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TennisOne Lessons 
Winning More Matches How to Play the Pivotal Points and Games Joe Dinoffer It's a fact that the average set in tennis contains 55 to 65 points. The debatable point in question is whether they are all equally important or whether some points (and games) deserve more attention than others. A few of us can play with consistent intensity throughout an entire match. These types of players carry an intrinsic or internal form of motivation that drives them to try and win each and every point with the same ferocity. Think Nadal on the men's tour and perhaps Sharapova or Azarenka on the women's side. However, most of us need some type of extrinsic or external motivation to help boost our intensity and focus. For the vast majority of us, it's just not in our personalities to stay at a highly aroused level of intensity point after point after point.
Is it dangerous for players to admit that obvious fact and try "extra" hard on certain identifiable key points instead? For many of us this is a tough question to answer, regardless of the level at which we compete. Our competitive egos will generally block the objectivity needed to answer this question. Remember that we are speaking of personal "potential" as opposed to accomplishments, and it's not always easy to think objectively about our own potential, at whatever level we play. After all, recreational players typically have many reasons for making more unforced errors than the pros, not the least of which is that they play for (surprise!) recreation, which includes experimenting to improve and relaxing to have fun. Clarification Needed At this point, I must insert a disclaimer and clarify a very important issue. “Playing your best” does not mean trying to blast winners. Playing your best means playing HIGH PERCENTAGE tennis for your own level, while being aware of winning patterns of play that are working against each opponent. Yes, a savvy tennis player will recognize which tactics are successful against each opponent played. Here are two different approaches that can help. Read them over and consider which may be best for you. Remember that embracing just one of these approaches may change your game in a significant way. Adopt both of these “focus raisers” and play your best tennis at those times and you may win more matches than you had dreamed possible. Focus Raiser #1: Pivotal Points and Games Some people identify specific points and games as being more important. For example, some coaches advocate focusing "extra" on the 3rd and 5th point of each game and also on the 5th and 7th games. While arguably these are not commonly discussed as "make it or break it" points and games in a match, they are right in the middle of each game and set and can therefore affect momentum in a big way. Other coaches may stress that all deuce and ad points are the most important. Whatever approach you take, realize the point is to help you improve your concentration and play your most effective tennis at those pivotal times you have identified. Here's a tactical example: You've been effective hitting a high looper to your opponent's backhand and then sneaking in to the net to finish a point when they hit a weak short return. But, if you employ that tactic at every opportunity, your opponent will figure out the best defense or counter-weapon to pull out of their own bag of tricks. It could be as simple as immediately lobbing off the high backhand to keep you off the net. The point here is to not over-use winning tactics, but to use them most often on the points that you deem important. Focus Raiser #2: Key in on second serve points There’s a well worn expression in tennis, “You’re only as good a player as your second serve!” This may sound like a cliché, but it holds true at just about every level. There is a tendency at recreational levels to overhit service returns against slower serves. After all, those powder-puff second serves are just sitting there, waiting to be crushed, right? Yes and no. While it is very tempting to blast away on those slow balls, the key is to measure which tactic actually wins a high percentage of points against second serves and to stay with that tactic. It may be to step forwards and take the return early to mix in dropshots, or hit crosscourt angles if your opponent happens to be out of shape or not run so well. Just be aware of what tactic is successful and stick with it. Sometimes even if your opponent knows what you are going to do, they may have no defense against it. To paraphrase tennis coaching legend Vic Braden, “Winning in tennis is often a question of hitting the same boring shot over and over again!” The Good News For both of these approaches, there is over-riding good news as displayed by the chart below. In tennis, if you win just 65% of the total points played, you are virtually assured you will win that match! Therefore, focusing more and playing your best on some key points or games can make a world of difference.
As you can see by the chart, a player that wins 50% of the points will also win the game, set and match 50% of the time. The statistics get very interesting when you realize how few additional points you need to win to dramatically increase your chances of winning more matches. For example, if you win just 55% of the total points in a match, the probability of winning each game becomes 62.3%; the probability of winning each set becomes 81.5%, and the probability of winning that particular match becomes a whopping 91%. The Common Denominator More good news is that, regardless of which extrinsic “focus raiser” you embrace, the common ingredient that every player can continue to improve is their focus and intensity, regardless of their technique, style of play, or skill level. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Joe Dinoffer's article by emailing us here at TennisOne. |