Confessions of a Tennis Disruptor

[johnyandell]

Let's discuss Joel Drucker's new article, "Confessions of a Tennis Disruptor"

[GeoffWilliams]

Played him in a tournament long ago in singles at the old albany race track courts. Won 2 and 3. Next time 30 yrsl later at the BTC, in a pick up doubles match with Brian McCroeden. Won 6-1. He was not happy about it. No one likes to lose to a better player. Every time a pusher comes up against a player with weapons who is as consistent at the game as the pusher is, the pusher loses.

[gzhpcu]

Thing is that life is short, and playing against disruptive players is not fun. You can't avoid them in a tournament, but otherwise I avoid playing them like the pest...

[don_budge]

Joel Drucker...

Let's discuss Joel Drucker's new article, "Confessions of a Tennis Disruptor"

Your service motion is only second in its annoyance as your being left-handed.

"Certainly I was aided by being left-handed, itself an instant annoyance. I take pride in the fact that the great groundstroke teacher Robert Lansdorp once admitted to me that he didn’t understand left-handers."

"Ten-time Grand Slam champion Bill Tilden wrote many years ago, "The primary object of tennis is to break up your opponent’s game. Never give your opponent a chance to hit a shot he likes.""

I'm laying odds that you were one of the first to obtain a bigger racquet…another very annoying aspect of you and your tennis game. I wonder if you may have had the tendency to call those very close one's out when you thought that nobody was looking. I'm not saying that you are/were a cheater but sometimes there is a fine line between gamesmanship and psychological warfare. Psyops.

"In the words of Bill Tilden: the object is to break up your opponent’s game."

EdWeiss with regard to Project J…pay close attention to this man's slice backhand and his philosophy regarding his intention to disrupt his opponents game. The slice is an insidious weapon and the number of ways it can be use to disrupt are many. The foundation of the game is built on defence as in every game…and battle in general.

[klacr]

Great piece. Joel is an excellent writer and nice to see this well respected journalist actually show their own tennis game instead of writing about others. Wish others follow his lead.

I love Joel's attitude and how he embraces his game. That really is a critical component to finding happiness and contentment in this sport. You have to love your own style and know your own game, strengths and weaknesses, warts and all. Rule #1 in professional selling...Know your product!!! Every single detail of it. In tennis, you need to know what makes your own game tick and you must be as intimately familiar with your own game as you would with a pesky opponent you've been scouting.

The game of the pusher, dinker and disruptor is one that I enjoy playing. It's a great mental exercise and allows me to use my full arsenal of shots to expose and exploit the opponent. Fun stuff.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[GeoffWilliams]

He was on a Piedmont league team, which also rostered me to play. Shortly awhile before that, Joel had demanded I change a short section on my 4.5 over 50 piece, which JY had edited a bit re: BTC. Jy didn't change it, although there were 4 guys at the BTC who asked me to join and offered to sponsor me! Drucker asked me who they were. I gave him the most recent name: Brian M. The piedmont team captain then told me they were not going to play me, so I got a refund from him and never played a match. Don't know however, if any of it was connected, but I thought it was. Maybe I was wrong.

I later emailed the captain of that team and said: "Isn't is ironic that the reason you are losing matches is the reason I am off the team?", and he ignored me. They went 2-8! Ha, ha. A losing record is the best revenge. The pusher's reward is a cowards reward: never hitting any ball hard and placing it, for fear of making ues, holds them back forever from rising to any level, although the magician gets credit for being a pusher, he often hit out on his fh and his serve.

The reason most people hate pushers is this: they don't want to take the cowards way out, and refuse to lower to the level of the cowardly pusher, so they resent losing to someone who hits better shots more consistently, ie, as the best pushers do, as if they didn't really lose to a good player, just a cowardly one. The pushers bargain is this: beat inconsistent hard hitters, and lose to consistent ones. Too bad there are more inconsistent hard hitters! Pushers are lowly and disgusting creatures for the devils bargain, but it does work against most blasters. Got to give the devil his due: lowly tournament victories against even lower blasters. Cowards one and all. The soft hitting pusher for his fear, the blaster for his lack of discipline and hard work required to keep the ball going.

