Is winning all that important now?

[bfong]

John,

As I'm getting back into the game after a 15 year hiatus, I'm struggling during match competition thinking about winning versus hitting the ball correctly. Not that I ever had 'perfect strokes' as a junior or that I was winning every tournament that I played, but I could hit most shots that I wanted to fairly consistently.

About a year or two ago I picked up the racket again, and at first was very comfortable hitting shots that i used to be able to hit. Then the more I practiced, the more I thought about mechanics. When I joined a city league last fall, and began competing in real matches I felt this constant battle mentally to either 'push' the ball back and get more balls in play or try to 'hit out or hit correctly' and end up with more unforced errors. Fortunately or unfortunately I was able to win most of my matches by just pushing or getting the ball in.

When I practice now, I still feel too 'mechanical', especially after looking over all those wonderful stroke archives. So my question as i'm about to start another season of competition is, 'Do you have any advice or wisdom how to approach matches mentally regarding the desire to hit balls 'properly' versus the desire to win and be consistent?'

Thanks in advance for any input...

[dizzychump]

Bfong

I am in a similar position to you. I am learning to play technically correctly and getting great information on this site etc that is helping me understand the game a lot better. I have also had quite a bit of coaching over the last two years.

Not so long ago when i was playing club league matches i used to suffer with the dilemma of whether to play through the strokes using proper technique emulating what i knew i could do in practice or playing more safely pushing the ball back more and reducing risk. As i was learning to play full strokes consistently with reasonable pace i would make errors. The fear of making errors in matches would make me reduce my strokes and push the ball back as this would be the way to win. As Brad Gilbert says its better to win ugly than lose pretty.

However as my practice play and coaching play kept improving my match play did not as i was still holding back in fear of losing. I then decided to forget about whether or not I won the matches and concentrated just on the process using visualization and preparation techniques that I have learned and that this site is great for. This did not mean going for broke taking the cover off the ball but trying to play with good technique and hitting through the ball etc.

I lost matches at the start but i have now moved up to a higher level and have new confidence in my game. IMO, for us learning and developing it is sometimes better to lose pretty than to win ugly. Hitting a nice forehand copied from Federer just long is better than a scrappy dink that goes in if it is part of a process of development.

I'm not playing for money, just league position which is nowhere near as important as it appears to be to to some of the guys i play.

IMO I think you will be a better player in a years time if you lose the desire to win (slightly) in favour of the desire to improve the process.

[gzhpcu]

IMO, technical improvements are an investment. At first you will have setbacks, but if you persist, you will improve and reach a higher level of play. It is the typical club player mentality to put winning before anything else. These players often have ugly, awkward shots which they have become fairly steady with. They will win in their circle of similar friends, but never play anything that looks like real tennis. I find that not only do technically correct shots look better, but they are biomechanically healthier for the body. During a development phase, winning is less important. The temptation under match conditions is to go back to the "old and safe" style. Do this and you will not improve your level of tennis.

[CraigC]

Just a suggestion

Winning is not truly under your control. I would deal with those things that you can control on the court, such as your movement, your strokes, and your strategy. If you take care of all of those, then winning may or may not happen, but you will have done everything you could have done, to win. I could hit the ball perfectly every time, but I would still lose 0 and 0 to Agassi. Set some goals as they relate to your game. I will hit through every forehand today. I will move really well for two points in a row. I will change my strategy when I lose 3 games in a row etc.... Always try to win, but base your improvement on YOUR GAME and not your results.

Another thing that I find very important in working with players, is the concept of good errors and bad errors. If I am 3 feet behind the baseline, and I hit a rally ball in the net, that is a terrible error. If I miss 6 inches long, it was likely a good error as it was aggressive and hit for depth. At each miss, ask yourself if the shot you hit was a good error. If you can go through a match making only good shots and good errors, you are on your way to becoming a very good player.
A few more examples of good errors vs. bad errors:
Hitting long on an approach shot or winner, rather than in the net.
Choosing to drive a high volley and missing long, rather than hitting a drop volley on a high ball.
Hitting a return deep rather than wide.
MIssing a serve 3 inches wide, or long, rather than in the net.

As you become more technically proficient, you will begin to make more of these shots, but for now, the knowlege that you are choosing properly should give you great faith that you are improving.

Best,
Craig

[johnyandell]

Not much to add, as I agree with all posted here. With some of the high school kids I coach, I give them "permission to lose" practice matches, but not to go back to old patterns. In fact I tell them that if they win the set today, it may actually be a bad sign...

I'll sit on their court for a few games with this rule--if I see you bail out on your new turn, finish, serve grip, whatever, I stop the point and give it to the opponent. Then at the end I assign them a grade from 0 to 100 and announce it to the group: "Maddie got a 95 today in her practice set on her new forehand, etc." Shift the focus and the rewards to the process and away from the outcome.

[EdWeiss]

Good Errors

I really liked what Craig had to say about positive errors. For example, a serve (assuming hit with proper technique and spin) that misses by a foot is, from a development point of view, better than a really short serve even though the short serve keeps you in that particular point. Craig, what are some other examples of postive errors? For example, what is a positive error on 1) approach shots, 2) passing shots, 3) first volleys and 4) overheads? Thanks.