lendl lives said:
Thanks Guys,
"When you play a pusher, the pace, depth, and angle of the ball is not what your used to so you havent conditioned yourself to respond or anticipate their balls"
B,
again you seem to understand exactly what i'm thinking. everything you've said is right on. a friend told me i need to drop shot and lob. do you have any tips for the drop shot since i've never hit or practiced it.
"You can stand in closer to take the service return but that will now test your timing and confidence taking a ball in a different place even though this is what your suppose to do."
-the thing about standing in closer on the serve and the whole issue of timing is one reason i was thinking about switching to an os raquet.
this guy i played was the best pusher i've ever seen. damn. it was a four hour three set match on a super slow court. it funny because it seems like there a more pushers out their than conventional players. a friend of mine who is also a very good player (former college player) was joking with me about our lose to a pusher. He says, "yeah just give me a sitting forehand, bllaaahhhh (pointing his hand to the ground)" I laughed and said i've given you some sitting forehands (he'd always smashed them on me)" He said, "not the way these guys make um sit". LOL.
I still mainly play doubles but my singles endurance is getting better since i've come back to the game in November...
1. do you have any tips for the drop shot since i've never hit or practiced it.
A. Well I dont really mean a drop shot but a ball that makes them come in and have to hit up on the ball. So it can be anything like a short sliced ball which includes a drop shot. Once they are about to hit the ball you are ready to move in a step and lob over there backhand side. You are basically nuetralizing their play and setting yourself up for a winning shot. If they start anticipating it then mix it up, lob over their forehand side. Just run the hell out of them. If they are quick try and hit behind them if your rallys are more side to side.
When you practice a drop shot try and get the ball to land at least three times without going past the service line and at least two times in legal play. Practice, practice, practice. This will develop your touch. If you are deep in the court, try two times. In other words, your drop shot needs to die on the court once it bounces the first time.
2. -the thing about standing in closer on the serve and the whole issue of timing is one reason i was thinking about switching to an os raquet.
A. It is not the racquet. Sorry.
Timing is timing. If your meeting the ball at the right time you can still hit it off the frame. It does not mean your timing is off. It means your not tracking the ball into the strings. Your focal vs. peripheral vision is untrained. If your way ahead of the ball or late, that is timing. A smaller racquet will discipline your focus and your head being still on contact. If you dont want to practice this so much, then maybe you can look at a OS. Since you play doubles it might not be a bad idea. I use a 93 sq. inch head size and play doubles becuase of my knees arent what they used to be. At times, I think the head size is huge. But I am used to it as well.
3. this guy i played was the best pusher i've ever seen. damn. it was a four hour three set match on a super slow court. it funny because it seems like there a more pushers out their than conventional players. a friend of mine who is also a very good player (former college player) was joking with me about our lose to a pusher. He says, "yeah just give me a sitting forehand, bllaaahhhh (pointing his hand to the ground)" I laughed and said i've given you some sitting forehands (he'd always smashed them on me)" He said, "not the way these guys make um sit". LOL.
A. Well a x-college player should be able to pounce on a pusher if an x-college player is in shape and confident in his shots. I wouldnt worry to much about him comparing what he would have done to what you did. Everyone has to start out somewhere and everyone has trouble against certain styles of play. Talk is always cheap.
Overall, conditioning is key. If your in shape you will have confidence in yoru shots. If your in shape, tennis gets a bit eaiser to play. Your timing, your focus, your willingness to take chances, your motivation to play longer points increases - and most importantly tennis gets a lot more fun.
