OK< MATCH TACTICS ? PLZ HELP ? please please please help

[newracketagain??]

ok, after taking up tennis in feb i have reached my UK lta rating of 8.1 , acorridng to my national ratings guide this make for a 2.5 ntrp rating!

im starting to play tournaments on a very regular basis, with most of the competition being about the 2.5 ( 8.1)

up to now my tactics has been pretty basic, like, in the warm up, hit to his forehand, and his backhand, if any shot is evidently weaker, then attack it with top spin groundstrokes until a decent openning apears to hit the killer shot! this has be drilled into me by my coach!

id very much like to get up to a level of 7.1 when the next ratings results come through wich is a representattive of a 3.0 and i know that i have the capabilities, just im playing a great deal of my tennis through instinct!

id like to know what people feel on this and any help would very much be appreciated!


id also like to know if people have any tips for match prepeation, i.e what do you eat before a match ? how much water is to much ? just any adivce would be great!

 

[tricky nicky]

How old are you? seriously?

did your coach award you that rating?

focus on development of technical & physical dont go overboard playing competitions the travel will send you skint and drive you crazy.

come back and see us next year.

good luck with your tennis

 

[newracketagain??]

How old are you? seriously?

did your coach award you that rating?

focus on development of technical & physical dont go overboard playing competitions the travel will send you skint and drive you crazy.

come back and see us next year.

good luck with your tennis

im 18 years old = seriously ? lol

no he didnt, i started on a 10.2 and i didnt have a coach at that time ( everyone in the UK does ) and when i had some good results beating some 7.1 and 6.2 players ( ntrp rating 3.0 ) they send me a new membership card with

i am very very fit, so my physical development isnt really an issue, my tecnnical development is, and that is why i take 3 lessons a week and practice dailny for 2 / 3 hours!

i dont not think im going overboard at all by playing competitions against people of the same rating, as it will boost my rating, and i think that its great to compete! im a very competitive person and i love the feeling of winning! also playing again people better than you will raise youre game !!

i also have like 3 sparemonths before i go traveling on my gap year, so id really like to do some comps against same rating opposition, youre reasons for telling me not to are strangely negative ?


thanks for you good wishes!

 

[MegacedU]

Match tactics? Try the basics. Hit an approach shot to the extreme left or extreme right and the take the net and put it away to whatever side they're not on. Also, try experimenting with the serve and volley. I'd swear by it.

 

[newracketagain??]

Match tactics? Try the basics. Hit an approach shot to the extreme left or extreme right and the take the net and put it away to whatever side they're not on. Also, try experimenting with the serve and volley. I'd swear by it.

i have tried serve and volleying, i practice it for 1 hour a day, and im really improving with it, but i feel that when im doing it im vunerable to be passed, and im nervous as i feel im not playing to my strenghts / doing something thats out of my comofort, my serve although reasobly saccurate is mostly topspin / kick and i find it hard to come in, as i feel its not justified!

my stengths are

forehand (very heavy topsin, i feel comfy putting it wherever) good depth and good consitancy

backhand, mostly topsin, very safe crosscourt and can often open up a good crosscourt ankle, reasonable depth

drop shot on forehand side

speed

ive been told my so many people that the serve and volley game is dead and is no longer worth practicing as when i improve and play harder competition il get battered!

 

[Junkball]

If you're just starting out like your OP reads, then you should not rely heavily upon a S&V game. Master your groundstrokes, then develop an all-court game.

 

[Junkball]

Oh, almost forgot...with regards to liquid consumption-it's mostly common sense. Obviously you want to replenish what perspiration you lose during the course of your matches, but not over the amount that would take you to the urinal.
Everyone's different, personally, I don't drink that much, I take just a couple of sips here and there.
Last thing I want is to be bloated, and then my opponent serves one right into my gut...

 

[newracketagain??]

If you're just starting out like your OP reads, then you should not rely heavily upon a S&V game. Master your groundstrokes, then develop an all-court game.

thanks for youre advice, i dont rely upon it, but there no harm for playing s and v for 1 hour a day, it gradually improves, and it makes you feel more coplete when ure at the net!

