How to beat a DAMN PUSHER????

[Mick]

Originally Posted by TENNIS_99

Have you ever seen a pusher (even a super pusher) win tournaments higer than 4.5 ? I've never. If you can get your opponents run from corners to corners 10 times and return you back paceless balls (by definition, a pusher)and you can not finish it, boy, you are in troubles. By no means I think it is easy but no offense,if you really want to be good, better set the standard higher

I once played a set with a tennis coach. Because he was so much better me, he would only hit soft slice forehands and backhands and I had absolutely no chance against him. He had great foot speed and could retrieve just about any ball.

[ZPTennis]

Originally Posted by TENNIS_99

Have you ever seen a pusher (even a super pusher) win tournaments higer than 4.5 ? I've never. If you can get your opponents run from corners to corners 10 times and return you back paceless balls (by definition, a pusher)and you can not finish it, boy, you are in troubles. By no means I think it is easy but no offense,if you really want to be good, better set the standard higher

Like I said in my very 1st post, I finish the point before I even get in those 20 shot total rallies. And like I said before, the most games i've lost to one in a match is 3. So I think I am setting the standard higher. You have your way and I have mine. But what I was trying to point out before was, my way is easier and quicker than corner to corner. Why make it longer....

[The Watchman]

Being a bit of a pusher myself, I love the role pushers play in tennis.

I sometimes play guys who think they can rely on hard groundstrokes and go for them. They also tend to think they'er very good. They don't give many short balls, in which case I can't hit aggressive angled TS FHs, and I'm forced to get the ball back deep to their backhands (ie push).

I find that their shots break down and they realise they can't depend on their groundstrokes as much as they thought (after which they usually go to a board like this or their friends and complain about pushers).

If they changed their losing game and pushed back, I'd start attacking their short balls with sharp angled TS FHs (which is how I beat pushers). It takes a while, but I've done my cardio and I'm more confident of winning this way. Other people may be more comfortable attacking the net after a flat approach, or slicing to the corners or short or whatever.

At the end of the day, I think to beat the DAMN PUSHER, you have to give them respect and know that they're asking a question of you - is your game really as good as you think it is?

If it is, then you know your game and how you win most of your points. If you're good, you should win, cos they (I) have nothing else. If you play your game and still lose to the pusher, they're too good for you, and you need a better game. I personally don't think you should change your game just because your playing a pusher - they're better at it than you are.

[ramseszerg]

How do you beat pushers who don't miss a passing shot? Amazing pace and accuracy on the passing shot, keeps pushing until I get to net. Is this the ultimate pusher?

[TENNIS_99]

[quote=The Watchman
At the end of the day, I think to beat the DAMN PUSHER, you have to give them respect and know that they're asking a question of you - is your game really as good as you think it is?[/QUOTE]

That's exactly what I want to say. I think people don't give pushers enough credits. They are excuting the fundamentals of tennis - getting the balls back. People are looking for quick answers to get around the problems. But I really think one should face the issue and get the fundamentals solid before you look for another answers.

[Tennis_Monk]

Originally Posted by ZPTennis

Pushers are my favorite type of player to play. The reason why is because they have really nothing to hurt you with. So there is no reason to feel threatened by their game. There only weapon they have if you call it a weapon would be that they can get to a lot of balls and they tend to be very consistent.

This is how I play them but it may differ depending on your strengths.

Assuming they are right handed, I purposely hit crosscourt to their forehand. This cuts down on the angle to get to your backhand and makes it easier to continue using your forehand. As soon as you get a shorter ball, go for a sharp crosscourt angle forehand so basically your ball path is traveling over the alley. All they can do is hit back towards you and follow it up by hitting towards their backhand corner. With them this far off the court it will make it quite difficult for them to get to the ball. Even if they do, make sure you have followed up this shot at net and be ready to angle off the volley or overhead.

For those points where they do get to your backhand, just simply hit a deep backhand crosscourt, not trying to go for a winner but just placement and wait for the opportunity to use your forehand crosscourt and use the same strategy again in the above paragraph.

This is a relatively simple strategy but it works. This allows you to avoid the long boring baseline rallies they love to play and end the point relatively quickly.

Probably the most enjoyable thing about this is they are running like hell and after you do this multiple times to them, even they start to suffer the effects. And because they have no attacking capability there is nothing they can do about it.

So your only requirements are a good forehand, ok volleys and a decent overhead. I hope this helps.

I know a few pushers who PUSH (or Defend) until they have the ball setup and RIP for a winner. So i dont neccessarily agree that Pushers dont have weapons.

Bottom line: While Playing against Pushers, Consistency is the key. Keep unforced errors to minimum and play to your strengths.

[The Watchman]

Originally Posted by Tennis_Monk

I know a few pushers who PUSH (or Defend) until they have the ball setup and RIP for a winner. So i dont neccessarily agree that Pushers dont have weapons.

Sounds like me! (And I know that sounds very humble) I'm not sure if these people are pushers - they look like they're selecting their shots so that they're not going for a winner if the opportunity isn't there, and defend instead.

I think they're even less obviously a pusher if they mix up slices and angles or move the ball around to try to extract a short ball and/or draw their opponent off court while 'defending'.

I think pushers are those who have no choice but to defend off every single shot (and you get to see that shot over, and over, and over, and over again)

[Golden Retriever]

Take the ball on the rise.
1. It gives the pusher less time to chase the ball and chasing the ball is the only thing that a pusher is good at.

