Quantcast
nodot nodot
Hardscrabble Scramble
October 2001 Article

Hardscrabble Scramble Archive

Tennis Server
HOME PAGE

Do You Want To Be A Better Tennis Player?

Then Sign Up For A Free Subscription to the Tennis Server INTERACTIVE
E-mail Newsletter!

Tom Veneziano You will join 13,000 other subscribers in receiving news of updates to the Tennis Server along with monthly tennis tips from tennis pro Tom Veneziano.
 
Best of all, it is free!

Tennis Features Icon TENNIS FEATURES:

TENNIS ANYONE? - USPTA Pro John Mills' quick player tip.
 
TENNIS WARRIOR - Tom Veneziano's Tennis Warrior archive.
 
TURBO TENNIS - Ron Waite turbocharges your tennis game with tennis tips, strategic considerations, training and practice regimens, and mental mindsets and exercises.
 
WILD CARDS - Each month a guest column by a new writer.
 
BETWEEN THE LINES - Ray Bowers takes an analytical and sometimes controversial look at the ATP/WTA professional tour.
 
PRO TENNIS SHOWCASE - Tennis match reports and photography from around the world.
 
TENNIS SET - Jani Macari Pallis, Ph.D. looks at tennis science, engineering and technology.
 
MORTAL TENNIS - Greg Moran's tennis archive on how regular humans can play better tennis.
 
HARDSCRABBLE SCRAMBLE - USPTA pro Mike Whittington's player tip archive.
 
TENNIS EQUIPMENT TIPS.

Tennis Community Icon TENNIS COMMUNITY:


Tennis Book, DVD, and Video Index
 
Tennis Server Match Reports
 
Editor's Letter
 
Become a Tennis Server Sponsor

Explore The Tennis Net Icon EXPLORE THE TENNIS NET:

Tennis News and Live Tennis Scores
 
Tennis Links on the Web
 
nodot
Hardscrabble Scramble Banner


 

Green Dot
 
Tennis Warehouse Logo
 
Green Dot

 
nodot
Finding Your Game Plan

Mike Whittington Photo
Mike Whittington

Having the right game plan can make a big difference in your match results. Most players just use what they do best on any given day. For instance, they know their forehand is stronger than their backhand and the same goes true for their opponent. So their game plan is to hit as many forehands to their opponent's backhand as possible. I even hear some players say their game plan is "just to get the ball over the net."

When putting your game plan together, you need to be aware of a few things about your game and about that of your opponent. It is a must that you know what shots you hit well and consistently under pressure. If you hit 20 forehand winners in a set but have 35 forehand errors your forehand may not be your "go to" shot while under pressure. It is important to know what shots you would really like to hit on important points. This goes for serves and returns and styles of play such as staying at the baseline, rushing the net, etc. If your best serve is a slice out wide then make sure you know that before the match begins.

As far as your opponent's weaknesses, I think it is important to evaluate their game during the warm-up. Give them a variety of shots and spins and see how they react. Do they automatically run around to hit forehands? Do they lob every high backhand? The warm-up is the time to find out about their style. Many times I've heard players mention that they figured out how they could win but it was simply too late in the match to use that strategy. Try to put together a strategy and game plan during the warm up and adjust throughout the match as needed.

Once you have determined the strengths and weaknesses of you and your opponent, see if anything matches up. For instance, if their backhand is weak does that fit into your wide serve plan? If they never seem to make good contact on overheads then your lob might be the shot of the day. But make sure you evaluate both you and your opponent's game. If my opponent has a very weak overhead but I have a very weak lob, it probably isn't a good idea to throw the shot in on a routine basis. You have to have confidence in your shots for your game to come together.

In your next practice session see if you can really nail down 2 or 3 shots or styles that you feel you are completely comfortable with in match play. The next time you play a match make it a point to have a definite game plan. That plan might change throughout the match but there is always some type of plan. Remember, a bad game plan is better than no game plan at all and I think you'll be surprised at how it can work. You'll also enjoy watching your plan in action when you are successful.

Green DotGreen DotGreen Dot

Hardscrabble Scramble Archive

If you have not already signed up to receive our free e-mail newsletter Tennis Server INTERACTIVE, you can sign up here. You will receive notification each month of changes at the Tennis Server and news of new columns posted on our site.

This column is copyrighted by Mike Whittington, all rights reserved.

At the time at which he wrote this column, Mike Whittington was a USPTA pro in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he served as director of tennis at the Hardscrabble Country Club.


 

nodot
nodot
Google
Web tennisserver.com
nodot nodot
The Tennis Server
Ticket Exchange

Your Source for tickets to professional tennis & golf events.
 
Terra Wortmann Open - Halle, Germany Tickets
 
Wimbledon Tickets
 
Infosys Hall of Fame Open Tickets
 
Atlanta Open Tickets
 
Hamburg Open Tickets
 
Mubadala Citi Open Tennis Tournament Tickets
 
National Bank Open Women's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
National Bank Open Men's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
Cincinnati Open Tickets
 
Winston-Salem Open Tickets
 
Tennis In The Land Tickets
 
UTS - Tennis Like Never Before Tickets
 
US Open Tennis Championship Tickets
 
Laver Cup Berlin Tickets
 
Erste Bank Open - Vienna, Austria Tickets
 
Dallas Open Tickets
 
BNP Paribas Open Tickets
 
Miami Open Tickets
 
Laver Cup San Francisco Tickets
 

 

Popular Tennis books:
 
Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis-Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert, Steve Jamison
 
The Best Tennis of Your Life: 50 Mental Strategies for Fearless Performance by Jeff Greenwald
 
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
 
Most Recent Articles:
 
October 2022 Tennis Anyone: Patterns in Doubles by John Mills.
 
September 2022 Tennis Anyone: Short Court by John Mills.
 

 

 

 

"Tennis Server" is a registered trademark and "Tennis Server INTERACTIVE" is a trademark of Tennis Server. All original material and graphics on the Tennis Server are copyrighted 1994 - by Tennis Server and its sponsors and contributors. Please do not reproduce without permission.

The Tennis Server receives a commission on all items sold through links to Amazon.com.

 

Tennis Server
Cliff Kurtzman
Editor-in-chief
791 Price Street #144
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone: (281) 480-6300
Online Contact Form
How to support Tennis Server as a Sponsor/Advertiser
Tennis Server Privacy Policy