80% of my game is groundstrokes!

 

[donnyz89]

at your level the most important thing is moving your opponent. keep drilling balls to his backhand will work but you can make an awful lot of errors.

the most important strategy at your level is to control the middle of the court and hit deep ground strokes to the corners. try to hit the balls maybe 6-10 feet over the net and aim for a spot 3x3 feet away from the baseline and sideline in the corner. most players have trouble moving and hitting balls on the move, so dont try to hit winners right away, move him around a few shots then when he hits a short response that lands in inside the service line, recognize it, run up to it, and attack it. thats the best shot at your lv, and dont forget to attack net on thost short balls too.

 

[newracketagain??]

at your level the most important thing is moving your opponent. keep drilling balls to his backhand will work but you can make an awful lot of errors.

the most important strategy at your level is to control the middle of the court and hit deep ground strokes to the corners. try to hit the balls maybe 6-10 feet over the net and aim for a spot 3x3 feet away from the baseline and sideline in the corner. most players have trouble moving and hitting balls on the move, so dont try to hit winners right away, move him around a few shots then when he hits a short response that lands in inside the service line, recognize it, run up to it, and attack it. thats the best shot at your lv, and dont forget to attack net on thost short balls too.

thanks for youre adive, this sounds like a good plan! and im going towork on it in my next practice match! i like the idea of coming in after attacking the short ball as the fact i have the advantage will give me more confidence at the net! should i always come to the net after a drop shot to?? this all sounds cool, but 6 to 9 foot over the net ? im much more advanced than that, that was like after 3 days of playing ! maybe you have got a mis imterpretation of the level that im at! lol i dont wana turn into a pusher!

also, what about serving ?? what do you suggest ??

 

[donnyz89]

thanks for youre adive, this sounds like a good plan! and im going towork on it in my next practice match! i like the idea of coming in after attacking the short ball as the fact i have the advantage will give me more confidence at the net! should i always come to the net after a drop shot to?? this all sounds cool, but 6 to 9 foot over the net ? im much more advanced than that, that was like after 3 days of playing ! maybe you have got a mis imterpretation of the level that im at! lol i dont wana turn into a pusher!

also, what about serving ?? what do you suggest ??

okay, ill admit, not 9 feet but i would say at least 4+ feet. When you are behind the baseline, your goal is not to drive a ball for a winner. play some percentages, give the ball some height and create depth, dont let your opponent on the offensive. On short balls, if the ball is below waist level, try to place it deep into the corner and take some pace off it to keep it in the court, and follow the ball to cut off the angle for your opponents passing shot. if its somewhere around your shoulder height, then flatten it out a little bit and go for the winner if u are comfortable, but DO NOT try to for too much otherwise your just wasting a hard faught error from your opponent by making an unforced error yourself. let HIM beat you with a good passing shot, dont beat yourself with an error.

as for serving, i dont know what you are asking... strategy? there isnt much to talk about unless you can place your serve very well and be effective with it, usually you have to be 3.5+ in order to have an accurate serve that plays into your point tactics. but serve wide and charge net for s&v, or just aim for your opponents backhand. if he likes to run around, hit it wide so you have an open court to hit to.

remember, dont try to end the point before you are ready to, a mistake by many players, if he is not in a position to hurt you, dont beat yourself trying to do too much.

as for dropshots, its kinda like an approach shot, when you hit the dropper, if it looks pretty good, follow the path of the ball and move to maybe a few steps behind the service line.

 

[SageOfDeath]

Eh you're a 2.5 and you are worrying about match tactics?

A 2.5 by my standards would lack pace, depth, and/or control. They would have trouble keeping the ball in play baseline to baseline.

I would say work on technique, form, footwork and being able to return each type of shot consisntaly. You should be able approach the net with short balls, hit groundstrokes cross court or down the line on both backhand and forehand, be able to serve with some pace, placement, and/or spin.

Once you can do those THEN worry about match tactics. If you are playing a match against someone that's a 2.5 (your level) then most points lost will not be from winner but unforced errors.

