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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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NEWS ROOM |
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TENNIS LESSONS & FAQs |
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HAVING A CHALLENGING MATCH WITH A WEAKER OPPONENT |
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| If you play your normal tennis game against a much weaker opponent, neither of you will have much fun. You won't improve significantly from an easy win, and he won't enjoy or learn much from getting trounced. Tennis players often avoid playing with someone whose level is too far from their own for this reason, but players separated by as much as 1.5 NTRP points can have fun and learn together. The key is for you, the stronger player, to use the match as a chance to try out the skills with which you are least comfortable. You will strengthen the weakest areas of your game, but also make plenty of mistakes, which will help your weaker opponent win more points, keeping the match closer and thus more engaging. |
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If you were to deliberately miss shots in order to give your opponent points, he would detect this and justifiably feel a sort of condescension. If you lose points trying your hardest to perfect a new skill, you avoid that problem. Here are a few styles of play that might be fairly new to you:
- Serve and Volley. As soon as you strike each serve, charge toward the net along the path the ball took. Split-step as the receiver strikes the ball, then cut forward and toward the ball to intercept it for the first volley. If the first volley floats, you can put it away with one shot. If it's more difficult, hit an approach volley, then try to finish the point with your second volley. If your first serve is too much for the receiver, hit second serves every time. It's good practice to be able to come in behind your second serve.
- Chip and Charge. Every time you receive serve, slice your return and follow it to net. Try to hit your return on your way in, then continue much as you would with serve and volley.
- Drop shot and lob. If your opponent likes to run, pull him up to net with a drop shot, then run him back with a lob. Keep at it until both shots become accurate. Don't forget to try the backhand versions, too.
- Try a new spin on groundstokes. If you normally hit fairly flat, try hitting nothing but heavy topspins. If you're a topspin player, hit nothing but slices. You get the idea.
- Hit every shot on the rise. Make yourself a rule that you must hit every ball that lands in your court while it's still coming up off the bounce. If you're not used to doing this, it will be a tough assignment. Mastering this skill will make you a much more aggressive player.
- Use a new serve. Allow yourself only one choice on your serve, your weakest spin. If you are struggling to learn a topspin serve, for example, decide to use it exclusively. Don't take this to point of double-faulting constantly, though. That's no fun for your opponent.
- If you're still winning too easily, back off on the more aggressive styles like serve and volley, because you won't be giving your opponent enough chances to hit a few balls per rally. You might want to try playing the human backboard style. Just get everything back to your opponent. Let her have some fun trying to be the aggressor.
The above ideas work best for singles, but you might be able to apply some of them in doubles as long as you're careful not to put your partner in an unsafe or frustrating position. |
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TENNIS LESSONS |
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