Have Your Opponent Scrambled!

Head Coach — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:06:43 +0000

A tennis player’s rhythm is an extremely critical component to his success out there on the court. That sense of fluidity is one of the most effective ingredients when attempting to get that highly coveted “In-The-Zone” feeling. It’s also a huge reason behind some of the quickest routes and most heart-stopping comebacks in tennis history.

Pretty powerful stuff, you think? I’m sure we’ve all experienced that feeling where everything seems to go in no matter what you do, what shots you hit, or even how much bone crushing pace you put on the ball. Oh yea, it’s definitely a wonderful feeling to have when that HUGE dose of “Mr. Momentum” is on your side.

Now, rhythm can be a double-edged sword if not handled with care. It’s pretty important that you keep this under wraps. I mean, if this were a package, then you’d better double stamp the word “FRAGILE” on the side in extra big letters, because this thing can really become a huge headache for you if allowed to get into the wrong hands, mainly those of your opponents.

Once that feeling is obtained, that lucky player will become almost impossible to beat. It’s almost like he becomes super-human with all the points going in his favor even though it looks like he’s barely trying. The reason why I felt I had to address this is because too many players are unaware of how so deeply important this rhythm thing is to their overall success.

Instead of denying their opponent the opportunity of getting into a groove, they actually do things to help perpetuate it and suffer major consequences without fully understanding why.

So… how do you keep this from happening? How do you take away one of your opponent’s most critical assets? It’s actually a lot easier than you think. Follow the strategy below and you’ll have your opponent more confused than ever.

The key to crushing your opponent’s chances of gaining any rhythm and getting into that “zone like” mode is to make sure that you don’t give him the same looks and the same shots too often. The more you send your shots to the same spot over and over again, the more that you’re getting your opponent into a groove.

Many players do this because they’ve found a shot that works, and they want to stick with it. But what they fail to realize is that this makes it easy for your opponent to lock in and really unload on your shot. I see too many players fall victim to this, and it’s a big mistake.

Instead, what you need to do is…

Mix it up!

Option #1: Hit shots to both his forehand side and his backhand side. This will force him to keep his lateral movement (…going to side to side) honest. He won’t be able to cheat over either way. This will cause him to think. And don’t take this the wrong way. Thinking is not a bad thing. Only when you do it too much (…when it becomes extremely difficult to make critical decisions) can it become detrimental to your game.

But by keeping him guessing back there, that’s exactly what you’re doing to your opponent. “Where’s he’s going to hit it, forehand… forehand… oh no wait… it’s a backhand!” That’s what his thought process will look like. And as a result, his comfort and stability levels have sunk to the ocean bottom so to speak. You’re clouding his mind to the point where all he can think about is possibly going the wrong way.

Scientifically speaking, you’re preventing his mind from settling in and being able to fixate on one particular thing (…in this case, his direction). And by this time, your opponent has already lost his cool and now has to play against you and himself. Not bad huh, you didn’t know you were going to get a little “2 on 1″ action out of this, did you ?

Option #2: You also want to occasionally bring him up to the net by occasionally adding in a drop shot here and there. Oh, and if your opponent’s net game is somewhat to be desired, then that’s your green light drop-shot him to death. This will keep him from getting too comfortable and will prevent him from “Camping-Out” on the baseline. This will have a much similar affect as option #1, except it’ll be in a different direction.

WARNING: Only try this with your opponent back at the baseline. If you attempt the drop-shot with your opponent at the net or rushing to it, he’ll eat YOU for breakfast. Why? He’ll already be in a prime position to hit a powerful passing shot. You’ll just be lucky if he does not go right into your body, because those HURT!

If you can disrupt your opponent’s rhythm and sense of balance. You’ve got him right where you want him. And believe me, you’ll be able to see what he’s thinking by the way he is playing.

If he looks unsure about his swing or his body is a little off center, you know you’re doing the right stuff. So, keep at it. Keep him going left and right, up and back over and over, and OVER again. Oh yea, and if you see a racket fly against the wall, you’ve really got it going!

For some reason, I’m thinking about scrambled eggs before my next match.

Have you had breakfast yet?

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

P.S. If you have some ideas of your own for future tennis tips of the week, concepts you’d like covered, or would just like to give a good old fashion hello, please reply to this post. I’d love to hear from you.

TennisMindCamp » opponents mindset

Have Your Opponent Scrambled!