You need to work on improving your skills so that you can minimize your unforced errors. Then you can work on maximizing your strengths and using them into a match.

Don't worry too much about match strategy till you get to around 3.0-3.5 and then you will probably be taught strategy by your coach and you will develop strategy on your own.

 

[x Southpaw x]

i have tried serve and volleying, i practice it for 1 hour a day, and im really improving with it, but i feel that when im doing it im vunerable to be passed, and im nervous as i feel im not playing to my strenghts / doing something thats out of my comofort, my serve although reasobly saccurate is mostly topspin / kick and i find it hard to come in, as i feel its not justified!

my stengths are

forehand (very heavy topsin, i feel comfy putting it wherever) good depth and good consitancy

backhand, mostly topsin, very safe crosscourt and can often open up a good crosscourt ankle, reasonable depth

drop shot on forehand side

speed

ive been told my so many people that the serve and volley game is dead and is no longer worth practicing as when i improve and play harder competition il get battered!

FH with very heavy topspin?? BH with mostly topspin?? Drop shot too? Speed? Consistency and depth?

And you say you're NTRP 2.5? That's sandbagging! No way can a 2.5 be that good. Do you even find NTRP 3.0 and 3.5 a challenge? Or are you 2.5 only because you can't serve? If you can serve well, I think you should be able to reach a rating equivalent of 4.0 quite easily.

EDIT Add-on: Ah you started in Feb this year that's why they couldn't push your rating high fast enough. You must have had a good coach that went straight to teaching you topspin. And practice daily definitely helped you! Good attitude! You shouldn't have to worry much about strategy since you'd be crushing most other 2.5s. So work on that serve and make it strong!

 

[donnyz89]

FH with very heavy topspin?? BH with mostly topspin?? Drop shot too? Speed? Consistency and depth?

And you say you're NTRP 2.5? That's sandbagging! No way can a 2.5 be that good. Do you even find NTRP 3.0 and 3.5 a challenge? Or are you 2.5 only because you can't serve? If you can serve well, I think you should be able to reach a rating equivalent of 4.0 quite easily.

EDIT Add-on: Ah you started in Feb this year that's why they couldn't push your rating high fast enough. You must have had a good coach that went straight to teaching you topspin. And practice daily definitely helped you! Good attitude! You shouldn't have to worry much about strategy since you'd be crushing most other 2.5s. So work on that serve and make it strong!

this is what words can do to you. depend on your skill lv, people wil have different views on what "heavy top spin" is or "speed" or "consistancy" or "depth". top spin to a 3.0 in california will surely to be different to top spin to a 3.0 in lets say alaska.

 

[SageOfDeath]

I know what heavy topspin is. Its not great for hitting deep shots unless you have the power to back it up. I also doubt that he has a FH with heavy topspin with depth. Its just not natural for even a 3.5 to have heavy topspin with depth and constancy.

I've seen heavy topspin that kicks up around 4 feet into the air. Its very uncomfortable to hit a ball with heavy topspin. At least for me because 4 feet is practically shoulder height.

A drop shot is measured by how effective it is and the ability to execute one. I'm suprised to see a 2.5 using a drop shot but if its a good drop shot it will be slightly over the net, with backspin and bounce at least 6 times before reaching the service line. A great one will not reach the service line.

Consistancy is a word I also doubt. How consistant are you? How many balls can a ball machine feed you before you make an error? Not a ball being hit right to you but balls you have to run and position yourself for.

Depth is also something I find strange. A 2.5 would have some trouble hitting baseline to baseline deep consistantly, say about 5-10 balls. Deep, to me is a shot that's hit in between the service line and the basline. A shot closer to the service line is a short ball. A shot closer to the baseline is a deep ball.

He is rating his shots to highly.





He is also asking stuff like how much water to drink and what to eat. Those things are important but a 2.5 player definately shouldn't be stressing about that.

My advice is to eat lots of carbohydrates, and drink lots of water (500mL) 1 hour before that match. Stretch before the match, and after you match.



My advice is to focus on technique, form, and footwork. Don't even worry about strategy until you have the tools to employ strategy.

 

[newracketagain??]

