predetermined playingpattern?

R

Rolv

New User
predetermined playingpattern, is this something to have before the point starts, or is this only on high level?

If this is a good idea. Should it be followed at point what ever happen?
 
I would say you should have a at least 3 plans, A,B,and C.
A= after studying the opponent it is your best estimate of what will be effective against him or her.
B= a back up plan that has worked for you before-against most people.
C= a desperate plan that you throw together based on what the other player is doing, but you have no confidence
in its working, because you will have to work to improve your own game first.
 
Last edited:
Hit everything cross court unless there’s a good reason not to. Don’t hit short unless to surprise deliberately.
That’s the only playing pattern there is.
 
Curious said:
Hit everything cross court unless there’s a good reason not to. Don’t hit short unless to surprise deliberately.
That’s the only playing pattern there is.
Click to expand...
How about: At amateur level, hit everything to opponent's BH, unless there's a clear opening at FH.
 
Read this book - textbook on strategy,

“Winning Tennis with the Tactical Point Control System: How to Win Tennis Points against Any Opponent” - John Ruder
 
Rolv said:
predetermined playingpattern, is this something to have before the point starts, or is this only on high level?

If this is a good idea. Should it be followed at point what ever happen?
Click to expand...
I've been coaching a local high school team for several years. Whenever any of the singles players I've coached have learned to use a basic plan from point to point, they've become substantially better at controlling more of the action during their matches.

As mentioned above, the simple plan could be to hit every shot firmly cross court. If this works, then there's no reason to do something else. Even adult beginners or 10-year-old kids can benefit from learning to mentally revisit a basic plan.

Even when returning serve, a player can implement a simple plan; perhaps hit a deep neutralizing block return against a first serve and sometimes a more aggressive drive against a second serve. Another option there could be a chip and charge attack where you jump on the net behind a neutralizing return - perhaps even a low slice.

And whenever we're pushed well back behind our own baseline, the plan from back there is reduced to only one option. High and deep to the other end and nothing else so that you can hopefully get back up closer to your own baseline.

The luxury that comes with having a simple plan for any point is that there are fewer decisions to make when the action starts. Regardless of whether an opponent's shot comes to your forehand or backhand side, you already know where you want to send it.
 
Maybe these old threads I started a few years ago on rec strategy will help. Most of my opponents don‘t have any awareness of what tactics I use to beat them and the majority don’t have a plan of their own either even if they are 4.5 players - don’t be like them. If you have strategic plans that make use of your strengths and exploit your opponent’s weaknesses, you’ll almost never lose in singles until the opponent is much better than you - this is because most players don’t do any thinking on court.

Thread 'Strategy Improvements for rec players'
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/strategy-improvements-for-rec-players.678701/
Thread 'How to prepare strategy for a match?'
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/how-to-prepare-strategy-for-a-match.680860/


socallefty said:
I wrote this post in another thread giving advice to a poster against a frequent opponent who always beats him. I thought that it might be useful for other players also to help them prepare for their matches. I keep notes on all my matches and all my frequent opponents on what works well and what doesn’t work well and brief notes on what my playing style, serving and returning strategy should be for future matches. My strategy also changes slightly depending on the conditions (hot/cold, humidity level, surface, wind) against each opponent.

Here’s how I develop strategy against an opponent I’ve played before enough times to know their game and have an idea of what works well and what doesn’t. In pre-match prep, I think of the following numbered topics and have given examples to illustrate the kind of questions to ask and prepare answers for:

1). What style was best to win more points?
- Is keeping him at baseline better? If so, are long rallies and forcing errors better? Or do I need to play BL rallies more aggressively and make him move to force errors or hit more winners?
- If baseline style is better, do I do better when I take the ball early or if I stand well back?
- Do I do better when I go to the net often?
- Do I do better if I bring him to net or make him play in midcourt with angled slices?

2). Does he like it when I play one style or when I change styles and give more variety?
- Some opponents hate if you play one way throughout the match that plays on their weakness. Others adjust quickly and make you adjust after a few games to a different tactic.
- When balls are new, what works. When balls are old, what works. Is he fit or does he get fatigued faster than me?
- What should be my strategy early in the match and late in the match depending on answers above?

3). What are my strengths? What point patterns work well for me? What are my weaknesses?
- Do I like FHs, BHs, Inside-FHs? Do I like hitting on the run? Do I like finishing short balls? Do I like hitting low balls or high balls? Which shots help me force more errors?
- What serve+1 patterns do I like on deuce and on ad? What return+1 patterns work on deuce/ad?
- Do I make more errors off low balls or heavy topspin? Do I make more errors off BHs or FHs?

