothing special at all you're not going for errors just put it in play and hopefully your opponent screws up. We're just hoping for errors from our opponent. So Megan there you go, those are your three options. Feel free to mix and match those and match them to your personality and your strengths and your weaknesses. Some of you listening your game style is going to fit up great with one or two of those but really poorly with the third, you might not want to try the third one. So try to fit this to your own game. And best of luck as you continue competing. It's great you're getting out there and competing after your time off and after your surgery. I hope that you're successful a nd I look forward to hearing back from you and in hearing what you think about this topic. All right. So that does it for Episode Number 157 of the Essential Tennis Podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today and before I sign off just two quick things. Number 1 I'd love to hear your comments and feedback about this episode. You can live those by going to www.essentialtennis.com/podcast click on Episode #157 leave your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you. And lastly you need to get that free instructional course. It's Doubles Tactics and Strategy Course that again is only going to be available through this week up until Sunday the 20th at midnight Eastern Time the course is going to come down. In between my recording sessions here doing this podcast I've been continually answering questions, questions, comments are just pouring in on this first video that I just released this morning. So people are really enjoying the contents so far, which I'm really happy about, and I know that the whole course is going to be very helpful to you. Again even if you have no interest in Doubles Domination that's perfectly fine, just get the free course. I promise it's going to be helpful. And again you can sign up for that free course by going to www.doublesdomination.com. All right that does it for this week. Take care and good luck with the tennis.