FH with very heavy topspin?? BH with mostly topspin?? Drop shot too? Speed? Consistency and depth?

And you say you're NTRP 2.5? That's sandbagging! No way can a 2.5 be that good. Do you even find NTRP 3.0 and 3.5 a challenge? Or are you 2.5 only because you can't serve? If you can serve well, I think you should be able to reach a rating equivalent of 4.0 quite easily.

EDIT Add-on: Ah you started in Feb this year that's why they couldn't push your rating high fast enough. You must have had a good coach that went straight to teaching you topspin. And practice daily definitely helped you! Good attitude! You shouldn't have to worry much about strategy since you'd be crushing most other 2.5s. So work on that serve and make it strong!

you obviously didnt read the post, in the UK everyone starts on like 1 10.2, thats like ntrp level 1.0 and works there way up, evev player shat are like 3.1 or something statrted on 10.2

 

[newracketagain??]

I know what heavy topspin is. Its not great for hitting deep shots unless you have the power to back it up. I also doubt that he has a FH with heavy topspin with depth. Its just not natural for even a 3.5 to have heavy topspin with depth and constancy.

I've seen heavy topspin that kicks up around 4 feet into the air. Its very uncomfortable to hit a ball with heavy topspin. At least for me because 4 feet is practically shoulder height.

A drop shot is measured by how effective it is and the ability to execute one. I'm suprised to see a 2.5 using a drop shot but if its a good drop shot it will be slightly over the net, with backspin and bounce at least 6 times before reaching the service line. A great one will not reach the service line.

Consistancy is a word I also doubt. How consistant are you? How many balls can a ball machine feed you before you make an error? Not a ball being hit right to you but balls you have to run and position yourself for.

Depth is also something I find strange. A 2.5 would have some trouble hitting baseline to baseline deep consistantly, say about 5-10 balls. Deep, to me is a shot that's hit in between the service line and the basline. A shot closer to the service line is a short ball. A shot closer to the baseline is a deep ball.

He is rating his shots to highly.





He is also asking stuff like how much water to drink and what to eat. Those things are important but a 2.5 player definately shouldn't be stressing about that.

My advice is to eat lots of carbohydrates, and drink lots of water (500mL) 1 hour before that match. Stretch before the match, and after you match.



My advice is to focus on technique, form, and footwork. Don't even worry about strategy until you have the tools to employ strategy.

hey, i asked for advice, not critacism!

im not rating my shots to highly at all, is it not possible for someone to just be naturally gifted at tennis ?

despite my rating being 2.5, i was like a 1.o not so long ago, or whatever it is, so im building my way up , with hard work and practice instead of paying some guy to tell me what a great 3.0 or whatever....

its about grit and hardwork, not pretending to be something ure not

 

[x Southpaw x]

you obviously didnt read the post, in the UK everyone starts on like 1 10.2, thats like ntrp level 1.0 and works there way up, evev player shat are like 3.1 or something statrted on 10.2

Nope, I obviously read the post, while you obviously didn't read my edit add-on. Which is why I said, work on your serve unless you have a really good one. When they rank you up to a NTRP 4.0 equivalent, then come back here and ask for game strategy since the other 2.5s will be easy for you in the meantime.

 

[newracketagain??]

another thing ? what woukd i get out of lying >?>? NOTHING

i dont even know you so why woukld impressing you mean so much to me ??

stop assuming everyone is a jerk

 

[donnyz89]

we are not saying u are overestimating your skill. but if u are a 2.5 or even 3.0, heavy topspin is very hard to produce and use in match play. sure, i can hit heavy top spin if someone feeds me a ball, but during match play, i cant hit heavy topspin consistantly bouncing 5 feet high like nadal. THATS heavy top spin. occasionally if i can a lob, i will hit a defensive topspin lob that I can clearly see from my side of the court the ball bouncing at leasy 4-5 feet high but doesnt happen on every shot.

trust me, 4 month ago, i was coming here asking how good i was and i was saying all these stuff about heavy topspin and consistant forehands and stuff but now, i realize what im really about and 4 month ago, i really did think my shots were heavy topspin and i had a strong forehand and such but looking back, i realize i did overestimate myselkf, not to brag but because i was misinformed. im a 3.0-3.5 ish player, and i've been around hearing a lot of things about NTRP ratings and so im pretty sure i got 90% right on the ratings.

