Playing low, playing worse..

A

aniretake

New User
I do not understand whats going on: I am a 3.5. WHen I play at 4.0 level I play better than at 2.5-3.0.
But I easily can play at 4.0 doubles/mxd doubles. I like fats pace, in it i reach better concentration. Recently I and my boyfriend went to a tournament and played two 4.5's, we lost, but not 0 and 0.
My instructor told me it is common and many 4.0s come to him with the same problem.
I wanted to know what you think. It is really soooo frustrating...just cant logically explain it.
 
Better players hit a more consistent ball. Also, they may be being nicer to you than you realize.

The difficulty of a shot is not low when the incoming ball is soft, or high when the incoming ball is hard. It is not a simple linear relationship. Medium pace, medium spin, medium depth, medium height, and mild angles are the easiest balls to hit. The farther away you get from that general easy zone, no matter the "direction" of that difference, the more difficult the shot will be. In addition, it is harder to hit a wide variety of balls (shanks, mishits, unintentional spins) than it is to hit a regular, well hit ball.

Your problem is that your sweet spot, so to speak, is much narrower than you realize. To expand it you need to practice. Move those feet. Demand perfect positioning and footwork of yourself. If you can't hit an 'easy' shot, your opponent is not lucky -- you need to be better.
 
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Yes, really. Don't let your ego get in the way of your improvement. There are other players out there who really do play nice, because they are good enough to be secure in their own game. They're not doing it to mess with you, they're doing it because they know what it's like to be in your shoes.
 
In fact, in a true 4.5 vs 3.5 situation, I guarantee they played nice. The gap is huge.
I'm not saying this to be mean. I'm saying this to help give you the perspective you need to improve as fast as possible. Once you have self awareness about your game -- all your strengths and weaknesses -- then you will get better with the most efficiency.
 
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I think you are the one with ego. No need to attack me and put me down. I know from coaches that players better than me have the same problem and it is not bc they suck!
 
You're taking this entirely the wrong way. I never said you suck. I'm talking about tennis self-awareness. It takes everyone some time to see the light, so to speak, and once you do you'll get alot better. I have no reason to doubt that you're capable of that kind of improvement.
 
aniretake said:
I think you are the one with ego. No need to attack me and put me down. I know from coaches that players better than me have the same problem and it is not bc they suck!
Click to expand...

Okay, if you're going to be a member of this board and ask for help you need to be willing to accept ideas and criticism. He didn't berate you, he didn't say you sucked, he just said what he thought. Don't take it so personally.

Now, as he said, and you ignored, the better players hit a more consistent ball. The lower level players hit wild, unpredictable shots that require greater footwork. Also, you end up hitting from a bunch of different depths and angles. Learning to beat them is all part of becoming a better tennis player.
 
This is something that happens a lot and it's for the reasons others have stated. When you play a 4.0+ you're going to be getting a consistent ball with usually the same depth. You end up having to move less towards the ball which minimizes the exposure of poor footwork and since it's coming with pace all you do is redirect that and thus minimize improper technique that might show itself when you have to generate your own pace.

This is the same thing that happens with players that are constantly talking about how frustrating it is to play a pusher. So even though I feel you're right in some degree, what others have said is very true. The gaps from 3.5 to 4.0 to 4.5 are huge. In my opinion you're probably doing better against lower end 4.0 because a lower end 4.0 player usually lacks variety. They've developed the proper technique but probably aren't coming up to net or slicing at you or giving you all sorts of different looks.

The difference between a high end 4.0/4.5 and a 2.5/3.0 is that the variety they throw at you is intentional. You struggle against the lower level guys cause you're at the mercy of their improper technique. They might not have a backhand so they slice, and sometimes it's deep, sometimes it's short, sometimes it sits up, you really have to move your feet, line up your shot, etc etc to do well and beat them. A real 4.5 or high end 4.0 can usually do all those things as well, but why would they if they're still winning with a more casual approach of moving you around the baseline.

No you're not a bad player and you still have a lot of room for improvement but you have to understand that some of us that have reached the 4.0 level and have been humbled by the huge chasm that is a 4.5 player know what they're capable of. To say that you struggle against a 2.5/3.0 but can hang with a 4.5 doesn't really make sense.
 
A few things might be happening here. First, it might be just your perception and expectation that is misaligned.

Secondly, there might be a few crucial differences between the 4.5/higher player and 3.5 who you played with. Did the 4.5 beat you by their own terms and 3.5 beat you by your own self destruction? It's exponentially harder to beat someone by hitting winners and good points (which is how a 4.5 should play) than by keeping getting the ball back, irritating them somehow and waiting for UEs.

If I were a 4.5 playing a 3.5, I wouldn't care to bagel them, instead I would try to play my way and may end up giving them alot of points. You're not really in the 'competitive" mode because you don't need to, if you know what I mean.
 
