Mikey,
What you are describing is pretty typical of less experienced tourney players, they over hit way too much. My first suggestion is don’t kill every shot you hit and go for winners when you are out of position, i.e. way behind the baseline. Play a consistent solid rally ball until you get a short one you can take advantage of and then, you can hit a harder, controlled shot to take control of the point. I realize this sounds like common sense but if you watch most players, common sense is not very common.
As far as patterns are concerned, without knowing more about your game, your strengths and weaknesses, it is hard to suggest specific patterns as what works for me way not match up with your skill set or vice versa. There was an article in Tennis mag this month that I just received that had a few in it, but realistically, those mentioned are old hat to any experienced, advanced player. As someone suggested, you sort of pick up your own patterns as you advance as we are all a bit different.
But in the spirit of giving I will mention a couple to give you an idea (keep in mind I am a lefty). Believe me, they are not secrets but are very effective. One of my favorite patterns, assuming singles play, is serve out wide on either side, usually sliced on the ad side and kicked on the deuce side, but especially effective on the ad side. If you have a respectable serve with decent action, you will get a short and/or weak reply a fair amount of the time so just step in and drive the ball solidy to the opposite corner and you should win the point the majority of the time. Remember, don’t over hit this shot. While it may be a winner some, the most important thing to remember is you are setting yourself up to win on the next shot most likely so keeping this shot in play is paramount. Be comfortable stepping in to hit on the rise to take advantage of this play consistently. Another good pattern is a high rolling topspin shot to their weaker stroke, pinning them deep and making them hit out of their normal strike zone. You will get a weak return frequently you can take advantage of a lot. When you get the short ball you have a few options. 1. Step in hitting the ball solidly to the opposite corner (on the rise) and come in, 2. a drop shot that doesn’t have to be great as getting it in is most important so when they run up and barely get to it, you can pass them easily or hit a lob over there head. Very demoralizing or 3. An angle slice away from them making them cover a lot of ground and also have to really get down to do anything with their reply.
One other pattern is a very sharp, short angle thrown in randomly. They will usually do two things. First barely get it back and you have plenty of court to put the ball into the opposite side of the court for a relatively easy put away. Second, and more likely, they will go for broke and over hit a shot trying to win the point outright (sound familiar?). They will miss this almost every time. When they do make it, you should be happy and congratulate them on a great shot. Why? Because they will only remember the one time they pulled it off and not the other 10 times they missed it badly, giving you the point with no additional effort. Think percentage tennis. Remember, if you can consistently put yourself in the position to have the percentages on your side, you will be victorious the majority of the time.
There are plenty of patterns out there that can be useful. A thorough analysis of your strengths and weaknesses will help you craft patterns for your game and you will naturally gravitate toward a favorite few. Using your head is one of the best tools in your arsenal.
Best of luck
TM