4). What are his weaknesses? What are his strengths?
- Does he like FHs or BHs, low or high balls? Hitting on the run or from middle? Does he move well up/down? Does he smash well off lobs? Does he volley well? Does he do better against slice passes or topspin passes?
- What does he like to do to me to force errors? What point patterns does he use to open up space that he can take advantage of or take away my time?

5). Where should I serve?
- On both 1st and 2nd, you should think about whether wide, body or middle works best on ad/deuce and also what spins (flat, top slice, slice, kick) work best based on what you are capable of hitting. Also, think about whether you should keep hitting the same patterns or if you want to vary more on one side or the other?
- Also, do some serves work better with new balls, but not well with old balls? What is the serve plan with old balls?
- For example, some opponents give me patterns I like if I serve flat to the FH, but kill me if I serve kick to the FH. Alternately, they may slice flat serves to BH well, but may give me short balls with kick to the BH.
- Some opponents stand in the same place for returns. Others move around and you should think about which serves work best when they stand in different places - close, far, shading to FH/BH etc.

6). Where should I stand to return? What kind of returns work best?
- Ask similar questions to the ones above, but from your return perspective. What returns win you the most points with new and old balls and on ad/deuce?
- What kind of serves do you want to get and what don’t you want to get? Is there a way you can stand (close, far, leaving space on FH/BH) which causes your opponent to give you the serves you like and set up the returns you like?

Based on thinking about the answers to these questions, come up with a game plan of how you are going to play the match in terms of Playing Style for each set (with new/old balls), preferred point patterns, serving strategy and returning strategy for 1st/2nd serves and ad/deuce courts.

Now, sit down a few hours before the match and visualize playing these point patterns, serving with these locations/spins, return positions/preferred returns, hitting your strong shots, what you are going to execute on break points against you and for you, how you’ll play a tiebreaker (usually more aggressively or more conservatively depending on your nature). Have graphic images in your mind of you playing each of these scenarios. Your last visualization should be you imagining winning break points, set points and the match point. Check your equipment, hydrate/eat well and now you are ready for the match.

The more prepared you are, the more self-belief you will have against an opponent. Maybe, the opponent is detail-oriented and prepares like this against you and you want to be more prepared than him. A famous basketball coach once said ‘If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail‘. Lastly, you usually have to play more aggressively and take more risks to beat a better player as staying in your comfort zone hasn’t allowed you to win in the past - so, be around the outer limits of your comfort zone when you come up with your game strategy. If you are too conservative, you likely will not win. Have fun on the court and treat losses and victories with good sportsmanship!
Click to expand...
 
Curious said:
That will cause a lot of low percentage down the line shots.
Click to expand...
Not realy - only one. If he replies by bh down the line, you dragged him into bh to fh dtl - a losing proposal for the opponent. If his cc bh is not great, you hit the insude-out fh to his bh again.
 
BlueB said:
Not realy - only one. If he replies by bh down the line, you dragged him into bh to fh dtl - a losing proposal for the opponent. If his cc bh is not great, you hit the insude-out fh to his bh again.
Click to expand...
He’s not stupid to go into bh to fh dtl with you. He’ll hit bh cc and you’re recovering from your fh corner. You’ll move all the way and hit an inside out fh?
 
Curious said:
He’s not stupid to go into bh to fh dtl with you. He’ll hit bh cc and you’re recovering from your fh corner. You’ll move all the way and hit an inside out fh?
Click to expand...
Typically it would be just over the centerline, easy to hit i-s-o. If it's a quality cc, I'd just hit cc bh, nothing wrong with that.
If my dtl was fast and deep, I'll approach the net.
 
Tennis is ultimately an open skill sport. Trying to work out an equation for winning with a mind of physics or engineering isn't the right approach. At least that's my impression so far.
 
When I am serving I definitely have pattern of play I am trying to start off, like serve +1 or serve and volley. In all play though I have developed patterns I like, or at least that I recognize to try. In cases I get caught off guard or out of position, I usually try to hit a deep center ball to give myself time to adjust.
 
socallefty said:
Maybe these old threads I started a few years ago on rec strategy will help. Most of my opponents don‘t have any awareness of what tactics I use to beat them and the majority don’t have a plan of their own either even if they are 4.5 players - don’t be like them. If you have strategic plans that make use of your strengths and exploit your opponent’s weaknesses, you’ll almost never lose in singles until the opponent is much better than you - this is because most players don’t do any thinking on court.

Thread 'Strategy Improvements for rec players'
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/strategy-improvements-for-rec-players.678701/
Thread 'How to prepare strategy for a match?'
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/how-to-prepare-strategy-for-a-match.680860/
Click to expand...
Nice work. Thank you!
 
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