I played tennis for 3 days now. I've been playing great! Both wings, forehand and backhand and even serving all consistent. Won 6-2 4-6 6-2. And another set 6-1. Against a guy that usually plays me extremely close. A lot of tiebreaks. But I realized tho, that my ground strokes are very consistent and deep, pushing my opponents back, making them hit many unforced errors. Eating them up at the feet. 5 feet net clearance. But I realized I rarely hit winners. RARELY. Just no unforced errors for me, running every single ball down and getting it back. Not moon balls by any means. Just heavy topspin. I think I'm a pusher or at least becoming one. The question, should I stick with this style of play if I'm winning? ( I can finally think about my tennis game and not be stressed about something not working and me losing) or should I get to hitting some winners because it won't last? Thanks guys!
Accidental pushing...
- Thread starter Djoker91
- Start date
Headshotterer
Professional
no. that is a good strategy and is countersmashing. pushing is just hitting the pack in with no spin or pace so that your shots never o out.
Yea I'm definitely not a pusher in that aspect, just getting them in. I have control, spin, and good consistency. It's gotten to the point where I'm purposely thinking while in the middle of rallying " ok going for winners isn't working. I'm just gonna out-rally this guy until he tries to go for more he can handle." and it's been working! I've had a tremendous weekend and tomorrow I was going to try it again. But maybe try to get more firepower? But yea, definitely more of a counterpuncher and not a pusher now that I think about it.
The thing that got me into it is American tennis has a HUGE emphasis on BIG serve and BIG forehead. That's why they fare badly on clay usually. So I got into constructing points instead of always going for the dagger. Now I'm slipped into this style. But it's working big time! Isn't Nadal a counterpuncher as well? For the majority of his game, at least?
Oh wait sorry I misread that. Thought you said it wasn't good. So it is. Ok cool!
DeShaun
Banned
Ryan Harrison said that Andy Roddick had told him that staying near the top of tennis will involve Ryan having to dig, to find a way, to do whatever it takes in those matches that he will play when, roughly eighty percent of the time, he will not be playing anywhere near his best. Roddick reportedly advised Ryan that he can expect to play roughly ten percent of all his matches at his best when everything is clicking very well, another ten percent of his matches at his absolute worst when it's just not happening at all today, and that the remaining eighty percent is where one defines himself as a competitor. I think maybe that Roddick when he was younger would too often try to play most of his matches on any given day as though he were having one of those "top ten percent" days, but that he subsequently evolved into more of a pusher; and he became less tolerant of losing due to his UFEs. So, it appears that he formerly wanted to blast big forehands from everywhere, every single day in every single match, which blasting away at field mice or ant hills with shotgun rounds over and over, so to speak, is very close to being humanly impossible from a physical standpoint--everybody will use pushing to win eventually if winning is the priority.
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SwankPeRFection
Hall of Fame
You're describing what my friend has turned into. A grinder/pusher as I like to call it. You have the shots to keep the player back behind the baseline and you never go for winners. I have to be honest, sometimes it gets to me, but in ways, because he's not just a regular dink pusher, he's made me develop my game enough so that I'm more consistant in my rallies.
He argues with me that if he can win this way, it's the best game for him, but (me personally) I like to see players beat me with their shots, not my UEs. I guess in the end it boils down to doing what you have to do to win your matches, but if these are friendly practice matches against friends in your tennis group, get ready to frustrate some people... maybe to the point where they won't play against you anymore. Go for some winners sometimes, it'll help you develop your game more and also show that you're taking your chances if you see an opportunity.
He argues with me that if he can win this way, it's the best game for him, but (me personally) I like to see players beat me with their shots, not my UEs. I guess in the end it boils down to doing what you have to do to win your matches, but if these are friendly practice matches against friends in your tennis group, get ready to frustrate some people... maybe to the point where they won't play against you anymore. Go for some winners sometimes, it'll help you develop your game more and also show that you're taking your chances if you see an opportunity.
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