Adjust

[GeoffWilliams]

Use psych

If losing with your normal game, say, "Oh well. I guess I'll move on to plan B.", or, "I guess I'll start spinning it.", or, "I guess I'll start going into the net.", or, "I guess I'll start moon balling." You get the point. Get him thinking about what you are going to do, to distract.

[GeoffWilliams]

Fake the serve volley play

If he is hitting at your ankles, returning, fake as if you are going into net off serve and stop short, and take the short ball that would have been at your ankles, as a short ground stroke to now attack dtl. It's one of the hardest things to learn as a net player: stop short and back up or back off a bit, to take the short balls as they deserve to be taken, as ground strokes, not volleys. This will show him you are anticipating exactly what he's going to do at all times. Stopping short can turn a match around, by getting him to think about your game and your adjustments, not relax and take care of business. Any adjustment that takes him out of that relaxed mode can be effective.

[bottle]

I like it all, even when translated to doubles.

[GeoffWilliams]

Shot sequences

Give these a number, like 3-2-1. Three wide serves, two dtm, one in the body, like a play book. Or high ball/low ball: HB/LB: moon ball/low skidding slice that does not lay up. Slices that lay up only affect a few players. With everyone else, they just give them more time to kill the shot and coil more. Short drop dtl/cc pass. Have these in your mind abbreviated, as a game plan, to make it simple to execute. Z drill: cc/dtl change of direction on the sequence. Or just cc. Or just high ball bh. Or just twist serves bh. Make them simple.

[GeoffWilliams]

Food to eat during match to adjust play

Anything acidic, like mango, orange, berries, etc., will make your blood too acidic and help to induce cramps. Alkaline foods are best, such as salty nuts, salt period, salt water mixed with performance drinks. Sugar water like gatorade has 32 grams or tea spoonfuls of sugar per 2 liter bottle! That just produces a boom/bust blood stream reaction. The best thing to eat before matches is something like oyako donburi: eggs/onion/rice/soy sauce/chiken/ omelette. https://www.google.com/search?q=oyak...ml%3B300%3B238 The best thing during matches is alkaline based foods with high carbs to combat electrolyte losses in the blood stream. When needed, the elements dissolve within seconds into your stream. Water on every change over. REactions can slow down 30% on a hot day if you don't drink water. Some drink coffee or take the stuff that Nadal takes, the high caffeine, high carb, high protein gel that tour de france riders eat. http://www.publicityworks.biz/wptpw/...ergyMaxgel.jpg http://www.bento.com/rcp/tsuji-oyako300.jpg Ingredients:
6-8 cups hot cooked rice
4-5 eggs
1/4 pound (115g) chicken
2 long onions (naganegi) or 4 green onions
Sauce:
2 1/2 cups dashi or chicken stock
6 tbsp dark soy sauce
6 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp sugar

[GeoffWilliams]

What to keep in your bag

Foot pad inserts if you hurt your foot pad. Second skin band aids if you get a blister. Salt if you get cramps. Lead tape if you need more pop on shots. Extra impact absorbers if they go flying. Muscle tape if you pull something. Duct tape for the low cost blister guys. Dry shirt to change if wet, as the wet shirts will absorb a lot of sweat saturated with your own exhaust fluids. Dry socks. Elasto band to warm up at sites without any warm up court or wall. Use the net just next to the net posts, as a back board as a quick last resort to warm up, banging shot after shot that will bounce back fast and low off a two bounce rhythm. Extra full foot pad inserts. Extra elbow absorbers like the tenex high kev. Some money for parking meters or food. Extra string a lings if used. Extra tape, grips absorbers, or some electrical tape. Athletic bandage tape for fingers. Electrolytes for match food. Nuts. Sports performance bar or gel. Extra water bottles. Use purified water as many venues have bad water that is unfiltered. Use water bottles wide enough to accept ice cubes for hot weather matches.

A zinc oxide sunscreen, so it won't sting your eyes or wipe off with your towel. A towel to wipe off.

[GeoffWilliams]

Response to your shot sequence

If you have a drop shot lob sequence, and he's nailing those, switch to a drop shot/short slice/pass. Drop to the dtl side, and pass or lob cc. If he answers with a drop of his own, fire the pass right at his right hip. More than one way to beat a net man. Dont' just always try to avoid him and go around him, esp. at close range. There are always three possibilities for any given shot sequence: it works: it doesn't: it's neutral. Simplify your shot sequences. Stay cc. Stay on his bh. Stay with moon balls. Stay with short slices. Do what you can do. If he's all over the net and you can't pass him, then lob him. If he's super consistent and you can't out rally him, then bring him in and come in yourself. IF you don't have a short game, then add one to your repertoire. Add the short bh slice ala fed, which he uses against two handers to draw them into net where they are usually not as good on transition into net, not very good, like joker etc. or Hewitt.