Although many in tournament play resort to soft hitting under pressure, it's not something they do in practice, due to fear of ues and missing, they adopt the pusher style against their own style and interest. Fear creates the tension that locks up arms/hands/legs and turns blasters into bad pushers. Every blaster should practice pushing, so they can use it as a change up tactic, and for points that call for the opponent to beat himself, but you are who you are, and if that is how you play under pressure, you might as well admit that you are a pusher, and practice that way! A coward under match pressure might as well be a coward without it.

[johnyandell]

Geoff I have to disagree: the disruptor style is just a choice not some act of moral cowardice... This is America land of the free strategy decisions.

I don't remember any demands Joel made about your piece. He may have disagreed about something but can't even remember what and he certainly did not try to get me to change it--he knows me well enough to know I wouldn't anyway. He was complimentary of it actually, thought you were a another unique Tennisplayer contributor, which you are!

If you have an issue with Joel I prefer you email him and discuss it privately.

[GeoffWilliams]

It's not moral cowardice, it's scientific cowardice. He asked you to reword the section about the btc asking me to join, and claimed they never did, but that's not what I put in the piece, I just said some members asked me to join, and he took great offense about the wording, as if the btc would never have asked me to join and it was offensive to him that it was worded that way. He told you the piece was good, but demanded from me that you change the wording of it. I have taken offense at the suggestion, yes, but who wouldn't?

The comments about pushing, and about match pressure are valid, and plague us all, he just happens to be the foil of the day for it. A rat is a rat whether it's in a hole, or in the bare light of the sun, and so is a pusher. Scientifically speaking, not morally.

[JDruck]

Geoff Williams' memory is every bit as accurate as his forehand and backhand. My game that disrupts others was mere lunch for him, Geoff comprehensively kicking my butt both in a singles tournament in '86 and a doubles match in '10.
- Would love to read a story by Geoff about how a player builds and deploys weapons to beat disruptors.

Greatly enjoyed his inspiring comeback tale and look forward to learning more from Geoff's strong heart, body and mind.

Joel Drucker

[10splayer]

Geoff Williams' memory is every bit as accurate as his forehand and backhand. My game that disrupts others was mere lunch for him, Geoff comprehensively kicking my butt both in a singles tournament in '86 and a doubles match in '10.

- Would love to read a story by Geoff about how a player builds and deploys weapons to beat disruptors.

Greatly enjoyed his inspiring comeback tale and look forward to learning more from Geoff's strong heart, body and mind.

Joel Drucker

Take that back, I'm begging ya. I'd rather get punched in the ball sack, then listen to that.

[johnyandell]

Come on! That'd be a good article and you wouldn't have to listen--you could just read...

[don_budge]

The Star of the Silver Screen…The Legend

Take that back, I'm begging ya. I'd rather get punched in the ball sack, then listen to that.

I smell a movie in the making…but who would star in the starring role? Suggestions?

[klacr]

I smell a movie in the making…but who would star in the starring role? Suggestions?

Gary Busey or Christopher Lloyd

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[10splayer]

http://replygif.net/i/459.gif

Changed my mind, love to read about it...

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh11/olmo21/TW%20Forum%20Stuff/Gifs/JonStewart_Popcorn_zpsace4c028.gif

Or watch it.

[kristuttle]

Good reminder about smart tennis

Fun article! I was happy to see Feds mentioned at the end because he's one of the few players I see who really mixes it up with topspin, slice and flat.

It's easier said than done of course and sometimes it seems like going backward (defensive rather than offensive) but after having a backhand slice and a forehand topspin for years I added a forehand slice (of sorts) because mixing it up is so effective.

Match play and winning seem like they have everything to do with the Tilden quote. It might take a bit of time to see what your opponent doesn't like but once you figure it out it's using those aspects to win. We've all seen types who have trouble with the slice or the high bouncers to the backhand side or get flustered when you come into the net, even before you hit a volley.

Junk is definitely underrated! It makes it hard to get in a groove and if your opponent is overhitting them or netting them it makes for the ultimate in frustration.

My one difference with the author is that developing high power shots to mix in is a further advantage. If you hit consistently weak shots a good player will come in on your every time and start blasting you into defense. Angles are good but so is the power shot which keeps them off balance.