Adjust

[GeoffWilliams]

Playing injured and you don't want to quit

If it's a leg/ham/quad/calf/knee/ankle/foot injury, you are not going to be able to move, so you have to try to hit winners, at least every third shot or so, with a high ball set up as shot sequence, then attack dtl and limp in. If it's a shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, neck injury, your movement is not affected as much, and you can bear that pain better, and can be more careful with your sequences.

[GeoffWilliams]

Grudge match re run

Playing the same guy again, and you want to win this time. Look at your notes you made: how did he win points. How did you win points. How did you lose points? How did he lose points? What should you have done in hind sight to beat him? What should he have done to beat you? Do you have to add a shot to your repertoire, ie, a bh topspin lob? Did he slice approach dtl to your bh and you could not pass? Add that shot. Did you beat you with great serving? Remeber which is his fav. serve and wait til he goes peripheral, then cheat over there, and take it away from him. Is he known for a slice wide? Cheat over there and give him the bh dtl serve. Now is the time to practice the things you know you should have done to beat him, not in the match!

[klacr]

Esp. effective in doubles. If the server does not have a good serve, play way inside the base line, and attack the return, even if the server is coming into net, you can dominate him by putting intense pressure by putting the return at his ankles, while you come into pick off his volley now coming up. Your partner can also fake poaches or go if you put it at his feet. So now they won't be able to hold at all. The anacone style of doubles is deadly if you can control your returns down with top spin at the servers ankles. Takes fast reflexes and someone who enjoys the net and is good at topspinning bh returns.

Good stuff Jeff. Ability to come in and play the net is crucial and benefits the attacking player not just on that point but through the course of the match by applying relentless pressure. Serve and volley gets talked about but in reality it's only 50% of a players game since they are returning serve for the other half. Therefore, chip and charge or return and volley can still be used and especially on weak 2nd serves. Make your opponent feel the pressure on more than just your service games.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[GeoffWilliams]

Once your opponent adjusts

He found the answer to your sequence. Now it's your turn to answer back. Play to neutralize first, attack second, if he's good. Disguise will come into play more for better players. You need now to sneak in, after throwing a few high balls, rather than kamikaze all the time on every one.

[GeoffWilliams]

Adjustto his adjustment

Anticipate the common adjustments to: high ball attack to the net, fake drop shot, fake drive and then drop, fake kick serve to the ad side.

They will vary is the player is old or new school. New school guys will always run around any high ball to their bh. Some will even hit a swinging volley, and assume net. It's the old shcool guys who won't run around, and will mainly rely on a one handed slice bh cc. Approaching cc with the high ball is the only time you want to approach cc, unless you disguise the cc shot as an inside out fh, and then go cc. See how they react to your cc moon ball approach.

Go to passive defense mode, and see how they react to the safe ball routine.

Keep the ball out of their normal strike zone, either low or high, no matter who you play, no matter which shot you are hitting.

[GeoffWilliams]

If you can't win any free points on serve

You have to play very quick/passive/high shot tolerance/push/grind/defend/consistent mode from the base line. No free points, also means: stop trying to hit a great first serve. You can't do it anyway, and take all the pressure off of him trying to do something he now knows you can't do! Hit fast second serve slices for a first,and add a twisting/kicking second for variety. Sneak in on some sv/to the ad side.

[GeoffWilliams]

If you are missing too many returns

Adjust position, stand way back, way in, way off the the side, and repostition during his motion. Take away the serve he has been beating you with by cheating over there and showing him you are cheating. Decide to clear the net by two feet at least.

[GeoffWilliams]

If you have not played in awhile

The first thing to go is the feet. Slow/sluggish will be normal. The next is the serve/return game. Don't get into a match, as you are not ready anyway, just practice those shots and beg off, unless you don't care about winning! And exaggerate the foot work, until you are fast again and don't have to.

