Playing Tennis vs Playing Competitive Tennis

[that_was_just_out]

Had a sort of an interesting observation about how my goals in the two types of tennis are radically different.

Obviously, when I'm playing a casual set with someone or just hitting around, the number one thing I want from my opponent is for them to just keep getting the ball over the net, keep it in the court so I can get a good workout and groove my strokes and gain confidence.

Whereas once I play a competitive ladder or tourney match, all I want to do is win points, I celebrate when my opponent misses, doesn't matter if it's a double, in the net, wide, long, whatever. I don't want them to keep the ball in play, I want them to screw up as much as possible, doesn't matter if I don't get a good workout or learn anything about how to win, just that I get the win.

Frankly, I think the first attitude is probably a lot better than the second, but how do you flick that competitive switch off when the match starts?

 

[LeeD]

When you keep score, make sure you have the larger number.
When you hit and giggle, work on your strokes.

 

[Turbo-87]

If I am hitting for fun I take a lot more chances and try new things. When I am playing a match that counts, my conservative side kicks in and I shift into a mode where I just want to be consistent and get my points off my opponent's errors. I know to advance, I have to inject a little more of my fun mode in competition mode.

 

[floridatennisdude]

I had a weird match last night...and it was an Ultimate match that counted.

Played a guy that claimed to have been a former D1 player (now 40-ish) and I blitzed him the first set w/ a bagel in about 25 minutes. The guy never rested on changeovers and may have said 5 words to me outside of the score. He took 1 drink of water the whole match (between sets) and left immediately after I won the second set 6-1.

When I found myself up 6-0, 3-1...I let myself try to work on strokes, etc and hit kick serves rather than going for pace. Regardless, this guy couldn't keep 3 balls in play. I started to think he was just tanking so I finished him off the last 2 games quickly.

In a previous match, I got grinded out in a first set tiebreaker that went well over an hour and I then ran out of gas the 2nd and got smoked. When I was down 0-4, I also tried to just extend rallies rather than try to finish off points early when not in a favorable position to do so. Lost it 1-6 in the 2nd, but feel that I got better.

Nutshell, there are also times to try to groove your strokes in a competitive match. When you are either getting smoked or killing someone.

 

[Nacho]

No need to flip the switch. If you are playing a tournament you are in it to win. However, if your question is more about the anxiety of playing a tournament verse the relaxation of just hitting with someone, then there are some small things you can do to keep yourself relaxed. Truly it is up to you and your personality, but watching what you eat beforehand, doing things such as yoga, and then putting yourself through some relaxation routines will help. You will hear all kinds of suggestions but it is really up to what works for you. For instance, I noticed I grip the racquet tighter during a tournament and started making a conscience effort to loosen it while warming up.

There is no good or bad, as long as you are respectful to your opponent and the game you are fine.

 

[TennisCJC]

playing tennis vs playing competitive tennis = sparring in the ring vs street fight with gloves off

 

[heninfan99]

Oh, so you're one of those people. Do you fist pump like Rafa or do a Hewitt C'MON on someone's double fault?

I celebrate when my opponent misses, doesn't matter if it's a double,

 

[Deleted member 23235]

Had a sort of an interesting observation about how my goals in the two types of tennis are radically different.

Obviously, when I'm playing a casual set with someone or just hitting around, the number one thing I want from my opponent is for them to just keep getting the ball over the net, keep it in the court so I can get a good workout and groove my strokes and gain confidence.

Whereas once I play a competitive ladder or tourney match, all I want to do is win points, I celebrate when my opponent misses, doesn't matter if it's a double, in the net, wide, long, whatever. I don't want them to keep the ball in play, I want them to screw up as much as possible, doesn't matter if I don't get a good workout or learn anything about how to win, just that I get the win.

Frankly, I think the first attitude is probably a lot better than the second, but how do you flick that competitive switch off when the match starts?

I think this just highlights that you're focusing on the wrong thing(s).
You can not control winning or losing, but you can control how well you play. Winning/losing is just a result of how well your opponent managed against your good/bad play.
I play my best when I'm in the zone, almost losing track of score, and focusing on just executing technique/strategy properly... I'm more relieved when it's over (win or lose) because I can now relax.

 

[Moveforwardalways]

I think this just highlights that you're focusing on the wrong thing(s).
You can not control winning or losing, but you can control how well you play. Winning/losing is just a result of how well your opponent managed against your good/bad play.
I play my best when I'm in the zone, almost losing track of score, and focusing on just executing technique/strategy properly... I'm more relieved when it's over (win or lose) because I can now relax.

Agree with this.

You should be trying to execute strategy and "win" the point, not "not lose" the point. If you can't "win" it you don't deserve it. Plain and simple. If the other guy hits a ball in the net and you celebrate, that makes you a choad, not "competitive".

