The other day I was at a tennis tournament evaluating some 18's & 16's players when I overheard a conversation between a young boy who was in the 14's and his father. The young boy mentioned that in his next match he was probably going to lose because he was playing against a pusher.
This made me think back to my teams. If I asked my men and women which style of player they'd least like to play against their answer would probably be a counterpuncher or pusher. Below are some pointers that will give you an edge the next time you play one.
1. Put yourself in the right frame of mind before you step on court.
Expect the match to be long and tough. Expect your opponent to get every ball back. If you go in to the match ready for a tough grind then if it does happen you'll be mentally prepared. If you go in to the match not prepared then you've already lost.
2. Hit with less power and more topspin.
Trade power for topspin. By hitting with less power and more topspin you'll make fewer errors. Fewer errors means your opponent will have to do something other than just hitting the ball back to beat you. Most counterpunches wait for you to miss. Forcing them to win points by hitting forcing shots plays against their strengths.
3. Play the angles.
Play a shot deep to one corner then follow it up with a short cross court angle to pull your opponent off the court. The more ground your opponent has to cover the more likely you will get a ball you can attack.
4. Plan on taking two or more shots to end the point.
When you finally do get a ball you can play aggressively resist the temptation to go for an all or nothing shot. Nothing is more frustrating than playing a long point, getting the ball you want, then missing the put away shot. Instead, think of the aggressive shot as an opportunity to set yourself up to finish the point on the next ball.
5. Finish points at the net.
Move forward off of short balls to end the point. If you can read your opponents shots then look to close in and take floating balls out of the air. A volley is much easier to put away than a groundstroke. The closer you are to the net the less reaction time your opponent will have and the more angle you can get on your volley.
6. Be prepared to back up when necessary.
When you are at the net, expect the lob. If you can hit the overhead, then go for your shot. If not, back up, reset the point and take advantage of the next short ball.
7. Make your opponent move forward.
Your opponent is most comfortable at the baseline running down your shots. If you can bring him in to the net you will take him out of his comfort zone. Normally a counterpuncher's weakest shots are their volleys. If he has to beat you with his weakest shot then you have the advantage.
8. Keep yourself in the right frame of mind during the match.
You will make errors during the match. You'll blow easy shots. The key is to make sure that the frustration of missing a shot and losing the point does not cause you to lose the next two. Instead of thinking "How could I have missed that shot?" stay positive and think, "Next time I get that shot the point is mine!" Think of what adjustments are necessary to correct the error instead of dwelling on the lost point.
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Thank you for your description of a pusher. I was wondering if there was a difference between the counter-puncher and the pusher, and now I see there is not. Although counter-puncher sounds more athletic. Also, there seems to be a gender difference when choosing between the names. An ATP player is called a counter-puncher i.e., Andy Murray and the WTA player is a referred to as a pusher i.e., Caroline Wozniacki.
ReplyDeleteI like your comments on how to play this type of player. They make alot of sense.