Played a "very consistent player" today...

[NLBwell]

The proper way to beat someone like that is to come to the net. You don't necessarily need great volleys (he's not hitting screaming passing shots) but you MUST have a very solid overhead. If he lobs a lot, stop a little further from the net in anticipation. Chipping and charging should work well and you really don't have to do much other than move your feet. The "plop" shot, as my Dad called it, is very useful to get the other guy out of rhythm. It's not really a drop shot, but a short, soft, angled slice - Federer makes good use of it. It brings the guy forward where he really doesn't want to be. He can continue into the net on your terms, or bunt it back and try to run backwards.

However, if you are losing 6-4, 6-4 and you are just trying to be more consistent than him, you are doing a pretty good job at that game, too. Another thing to try would be to tone your game back more and see if you can beat him at his own game. Sometimes, it is pretty satisfying to do that.

[luishcorreia]

So I get the theory..8 understand that giving little pace and coming to the net works against pushers.

But hitting at 60% is compatible with coming to the net.?

One the one hand I see that I would be better finishing the point in 2/3 shots... Is that possible at 60%?

[Power Player]

Yes,it is all about ball placement. And dont worry about how many shots it will take to finish the point. Just hit relaxed and move him around.

[dominikk1985]

Originally Posted by luishcorreia

So I get the theory..8 understand that giving little pace and coming to the net works against pushers.

But hitting at 60% is compatible with coming to the net.?

One the one hand I see that I would be better finishing the point in 2/3 shots... Is that possible at 60%?

you don't need to hit soft. hit at a pace that you can produce over and over again without making errors. over time tht pace will increase as you get better.

what you should not do is swinging as hard as you can because you want to end it. that is what the pusher wants he doesn't care if you hit a few winners as long he is winning.

I have even heard of defensive players (not really low level pushers) that would intentionally feed "assists" for you to hit a winner and then compliment you to feed your ego and make you swing away more.

[martini1]

Originally Posted by Power Player

There is no such thing as an aggressive baseliner at 3.5. You need to stop trying to hit hard and through a guy who gives you no pace.

I just played a pusher last week and barely lost a point. I play baseline tennis too. You need to hit very relaxed and just focus on making clean contact. Hit at 60% of your power and move the guy around.

Notice how when you dont get pace, you tend to make errors? He will too. Pushers love pace, so dont give it to them.

Hit relaxed balls that are placed well. Keep them safely in the court but attack his weak side and hit that corner. As soon as he starts running to get one, you need to move in. Take the next ball just as relaxed and put it to the other side. Move in some more. Take the next shot as a volley and put it away.


Thats how you beat a pusher.

Yup. This is really good advice on cooking the pushers. Listen to PP. Don't imagine you can hit like Delpo or Djoker. Blasting off 60% errors and 40% winners is good enough for any pusher to beat you.

And the 30 shots exchange means you are also playing his game. You are doing exactly what he wants.

Upgrade your volley, and your overhead. Next time have a ball machine do moonballs that lands deep, see if you can take it early and redirect them at will. Then move in to NML, play those balls with a slice volley or a straight up overhead. You don't have to aim at the lines, just to a different corner. Then step in by the T and hit volley put away shots, practice if you get a short lob you can step back to NML and overhead it.

If you can do all these I think the pusher would have a very hard time beating you even you don't have the touch for a drop shot. They will panic when running and give you a short ball or a lob too long and out.

Never get pushed back and stand 5' behind the baseline trying to hit power shots. They love that and they got plenty of time to recover. You will end up trying to hit closer and closer to the corner and end up getting an UE.

[mikeler]

^ Good advice above. Don't let a pusher "reset" the point with their defensive shots. If you pull him off the court, sneak into net and take the next ball out of the air. At higher levels, a swinging forehand volley is very effective.

[luishcorreia]

Originally Posted by dominikk1985

you don't need to hit soft. hit at a pace that you can produce over and over again without making errors. over time tht pace will increase as you get better.

what you should not do is swinging as hard as you can because you want to end it. that is what the pusher wants he doesn't care if you hit a few winners as long he is winning.

I have even heard of defensive players (not really low level pushers) that would intentionally feed "assists" for you to hit a winner and then compliment you to feed your ego and make you swing away more.

Sometimes I do that to him. I assist him a ball knowing that we will place it at a particular place in the court and I know I can pass him or hit behind him. It works.

When I draw him to the net however... most of the times he rushes back to the baseline

[luishcorreia]

Originally Posted by martini1

Never get pushed back and stand 5' behind the baseline trying to hit power shots. They love that and they got plenty of time to recover. You will end up trying to hit closer and closer to the corner and end up getting an UE.

yeap..that what s hapennign when i play him...

[eidolonshinobi]

Pushers can be fun imo. It really allows you to see what your game is lacking and for you to think about a strategy that would work. Powerplayer's strat is pretty much what I do. I close the net a lot and tend to win those points.

[martini1]

Originally Posted by eidolonshinobi

Pushers can be fun imo. It really allows you to see what your game is lacking and for you to think about a strategy that would work. Powerplayer's strat is pretty much what I do. I close the net a lot and tend to win those points.

