The following post is an excerpt from Blunders and Cures. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
BLUNDER: Ignoring Your B and C Game Plans
In the competitive stage of tennis, spending a few moments to organize your primary and secondary styles of play will push you ahead of most opponents. Styles of play include hard hitting baseliners, all court players, net rushers, and retrievers. In lower levels of competition, continually bringing the opponent into the net can also be an effective style of play.
FUN FACT: In lower level tennis, players are often under developed. While they may have solid ground strokes, their volleys and overheads are nonexistent. Forcing a comfortable baseliner to play the match at the net, tips the odds in your favor. Brining an opponent into the net is a set of skills that needs to be developed as well. These secondary stroke skills are drop shots, dipping passing shots and lobs. Rehearsing these skills would be a great example of one’s B and C game plans.
CURE: Set up practice sets against lower level players and force yourself to rehearse your secondary style of play. Champions have mastered more than one style and so can you!
Example: My step- daughter Sarah played her first adult U.S. Open at age 15. In the first round, Sarah’s opponent came out with her Plan A style (hard hitting baseliner). Sarah won the first set 6-4. At the start of the 2nd set, the opponent switched to Plan B (net rusher) and Sarah went up 4-1. The opponent then switched to Plan C (moonball/pusher), which was Sarah’s least favorite style of opponent. Sarah was amazed to see a 30-year old WTA veteran push her way to a $15,000 victory in the 3rd set.
Ask Yourself?
Winning whole tournaments often requires more tools in your tool belt. Are you a one trick pony? If your plan A isn’t working do you just get mad? So, what are your B and C Game Plans? Can you schedule time to develop those skills and then plan on playing practice sets with those secondary styles of play? Can you start this week?
Write down your Personal Action Plan:
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
Affiliate