I hear this all the time from teammates: "I hate playing these pushers. I play better if someone gives me pace!"

If that's the case, your technique is poor. Are you finishing your shots? Are you getting those soft, paceless balls right in your strike zone?

If you are missing paceless ball more than balls with pace, this is something to work on.

Me, I play better with players who give me no pace. I can take time to set up exactly right. When the ball is coming fast, I can feel rushed and can start to miss or be off balance.
 
I would suspect that your footwork is bad and when you are playing someone with pace, you are getting the ball in you sweet spot (hip level) without much movement, but when you get junk, you are struggling to get to the ball in a good position to hit.
 
it's common for players to raise/lower the level of their game to their opponent. also, I agree that its much easier to play a ball with pace than it is to play a ball where they give you nothing to work with. so what you and your boyfriend need to figure out is (1) what makes it difficult to beat those lower players that give you nothing, and (2) how can you raise the level of your game against the better players to turn losing a 1 or 2 break set into taking it to a TB or even taking a set off them.

I suspect that against he 2.5-3.0's you become error prone because you are trying to do too much with the ball? meanwhile against the better players you feel better because you can find a hitting rhythm, but what are you doing with the ball? are you able to construct a point or are you merely hanging in there while they are working the point?


I agree with canuckfan about better players being nice. especially because it was in a tournament. sometimes better players will hold back and cruise because they can do that and still win comfortably. they know they don't have to go all out and will save themselves for the next match, or if the score in your match gets a little too close for comfort.
 
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Its not illogical, its completely logical, OP. A better player will hit easier, and everyone loves to play/hit well paced balls, its what you do in practice.
When you play against an opponent go just gives you junkball (no pace, floaters, etc.) youre not used to attacking that cause you rarely practice that. No matter how good you are rallying with a hitting partner that gives you rhythm, the hardest thing to conquer are those junky ball players. Its a rite of passage all tennis players have to go through, sort to speak.

Everyone feels they play better against a better opponent than a lower one, cause they will, before they finally beat you, give you the rhythm you like.
 
Always easier, and more important, MORE FUN, to hit against medium paced players rather than low paced players who can change the speed and spin.
But higher level players CAN change speed and spin, they just don't need to in order to beat you.
 
and almost everybody plays better if he knows he is not supposed to win. Like you know, if you play someone a level higher you pretty much know what the score will be so there's no pressure on you. When you --should-- win it becomes harder.
 
aniretake said:
I think you are the one with ego. No need to attack me and put me down. I know from coaches that players better than me have the same problem and it is not bc they suck!
Click to expand...

Grow up. He was not attacking you at all, just read what he said. You need to learn to take real, unbiased/uninsulting advice.

Use your brain.
 
playing low playing worse

hi aniretake, a closed in tournament a tuneup , practice ****y

against 4.5 players they let you beat yourself ok

sorry to see that

gjr
 
In general, the more highly rated a player is, the more consistantly they will play. In general, they will tend to play a "percentage style" game and avoid making careless, flashy or "odd" shots.

You ay not win against that (higher rated) player, but you may feel you "play better" against them. They give you pace- so you do not have to create your own. You are able to anticipate their shots because they are logical from the point of view of common sense. The balls, more often than not, fall into your "comfort zone" so you feel good about your own strokes.

Against a "lesser player" with less refined/honed/normal strokes, you feel awkward because you are hitting to them with better form and, yet, they, somehow, get the ball back again and again. The mental aspect comes into play. Why can't you dominate against this player?

Meanwhile, they give you nothing to work with. You will get hundreds of balls just blocked back, looping balls, drop-shots, weird spins- most of which seem to be accidents, but accidents that keep you running, stabbing, reaching for high bouncers, low dribblers.

Now, most people think they are much better players than they really are. And if you are not the player you believe you should be, then your weaknesses will show. You will have to create your own pace- and, if your form and stamina is the least bit lacking, it will wear on you and cause self-doubt. You will find yourself hitting shots you have not practed to perfection. You may strive for too much against this "weak" opponent and errors will creep into your game. You will resent the opponents and blame them for what are really weaknesses in your own game.

My suggestion is practice against your regular hard-hitting, well-trained players, but to also practice against these "lesser" players and use them as a kind of bench-mark. When you start beating them easily, when you barely even notice their "awkward shots" and styles, when you can generate your own pace consistantly from the "junk" they send over the net-when, in fact, they they are the ones who no longer find it fun to play you-- then you will know that you have moved up a notch in your own playing skills.
 
You say you as the lower rated player do better against a higher rated opponent?

Why are you surprised when a lower rated opponent plays better against you, the higher rated player?

They're just doing the same thing you are.

George Carlin once complained that when he drove on the highway he would come up on some "idiot" going too slow.
Soon after passing him he noticed another car coming up behind him going way too fast, and after being passed himself, said "That guy is a moron!"

Naturally, the "moron" was asking himself "Who's this *idiot*??"
 
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