I like your attitude towards pushers. Many times we were so caught up in losing to somebody that cannot hit with any pace. Now I am seeing more like taking the opportunity to learn the control game and the execution game. To me playing with a strong S&V guy is harder to control because there is no rally. The point is over in 3-4 strokes, and it all depends on if I can return the ball at all. Pushers are much easier because they like to wait for the point to be over, never attack on anything.

[eidolonshinobi]

Originally Posted by martini1

I like your attitude towards pushers. Many times we were so caught up in losing to somebody that cannot hit with any pace. Now I am seeing more like taking the opportunity to learn the control game and the execution game. To me playing with a strong S&V guy is harder to control because there is no rally. The point is over in 3-4 strokes, and it all depends on if I can return the ball at all. Pushers are much easier because they like to wait for the point to be over, never attack on anything.

Playing pushers lets me work on one of my weaker aspects of my tennis. The metal part. The pusher is one style that will test your patience, strategical thinking, and your faith in your shots.

Now that I am able to topple down pushers on a regular basis, I know my game has improved quite a bit.

[rkelley]

Originally Posted by mikeler

Coming into net is the key to beating pushers.

Ditto.

You need an overhead to deal with the constant lobbing, but just come to the net. By definition nothing is going to have much pace. You'll have lots of time to hit volleys, and when you know he's going to lob set-up back at the service line. Generally a bad tactic against a player with strokes, but against a pusher it's effective because even if he "drives" the ball instead of lobbing you'll have time to close and take the volley. You don't need monster volleys either, just stick the racquet out and angle it off.

[Thepowerofchoice]

Originally Posted by Power Player

There is no such thing as an aggressive baseliner at 3.5. You need to stop trying to hit hard and through a guy who gives you no pace.

I just played a pusher last week and barely lost a point. I play baseline tennis too. You need to hit very relaxed and just focus on making clean contact. Hit at 60% of your power and move the guy around.

Notice how when you dont get pace, you tend to make errors? He will too. Pushers love pace, so dont give it to them.

Hit relaxed balls that are placed well. Keep them safely in the court but attack his weak side and hit that corner. As soon as he starts running to get one, you need to move in. Take the next ball just as relaxed and put it to the other side. Move in some more. Take the next shot as a volley and put it away.


Thats how you beat a pusher.

Nicely put ^^^. I beat a fantastic pusher last week 6-2,6-2. It was little tricky because I couldn't come to the net. I strained my abdominals several weeks ago so wanted to avoid overhead shots from the lob. I did use the same strategy as above and pulled him in with some drop shot and either pass him or lop. I'm a formal pusher (4.0) and am in great shape so being consistent and junking him is pretty natural to me. I can hit with pretty good pace but about 60% did the trick for me.

Another magic formula that really improving my game is my 2 hitting partners. One of them is a aggressive base liner, loopy forehand, spin freak with flatter backhands. The other is a really good pusher with a huge serve. I definitely like hitting with a player #1 more but a pusher really helps my game. It is like I now have more tools in my game to deal with other players and most importantly...more patient.

Bottom line "pushers can be awesome teacher but only if you have an open mind"

[ATP100]

Be honest, how far behind the baseline are you?

[luishcorreia]

Originally Posted by ATP100

Be honest, how far behind the baseline are you?

I do not play very far behinf the baseline.. i'm normally on the baseline or 1 meter behind.

[luishcorreia]

Originally Posted by eidolonshinobi

Playing pushers lets me work on one of my weaker aspects of my tennis. The metal part. The pusher is one style that will test your patience, strategical thinking, and your faith in your shots.

Now that I am able to topple down pushers on a regular basis, I know my game has improved quite a bit.

I agree 100%. When I play pushers I have to think much more on the strategy and where to place the ball. When I play other type of players I know that I will hit some winners and do some errors, but I know that they will also do errors...

Against a pusher all bets are off. I know everything will come back.

So for me a pusher is more of a challenge than anything else.

[Mick]

what kind of courts did you play at when you lost to this player? Hopefully not a clay court because if so, it would be difficult to implement the strategy that forum members have recommended

[luishcorreia]

Originally Posted by rkelley

Ditto.

You need an overhead to deal with the constant lobbing, but just come to the net. By definition nothing is going to have much pace. You'll have lots of time to hit volleys, and when you know he's going to lob set-up back at the service line. Generally a bad tactic against a player with strokes, but against a pusher it's effective because even if he "drives" the ball instead of lobbing you'll have time to close and take the volley. You don't need monster volleys either, just stick the racquet out and angle it off.

this guy in paticular doesnt lob... but his ball comes with some spin, no pace, about shoulder height. Its not a lob, more of a drive.

but he lobs sometimes, for sure, but not everytime.

[luishcorreia]

I have to be honest.. I've known all along how to beat a pusher.. at least on paper.

The thing is when I go out on the court two things happen.

1) fear of losing by playing a game thats not my normal (going up to the net, hit at 60%).

2) pride... I just want to beat him at his own game

well.. but since I am losing... whats the diference right? Might as well go for it.

[J011yroger]

Practice your serve and return.

Once you can out serve and out return most of the non-traditional players it doesn't much matter what they do in rallies.

J