[GeoffWilliams]

If you don't trust your serve

Don't own the shot? Almost no one does! Keep the ball out of their strike zone! High to the bh, low to the fh, and into the right hip high top slice. Keep to that formula, and all of a sudden you will begin to feel dominant on your serve. If they run around the high kicks to the bh, adjust and fake kick, to a fast slice to their fh!

[GeoffWilliams]

The most common way to lose

To someone who keeps the ball going one more shot than you do! Super consistent pusher types abound in tournament/rec play.

Since they will always be more consistent than you are, it's going to take a shorten the points tactic: attack them with moon ball approaches high to their bh, after a low slice to their fh, a sequence where they can't run around the moon ball approaches. They will adapt esp. if you set them up with an early over close to the net. They will now lob every pass. Stop over closing early, at the service line and wait for the lobs. They will not usually attack your serve, just bunt it back with few if any errors. Take advantage of that also by first over closing, then stopping and taking what would have been an ankle volley as now a short ground stroke attack shot. Use their sequences against them by setting them up to believe you will do one thing, then doing another!

[GeoffWilliams]

Adjust to an arrogant partner

Does he sneer or gloat when he hits a good shot? Does he show up late every time, without apology or explanation? Does he act as if you have not set up a hit in front of his team mates and keep you waiting to take the court as if you are not there? Does he never bring balls or offer to pay for yours? Does he hit a huge amount of winners and anger over yours? Does he wait for you to pick up balls rather than pu those on his side of the court? Does he neglect to close the court doors and pressure others to remove from the court? Does he never say, "Good shot.", or thank those who are not as good as he for hitting? Does he always stack teams so he can win?

The simplest adjustment you can make is to explain what he's doing, and see his reaction: denial and defense, and then tell him due to these complaints, you are dumping him. The complicated solution is to offer him a reform and ask for his apology and see if he means it or not. Great/good players are often narcissistic, and think they are above you for it. But they are hard to replace! Sometimes it's worth it, but usually not, to suffer the shots of an arrogant punk, in more ways than one. It's an exercise in humility to be patient, but sometimes these guys don't even know how bad they are and just need a nudge.

[GeoffWilliams]

If your opponent has adjusted to your sequences

You have to answer back or lose. The high/low ball game was working and now it's not. He started taking the ball out of the air: now you have to pass him or dump it at his ankles. He started running around the high ball: you have to attack his fh cc, with low slices or angled shots so he cannot do it as often. He started to run around your kick/twist serves. You have to fake it and slice wide to his fh. Or hit an angle so great he cannot, by following through to the back fence, not just parallel to the net. He started to be more consistent. You have to be more consistent or shorten the points by bringing him in with a short slice cc, or come in yourself more. He started to serve/volley, taking away your return volley game. Keep coming in, but with shorter shots at his ankles and see if he can out volley you, instead of dtl approaches deep. Or stay back and two stage pass. He started staying back and grinding. Do the same and out grind or bring him in again, or come in more yourself and increase court dominance. Either way, you have to attain domination of court positioning. The person who contacts the ball in front of the base line more often will win than not. Shot spot analysis shows this over and over, yet, who plays inside the base line these days? Almost no one will take that risk.

[GeoffWilliams]

String adjustments

Try these to see which one feels the best: Vary cross strings: top 3 at 55lbs, then next 8 at 65lbs, then next ones down at 55lbs,and reverse it: top 3 at 65lbs, next 8 at 55lbs, next ones at 65lbs, with the same mains. Lock frame down first before cutting out crosses. Hit with each version once, and make notes at to which one felt the best. Then do the same in reverse, with a new set of mains at the same starting tension, to see which really feels the best. The higher tension will feel better on returns, and the lower set will feel better on serve, with more pop.

[GeoffWilliams]

Playing with too much weight

Can't cover anymore. Can't play matches anymore. Can't win anymore. Will you play for fun only? No more competition. If you do, you won't win even against inferior opposition. Don't eat anymore or don't play.