Hey guys! I’m glad you’re joining me this week, because we’re going to tackle a pretty powerful yet controversial issue that can have you winning matches … even against some of the toughest players you’re ever going to face. What do I mean? Well, let me explain…

Now, every now and then, when we’re out there playing a match, we encounter, a very terrible situation – a situation that we feel is a total “no-win” or “lose-lose one at best.”

The scenario, many times, looks like this. Your opponent is playing hotter than the Las Vegas sun in July. I mean, he is really on some serious fire while you are seemingly sitting on a cooler of arctic ice.

The other guy (…or gal) is just “on.” Every shot they hit lands in with a ton of zip on it, every serve seems to just graze the outer side of the boundary line, and no matter what you seem to throw back at them (…even the kitchen sink), it doesn’t seem to affect them in the least.

Needless to say, this can be complete mental chaos, and running around the court like a rag doll flapping your arms isn’t any fun either.  But don’t get discouraged, it happens to all of us. Sometimes, you eat the bear and other times the bear eats you. That’s just the luck of the draw sometimes.

You’re probably saying, “Well, what does ‘everybody’ do when ‘everybody’ gets hit with this problem?”  Well, don’t just throw your hands up in frustration. That’s not going to get you anywhere.

What you need to do is apply the right strategy that’s going to put yourself in a better situation asap! Oh yea, there is hope! There is a way to get you out of this and have you “eating the bear” again.

But I need you to listen close, because it’s not what you might think or what may “seem” to come naturally to you. It’s actually the complete opposite… Huh? Just keep reading ::wink:

Contrary to what many struggling tennis players believe, you raising your game to the level of a smoking hot opponent shouldn’t be your ultimate goal here. Adjusting your game with the high-hopes of reaching their level of play will just bring you more frustration.

The reason is, you’re probably not going to match shot for shot with him or her unless you reach that “zone level” like him.  And those experiences are rare and very difficult to come by. A lot of times, there’s no formula for it. It just happens – totally by surprise in many cases.

Instead, you want play the odds and play the percentages in this case. By that, I’m saying you need to bring your opponent back down to your level.

Does that sound doable to you? Well, let me tell you, it’s very doable. And it’s less of an an uphill battle as well.  The first concept you need when dragging the level of your opponent’s play through the basement floor is that of…

1. Winner-Detection: WT is a great strategy for anyone who is trying to take their hotshot opponent down a notch.  The key that really makes this strategy work is determining how many shots you’ll exchange with your opponent before he or she attempts a winner to end to the point.

So, while the points are being played, you’re not out there blindly running after shots like a zombie. You’re studying and analyzing each situation until you find a pattern.

When they finally do go for that winner, they’re probably going to add some pace to it or try to go for a more difficult angle.  And since a winner can be risky and contain a lower percentage, this can actually be a situation where your opponent is his most vulnerable and can get overly anxious.

*Meaning, you can use this to turn their advantage into your advantage by setting them up for failure.

And though winner-detection changes from opponent to opponent, hitting three or four shots on a point is often all you need to yank an intermediate player out of his comfort zone and usually results in him taking a risk that, most likely, will result in an error. (This now leads us to part 2 of the strategy…)

2. Ugly Shots: Usually on winner, your opponent is going to be hitting the ball with some sort of steam. And if they’re on a roll, they probably have a pretty solid rhythm going. So, don’t try to match their power with some of your own. That’s what they want you to do. That will only intensify his zone-like edge.

Instead, this is where you want to respond with “ugly”, unwieldy shots – shots that he wouldn’t necessarily expect and shots you wouldn’t think could do much damage like slice and back-spin shots.  They actually do a lot more than you think.

These shots are widely referred to a momentum-breakers, and are excellent for throwing them off their rhythm.  The goal here is to destroy any hint of your opponent’s game. And this is a power-packed first step.

Changing spins is one of the most dynamic ways to put a big dent in your opponent’s level of play. Although the “ugly-shots” bounce slower than typical topspin shots, they can be much more difficult to hit and, more importantly, they will start to pull them out of their comfort zone even more.

The balls lower will be arriving much lower, and your opponent will be forced to alter his or her timing and this can often be all it takes to ruin their hot streak.

I’d also recommend trying to master the drop shot. That shot is also something that you should consider executing if you wanted to do even more damage. 

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So when you get a hot player, use the strategy above to give him a good ol’ brain freeze. Also, if you can manage to lead your opponent into a spot where they are weaker in skill set, (…like serving to their weaker side) you can manipulate everything like a puppet master controlling a puppet.

Getting them to play as far away from their strengths as possible will go a long way toward ensuring their unavoidable demise.

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

Tagged as: comfort zone, hot streak, tennis strategy, ugly shots, winner detection