playing a pusher

[Jay Welvaert]

Hey, I have to play this kid today in the finals of a tournament. He is a pusher/ counterpuncher. I know that against a pusher your suppose to come to the net but the problem is that I dont have good vollers at all. And I really dont like real long pushing points. Is there any advice that you would gie me to play a kid like this?


Thanks, Jay

[Rickson]

Hit hard to his backhand, it's worked for me against 2 blatant pushers.

[Power Game]

Make him run. Hit hard to the corners, then short and bring him to the net. Most pushers hate the net so use it against him and put pressure on him. Also slice and twist the ball

[Marc C.]

This has most definitely been well covered on these boards. Search for playing pushers and you will likely get lots of great advice.

[Golden Retriever]

IMHO, the key to playing a pusher is the short ball putaway. If you own this shot like all pros do, you own the pushers. If you don't you have at best a 50/50 chance against one. My advice is practice your short ball put away against a pusher since you'll be getting a lot of them. You will probably lose the first onehundredth matches but once you master your short ball putaway you'll thank him for that.

[drakulie]

My advice is to practive on your volley.

[kevhen]

Against a pure defensive pusher, I will just keep balls safely in play until he hits a short easy sitter that I feel comfortable attacking. Some pushers won't attack short balls so you can get away with hitting very safe. If they do attack short balls then you are going to have to work hard to win. I know I struggle with good pushers who can finish at the net if they have to. Most good pushers are good lobbers, so you shouldn't go to net if you volleys aren't up to snuff anyway.

[TennsDog]

I have a couple suggestions. One is to mix it up a lot: use slice, topspin, low lasers, moon balls, angles, at him, short, corners, side spin (if you can), volley, serve and volley, bring him to net. The more you can mix it up, the more likely he is to make an error or give you a chance to win it. Two is to play very aggressively: blast groundstrokes, charge the net a lot. This puts a lot of pressure on your opponent who will just be trying to keep the point going which will also likely force errors. I say the best place to beat a pusher is on your own service games. If you can own your own service games, then you only have to win one of his each set. When I play, I always keep the state of mind that all I have to do is break him once because my service games are guaranteed to me...even if they aren't really. Also remember that YOU are in control of the match. It is up to you to dictate play, not get sloppy, and keep the pressure on.

[Bungalo Bill]

I have a couple suggestions. One is to mix it up a lot: use slice, topspin, low lasers, moon balls, angles, at him, short, corners, side spin (if you can), volley, serve and volley, bring him to net. The more you can mix it up, the more likely he is to make an error or give you a chance to win it. Two is to play very aggressively: blast groundstrokes, charge the net a lot. This puts a lot of pressure on your opponent who will just be trying to keep the point going which will also likely force errors. I say the best place to beat a pusher is on your own service games. If you can own your own service games, then you only have to win one of his each set. When I play, I always keep the state of mind that all I have to do is break him once because my service games are guaranteed to me...even if they aren't really. Also remember that YOU are in control of the match. It is up to you to dictate play, not get sloppy, and keep the pressure on.

Wow! What a list of things to do!

Of course to pull all those shots off in a match and have them all in your aresenal at your command, you probably wouldnt be asking the question!

Well, if you are like the rest of us (below Tennsdogs rating) then to shorten the points you will have to come to net more often. Your first couple shots need to open the court (whether it is your return or serve) and go to net to either put it away or put him in a very defensive situation.

[sanitarium]

bill respond to my post

[TwistServe]

Normally, people lose to pushers because they are too aggresive.. You get these little baby junk balls and you just want to blast it, and more often than not he'll push the balls back or you over hit..

If you keep your game consistent, you'll beat most pushers. Play the percentages, hit deep and crosscourt.. When you get a short ball, you dont need to blast it, just play it for placement.. And then you'll be at the net ready to put away the next ball (assuming you placed the first short ball right)

[jimiforpres]

just follow this plan for the whole game:

Dropshot, pass, dropshot, pass, dropshot, pass.......

Usually pushers have bad volleys so bringing them into the net will make it much easier. If they try to retrieve the ball and then run back:

Hit a deep ball w/ heavy topspin

or

Dropshot them again and use their momentum against them( only if they are sprinting back)

[Marius_Hancu]

check
my posting
Playing a pusher
in the Sticky at the top of this forum