2. It makes returning those paceless balls easier because a ball always have more pace on the rise so even a paceless ball has some pace to work with if you take it on the rise.

[Mick]

The Watchman, you're not a pusher. pushers have no weapons.

[tempura_MAKI]

Ace him, then and attack his serves. make him return the ball out of his comfort zone so you control the court. hit short vollies and fast forehands. play a mind game with him, hit it easy where he wants it then switch it up with a rocket up the alley.

[The Watchman]

Mick, thanks for your vote of confidence. I humbly agree! (Which is why the dudes Mr Monk are describing don't sound like pushers to me either.)

However, I *do* play like a pusher when I first start playing someone who is hitting aggressively and is not giving me short/easy balls to attack. (I might add, they tend to be young folk armed with the latest babolats or wilsons.) Difference between me and pusher is that I am choosing not to use my 'weapons' to try and hit low percentage shots off their deep, hard shots. My opponent doesn't know this, and plays me like a pusher.

And I commonly see that they make lots and lots of UEs - their shots simply aren't good enough to win points most of the time. (I wish that their parents would do something more useful than bury their faces in their hands, like keeping track of winners/forced errors and UEs. Junior might get some feedback about what's happening, rather than go to a message board and complain about how pushers used voodoo on their previously perfect unassailable games.)

If my opponents don't make UEs ... well, I remark to their parents on what a sterling job they've done, gird my loins and take more risks with my 'weapons' to try to make things happen.

[hyperwarrior]

Like Federer said, you play their own game!

[onkystomper]

Not becoming lazy on your footwork is the key. Then just being prpared to hit as many shots as it takes without losing concentration.

The reason pushers beat others is because they bore them. Playing someone who keeps lobbing the ball back with no pace is boring.

You have to keep your concentration and discipline and beat them with your game.

There is no point being one of the whingers who loses to a pusher and saids "this is **** tennis, This guy is rubbish" etc etc.

You have no right to critiscize someone style who you can not beat.

Beat them move on, dont play them again. Beat the next one

[skuludo]

I want to play a pusher. Maybe I'll get a shot at a 100 shot rally.

[emo5]

I think I played a pusher today.. (maybe not?)

MY GOD IT WAS HORRIBLE!
EVERY FRICKIN' SERVE I DID WAS WASTED EFFORT! SHE KEPT RETURNING THEM
!!! ARGH I FEEL LIKE SMASHING THE BALL AT HER!
kicks, slices, flats, twists what the f?

now that i think about it, she probably wasnt a pusher but just consistent.

I won the doubles though so im happy

[accordingtoome]

im new.. whats a Pusher??

[spot]

A pusher is someone who doesn't "hit" the ball. They just guide the ball back into the middle of the court every time waiting for you to make a mistake.

[kevhen]

I once played a 5 minute 60 shot rally when playing left handed against a slow and steady topspinnner. Neither one of us could put the ball away but eventually he short-angled me off to the left of the court and hit a winner into the middle of the court.

[Supernatural_Serve]

Originally Posted by kevhen

I once played a 5 minute 60 shot rally when playing left handed against a slow and steady topspinnner. Neither one of us could put the ball away but eventually he short-angled me off to the left of the court and hit a winner into the middle of the court.

I know 2 guys who play most of their points that way. Their matches take hours for a 2 setter. They don't moonball much, just hit nice and deep to each other all day long (30-50 ball rallies EVERY POINT) and when they come in for a short ball, they hit an approach shot and then they usually run back to the baseline.

They lift that finger into the air with such pride when one of their opponents balls lands out instead of a foot or two inside the baseline!

[maverick1]

I beat a classic pusher recently. He was a very nice guy(50yrs, very fit) who was open about the fact that he didn't really have any weapons and he liked to run around the court and get exercise. He has been playing at the club since it was opened 30 years ago. He seemed quite sporting with calls too. There was not a single shot where I felt the ball was close and he called out. Anything close was in. There are only a couple of players with whom I have had this experience. Most people seem to use the rule that if they are more than 50% sure if was out, they call it out.

The match had a bizarre pattern. I knew beforehand that he was a pusher. Still, he won the first 2 games on a series of UEs by me. Then I found my consistency. I patiently rallied with him and gradually earned advantage in a point before coming to the net. He would try to lob me, but my overhead was really on that day. When he tried to pass me I could pretty much volley away all of his slow passing shots. I repeated this pattern to win 11 out of the next 12 games to go up 6-2 5-1. Then he changed strategy a bit and stumbled into a weakness of mine - volleying low slices. Slices tend to hit the top of my frame when I volley. Even though my conscious brain knows, my "reflexive game" has never figured out that slices float whereas topspins dip.(BTW, I could use a tip on this)

Anyway, this guy started to slice everytime I was at the net, and I either missed or sent back a very tentative volley that he could easily get to and make me run. Being a pusher, he didn't hit winners.
I gamely kept trying without losing composure, but kept losing every game. He went up 6-5. Then I accidentally found that he was very susceptible to a drop shot on the forehand side. Eureka! I had at least 6 easy points with that shot in the next two games and won 6-2 7-6, and have never been so relieved. I was wondering if my confidence in my mental toughness would ever recover if I lost this match from 6-2 5-1; at 5-6 in the second set, I had been almost certain I would lose.

I had been too stupid to recognize until he told me after the match that
- he had moved a step back on the baseline to cover my approach shots.
- He had much more trouble moving forward than sideways.

I should have probed & learned much earlier that any time I had a short ball, he could not adequately cover both my drive to back hand corner and the drop to the forehand side.