What do we do what we find ourselves in a winning position in a match? Most make two errors. They focus on the outcome of winning the match and they defend their lead. Both of these two things have catastrophic results!
There are many many examples even at an elite level Web players have started thinking about the end of the match. Things like shaking hands, shaking the umpire’s hand, photos with the trophy, people to think in their speech etc.
Thinking about the outcome and defending your lead a common symptoms when winning a match. There are processes and strategies you can execute to ensure you see the match to its completion as the winner.
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In the game of tennis, there is an invisible force always present. Call it momentum.
In theory, each point should be independent of the previous point. However, this is very rarely the case. The momentum in a match can be built up between points, between games and between sets.
The momentum can be your friend or it can be your enemy. We will talk about both. However, let’s first talk about how to identify momentum.
The momentum is defined by winning it back to back points, back-to-back games all back-to-back sets. Let’s work was an example. The score within the game is 30-30. the person who won the last point, has a little bit of momentum however, if they were down 30 love they would have a lot of momentum. With his momentum they would be more likely to win next point. Momentum is basically when one person is getting upperhand on the other person.
Invisible momentum can be very powerful. If you were down 30 love and you win the next two points you are feeling uplifted and more confident to win the next point. Your opponent on the other hand, would be feeling negative having had such a strong lead and is now back to 30-30.
Momentum can be very powerful when a player wins a few games in a row. Momentum can swing an entire match. Momentum is a very powerful force, it can be your friend or it can be your enemy. Once you realise you have momentum either on your side or against you, you need to take action.
What to do when Momentum is on your side. When momentum is on your side you must nurture it. You must keep the momentum flowing. It is the time to concentrate and not let your opponent back into the game set or match. Do not play any loose points, nor go for any spectacular winners. Simply play good solid tennis and maintain your game plan. Having a nice lead is NOT a time to relax because, by definition, the momentum may swing back against you. In which case you’ll find yourself having to stop the momentum in the other direction.
When momentum is on your side you are trying to hit your opponent while they are down. You do not want them to get up off the ground. Do not open the window for them to jump through. Keep it tightly closed until the end of the match.
Tips that will help you keep momentum:
- Do not waste time between points. Move efficiently between points, do not rush, but do not waste time. Keep the momentum going and get as many points under your belt as possible. The stronger the momentum the easier the points.
- Move efficiently between games. Do not waste time and quickly get the balls down to the servers end. On the change of ends, only take a short break and keep going. Start the next game as soon as possible.
- In between sets, again move efficiently. Take the shortest amount of time possible, try and start the set as soon as you can.
What to do when Momentum is against you. This one is simple, you must stop it!!
There are many ways to stop momentum. They are actually the opposite of what I mentioned in the previous section. The goal is to change the environment. You must do something to break out of this spiral. Here are a few tips:
- take a long time between points
- straighten in your strings
- Tie your shoelaces
- change racquets
- stretch your muscles
- discuss something with a referee or umpire
Now some not so subtle actions
- Argue over a line call
- Hit a ball out of the court so it takes time to retrieve the ball
- Talk to your opponent on a change of ends. Find something to say to enter their mind
- Call for injury time
- Use every second of time you are allowed between, games and sets
- take a toilet break
We will discuss momentum in a lot more detail in future articles. But for now just be aware of it in your matches and matches that you watch other people play.
Michael
Doubles is won at the net. The majority of the game of doubles is about intimidating your opponents. The first pair to reach the net, has the greatest chance of winning the point. This is why every server, should be following their serve into the net. Very rarely does the server stay back on the baseline.
When your partner is serving, move towards the net as the serve passes past you. Just one step or shuffle will do. Your partner will be following his serve in, and therefore together you will create a feeling of strong intimidation.
Another benefit of moving forward with your partners serve is that you are already preparing yourself for a volley. You already have forward momentum, and therefore a more likely to execute your volley well. Some net players a standing flat-footed. They have very little time to react to the return, and therefore are hitting a defensive volley.
Another large benefit, is an active get player creates uncertainty in the returners is mind. the returner will feel more pressure on the return, knowingly they have to hit a great return to keep the net player out of the point.
