Tag Archives: best tennis strategy

Tennis Playing Style

Posted on January 10, 2023 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

QUESTION: What determines my daughter’s best playing style?

 

Frank: I recommend developing the path of least resistance. The game of tennis is an extension of your child’s personality whether you like it or not. Fighting their natural genetic predisposition is a waste of time and money. As is training without considering the athletes genetics. Simply put, your athlete’s best style of play is a reflection of their unique brain type and body type.

NOTE: If you haven’t done so already, please read the opening section regarding this critical topic.

Start by understanding your athlete’s personality profile and body type efficiencies and deficiencies. Below are a few examples that will help clarify the effect of a player’s unique brain and body type. (Note: There are exceptions to every rule. On occasion, some player’s off-court personality opposes their on-court personality.)

 

A prime time example is my Aunt Loretta, a super kind and polite old lady until she got behind the wheel of her Chevy Nova!

Matching Personality Profile & Body Types with Appropriate Playing Styles:

  • Players that show impatience would be well advised to devise deliberate one-two punch patterns ending in shorter points. Patient players should use their frustration tolerance as a weapon to possible wear down opponents with longer grueling points.
  • Players that are flamboyant, with loads of energy, would likely thrive with a fast pace, attacking style of play.
  • Players that show restraint and are rather stoic would likely benefit from a safer, counter punching style of play.
  • In regard to body type dominance, fine motor skilled athletes (with good hands) may benefit from a net rushing style. Gross motor skilled athletes (who coil and uncoil more efficiently) would likely thrive in a back court style of play.

I worry when parents spend boat loads of time and money without ever acknowledging the athletes likes and dislikes with the player and their hired entourage of coaches. Assessing and organizing the athlete’s organizational blueprint is parent accountability 101.

 

Caution: A misconception of many parents and junior players, is to copy the style of their favorite ATP or WTA star, who is successful with a particular style. Just because Serena Williams prefers a 4-ball rally with her “all out attacking” style doesn’t mean that your child has the brain or body type to flourish within that system.  Or just because Novak Djokovic enjoys 10 ball rallies with his “patient counter-attacking” style doesn’t mean his style is the best system for your athlete. Customization is key.

It’s the role of the CEO- facilitator parent to make sure that their athlete’s coaches are aware of their child’s unique brain and body design. Their child’s genetic predisposition along with their nurtured environment dictates their ability to maximize potential in the shortest period of time.

 

Developing Your Athlete’s Top 7 Patterns

Posted on June 25, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!

 Click Here to Order

frank

DEVELOPING YOUR ATHLETE’S TOP 7 PATTERNS

 

Over a decade ago I conducted an on-court developmental case study with a group of similar age and ability level, top ranked Southern California players. For eight weeks, I trained a group of six athletes with the familiar old school, common academy methods. You’ve seen it a million times. It’s basically playing catch, back and forth, grooving to each other all day. I called them the Red Group.

The other group, called the Blue Group was trained very different. We customized each athlete’s Top 7 Patterns of play and religiously ran those patterns every single training session. These players focused on offense, neutral and defensive situational protocols and were not allowed to rally back and forth to the opponent. They played keep away for two months…never catch.

 

“Winning matches is a game of keep away… not a game of catch.”

 

After the two month period, the Blue Group beat the Red Group handily for five consecutive team matches. I then decided to permanently switch my training philosophy.  My students started racking up national title after national title.

It’s time to work with your athlete’s coach in designing your child’s very own Top 7 Patterns. Reactive tennis is played at the intermediate levels of the game.  It is simply reacting to the moment without any real plan. Proactive tennis is having a pre-set plan for every point.  Proactive tennis forces the opponent to react to your strengths. These strengths come in the form of strokes and patterns. Most points in junior tennis are almost over when the server walks up to the line to serve, meaning …points are typically short. That’s why this section focuses on starting each point with a specific plan.

“It is estimated that the average point played on the WTA/ATP professional tour is under 4 hits.   This is why starting points with a plan is essential.”

Remember, spectacular performances are preceded by spectacular preparation. It’s time for your athlete to begin to prepare spectacularly.  Proactive competitors control the tight matches because they control the big points by routinely running their Top 7 Patterns. This means that on game points, mentally tough players run their very best patterns. This awareness, tips the odds in their favor.  I urge players to design and rehearse their Top 7 Patterns and begin to run these patterns religiously with their coaches through pattern repetitions. They then apply their Top 7 Patterns in practice matches and of course in real tournament competition.

 

The “Top 7” Pattern Categories:

1) Top Serving Pattern to the Deuce Side (2 Ball Sequence.)

2) Top Serving Pattern on the Ad Side (2 Ball Sequence.)

3) Favorite Return Pattern/Position versus a Big First Serve.

4) Favorite Pattern/Position versus a Weaker Second Serve.

5) Favorite Rally Pattern.

6) Favorite Short Ball Option.

7) Favorite Approach Shot Pattern.

 

Lesson Learned: I brought some junior athletes to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden BNP Paribas Open with the purpose of dissecting the patterns used by the professional. Their mission was to chart the professional’s Top7 Patterns.  During that chilly night in the California desert, Rafael Nadal ran his same old, boring winning service pattern on the ad side 82% of the time versus Ryan Harrison. Rafa hit a mid-tempo slice serve out wide to Ryan’s backhand…ran around the return and “Ahh-Hay” Rafa yells as he hit his inside out forehand into the opposing corner.  Result: Rafa won routinely while conserving energy for future rounds.

 

Assist your child’s coaches by encouraging them to take your athlete’s practice sessions up a few levels and replace simply grooving back and forth with grooving your athlete’s customized Top 7 Patterns.  Later in this mental section we will look into the flip side of developing your athlete’s Top 7 Patterns. In the opponent profiling section, we will uncover how and why it is also critical to develop the skills required to spot and defuse the opponent’s Top 7 Patterns of play. This is an analytical function.  Controlling the critical tipping points begins with anticipation.