Beating Pushers??

M

Monte Carlo

New User
So i did my research before playing this pusher last weekend knowing that he would be getting every ball back and feasting on my mistakes and whatnot and i was up 4-1, and somehow just let everything slip and ended up losing 5-7. I kept up the active footwork and hit the deep knowing that would give me the best chance to win the rally and made the guy run a little and everything seemed to work for the most part. Ive played too many matches in a pressure situation to feel pressure anymore so i know that wasn't the reason for the choke, but i guess i got too defensive in my shots and made a couple mistakes. Anyways… I started surprising the base-line hogger by putting in some surprise slices to break up the pace and got myself in a good position to put some balls away at the net and this guy was too fast and ended up perfectly lobbing every ball over my head almost every time. All my strategies were working but it just seemed like i couldn't get this guy to make any mistakes in those last few crucial games. frustrating to see the game slip from my grasp in the very end. probe will be playing this guy again in a week or two. Any suggestions on how to seal the deal next time??
 
Where was your position at the net after you lobbed this guy? If he's hitting a lot of lobs over your head,you may be in too far. Always good to throw in some drop shots to keep him honest, and will help with your deep ball.
 
"Lobbed perfectly" = lobs landed within 5' of the BL every time? If so, work on a better approach and also perhaps don't commit so far into the net so you can still take the lob on-the-fly.

It sounds like you had a sound game plan. Perhaps you didn't do anything wrong; maybe he simply adjusted and changed things up. Or he got accustomed to your strategy and found ways to counter it. There's no guarantee that you could have found a 100% solution.
 
Monte Carlo said:
So i did my research before playing this pusher last weekend knowing that he would be getting every ball back and feasting on my mistakes and whatnot and i was up 4-1, and somehow just let everything slip and ended up losing 5-7. I kept up the active footwork and hit the deep knowing that would give me the best chance to win the rally and made the guy run a little and everything seemed to work for the most part. Ive played too many matches in a pressure situation to feel pressure anymore so i know that wasn't the reason for the choke, but i guess i got too defensive in my shots and made a couple mistakes. Anyways… I started surprising the base-line hogger by putting in some surprise slices to break up the pace and got myself in a good position to put some balls away at the net and this guy was too fast and ended up perfectly lobbing every ball over my head almost every time. All my strategies were working but it just seemed like i couldn't get this guy to make any mistakes in those last few crucial games. frustrating to see the game slip from my grasp in the very end. probe will be playing this guy again in a week or two. Any suggestions on how to seal the deal next time??
Click to expand...
Sure, focus and work on your own game instead of blaming your loss on playing the pusher card!

:D
 
Monte Carlo said:
So i did my research before playing this pusher last weekend knowing that he would be getting every ball back and feasting on my mistakes and whatnot and i was up 4-1, and somehow just let everything slip and ended up losing 5-7. I kept up the active footwork and hit the deep knowing that would give me the best chance to win the rally and made the guy run a little and everything seemed to work for the most part. Ive played too many matches in a pressure situation to feel pressure anymore so i know that wasn't the reason for the choke, but i guess i got too defensive in my shots and made a couple mistakes. Anyways… I started surprising the base-line hogger by putting in some surprise slices to break up the pace and got myself in a good position to put some balls away at the net and this guy was too fast and ended up perfectly lobbing every ball over my head almost every time. All my strategies were working but it just seemed like i couldn't get this guy to make any mistakes in those last few crucial games. frustrating to see the game slip from my grasp in the very end. probe will be playing this guy again in a week or two. Any suggestions on how to seal the deal next time??
Click to expand...

When my lob is working that well, I can be very hard to beat also. The key to beating me (a pusher) is to exploit my weaknesses and avoid my strengths. My game is highly variable from one day to the next. So what works one day may not work the next.

What were the weaknesses in this opponent's game? You only seem to have mentioned his strengths.
 
MathGeek said:
When my lob is working that well, I can be very hard to beat also. The key to beating me (a pusher) is to exploit my weaknesses and avoid my strengths. My game is highly variable from one day to the next. So what works one day may not work the next.

What were the weaknesses in this opponent's game? You only seem to have mentioned his strengths.
Click to expand...

As the opponent has been described as a pusher, his main weakness is probly a lack of power.
 
Does rush n crush work vs pushers? holding tight to the baseline, stepping into the court on any soft or short ball taking the ball on the rise putting into one or the other corner and attacking inside the service line somewhere? unsustainable?
 
