Playing in the wind...
- Thread starter SeekHeart
- Start date
Essential Tennis
Rookie
Strong wind can be one of the most challenging and frustrating things for a tennis player. Basically you have to take everything that you know to be true about your positioning relative to the ball, and be able to adjust it all according to the direction and strength of the wind. You mentioned the service toss specifically. If you tend to toss very high, and the wind is very strong, you may want to adjust the hight to be a little bit lower so its not affected quite as heavily. I would discourage you from being very agressive with the serve (or many other strokes for that matter either) since adjusting for the wind complicates and changes so much.
If the wind is always left to right (which it shouldn't be if you're changing sides) just be conscious of how much it's blowing, and do your best to put the toss out a little more to the left than normal to account for the movement of the ball with the direction of the wind. Also make sure to keep in mind the direction of your actual serve. Aim for the left corner of each box to give yourself more room for error as well.
I like what Dokas said above, play it more safe than usual, play high percentages (cross court), and be prepared to be patient. Everybody here feels your pain
H
Hedges
Guest
Keep you feet moving....*lots* of little adjustment steps.
Rickson
G.O.A.T.
That's an easy one, hit to the left. When you switch sides, hit to the right.
Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
I hate the wind. Messes up my timing and toss as well. I just deal with it and try to find the spot I need to toss to to hit my serve. Sometimes, I may have to lower my toss or wait for a gust of wind to blow by.
TennisProdigy
Professional
I don't really like it when the wind blows up and down at 25 mph.
Bagumbawalla
G.O.A.T.
Today it was very windy (and gusty) where I live.
I enjoy playing in the wind (every once-in-a-while) because it forces you to use every bit of concentration, footwork, and ball control that we sometimes take for granted on more clement days.
In some ways it is a lot like playing against a junk-baller, or spin-artist- they try to throw your game off with off-paced shots, lots of odd spins, and so forth.
The better the control you have over the stroke basics, the better you will do in both situations. So work on that (of course).
Anyway, for the advice part-- If it is a cold wind, be sure you are dressed properly. The wind will steal your heat and you will tend to move sluggishly, when you need quickness the most.
Also, use topspin to keep the ball under control and in the court. You may need to adjust your strokes/serving on the different sides of the court.
Overall, play more within yourself, give yourself some margin for error- don't try to paint the lines. Consider shortening your backstroke and, overall, simplifying your strategy and technique.
As was mentioned,above, if you find yourself in a defensive mode, just getting the ball back and allowing the wind to do its thing can sometimes win the point (or at least get you back in the game).
I enjoy playing in the wind (every once-in-a-while) because it forces you to use every bit of concentration, footwork, and ball control that we sometimes take for granted on more clement days.
In some ways it is a lot like playing against a junk-baller, or spin-artist- they try to throw your game off with off-paced shots, lots of odd spins, and so forth.
The better the control you have over the stroke basics, the better you will do in both situations. So work on that (of course).
Anyway, for the advice part-- If it is a cold wind, be sure you are dressed properly. The wind will steal your heat and you will tend to move sluggishly, when you need quickness the most.
Also, use topspin to keep the ball under control and in the court. You may need to adjust your strokes/serving on the different sides of the court.
Overall, play more within yourself, give yourself some margin for error- don't try to paint the lines. Consider shortening your backstroke and, overall, simplifying your strategy and technique.
As was mentioned,above, if you find yourself in a defensive mode, just getting the ball back and allowing the wind to do its thing can sometimes win the point (or at least get you back in the game).
Djokovicfan4life
Legend
This is what I have trouble with when playing in the wind. I'm used to getting in position long before I actually hit the ball.
As much as I hate the wind, it keeps me on my toes. Being light on your feet, weight forward and knees bent helps a lot in the wind. Make microstep adjustments as you approach your shot and final small corrections in your wrist. The worst is when the wind is pushing the ball into your body, especially the backhand. My remedy for this is to try to give more room then I would normally need and step in.
Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
Best tip yet. Hugely over-looked. And many players *think* they are moving their feet a lot ... when they are really only moving them [size=-2]a little more[/size] than normally.
Think about making 3X the number of your normal steps to adjust for the wind.
If you have long flat swings, you will have more difficulty adjusting to the wind than those with short, quick, spinney [Is that a word?] swings. Accept it. Deal with it. Commit to the adjustments.
Lastly, don't delude yourself into thinking you can "conquer" the wind. Play it. Work with it. Accept its foibles. (It messes up the other guy, too.) Remember to have fun!
P.S. Yes. I wrote "three times your normal footwork."
- KK
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Djokovicfan4life
Legend
The only way to play well in wind is to have excellent footwork and hit the ball hard so it can't play any tricks on you. Think lots of adjustment steps and heavy topspin.
martin8768
Rookie
yup thats how you do it, only thing i wana add it don't take you eye of the ball for even a second, take some practice tosses to ajust your toss in the wind.
Loco4Tennis
Hall of Fame
i find that having to extend my swing to get to the ball is better then having to have the ball jam me up because of the wind
wath i mean is that i will actually run arround to the side that allows the ball to be down wind from me, so if the ball is blowing from left to right, and i am a right hander, i will try to run arround to hit a forehand, and avoid te back hand as much as possible, this is to prevent getting jammed up by wind pushing on the ball on me at the last minute
wath i mean is that i will actually run arround to the side that allows the ball to be down wind from me, so if the ball is blowing from left to right, and i am a right hander, i will try to run arround to hit a forehand, and avoid te back hand as much as possible, this is to prevent getting jammed up by wind pushing on the ball on me at the last minute
PimpMyGame
Hall of Fame
Cut out the baked beans
Djokovicfan4life
Legend
I feel your pain, dude. Sometimes I wish I could find some indoor courts in Stillwater.
S
swimntennis
Guest
To me, wind gusts are way worse than steady wind. Although they both suck, I can get used to the wind. However, there's nothing worse than serving the last point with no-ad scoring, and you hit the serve and a gust takes it out. Then you go for a little less on the second serve and the wind pushes it back.
Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
All wind sucks. I remember playing a tournament in 30mph winds with gust in the 40's. What a nightmare. Every ball was an exaggerated junkball. The wind blew the ball faster away from you then you could sprint to get to where it bounced.
Fay
Professional
-> Robert
I noticed the Har-Tru and your desert signature ... Are you near Sedona by any change?
Swirling winds are the worst, and they are compounded if you are playing on Har-Tru or red clay. You can really screw up your timing, stroke, and love of the game after a bad wind day.
-Robert
I noticed the Har-Tru and your desert signature ... Are you near Sedona by any change?
Fay
Professional
This is an interesting thread. I was having a terrible time in a tournament 10 days ago with SWIRLING heavy wind ... I was ill going in and I felt totally exhausted afterwards dealing with the wind.
Some good suggestions here. I only toss high as I need to get stretch and small jump for the serve, but the part about hitting harder I'll have to keep in mind.
Everyone who played complained about the wind, and spectators complained they were getting cold, LOL.
Some good suggestions here. I only toss high as I need to get stretch and small jump for the serve, but the part about hitting harder I'll have to keep in mind.
Everyone who played complained about the wind, and spectators complained they were getting cold, LOL.
