opponents feeding off your rallies

[monkeyisland90]

So i practice with a ball machine much as I can... and although it's gotten me fixing my groundstrokes (feel, depth, angles, pace etc..) I noticed that i'm bringing this to my game also and I become the ball machine and opponents seem to get in nice rythm and play well.... I know this because when i see the same player play someone else they don't hit the same as both opponents are hitting shots that are inconsistent (short, pace, no pace, mishit) and both throw each other off... So basically I get good rallies with them and sometimes make mistake as I'm surprised that there feeding off my energy or consistency.. So my coach pretty much tells me to imply the "clay court" method where you hit deep corners as well as service box shots to move them in and out... laterally they seem to get the ball back great... It's quite hard hitting short balls to service box (not the middle though as that will usually equate to a approach shot).. but basically he was mentioning to mix up in the 4 points of the court... Anyone play this way and and give angles in the service boxes and throw this tactic during the match or beginning? I think it makes sense to get rhythm away from opponent... (I see lot of FH and BH breakdown from people getting away from there rythm... myself included)..

I see Nadal hitting these short shots and I always thought it was because he just mishit or didn't put much power in them.. but my coach was telling me he's doing that on purpose and it's a strategy.... But i see also that some commentators say that he's not hitting them on purpose in the pros/con section of the match... But seems to make sense though that this is a clay court strategy and he's got lot of french open titles..

Also i don't know if i should be using my ball machine anymore as its making me into a ball machine

 

[mikeler]

Mix up spin, pace and placement of the ball as much as possible. I play on clay all the time and that is the name of my game. I can definitely frustrate a lot of players by doing this. Most people would rather have an opponent hit decent pace back to them then have a variety of shots to deal with. In essence, you are their ball machine because you are not mixing up your shots at all so they develop a nice rhythm playing against you. Destroy their rhythm with drop shots, moon balls, floating slices, hard slices, angles, lobs, approaching the net when they are not expecting it, hitting hard flat shots at times etc.

 

[MNPlayer]

I agree with what Mikeler said, using variety in your shots is really important.
So is not missing and staying in the point. You need to be smart about when you use aggressive/risky shots (meaning more pace or angle or intentionally hitting short slices). Many people seem to go for the most when they are in the worst position to do it. When you are pulled wide and under pressure, that's the time to hit a moonball deep to the middle, to give yourself time to get back in the court. Most guys cannot hit a winner of this type of ball (depth and time is the key). Then, when they give you something a little short or soft, take a chance up the line or hit a crazy slice or something.

On the Nadal thing: his level of topspin is insane, allowing him to consistently hit short and angled shots that are difficult to attack. His "short" shots probably would not "feel short" to you because they leap off the court so much. I'm not sure imitating this style is the easiest way to succeed but I guess it depends on your skill and personality.

 

[mikeler]

I agree with what Mikeler said, using variety in your shots is really important.
So is not missing and staying in the point. You need to be smart about when you use aggressive/risky shots (meaning more pace or angle or intentionally hitting short slices). Many people seem to go for the most when they are in the worst position to do it. When you are pulled wide and under pressure, that's the time to hit a moonball deep to the middle, to give yourself time to get back in the court. Most guys cannot hit a winner of this type of ball (depth and time is the key). Then, when they give you something a little short or soft, take a chance up the line or hit a crazy slice or something.

On the Nadal thing: his level of topspin is insane, allowing him to consistently hit short and angled shots that are difficult to attack. His "short" shots probably would not "feel short" to you because they leap off the court so much. I'm not sure imitating this style is the easiest way to succeed but I guess it depends on your skill and personality.

Nadal will sometimes intentionally try and hit balls around the service line so that they bounce up out of the strike zone of his opponent. If he hits deep all the time, his opponents will simply take the ball on the rise and will eventually develop a rhythm even with all that nasty topspin.

 

[monkeyisland90]

Mixing up shots really does wonders but honestly during matches, my main focus is to get ball across as im a counterpuncher with wheels and this has gotten me quite far... but smarter players will actually throw rythem away from me this way so i need to mix up shots ... which is quite difficult since my simple retrieving balls with depth and corners... Im so accustomed too...

but when i'm bit nervous and playing the mixing up balls comes quite naturally as theres mishits, and short/depth balls... so maybe i just need to be nervous and play

 

[MNPlayer]

Nadal will sometimes intentionally try and hit balls around the service line so that they bounce up out of the strike zone of his opponent. If he hits deep all the time, his opponents will simply take the ball on the rise and will eventually develop a rhythm even with all that nasty topspin.

I never thought of that! I guess can't imagine being so good that I could take Nadal's shots on the rise consistently

Personally when I hit topspin short, it always drops nicely into their strike zone by the time it reaches the baseline, or they hit an approach off it.

 

[86golf]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think it has anything to do with you hitting on the ball machine. I think your issue is that you say that you say that you are a counterpuncher in post#5. This is why your opponents are feeding off you because you aren't hitting "with interest". I personally don't prescribe to the short ball theory. You hit that to any strong 4.0+ or 4.5 and the point is over no matter how good your wheels are. I do like moonballing, but again if you just stay back after you hit a deep moonball then what's the point?

If you've resigned yourself to a counterpuncher then opponents will always feed off of you. Right?

 

[stapletonj]

Don't give up on the ball machine.

What has happened is that you have developed a nice deep
consistent backhand and a nice deep consistent forehand. But that's all....

What you need to do now is to develop two more shots on the machine
The ball machine makes an excellent way to develop an inside out short forehand that you break off 2/3 of the way up the service box. The second shot you develop is going down the line off the same ball.

When you feel you have mastered these two shots (remember your drilling, you must return to the center has mark between each shot so you have to
run around your backhand) Then you keep with the ball machine .... two down the line, two insdie out, two down the line, two inside out...

At that point, it doesn't matter that you are hitting a "vanilla" ball.

 

[West Coast Ace]

I'll join the 'it's not the machine's fault' side. Might be the way you practice with it. There are plenty of ways to set up the machine so you can work on hitting offensive shots and not just mindlessly hitting neutral balls.

Would help if you mentioned your level of play: but unless you're 4.5 or higher, you can win a lot of points by forcing your opponent to miss or hit a a very short attackable ball. So you need to figure out your opponent's weakness and exploit it.