 

[SageOfDeath]

another thing ? what woukd i get out of lying >?>? NOTHING

i dont even know you so why woukld impressing you mean so much to me ??

stop assuming everyone is a jerk

I'm not assuming you're lying its just very easy to overestimate yourself. You may think you know what heavy topspin is and such but if you really own all the skills you said above, unless you are a double faulting machine, you are certainly not a 2.5.

Like what is heavy topspin to you? how far up does it kick?

When you say consistancy, how many balls can you hit from a ball machine when its aimed right so you have to prepare to set up for your forehand.



If you say you are a 2.5 then you wouldn't have a consistant heavy topspin forehand that has depth and control, along with a topspin backhand, a dropshot, and speed.



How gifted you are is not the matter of question. If you were truly gifted, which I don't doubt, then you would not be rated a 2.5.

All I'm saying is I think you are overestimating yourself, not on purpose, but I think you are.

 

[donnyz89]

OR, he is highly underrated but i doubt that. people tend to overrate their skills because tennis looks really easy when first starting out but gets very complicated once u reach a higher level.

 

[newracketagain??]

I'm not assuming you're lying its just very easy to overestimate yourself. You may think you know what heavy topspin is and such but if you really own all the skills you said above, unless you are a double faulting machine, you are certainly not a 2.5.

Like what is heavy topspin to you? how far up does it kick?

When you say consistancy, how many balls can you hit from a ball machine when its aimed right so you have to prepare to set up for your forehand.



If you say you are a 2.5 then you wouldn't have a consistant heavy topspin forehand that has depth and control, along with a topspin backhand, a dropshot, and speed.



How gifted you are is not the matter of question. If you were truly gifted, which I don't doubt, then you would not be rated a 2.5.

All I'm saying is I think you are overestimating yourself, not on purpose, but I think you are.

im in serious doubt over wether or not you actually have a clue what you are talking about, no, im not a dobule faulting machine, but even pl;ayers that are 505 uk, start at 1.0, like, ive asked my coach before what lta rating we would of given meif i didnt decide to start on 10.2 and he said 6.1 , this is equal to USA 3.5,

do you people not see the entrigue of starting low and working yopur way up ?

id rather earn my rating, instead of having been estimatedit by a coach ! wich really means little!

 

[SageOfDeath]

im in serious doubt over wether or not you actually have a clue what you are talking about, no, im not a dobule faulting machine, but even pl;ayers that are 505 uk, start at 1.0, like, ive asked my coach before what lta rating we would of given meif i didnt decide to start on 10.2 and he said 6.1 , this is equal to USA 3.5,

do you people not see the entrigue of starting low and working yopur way up ?

id rather earn my rating, instead of having been estimatedit by a coach ! wich really means little!

The point of your thread was to get match tactic tips. I thought you were a 2.5 so I gave you the advice to work on form and technique before worrying about match tactics and you flamed me. Now you tell me that you are actually estimated by your own coach to be a 3.5.

I understand you want to work your way up for the ratings but if your coach thinks you are a 3.5 and you enter a tournament for a 2.5 then that's sandbagging, assuming your coach has known you long enough to give you an accurate rating.

Don't you find the 2.5's too easy for you?

Now that we are actually at the same level, I can give you some tips. I'm sorry but your thread was confusing because you told me you were a 2.5.


For matches you need to develop a certain style of playing. You can be any type of player you want. You could be a baseliner which hits heavy groundstrokes and stays at the baseline. You could be an all court player that varies their game strategy depending on their opponent. You could be a counterpuncher who is very consistant and hits back every shot. Or you could be a S&V player. But you said that some people told you that your S&V game isn't good I wouldn't go with S&V. Although you should learn to volley in case you get an easy put away.

I think being an all-court player is very beneficial. Your opponent at a 2.5 level might not have a style of playing yet but later on they will.

