How do you figure out your playing style?
 

Been playing a few matches lately and one thing i noticed is I really don't have any specific mindset when I play. I don't think "I'll get every ball back" or "as soon as i get a soft shot I'l punish it down the line or cross court." Can someone give me some tipson how I should play? I really feel like my strokes themselves are decent (working on improvvements) but a big mental change is what I need I think. A real confidence booster.I dont know much about the ntrp ratings but I guess my skill level is like 3.5 or something like that from what ive seen on the board. I've got a short compact forehand thats very topsin oriented. It tends to be on the loopy side and my faveorite shot is to take the forehand to you the backhand. My backhand is relativley new and stiff and flatter. But when i connect well it has a fair amount of pace and spin. My serve is ehh inconsistant. I lack precise placement and can hit a decent serve i suppose (working on more pace) but im not going to blowing anyone off the court i dont think.. at least not yet! So can someone help me out? Its not that im mentally weak.. its just i i dont have a gameplan to go by. And sometimes i feel lost as what to do out on the court. I feel that i have the potential to play a much better game.. im just not sure what my "weapon" should be

How long have you been playing? As you get better, you'll face tougher opponents which will CAUSE you to develop weapons. It depends on the player. I've seen very weak 3.5s (high UEs) to strong 3.5s that can beat 4.0s on a good day.

Do you have a coach or anything? I think you can invest in that or go to a seminar/camp in your local area. :)

You can always choose one you're interested in or think will suit you best, and go with that, perfecting it as you gain experience.

You can also wait and cause other players to force you to adopt strategies that give you the wins you want. Either one of these routes will start you off uncomfortably, but you'll end up where you want to be, in due time. Maybe a little long if you go the second route.

A couple of different things to think about:
 

- If you have a simple key for a match...as in, getting lots of balls back...and it actually works...then you're way ahead of most people who come up with strategies that are as elegant as a chess match...but don't work when you have to do all that thinking while you're running around the court.

- Improve your skills, and you will have more choices. I would agree that you're about a 3.5, so take a look at the difference between 3.5s and 4.0s:

"3.5
You have achieved improved stroke dependability with directional control on moderate shots, but need to develop depth and variety. You exhibit more aggressive net play, have improved court coverage and are developing teamwork in doubles.

4.0
You have dependable strokes, including directional control and depth on both forehand and backhand sides on moderate-paced shots. You can use lobs, overheads, approach shots and volleys with some success and occasionally force errors when serving. Rallies may be lost due to impatience. Teamwork in doubles is evident"

That's not all there is to it, but you get the joke...come up with better fundamentals and you'll be able to do more. You can have a Plan A based on your strengths, but you can also have Plans B and C if A doesn't work out.

- A style is not quite the same thing as your NTRP level, see the following thread:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=58284

...and also see what I said in this thread:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showt...hlight=chooses

Two questions. 1. Do you want to just win a lot (till your level plateaus)? 2. Are you talking playing style or just learning a bunch of different strategies?

Well, it really depends on your level. If you're 3.5, your strategy is generally just to get the ball back more than your opponent and hit to their backhand. Once you get good enough to move the ball around where you want it and mix up speeds, spins, depth, etc, then you can really get into more advanced tactics.

Thanks for the advice guys. I guess maybe I'm just trying to find a general sytle that suits me. I feel like I'm not hitting anywhere near my full playing potential at the moment and I know it's a mental block of some sort. During warm ups or practice hitting I find it remarkably easy to hit spin pace and decent control. But during a match my whole body just slows down and I lose confidence in my strokes and just dont hit nearly as well. My thought was maybe if I had something simple to remember it would keep me from feeling so lost on the court sometimes. Heres a vid of some groundstrokes if that helps determine exactly what I need to do

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp6iDEsA8dY

"Watch the ball, hit it hard, and don't think." Or, as one of my former coaches once said, "Don't think your way through a match, play your way through a match. Tennis is serial. You either win or lose a point, either way, learn from it and move on to the next point, because that point is done with..."

Well you seem to be a natural athlete, so there is no obstacle to you taking your tennis as far as you would like to. The real question is how important to you is winning tennis matches? Getting a serve, a BH and some volleys would be the next step if you really want to advance your game. (That and finding a court with 20% fewer lines yours does). Your "strategy" is currently much, much less important than your ability to perform the strokes. Just concentrate on getting the ball in the court.