Monte Carlo said:
So i did my research before playing this pusher last weekend knowing that he would be getting every ball back and feasting on my mistakes and whatnot and i was up 4-1, and somehow just let everything slip and ended up losing 5-7. I kept up the active footwork and hit the deep knowing that would give me the best chance to win the rally and made the guy run a little and everything seemed to work for the most part. Ive played too many matches in a pressure situation to feel pressure anymore so i know that wasn't the reason for the choke, but i guess i got too defensive in my shots and made a couple mistakes. Anyways… I started surprising the base-line hogger by putting in some surprise slices to break up the pace and got myself in a good position to put some balls away at the net and this guy was too fast and ended up perfectly lobbing every ball over my head almost every time. All my strategies were working but it just seemed like i couldn't get this guy to make any mistakes in those last few crucial games. frustrating to see the game slip from my grasp in the very end. probe will be playing this guy again in a week or two. Any suggestions on how to seal the deal next time??
Click to expand...
He fast hit up the middle. He hug the baseline sucker him into net. Get out of your little shell and do different What yu doin isn`t workin
 
Moonball the pusher and then come into net but don't close all the way in. I play a guy who lobs 9 out of 10 times when I come in. I just wait for the next shot at the service line after I approach.
 
MathGeek said:
When my lob is working that well, I can be very hard to beat also. The key to beating me (a pusher) is to exploit my weaknesses and avoid my strengths. My game is highly variable from one day to the next. So what works one day may not work the next.

What were the weaknesses in this opponent's game? You only seem to have mentioned his strengths.
Click to expand...
and the reason your lob works well, is because they are probably hitting through the center of the court, to a spot you can easily and comfortably block it back for a lob (easier the harder they hit!)
for lob queens, you need to get the ball low (slice approach), and get them moving forward, make them hit lobs from no man's land, hopefully on the stretch... easy to hit lobs defending hard hit balls hit to them behind the baseline... harder when moving forward to hit a low ball.
 
Monte Carlo said:
So i did my research before playing this pusher last weekend knowing that he would be getting every ball back and feasting on my mistakes and whatnot and i was up 4-1, and somehow just let everything slip and ended up losing 5-7. I kept up the active footwork and hit the deep knowing that would give me the best chance to win the rally and made the guy run a little and everything seemed to work for the most part. Ive played too many matches in a pressure situation to feel pressure anymore so i know that wasn't the reason for the choke, but i guess i got too defensive in my shots and made a couple mistakes. Anyways… I started surprising the base-line hogger by putting in some surprise slices to break up the pace and got myself in a good position to put some balls away at the net and this guy was too fast and ended up perfectly lobbing every ball over my head almost every time. All my strategies were working but it just seemed like i couldn't get this guy to make any mistakes in those last few crucial games. frustrating to see the game slip from my grasp in the very end. probe will be playing this guy again in a week or two. Any suggestions on how to seal the deal next time??
Click to expand...

Work hard on your drop shot. The pusher relies on speed and fitness and drawn out points to produce mistakes on your part. Don't draw out the points. Get him to the net. The try to pass him. Or lob if you can't pass. But play him front to back rather than side to side.

Drop shots, cut slices at angles into the short court. Anything to get him moving forward. And get yourself to the service line as soon as you can. No closer as he will lob you. If he's a pusher they usually can't hurt you at the service line as he won't have an effective dipper.

So 3 points for the TLDR group:
1) Bring him to the net
2) Get to the service line
3) Shorten the points
 
Of course going to the net and the usual advice can be helpful. I find that many pushers don't like to generate their own pace and make many unforced errors when I give them junk balls or no pace loopers. They generally don't volley at the net well either, so bring em in!
 
Mr.Lob said:
Where was your position at the net after you lobbed this guy? If he's hitting a lot of lobs over your head,you may be in too far. Always good to throw in some drop shots to keep him honest, and will help with your deep ball.
Click to expand...

Sorry if it was unclear, but he was the one lobbing me. I got him to run side to side and started putting in some drop shots so i could close the net but he just ended up pass shoting me or lobbing it over my head. his shots had no pace whatsoever.
 
MathGeek said:
When my lob is working that well, I can be very hard to beat also. The key to beating me (a pusher) is to exploit my weaknesses and avoid my strengths. My game is highly variable from one day to the next. So what works one day may not work the next.

What were the weaknesses in this opponent's game? You only seem to have mentioned his strengths.
Click to expand...
Weaknesses i noticed were his lack of pace in his shots and soft serves. He didn't have a great backhand either so that was my primary target of aim but he was so fast and just ended up running around the ball to hit a forehand. No matter how fast of a shot i hit he just tapped it back and got it over the net so i knew it wasn't worth frustrating myself and ripping balls to the net to try to get winners. I guess i got defensive in my shots too that led to mistakes on my behalf as i gave him easy put aways.
 