 

[Deleted member 23235]

I liken folks who celebrate opponent errors like poker players that celebrate when get the one card they need to win on the river. they knew they were outplayed and just got lucky. both players are douchy for celebrating. true competitors (imo) are those that put themselves on the line to improve themselves,and they appreciate the role their opponent has in making them better to push past their current skills (and thus they hope the opponent plays the best they can, to use the opportunity to rise to the challenge).

 

[sundaypunch]

Agree with this.

You should be trying to execute strategy and "win" the point, not "not lose" the point. If you can't "win" it you don't deserve it. Plain and simple. If the other guy hits a ball in the net and you celebrate, that makes you a choad, not "competitive".

Agree that celebrating an opponent's errors is lame. Playing to win the point can mean a lot of things though. With this, I would include playing consistent tennis in an attempt to draw an error from the opponent. It is a strategy that works well for people that don't have great offensive skills. It is also good situationally to force the opponent to go for more than they should.

 

[radtennisfan]

I find hard to care about winning or losing at my club, especially cause many of the players who play competitively push the ball around a lot. They win by attrition. It's boring and lame to play them. My only focus is self-improvement. I always red-line my game and don't care if I win or lose. That's the only way to continually improve.

 

[radtennisfan]

If I played tennis to make a living it would be different, but I play only for fun, fitness and relaxation. It is much more fun to red-line your game and sometimes you get into the zone and are unbeatable. I play for those (rare) days on the court.

 

[that_was_just_out]

Oh, so you're one of those people. Do you fist pump like Rafa or do a Hewitt C'MON on someone's double fault?

No way, all my celebration is internal, on to the next point.

I think this just highlights that you're focusing on the wrong thing(s).
You can not control winning or losing, but you can control how well you play. Winning/losing is just a result of how well your opponent managed against your good/bad play.
I play my best when I'm in the zone, almost losing track of score, and focusing on just executing technique/strategy properly... I'm more relieved when it's over (win or lose) because I can now relax.

I agree I am focusing on the wrong thing, but it's like this irrational thing that gets a hold of me once the match starts. Just trying to become aware of it and what it means.

Agree with this.

You should be trying to execute strategy and "win" the point, not "not lose" the point. If you can't "win" it you don't deserve it. Plain and simple. If the other guy hits a ball in the net and you celebrate, that makes you a choad, not "competitive".

Thanks, but I am definitely not a choad and similar to heninfan's question I don't do any type of physical gesturing or celebrating at all, I would never show my opponent up, I'm just glad I won the point. Don't tell me some part of you isn't glad when your opponent misses in a competitive match either. If not, you shouldn't be playing competitive matches, you should just play theoretical matches where you and your opponent decide who executed their strategy the best and then decide on a winner that way, forget the score.

 

[Cowboyardee]

No way, all my celebration is internal, on to the next point.



I agree I am focusing on the wrong thing, but it's like this irrational thing that gets a hold of me once the match starts. Just trying to become aware of it and what it means.



Thanks, but I am definitely not a choad and similar to heninfan's question I don't do any type of physical gesturing or celebrating at all, I would never show my opponent up, I'm just glad I won the point. Don't tell me some part of you isn't glad when your opponent misses in a competitive match either. If not, you shouldn't be playing competitive matches, you should just play theoretical matches where you and your opponent decide who executed their strategy the best and then decide on a winner that way, forget the score.

Glad you're not openly celebrating when your opponent mishits or double faults. I don't think you're being a chode (or whatever). But it does seem you may not be optimizing your chances for improvement.

On the one hand, I doubt very much that you'd find many top players (those dudes in the ATP) who don't enjoy winning for winning's sake. It's a very natural mindset for a competitive person, and competitiveness on it's own it probably doesn't hinder your development as a player.

On the other hand, you have to understand at least rationally (if not emotionally) that winning at a rec level doesn't necessarily tell you very much, and that a sole focus on winning during matches can be counterproductive. For starters, winning at a recreational level could be thought of as almost a kind of artificial construct - why bother getting worked up about a shot that wins or loses you a point against a 4.0 opponent when that same shot could be crushing a 3.0 opponent or getting you smoked by a 5.0? From the standpoint of trying to improve your game, what's important isn't the result (win/lose) of the point in question but whether the point in question represents a positive step in terms of your capabilities as a tennis player.

Someone brought up poker earlier, and it's a fine example. In poker, you can be rewarded for making a stupid play, or lose the hand while making the ideal play. Happens all the time. The important thing to realize is that this is a major reason why there are so many bad poker players out there - because they place too much weight on short term wins and losses and not enough focus on evaluating their decisions without respect to the ultimate result of any given hand. That is, bad players are perpetually chasing momentary results that they find rewarding; good players are doing their best to focus on a process (decision-making, work ethic, execution, etc) that produces ideal results in the long term.