[GeoffWilliams]

Adjust your contact point

The arc of your own arm forms a curve ahead of you. Low shots, have to be allowed closer to the middle of your body due to the length of your arm determines the right contact point. If you are netting low shots, you are too far out in front and on top of the ball. Conversely, high shots, have to be contacted further out in front than normal, so that you can be on top of the ball and hit down into the court. Medium high, waist type shots, can be contacted in the normal distance out front. If you are going long on high shots, you are contacting late. If you are going long on medium high shots, same thing. If you are going into the net, you are too far out front on top of the shot. Same serving.

[GeoffWilliams]

Adjust to your opponent and scout him

Check him out with another match if you can. Look for weaknesses, shots most often missed and note why he's missing: on the run, short slices, high shot to his bh, etc. Check out to see where he serves on break point down, or his favorite serve under pressure, and determine how to attack his second serve. Check to see if he disguises his shots at all, where he attacks, how he neutralizes good shots by others, if he can volley, if his serve is weak, or his high fh, where he likes to hit his fh, if he runs around his bh on serve returns on both ad and deuce sides, etc. Does he lob? Does he prefer to pass cc?

Ask around about him but don't expect the truth. A buddy of his lied to me once, about his fh being the stronger side, and the wide fh being deadly. Was the other way around! Don't believe everything you hear about a guy. Trust your eyes only.

Look for his favorite play sequence and decide how to neutralize it. Some big hitters hate no pace. Some pushers hate high balls. Some old school continental grips hate high fh. Check out his grips on groundies.

Decide whether to attack him or defend, passive play or dominant play.

[GeoffWilliams]

Add a kick serve

The toss is crucial to your kick/twist. It has to be in an area where you can hit the left side of the ball, at about 9 oclock-8 oclock. Your non dominant shoulder has to stay cocked sideways for as long as possible, and your back to the net for as long as possible. The racquet follow through for a twist has to be towards the rear fence post behind you, and parallel to the baseline for a kick serve. The toss has to be over your rear shoulder and that is behind you for the best result.

[GeoffWilliams]

Adjust your expectations

if you don't like competition, and all that goes with it, just practice for fun, exercise, camraderie. If you don't like losing/winning sets, just hit for fun and training. In any case, for any improvement, you have to do both, fun and combat. Combat is only fun if you win. Most people like to just have fun and can't truly take losing at all, so why not admit that and adjust accordingly?

[GeoffWilliams]

Add a shot to your game

Decide to add dimensions to your self and your persona on court. The biggest adjustment you can make is the one you have not made yet!


No short game? Add a short slice. No bh topspin lob? No big first serve? No twist serve? No bh slice at all? No high kicking top spin? No drop shot? No volley game? No angled shots? No moon balls? NO adjustment mode? NO plan B? No plan A? No big shots at all? No consistent mode? No pusher mode? Add them into your game for competitors that hate them. That assumes you are able to determine/watch. Yourself first. No one is going to care, or watch, as much as you will. Pride for most of us is worth more than money. That's where string jobs come into play. Cut them out if they don't feel perfectly right. Your emotions are worth more than your wallet is. Those who say different, don't deserve to play the game.

If you want extreme control, buy ltec 4s. If you want extreme power, use vs team gut on mains. If you want extreme spin, buy bhb7, or black edge, or rpm blast, etc. Edged strings give more spin. If you want soft strings, cyclone/multis/gut. Decide who you are and what you do best, not what you like to do the most. Often it's a different thing. Roddick's favorite shot is a drop volley, not the 140mph ace!

Add a psych game to your on court persona. Vampire/gloat/grind/distraction/stall/etc. All fair in love and tennis.

[GeoffWilliams]

Buy a pro stock frame

Look up pt57a for control. Look up pro stock babolat for spin. joesstringforum

[GeoffWilliams]

Have a pro stringer string your frame and customize it for max. feel/control/power.

Email me if interested.

[GeoffWilliams]

The weather

Cold air demands warm ups on the legs, not just bare shorts like so many use. Warm ups also stop sun burn on hot days, and keep the legs cool as the sweat acts like a cooling effect. And they help prevent leg injuries. Hot weather demands some ice water/cubes in the water bottle. Some freeze half the bottle the night before. Salt in the bag should be added to your water if your tendency is to cramp in hot weather. Zinc oxide sun screen doesn't wipe off as easily nor sting your eyes.