What Do you Do when your losing?

K

Knightmace

Professional
Today I lost 1-6,6-1,4-6 thats lasted like 2 hours twenty minutes.

the guy who i was versing was a pusher and annoyed me and I made mistakes then in the second set I tried to play with his style and force the error from him which worked 6-1. in teh third set I made losts of UE again which really made me angry then I lost. whic hwas painful

My question is what do you guys do when yoru down go all for it or stay in the point for as lnog as you can?
 
i try to stay in the point and get my confidence up. and when i get my confidence up(by winning points, not matter how ugly the point may be) i start feeling better about myself, then i feel comfortable going for more.

oh and of course GET TO THE NET!
 
My advice would be to drink a beer or two when facing a pusher. After I've started drinking, I'm usually content to spin the ball back in play rather than to try to impose my game on my opponent. At least it worked the last time I had to play my boss...
 
you kinda answered your own question. you won 6-1 in the second but changed your game for some reason. if it works dont change it.
 
Your brain can only handle so much information, and play tennis "in the moment."
I keep it simple and concentrate and try to visualize my serve or return (whichever one is starting the next point.)
During the point I concentrate on recovering to the proper position after the serve/return, coming out of my split step as quickly as possible, getting into optimal position to have an optimal contact point, concentrating on watching the ball hit the racquet, and either recovering behind the baseline after a deep shot, or rushing the net after a shallow one.
Obviously during the match I modify my approach some, like being more aggressive on rushing the net if he has poor passing shots, or abondoning going to the net on anything but very short, high balls if he is passing me at will. Or deciding if the best baseline tactic is to attack his weaker side versus trying to beat him by hitting to alternate corners.
But the basic principle is, don't dwell on losing. Get ready to play the next point, and during it concentrate as much as possible to play it to the best of your ability.
 
Last edited:
Well i dunno...cause im never losing...LOL....

If it's single, i review why i lost, or a whine about how lucky they got, all within 2 sec...and move on..it's not that hard (for me) ... i just think happy thoughts ...haha...really i have no idea

If i was playing dubs...i let me partner handle my rage! :twisted:
i like what Lefty78 said about the drinking part...and i guess what charliefedererer makes a lil sense too :shock:
GL with your game

Br
 
Depend on what level are you playing and what style type of player your are.
If you are a 4.0 or lower and you are comfortable at the net, then:
1. Sneak Attack just keep the point in play. Play the ball high (about 3 ft) over the net, and let you opponent get comfortable with it. When he does get in that rythym, you sneak in to attack the net.
2. You must be patient. Just keep the ball in play by pushing it back, until you get the shot you want and go for it.
3. You must be willing to win UGLY. If you opponent is a true pusher and do nothing more than just put the ball in play, then hit the ball 6 feet or higher (almost like a lob) over the net. The idea is to get the ball in play bore him out just he bore you out and force him to change his strok. If he doesn't, then use step 1 or 2.
4. Don't get discourage. When missed the shot you want and comfortable with, just tell yourself that "NO ONE IS PERFECT and mistake does happen".

I played a player like this a few weeks ago, and he didn't do anything but bored me out. I won the first set easily, then the bored began to kick in and I started to make mistake. I lost the 2nd set, then starting to apply those steps and won the 3rd set and match. It was so ugly that if you was there, you would problably want your gas money back.
 
maverick66 said:
you kinda answered your own question. you won 6-1 in the second but changed your game for some reason. if it works dont change it.
Click to expand...

No he didn't really. The cardinal rule for playing a pusher: never try to out push them. Sure, it worked for one set, but this may be contributed to many different reason the main being that we see many shifts of a match especially between sets, it seems to happen quite often that a player will win the first set then relax and the opponent gets intense and is able to play better which catches their opponent, if unexperienced, off guard. Then the winner of the first set kicks himself and cranks the intensity back up and wins the third.

But whenever i'm down in a match i try to slow the match down. Take a few more second, within the legal limit, between services. The last thing you want to do is allow someone who is in the groove to hit more balls. Usually there is a time limit on how long a player can hit the ball at a high level, which increases with the skill levels of your opponents. the trick is to know when the opponent is heating up or cooling down and adjust your game accordingly. One example is i was down love-5 in a regional match, and it was quick too. But then i slowed the speed of the game down. I started hitting the balls into the middle of the court with more spin and depth. Usually, at this level pushers prefer to be moved side to side, when you force them to set up for a ball then they get flustered and start making mistakes, or at least can't do much with your ball. I came back to win the match and have since then always remembered to take things slow. Not Nadal slow but slower than normal.

As always, build on the good shots and forget the bad ones. If you're making a lot of mistakes then try to get more margin on the ball and hit up the middle. Once you get the feeling back then start widening the court and going for those balls that land short in your court.
 
Cracked a racket today, just minor and lost the finals after being up 4-2 40-0 in the deciding set...

So I get angry.
 
BU-Tennis said:
No he didn't really. The cardinal rule for playing a pusher: never try to out push them.
Click to expand...

are you serious. so the plan vs a pusher is rip for corners and pray to god?

he won the second set because he didnt give away free points. a pusher wants free points. so if you make it very clear to them that your not giving them out they dont know what to do. playing pushers is a simple process. play cross court rallies and wait for the opening. dont get fancy or think of these amazing shots but play simple points. they are pushers because they cant do anything else. if they could rip the ball for winners they would. they cant and have to rely on you messing up.
 
^^^^a pusher simply gets the ball back in, with no care of depth, spin, pace, or direction. Their goal is to hit one more ball than you. Now you suggested playing them completely different. By hitting crosscourt and waiting for the opening. Yes, you have to get more balls in but you can't slow down the pace or placement just because you're missing because as soon as you do you're going to find yourself in super long rallies that you're not used to playing and he is.

Ask anyone, you don't try to out push the pusher. You move them around, especially into net, and wait until you can go for a winner, and if they get that back then you do it again until it works.
 
BU-Tennis said:
^^^^a pusher simply gets the ball back in, with no care of depth, spin, pace, or direction. Their goal is to hit one more ball than you. Now you suggested playing them completely different. By hitting crosscourt and waiting for the opening. Yes, you have to get more balls in but you can't slow down the pace or placement just because you're missing because as soon as you do you're going to find yourself in super long rallies that you're not used to playing and he is.

Ask anyone, you don't try to out push the pusher. You move them around, especially into net, and wait until you can go for a winner, and if they get that back then you do it again until it works.
Click to expand...

ive played hundreds of pushers in my life and going for alot on my shots is just stupid. they have nothing to hurt you with so why give them free points when i can keep a controllable pace on the ball and wait. and going crosscourt patterns is moving them. you never hit the ball down the middle if you can help it. your giving the pusher to much respect. dont give a free point and how they gonna win?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

frinton
What do you do?
Replies
7
Views
660
Lance L
Lance L
JCF
Pushers - what do they get out of the game?
4 5 6
Replies
280
Views
10K
GuyClinch
G
doriancito
what to do when...
Replies
10
Views
877
AngeloDS
A
P
When your double partner told you not to poach...
Replies
21
Views
1K
Flootoo
Flootoo
DolgoSantoro
What do you do when one of your strokes falls apart entirely?
Replies
12
Views
2K
LeeD
L
Back
Top