In summary, the benefits of following your partner’s serve in are
- Intimidation
- Better Prepared for a volley
- Uncertainty in the returners mind
Try this simple tip. After a few points or a few games you will find that your opponent’s will feel the pressure on their returns. They will start to go for bigger returns and take more risks to keep you out of the point.
Enjoy, Michael
Every stroke has 3 basic – and obvious – parts. The Backswing, the acceleration, the follow-through.
When you watch the top tennis players they look like they hit the ball effortlessly. They hit the ball so clean and crisp, might have large and smooth strokes. In this article I am going to talk about the backswing in particular.
The backswing plays a major part in how would you hit the ball, and most importantly how consistently you the ball.
The transition between the backswing and the acceleration phase is extremely critical. There should be no pause between the backswing and the acceleration forward. The racquet head should not stop moving.
If you take your racquet back to early, and you pause the two long, you will find that you have a very jerky swing. You will also find that you try use your body to accelerate the racquet. This usually results in ’spinning out’ of the shot. The ball will usually have an ‘inside out’ flight path.
Decades ago the technique was to prepare yourself early, take your racquet back, plant yourself for the shot, then accelerate through the shot. In today’s game, the technique is more like one single action.
To achieve an effortless swing, focus on the delaying the backswing to ensure there is no pause at the back of you stroke. You will find your body can stay in position for longer, your stroke will become smoother, and you’ll gain more power.
This is applicable to forehands, backhands and the serve. On the serve, the acceleration phase starts when your racquet is down the middle of your back. Your backswing and the height of your ball toss are important in having a smoother serve.
Try these few tips and let me know how it goes.
Michael
To learn when to come to the net, imagine that the court is divided into three colors, like a traffic light. The zone that the ball lands in should determine your response. The back court is the red zone. Do not move in when the ball lands in this area. The middle part is the yellow zone. If you get a ball there, proceed only if our opponent is out of position or you can hurt them with your approach. The front third of the court is the green zone. When the ball bounces here, get in as quick as possible.
Glenn Irwin – Noosa Springs Tennis Centre
Okay, firstly, the strength to winning matches is the ability to hold your serve. Usually, a set is won by holding every service game, then breaking your opponent serve. When this is the case wind the set 6-4.
If you serve the first game, you must to break at 5-4. If you serve the setting game you must break at 4-4.
Therefore, holding serve is the most important thing in a match. If you do loose your serve work VERY hard to break them straight back. You must put in 120% effort to break them immediately otherwise the whole match can change around in a few games.
Therefore your second serve is the anchor for the match. Potentially the second serve will be one of the major influences in the outcome of your matches. You need to work hard to develop a solid second serve you can rely on in ANY situation.
We often ignore serving practice. However we are guarenteed to need to hit that shot and hit it well !
Enjoy ! Michael
Even kids need a strategy. This is something I see all the time. People learning to play tennis are so focused on the technical aspect they have very little direction in a match. Children, in particular are focused on technique AND VERY vulnerable to distractions.
So, parents, here is a great tip to tell your children, just before they go out on the tennis court to play match.
* win the first two points of every game.
* hit two balls to the backhand, then one to the forehand.
By telling children to focus on just these two simple things, they now have a plan. When times get tough in the match they have a friend. Their plan.
People learning to play tennis do not have distinct strengths and weaknesses, therefore your opponent of equal ability really has no massive strength or no massive weakness. Therefore a basic plan really focussing on yourself will be the most effective.
Let’s talk about the two tips in more detail.
Win the first two points of every game. This actually applies to players at every level however it is very important to beginners who need to understand the importance of getting in front in an individual game. Beginners in particular are more likely to have a negative reaction to losing the first two points. They are more likely to throw the towel in, have a tantrum, drop their bundle. Especially kids. Therefore if you can focus on winning the first two points they may be handed the rest of the game with easy points.