Monte Carlo said:
Weaknesses i noticed were his lack of pace in his shots and soft serves. He didn't have a great backhand either so that was my primary target of aim but he was so fast and just ended up running around the ball to hit a forehand. No matter how fast of a shot i hit he just tapped it back and got it over the net so i knew it wasn't worth frustrating myself and ripping balls to the net to try to get winners. I guess i got defensive in my shots too that led to mistakes on my behalf as i gave him easy put aways.
Click to expand...

"Lack of pace in his shots and soft serves" are only a weakness if you can take advantage of them. When I started, I couldn't beat these players. They became a non-issue once I started getting better at doubles (doubles can definitely help you singles game). Basically, you just come in after every ball and volley it away. The fact they can't hit pace means you don't have to worry about getting passed and you can assume an aggressive position.
 
Monte Carlo said:
Sorry if it was unclear, but he was the one lobbing me. I got him to run side to side and started putting in some drop shots so i could close the net but he just ended up pass shoting me or lobbing it over my head. his shots had no pace whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Not sure how he was passing you if he had no pace. If there is not pace and you are at the service line, you have room to move and cut off the no pace ball.

Work on your approach balls more. Slice to the backhand or sometimes a high looper to the backhand side. He'll probably try to lob both those shots but if you are camped at the service line, you are in a position to smash a weak lob or get back on a good lob.
 
Bring a 6 pack of his favorite beer next time. Also, make sure one of them is non-alcoholic and make sure you drink that one.

On a more serious note, at the baseline just be calm and relaxed. Remember, a pusher has no weapons that can hurt you so you can go easy on the strokes. I find myself go at like 60-70% effort shots until I get back the ideal shot. Then I will try to hit it into a corner or the body (figure out which one he hates) and follow it in. Your effort level on the approach shot should only be as much as you need to so the pusher doesnt have an easy lob. Rinse and repeat. I find this is what works for me personally.

I am also more of a defensive baseliner naturally and love baseline rallies.
 
Discussed too many times already....

Good approach shots, agressive but effective netgame, focus on shot combos than outright single shot winners and above all learn the mid court game on both sides of the net. Also don't waste your energy by hitting overpaced baseline shots without any plan.

There is no easy way, keep playing with good pushers and be ready to loose till your figure out all the above.
 
To the OP, give any opponent even pushers credit. Many threads on this topic " how to beat a pusher" go to net, don't allow him time, slice if that works, etc. etc. I have played a lot of pushers. What works for me may not work for others. It all depends on what your strengths are. Trying a certain shot that is not in your arsenal just makes it worse. I would suggest that you take an honest look at your game and focus on what needs to be improved. Give the pusher some respect, he has figured out that he can win with that style of play. Some pushers may not have the ability to play any different and he has figured that out. Or he may be the athletic pusher that relies on his speed and reflexes and doesn't bother learning tennis. Many former HS or College basketball players are in this category, they are great retrievers.. I would start by correcting your own weaknesses so you can deal with any thing a pusher throws at you and have a plan. Again, only use a shot that you have mastered and see where that takes you. Good luck!
 
TennisDawg said:
To the OP, give any opponent even pushers credit. Many threads on this topic " how to beat a pusher" go to net, don't allow him time, slice if that works, etc. etc. I have played a lot of pushers. What works for me may not work for others. It all depends on what your strengths are. Trying a certain shot that is not in your arsenal just makes it worse. I would suggest that you take an honest look at your game and focus on what needs to be improved. Give the pusher some respect, he has figured out that he can win with that style of play. Some pushers may not have the ability to play any different and he has figured that out. Or he may be the athletic pusher that relies on his speed and reflexes and doesn't bother learning tennis. Many former HS or College basketball players are in this category, they are great retrievers.. I would start by correcting your own weaknesses so you can deal with any thing a pusher throws at you and have a plan. Again, only use a shot that you have mastered and see where that takes you. Good luck!
Click to expand...

This is usually the biggest reason people lose to pushers. They don't have the shots to beat pushers. They themselves are baseline grinders which plays right into the pushers wheelhouse. You have to learn more tennis. Drop shots, slices, lobs, overheads. Perfect those and you have an arsenal to face the pusher. The pusher pushes because he can. If you can counter his every push, he will be in trouble. If he can answer those counters, then he really wasn't a pusher after all.
 
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