Warm Up Tricks

[Dan R]

Warm up before a match can be enlightening. What sort of tricks do you use, or have you seen others use, to gain an advantage?

For me, I tend to sandbag during warm up, I move well but I won't chase any balls during warm up. I don't want my opponent to know I can and like to run. When I warm up my serve, I hit a lot of them long and very very easy. Mostly, this is to warm up my shoulder, but it's also so they can't get an early read on my serve. Also, if I see them struggle with a certain kind of ball, to the backhand or a deep spinner for example, I won't hit anymore of those until the match starts. I don't want them to work out any kinks.

What have you seen?

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I don't think I'm going to gain such an advantage by hiding my abilities during warmup that it will outweigh the benefit of warming up those shots. That being said, I can't warm up in only 5 minutes so I typically get there a good 30 minutes ahead so I can go through a good warmup with teammates [which has the added benefit of not showing your opponent your game].

I also won't chase balls that are near the limit of my reach but mostly because I might not be fully warm vs wanting to hide anything.

I usually have some idea of my opponent's skill so him hiding it isn't necessarily going to lull me into a slumber.

Also, if I see them struggle with a certain kind of ball, to the backhand or a deep spinner for example, I won't hit anymore of those until the match starts. I don't want them to work out any kinks.​

Be careful: they could be gaming YOU.

 

[user92626]

Ages ago I also thought of hiding my "weapons" but that was my low level, short sighted thinking. Like S&V said, the benefits of a proper warmup, if you need it, outweigh the hiding.

Besides, I always think, for our low level of recreational tennis, strategies and figuring things out is easy. It's the doing that's difficult. How many times have you watched people play and told them.... do this, do that, why can't you, etc.? They understand it all but simply can't perform.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Ages ago I also thought of hiding my "weapons" but that was my low level, short sighted thinking. Like S&V said, the benefits of a proper warmup, if you need it, outweigh the hiding.

Well, there is one thing I hide: the fact that I S&V [assuming I'm not wearing my "S&V-not_dead_yet" t-shirt]. In fact, on my first serve of the match, I will usually hit a spinnier, rather than a flatter, first serve to maximize my chance of getting it in and maybe surprising my opponent. After the initial shock and disbelief wears off, it's business as usual.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Ages ago I also thought of hiding my "weapons" but that was my low level, short sighted thinking. Like S&V said, the benefits of a proper warmup, if you need it, outweigh the hiding.

Well, there is one thing I hide: the fact that I S&V [assuming I'm not wearing my "S&V-not_dead_yet" t-shirt]. In fact, on my first serve of the match, I will usually hit a spinnier, rather than a flatter, first serve to maximize my chance of getting it in and maybe surprising my opponent. After the initial shock and disbelief wears off, it's business as usual.

 

[Dan R]

Be careful: they could be gaming YOU.

Player never gets played.

Seriously I’ve learned a lot during warm up, and as posted I usually warm up before the warm up since I need more time, so I don’t really worry about what I’m doing. During mini tennis I like to a ball high to their backhand and one at the feet just to see how they handle it.

 

[user92626]

Well, there is one thing I hide: the fact that I S&V [assuming I'm not wearing my "S&V-not_dead_yet" t-shirt]. In fact, on my first serve of the match, I will usually hit a spinnier, rather than a flatter, first serve to maximize my chance of getting it in and maybe surprising my opponent. After the initial shock and disbelief wears off, it's business as usual.

Well your hiding would probably work exactly one time with me and that is if I'm kinda lazy and tentative with my return.

Naturally all returns should be aggressive if possible, to gain control of the point. So you have to serve very well to dictate. And then if I see you can run up well and volley, well...that's my cue to increase my risk with the return.

Speaking of changing up, I wonder how many players actually actively switch or adapt and change? I can't be an exception. Today I teamed up with a partner who was soooo afraid of leaving his all-to-the-side net position even though I repeatedly pointed out to him that our opponent was completely inept of hitting dtl. I basically begged him to move into the middle to poach. He wouldn't or couldn't. Some pple just can't do craps! It was so frustrating and distracting.

 

[tlm]

Ages ago I also thought of hiding my "weapons" but that was my low level, short sighted thinking. Like S&V said, the benefits of a proper warmup, if you need it, outweigh the hiding.

Besides, I always think, for our low level of recreational tennis, strategies and figuring things out is easy. It's the doing that's difficult. How many times have you watched people play and told them.... do this, do that, why can't you, etc.? They understand it all but simply can't perform.

Exactly it’s so childish to not try and have a decent warm up for both players. Most of the time the guys I play in matches feel the same and give a good warm up, but once in a while I run into the guy that try’s to get some kind of an advantage by giving a bad warm up.

Right off the bat you know your opponent is a loser if he is trying to get an advantage by not giving a decent warm up. I can understand that if you spot a weakness to not keep hitting there and save it for the match or maybe not hitting your best serves in warm ups which most guys will warm up their spin serve or 2nd serve more anyway.

Nothing wrong with doing those things in a warm up, but purposely hitting erratically and not giving your opponent a decent warm up is total Bush League.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Well your hiding would probably work exactly one time with me and that is if I'm kinda lazy and tentative with my return.

You're right. I should have written

After the initial first point shock and disbelief wears off, it's business as usual.

Basically, I only expect my "hiding" tactic to work for one point. Therefore, it's not of large consequence.

Speaking of changing up, I wonder how many players actually actively switch or adapt and change? I can't be an exception. Today I teamed up with a partner who was soooo afraid of leaving his all-to-the-side net position even though I repeatedly pointed out to him that our opponent was completely inept of hitting dtl. I basically begged him to move into the middle to poach. He wouldn't or couldn't. Some pple just can't do craps! It was so frustrating and distracting.

He's probably been yelled at by a teacher or his partner to "guard the alley as if your life depended on it".

He will not learn better doubles during a match, apparently. The only way is to put him in a practice situation with no pressure and announce that the drill is the "you have to poach" concept and maybe he'll start seeing the light. Then it's a matter of getting him to do it during a match.

BTW: if the opponent is terrible at DTL, how about the Aussie formation? Your partner will still be able to cling to the alley [this time cross court] but now you pressure the returner.

 

[user92626]

BTW: if the opponent is terrible at DTL, how about the Aussie formation? Your partner will still be able to cling to the alley [this time cross court] but now you pressure the returner.

I didn't think of that but I would never be able to think of such things anyway since I'm not the type that tells partners what to do. So why bother of thinking up an entirely different formation (style) when we were not even able to implement the basic. My communication style was like asking him to do something a little different, anything different, take some risk, since we were getting killed anyway. The returning opponent was growing more and more confident and getting better with his only xcourt returns; and his net partner was always super proactive. I got completely distracted by frustration and lost in what to do with our own predictable, static, dismal "formation".

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I didn't think of that but I would never be able to think of such things anyway since I'm not the type that tells partners what to do.

Well, you did ask him to move out of the alley, right? [Not that he followed your suggestion.]

So why bother of thinking up an entirely different formation (style) when we were not even able to implement the basic.

Because you're losing anyway so trying something different can't make things any worse [unless he's the type of partner who would interpret such a suggestion as negative commentary on his ability].

Now that the match is over, is he willing to learn better doubles principles?