Read Your Opponent for the Early Advantage
Nick Bollettieri
IMGAcademies.com
One of the most important skills that any tennis player can have is the ability to size up their opponent quickly and easily. Often times a player will face someone they have never played before or have never seen play before. Knowing how to read their opponent starting at the warm up gives a player a distinct advantage. Whether playing for high school, college, a recreational league or even in the professional ranks, the ability to size up your opponent is a huge advantage.
During the warm up, concentrate on getting yourself physically and mentally prepared for the match. Remember to keep an eye on your opponent early on for any apparent strengths or weaknesses.
Here are a few things to be watching for:
Stroke PreferencesHit your shots down the middle of the court and see if your opponent favors one side over the other. For example, do they run around their backhand to hit their forehand every time?
StrokesDoes your opponent practice all the strokes in the warm-up? Some players will skip volleys or overheads all together. Others will only hit one or two balls before changing to something else. This could give you an indication as to their strengths and weaknesses. *Hint: Players typically warm up with their strengths.
VolleyingHit your groundstrokes to them and determine where they stand on the court. Do they come forward to the ball? Are they aggressive? Include a few lobs, hitting a few over their opposite hitting shoulder and see if they come forward after the overhead.
ServingDoes your opponent only practice their first serve, blasting it all around the court? How many serves do they hit? Are they in control of their swing and can they control the ball? Does the ball seem to go in the same direction all the time or do they rotate the placement of their serve?
Studying your opponent in these four areas will give you an excellent read of your opponent’s game even before the match begins.
Any advantage you can gain early on will be a huge boost for you throughout the match.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Art of Poaching
By Tom Avery
When playing doubles, as the server’s partner you play a huge part in whether he/she will hold serve.
If you ask doubles players, “what is the one thing that disturbs them most?”, they often respond with, “a net player that is moving around and poaching often.”
When the server’s partner is active at the net it can really shake up the opposing team. They’re always wondering when he’s going to poach or cut across again. This can really wreak havoc on the returning team. Here are a couple of reasons why being active when your partner is serving is so advantageous.
1.) When you’re active at the net and poaching, the returning team loses rhythm, not being sure if you’re going or not. They are forced to make more sharply angled cross-court returns, which often leads to mistakes. On the other hand, if the returning team knows that the net player never poaches, they can relax, knowing their returns do not have to be that good, they do not have to hit their return as sharply cross-court.
2.) Will you win the point every time you poach? Of course not, however, over the course of a match you can totally disrupt your opponents, and the percentages are in your favor. They’ll lose their rhythm and try to make their returns too good causing errors.
The 3 Keys To Becoming An Effective Poacher
1.) Go forward on the diagonal towards the net. This will enable you to cut the ball off and take it ‘early’. If you move too laterally, you take the ball later, which means it takes you longer to get to the ball and the ball could now be dipping lower, which will not be a good opportunity to put the ball away.
2.) Timing your move is critical, yet the easiest to master. Move when your partners serve bounces in the service box. At this moment, the returner must concentrate on the ball to hit an effective return. When you first try this you may feel you’re leaving too early, YOU’RE NOT and you’ll be in excellent position to put the return away.
3.) I saved the most important for last. When you give the signal or tell your partner you’re going to poach on the next serve, you must go 150%. You have to have the mentality that your partner is not there behind to back you up. You have to have the mentality that the returners return is YOUR BALL from net post to net post. If you consistently have this attitude you WILL become an effective poacher and everybody will want you as a doubles partner.
Please post any comments or questions right below this article.
When playing doubles, as the server’s partner you play a huge part in whether he/she will hold serve.
If you ask doubles players, “what is the one thing that disturbs them most?”, they often respond with, “a net player that is moving around and poaching often.”
When the server’s partner is active at the net it can really shake up the opposing team. They’re always wondering when he’s going to poach or cut across again. This can really wreak havoc on the returning team. Here are a couple of reasons why being active when your partner is serving is so advantageous.
1.) When you’re active at the net and poaching, the returning team loses rhythm, not being sure if you’re going or not. They are forced to make more sharply angled cross-court returns, which often leads to mistakes. On the other hand, if the returning team knows that the net player never poaches, they can relax, knowing their returns do not have to be that good, they do not have to hit their return as sharply cross-court.
2.) Will you win the point every time you poach? Of course not, however, over the course of a match you can totally disrupt your opponents, and the percentages are in your favor. They’ll lose their rhythm and try to make their returns too good causing errors.
The 3 Keys To Becoming An Effective Poacher
1.) Go forward on the diagonal towards the net. This will enable you to cut the ball off and take it ‘early’. If you move too laterally, you take the ball later, which means it takes you longer to get to the ball and the ball could now be dipping lower, which will not be a good opportunity to put the ball away.
2.) Timing your move is critical, yet the easiest to master. Move when your partners serve bounces in the service box. At this moment, the returner must concentrate on the ball to hit an effective return. When you first try this you may feel you’re leaving too early, YOU’RE NOT and you’ll be in excellent position to put the return away.
3.) I saved the most important for last. When you give the signal or tell your partner you’re going to poach on the next serve, you must go 150%. You have to have the mentality that your partner is not there behind to back you up. You have to have the mentality that the returners return is YOUR BALL from net post to net post. If you consistently have this attitude you WILL become an effective poacher and everybody will want you as a doubles partner.
Please post any comments or questions right below this article.
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