The same is essentially true of tennis. Thing is, I don't think innate competitiveness is necessarily a barrier towards developing your progress. Competitiveness is a great motivator. Let it motivate you. Let it drive you to improve your process and your work ethic. But a competitive mindset is not a rational and unbiased evaluation of your progress. Don't let it substitute for that.

 

[that_was_just_out]

Glad you're not openly celebrating when your opponent mishits or double faults. I don't think you're being a chode (or whatever). But it does seem you may not be optimizing your chances for improvement.

On the one hand, I doubt very much that you'd find many top players (those dudes in the ATP) who don't enjoy winning for winning's sake. It's a very natural mindset for a competitive person, and competitiveness on it's own it probably doesn't hinder your development as a player.

On the other hand, you have to understand at least rationally (if not emotionally) that winning at a rec level doesn't necessarily tell you very much, and that a sole focus on winning during matches can be counterproductive. For starters, winning at a recreational level could be thought of as almost a kind of artificial construct - why bother getting worked up about a shot that wins or loses you a point against a 4.0 opponent when that same shot could be crushing a 3.0 opponent or getting you smoked by a 5.0? From the standpoint of trying to improve your game, what's important isn't the result (win/lose) of the point in question but whether the point in question represents a positive step in terms of your capabilities as a tennis player.

Someone brought up poker earlier, and it's a fine example. In poker, you can be rewarded for making a stupid play, or lose the hand while making the ideal play. Happens all the time. The important thing to realize is that this is a major reason why there are so many bad poker players out there - because they place too much weight on short term wins and losses and not enough focus on evaluating their decisions without respect to the ultimate result of any given hand. That is, bad players are perpetually chasing momentary results that they find rewarding; good players are doing their best to focus on a process (decision-making, work ethic, execution, etc) that produces ideal results in the long term.

The same is essentially true of tennis. Thing is, I don't think innate competitiveness is necessarily a barrier towards developing your progress. Competitiveness is a great motivator. Let it motivate you. Let it drive you to improve your process and your work ethic. But a competitive mindset is not a rational and unbiased evaluation of your progress. Don't let it substitute for that.

Great post, thanks, I've read it a few times.

 

[jmnk]

I find hard to care about winning or losing at my club, especially cause many of the players who play competitively push the ball around a lot. They win by attrition. It's boring and lame to play them. My only focus is self-improvement. I always red-line my game and don't care if I win or lose. That's the only way to continually improve.

If you don't care if you win or lose - how do you know if you are improving? What's the criteria for 'improving'?

 

[radtennisfan]

Improving for me is when I am able to play at my highest level more often.

 

[AeroPro Staff]

For the celebration part, I celebrate only when I win "important" points. Such as the ones where I hit an amazing shot, break points, loooooooong points, etc. Even then, my celebration is just a c'mon! paired with a fist pump. I play competitively and for fun, and I live for the days that I find my zone. My zone is where I can feel the effortless footwork pair with the complete control I get over the ball. I play the game because I love it, and I love to improve. My goal is to learn for myself how to tap into my zone whenever I may need it.
As to how to flick the competitive switch off. Dont. In my experience when youre just rallying for fun, you make more mistakes than you realize. When you play for fun you tend to remember the good shots, and when you play competitively you remember the bad shots. Instead of trying to turn the switch, try to find the balance between conservatism and aggression, that is when people play their best tennis.

 

[rh310]

Given limited time to play, I find that I generally gravitate towards competitive drill sessions and practice sets with good players rather than league or tournament play. I do play a couple of USTA tournaments a year, usually because during the tournaments the drills are cancelled and I do want to play SOME tennis.

I've noticed a difference between entering 4.0 tournaments, or entering the small open level tournaments where the mean level is ~ 5.0.

In the 4.0 tournaments, I lose to a better player because I don't practice much against the really effective mix of moonballs, junk, and good 4.0 groundstrokes they throw at me. Let me be clear, though: I definitely am beat by them. I should handle this variety better, and it's my bad that I don't.

In the small open level tournaments, I get beat by better serves, better returns, better groundstrokes, better patterns, and better athleticism. It is inevitable, however, that a few points are excellent -- and I note and appreciate the nod of respect I get from my opponent for them. They know I'm outclassed, but I play them as hard as I'm able and win what points I can.

Of the two, I greatly prefer to lose to the latter.

 

[Jonboy]

I always play competitively because I dont like to lose. Most people I play are the same and everyone plays to their best of the ability, even if its just a 'friendly'.

I dont think there is a magic switch. You either are one or you're not. Its not about level or ability. Its about focus and the desire to improve. There are many recreational players at my club and they all play each other. The majority of them are at the same level they were 3 years ago..