Hit two balls to their backhand, then one to their forehand. the goal of this tip is to basically have some direction with every shot that they hit. So many kids just hit the ball aimlessly. Everybody needs direction with every shot. In actual fact, it doesn’t matter where the ball ended up, just as long as you have a plan. I have chosen to to the backhand won to the forehand because usually players backhands are weaker than their forehands. If there is an obvious weakness, play two shots to that side and one to the strong side.
Recently I saw a great example of this work. The standard of the two young players was very similar. Before the match I told his father, to tell his son, to concentrate on those two tips. During the match, the opponent became very annoying on court. He was screaming “come on” on a double fault. For an innocent ten-year old this is very distracting. By having the basic plan – this gave him direction during hard times. He was able to focus during a very distracting match and beat this opponent.
Let me know what you think !! Enjoy, Michael
Here is a challenge to everyone. The next time you are out on the tennis court try to take a step forward after you hit every volley.
Why? There are two reasons. The first reason is that it gets you going forward while you are hitting your volley. It forces you to go out after the ball rather than waiting for the ball to come to you. The second reason, is that your opponent will feel you getting closer to the net. Therefore, every single volley will put more and more pressure on your opponent. You will also gain volley angle options to finish the point from the net.
This both applies to singles as well as doubles. When you are watching the elite level doubles watch how each player moves closer and closer to the net.
Try this technique and let me know how it goes!
Michael
The tennis court can be a very lonely place for a singles player. In between points it is easy for our mind to wander and be distracted. People wandering around the behind court, planes flying over, other matches going on around you, all have the potential to take your focus away from the match.
It is impossible, nor is it recommended that you stay focused during the whole match. You need to have many breaks, in between points. The challenge, is to regain a high level of concentration quickly at the start of each point.
A technique, I am sure that you have seen the professionals do, is to maintain straight strings in your racquet. Keeping your strings straight makes very little physical difference, however is a great concentration technique.
You will see top players continually straightening their strings before each point. While they are straightening their strings their concentration is very focused. It gives them place for their eyes to focus while they think about the next point and how they going to execute their plan.
If you stick to this technique is easy to see when you are not concentrating. If you look down at your racquet, notice that all your strings are not straight, you need to concentrate more and take more time before points.
Try it out and let me know how you go!
Michael
When you are playing it a tournament at a tennis centre for the first time it is very important to make sure you know a few of the finder details about the centre.
Spending a little bit of time gathering all this information will make your time at the tournament much more relaxed. You will know how to prepare, you’ll know what to expect, and most importantly you will feel in control and settled in unfamiliar environment. This will allow you to focus on your match and your opponent and improve your chances of winning.
In the weeks leading up to the event find out the following information:
* How you are going to travel to the tennis Centre?
* What facilities they have at the tennis Centre.
* Do they have toilets and change rooms?
* Do they have restringing service?
* What is the turnaround time for a restring?
* Do they have a pro-shop?
* Do they sell consumables like grips, wristbands?
* Do they sell healthy food and sports drinks?
* Where are the practice courts?
* What time is another practice courts available?
* Do you need to book a practice court?
* What are the opening hours for the pro shop?
* Do they sell clothing? Just in case you run out of fresh clothes.
* Is the tournament being played at more than one tennis Centre? If so does the tournament arrange transport between the tennis centres?
* What is the surface of the courts at the tennis Centre? (and other tennis centres being used?
* If you’re travelling by car where can you park your car? Are there costs associated with parking?
* If you are relying on public transport know the timetables especially the last bus or train. is public transport safe?
* If possible get a map of where the tennis Centre is located.
* If possible also get a layout of the tennis Centre marking on it where the toilets are, food, pressure, tournament office.
It is a great idea to get the tournament a day before it starts if possible. Try and arrange a warmup practice hit at the tennis Centre start to familiarise yourself with the environment. This will help you relieve some anxiety coming into your first match of the tournament.
If you require accommodation, try to stay within walking distance of the tennis Centre. This is especially important if you have a late match followed by an early match the next day.
For most tournaments this tennis centre would become your home for a couple of days or maybe a week. You need to feel comfortable as soon as possible to increase your chances of winning early matches in the tournament. if possible, even try and find some photos of the tennis Centre to further familiarise yourself.
I hope that helps!
Michael