If you are facing a baseliner then you can use your drop shot to bring them up to the net. Most likely they won't be very comfortable moving forward and back since they don't play net. After they hit a return shot lob over them. Or you could change the pace of the game by varying spins and placement.

If you are playing a S&V player then you want to develop a good topspin lob. You may also want to learn how to hit an emergency slice backhand. It can be a weapon when you turn the racquet face more open and hit a slice lob.

Playing in a tournament is good and you will probably develop your own style of play but at 2.5-3.5 you will probably find that players will have a noticable weakness.

 

[newracketagain??]

The point of your thread was to get match tactic tips. I thought you were a 2.5 so I gave you the advice to work on form and technique before worrying about match tactics and you flamed me. Now you tell me that you are actually estimated by your own coach to be a 3.5.

I understand you want to work your way up for the ratings but if your coach thinks you are a 3.5 and you enter a tournament for a 2.5 then that's sandbagging, assuming your coach has known you long enough to give you an accurate rating.

Don't you find the 2.5's too easy for you?

Now that we are actually at the same level, I can give you some tips. I'm sorry but your thread was confusing because you told me you were a 2.5.


For matches you need to develop a certain style of playing. You can be any type of player you want. You could be a baseliner which hits heavy groundstrokes and stays at the baseline. You could be an all court player that varies their game strategy depending on their opponent. You could be a counterpuncher who is very consistant and hits back every shot. Or you could be a S&V player. But you said that some people told you that your S&V game isn't good I wouldn't go with S&V. Although you should learn to volley in case you get an easy put away.

I think being an all-court player is very beneficial. Your opponent at a 2.5 level might not have a style of playing yet but later on they will.

If you are facing a baseliner then you can use your drop shot to bring them up to the net. Most likely they won't be very comfortable moving forward and back since they don't play net. After they hit a return shot lob over them. Or you could change the pace of the game by varying spins and placement.

If you are playing a S&V player then you want to develop a good topspin lob. You may also want to learn how to hit an emergency slice backhand. It can be a weapon when you turn the racquet face more open and hit a slice lob.

Playing in a tournament is good and you will probably develop your own style of play but at 2.5-3.5 you will probably find that players will have a noticable weakness.

it isn not "to easy" i wouldnt be disrespectfull enough to ever call an apponent to easy, but im winning like 85% of my matches..

i wouldnt call it sandbaggiong, i just wanted to earn my status instead of being given it!

my coach hasd coached for 6 yeard and has a full LTA coaching licence

so, noticeable weakness, like,. if they have a chiiittt backhand then just plaster it with topsin groundies ?

 

[Return_Ace]

Newracketagain, the first rule of UK tennis is:

#1. NEVER COMPARE YOUR UK RATING WITH THE US RATING SYSTEM.

meh, though seriously our system is screwed, here for those yanks out there: our system is not based on stroke technique, it is based on wins against players = or > than your rating and losses on players = or < than your rating, we have one of the most FLAWED systems ever created.

 

[kevhen]

You sound more 3.0 level if playing competitve and thinking about strategy. 2.5 is just about getting that darned ball over the net once or twice per point. 3.0 you can sustain low pace rallies and start to direct balls to one side or the other and make your opponent run a little and hit with his weaker side.

Now 2.0 is pretty much like 2.5 except you lack mobility as well as consistency at any pace. But you sound 3.0ish and looking to move up to 3.5.

At 3.5 level you start hitting winners and aces but still make plenty of errors. At 4.0 you start reducing the errors and having longer rallies and adding minor weapons. At 4.5 you are adding consistent power with few unforced errors. The higher you go the more offense is added and the defense gets even better too.

At 3.5 you can have the power player (all offense) and the pushers (all defense) but past 3.5 everyone has some of both even Gonzalez.

 

[newracketagain??]

interesting to hear, when im in california this year im going to get a ntrp rating and try and play a bit, itl be interesting to see what i get !

so, for a ntrp rating do u just so and see a coach and he tells u how good you are ?

 

[SageOfDeath]

if your coach is a certified usta pro then he can give you an accurate rating probably.