Day 1 Varsity

[Liv3 For It]

Jeez, just came home from my first day of varsity tryouts. Here's what happened. This is linked with my previous thread, Varsity.

So I was getting pumped up for my matches throughout the day. After school, I was completely ready to face anyone. So once the coach calls my name to play im completely ready. I jump out there and win the first four games in a row. BUT THEN, I dont know what happened. I started to lose a lot of points. Im getting out rallied and going for too much sometimes. He wins the next 3 games. Then I win one game and it's 5-3. We played the next game and he double faults on match point. 6-3 I win. HOWEVER, The last four games felt horrible. I either lost or I didnt play well. I just completely slowed down and my strokes started to fail. This happened yesterday too. I was playing a match and up 3-0, and lost 4-6. Why does this happen/ How come I cant hold onto a lead?? Any tips?


Second topic: Tommorrow's match--

If I get a lead, I will definately try to hold onto it this time. My opponent is a kid that can occassionally get a few forehand winners and occassionally makes a few forehand errors. His backhand is okay too. His volleys however, are not so good, He Cannot put them away, But he can at least get them back. His serve is not that big either and he is pretty consistant. I played him before and lost 4-6. He just kept out rallying me. What are some tips to beat this guy tommorrow?

Thank you so much for helping..

 

[2ndserve642]

if you get a lead don't let it go to ur head and dont start thinking bout blowing it it will make it way worse

 

[ben_friendz]

Don't even let the thought of winning pop into your head, don't daydream about it during the match, or do the little "winning plan" in your in head, u know, the "well if I lose this game and win the next game and ..." Focus on each point individually, no free points because u have a lead.
Remember, "play to win, and do not play not to lose." There you go

 

[ClarkC]

My son played a tournament last weekend. First match, he got up 5-1 by playing great defense against a guy who was overhitting. Then he got impatient to close out the set and started overhitting. The other guy got afraid to lose the set and started stroking the ball back solidly without overhitting. By the 5-3 point they had completely switched their earlier roles. At 5-6, my son looked like he was having a complete meltdown on the court. But he was smart enough to realize what was going on, switched to a racket strung more for control, stopped overhitting, barely held serve, then won the tiebreaker.

After that, he was settled down emotionally and went on to win the whole tournament.

The lesson I emphasized to him after the first match: Whatever you were doing to get ahead, just keep doing it. Do NOT play differently when closing out a set or a match. This takes some mental discipline. You need to think about it before your match even starts: If I get ahead, I am just going to calmly continue exactly what I was doing to get ahead. Sometimes you feel impatient, like the end of the set cannot come soon enough, but you have to fight that feeling. Mastering this is a huge part of winning at tennis.

This kind of positive plan is better than the (usually) negatively stated advice like "Don't choke" or "Play to win, not to avoid losing." It might be that defensive tennis was what was winning (as in my son's case, and he hates playing defensive tennis). Telling yourself to play to win might trigger impatient overhitting at the end of a set. Or, you might impatiently come to net when that was not what was putting you ahead in the first place. Hitting out and coming to net would both qualify as "Playing to win, not to avoid losing," but they might be really bad ideas and might be examples of changing your style at the end of the set.

 

[Liv3 For It]

Day 2

Okay, done day 2 of my tryouts. I played okay today. I won against that guy 6-0 but I felt like I could improve my strokes but overall mentally, I was strong. I have to keep playing to get a higher spot on Varsity. I got and held on to my lead. That was my goal.

Tommorrow I am playing a guy who has ok groundstrokes but a gigantic first serve. He does not always get it in, but It is pretty consistant. What are some good tips against playing someone who is full of fire and has a BIG serve?

 

[P8ntballa]

The best advice i can giv u is DO NOT SWING ON THE RETURN! Block it bak if u hav 2, deep if possible... Iv played guys w/big serves alot in tournys and the best way 2 deal w/it is 2 tak a VERY short bak swing and then stroke the ball, push thru the contact point. If his groundies arent spectacular then that means u dont hav 2 hit amazing returns.

 

[mcutilize]

yeah i agree
keep doing whatever you did to win some points to keep winning them.

i learned the hardway
i lost first set 2-6 to my friend cause i wasnt mentally there
so when i started to play with tons of slice i was up 4-1 but then i stopped doing it cause its not my game and i just got really impatient and lost it at 5-7.

 

[mcutilize]

Okay, done day 2 of my tryouts. I played okay today. I won against that guy 6-0 but I felt like I could improve my strokes but overall mentally, I was strong. I have to keep playing to get a higher spot on Varsity. I got and held on to my lead. That was my goal.

Tommorrow I am playing a guy who has ok groundstrokes but a gigantic first serve. He does not always get it in, but It is pretty consistant. What are some good tips against playing someone who is full of fire and has a BIG serve?

block it back
use your momentum to get more into the serve
or you can
step into the serve with a short takeback and just take it early like i do
it works if ur good at it

 

[P8ntballa]

Dude, hows it goin? U win all ur challenges?

 

[Liv3 For It]

Yeah, I made it to number 5 on the team. I think that I can beat number 4 and maybe can have a chance to challenge and try to beat #3. Its a long run though. Im on doubles 1 varsity and me and my partner do not get along at all..... but we still win. What should I do?

 

[a_2c+]

be freinds with your partner. TRY to get along... The best doubles teams have a wonderful chemistry within each other.

other than that.... hit extremely difficult serves in order to set up for your netman-partner...

 

[P8ntballa]

Yeah, I made it to number 5 on the team. I think that I can beat number 4 and maybe can have a chance to challenge and try to beat #3. Its a long run though. Im on doubles 1 varsity and me and my partner do not get along at all..... but we still win. What should I do?

Be friendly with him. Talk with him and joke around with him, make him like you basically. If that doesnt work then i would have to say change partners, ask your coach to pair you up with a differant person. If you both just dont get along, eventually you will play a good team and lose.

 

[WHSTENNIS]

I've noticed just take it stroke by stroke point by point and game by game. You never take a slightest break on a point even when you're up.

be freinds with your partner. TRY to get along... The best doubles teams have a wonderful chemistry within each other.

other than that.... hit extremely difficult serves in order to set up for your netman-partner...

I agree. It also helps my dubs partner is my hitting partner...