TMC NEWS: Before we get into how to give your tennis forehand and back for punch, I want to let you know that TennisMindCamp Strategy Secrets 101, the new and intense strategy collection totaling almost 19 hours of professional tennis tips, tricks, and tennis secrets is now available.  If you’re interested in really taking your tennis game to the next level, click here.  For this week’s tennis tip, see below .

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Now like I stated in my last tennis tip, bringing the aggression when you’re down is an

extremely powerful strategy and can be great for pulling you out of a mental hole.

But unloading too much in the wrong situation or going into overload with its usage, is an ill-advised decision and one of today’s players most detrimental mistakes.

Oh yeah, going “all-in” on your tennis forehand and other strokes can dig you even deeper into a hole (…mentally and physically) if you’re not careful.

If you bring it too often (…and attempt to pound every ball),  sure you’ll feel that rush from the adrenaline and be confident for a moment, but that feeling will quickly tank from putting yourself in too many unfavorable positions and accumulating too many errors.

That said, you don’t want to play with  the “Kill It” mentality every time you take your racket back. If you do, your game can take on two terrible traits that may ruin your winning chances completely.

1. You’ll Quickly Experience Tennis Fatigue:

Going “all in” on your tennis forehand and backhand requires a substantial amount of energy (…much more than if you were hitting a milder shot in an average baseline rally), and thus leaves you with less energy to use on the next shot – and in future games as well.

And get this, this isn’t just an arm thing.  For every shot you hit, your whole body is engaged (…arms, legs, knees, torso, head, shoulders, toes, wrists, and mind). And each time you really push it, the more your entire body takes a hit.

So, if this strategy is attempted in great numbers, you won’t have much left in the tank if the match turns into a long one or goes into extra innings so to speak.  You’ll simply be too exhausted.

And it won’t matter how badly you want that win or if you have the momentum in your favor or not. If your body can’t go anymore, the party is over .

That will ultimately result in your retirement – giving your opponent a free “express” pass to the next round. You don’t want that. You want to make your opponent earn everything.

2. You’ll Become The “Predictable Tennis Player.”

This is one of the worst labels in tennis. As a result of your uncontrolled aggression on your tennis forehand and backhand (…your serve too), your opponent will be given the chance to “settle in” and get comfortable – TOO COMFORTABLE. Why? Because you won’t be forcing him to adjust.

And with no variable or variety involved, he won’t have to think. He’ll know what you’re going to attack him with. He’ll already be prepared and know exactly what part of the court to cover, how fast he needs to be, how much pace he has to generate to get off a solid shot, and he’ll already have figured out where you’re going to recover.

And as a result,  he can even be further ahead of you on the next one – something that can turn into a circle of terror pretty quick.

Tennis Forehand and Backhand: The Bottom Line

Bottom line, YOUR SHOTS (…your tennis forehand and your tennis backhand) will have much LESS IMPACT. I mean, it won’t even matter if you blast your best screamer (…a shot with amazing speed) over there and it felt amazing coming off your racket, your opponent won’t feel your intended wrath and will return it with relative ease.

So yeah, what once was your “bread and butter” would now turn into your “day-old brussels sprouts.”  It’ll be hurting a lot more than helping.  And that can greatly affect your confidence level – thrusting it into a downward spiral.

How do you avoid these two negatives? You’ve got to set up.  You’ve got to set yourself up to make the big play.

And in order to do that, you have to change your mental state or frame of mind to that of a chess player or a championship-level boxer, instead of the incredible hulk.

Don’t set your sights solely on smacking the winner. Just go firm and secure – mixing it up with some flat shots, topspin shots, slice shots, and even sneak in a few drop shots now and then.

Then, what do you do? You play neutral or “detective tennis.” You wait – wait until you see you’ve got your opponent in a defensive position and on the ropes. That’s when you can load up, strike, and really let him have it.

Jab Your Tennis Forehand… Then Uppercut:

It’s the same thing in boxing. You don’t want to approach a fight, looking for the knock out blow with every punch.

For example, look at one of the greatest fighters in the world today, Manny Pacquiao.

In his recent bout against Puerto Rican born Miguel Cotto, he worked Cotto until he could find or generate that opening to really unload on it.

Even though Pacquiao has the power to knock his opponent out with one punch, he would jab his opponent a few times to the body, just to get a better feel for his opponent and what his possible responses and counter-attacks might be.  Then he’ll hit him with a couple up-stairs.

He would fade back and retreat (…assess the situation), then move in and regain the role of the aggressor, with hopes of landing a killer power shot every once in a while.

Then, when he would see that opening (…the opponent letting his guard down or falling out of position), that’s when he would load up that heavy left cross that sent Cotto crashing down onto the canvas.

You see, when those fighters are “dancing around the ring,” they’re not running away from confrontation like many believe, they’re very strategic and calculated warriors. Because hey, if you go for it (…load up that big swing) too soon or too often, it could very well be you who’s looking at the ceiling, flat on your back.

So keep your aggression in check, and only use it when you feel (…and see) the time is right. This will help you conserve energy and keep your opponent honest, so he doesn’t end up beating you to the punch.

Let me know if you think of this tip on tennis forehand and backhand strategy was helpful. Or if you have something like you’d like to share.  I’d love to get your opinion and insight.

Have a great day and an even better game,

Brian
TennisMindCamp

Tagged as: ground strokes, groundstrokes