How to Counter the Pace and Power of a Big Hitter

Mirror shot trajectory, spin, net clearance and pace of your opponent. If receiving a flat shot with pace and low net clearance, respond with a similar shot with pace. Adhering to this approach with discipline shows resiliency (a willingness to stay in the point) and makes a statement that you will not be overwhelmed by power or aggression. Matching shot for shot and pace to pace can go right for you in two ways. One, your big hitting opponent unable to get an edge in the rallies goes bigger (as one may predict for an aggressive personality) and starts to break down, making more unforced errors. Two, if you can match everything your opponent has to offer and still have reserves to be able to step it up to an even higher level, you can then start going for more and dictate play in your favor. On the negative side, you may find matching shots is not sustainable, in which you will need to look at other options to offset the power and pace of your opponent such as taking pace off the ball and varying spin.
Play high percentage tennis, a basic principle versus all playing styles. Hit over the middle part of the net (using the center strap as a guide). Hit with high margin of net clearance and depth. Maintain shot direction. Aim for big targets. Maintain cross-court patterns following the serve and return. Playing smart, high percentage tennis keeps you in the point and requires your opponent to take more risks, hopefully leading to more errors. There is however a caveat to playing traditional high percentage patterns versus a big hitter. Most big hitters build their game around a big shot such as the forehand groundstroke. A forehand-to-forehand cross-court pattern could feed into the strengths of player with a big forehand. This presents a need to possibly take more risks, going for a shot more difficult to execute sooner in the rally than you would like under normal playing situations to get your opponent moving (and not as set to hit the big shot). It may also require you to look for other shot and pattern options such as hitting to the middle of the court to take away angles.
Be alert. Get ready, read and react (quickly with dynamic balance and active feet) and then respond and recover with purposeful intent. Be focused on taking the ball early, on the rise as necessary holding a court position on or near the baseline. Be prepared also to move forward to attack any short ball. By being more alert not only will you be better able to respond to the pace and power, but you will also be better able to transition to offense when you get a weak reply.
Take pace off the ball with spin. The first three points provide strategies for managing the pace, staying in the rally and potentially drawing errors and perhaps play to your strengths if you can match pace with pace but do little to disrupt rhythm or offset the strengths of your hard-hitting opponent. Big hitters generally feed on pace but can be frustrated by having to generate their own pace or respond to a mix of balls hit with different pace and spin. You can absorb pace by blocking the ball back in play (with little to no spin) which can be effective (particularly with the serve return) if you are able to get the ball deep or short and angled. A better option to take pace off the ball and disrupt rhythm is with slice (underspin and sidespin) and topspin (with a raised arc of trajectory).
Vary the height (net clearance) and the resulting bounce to require your opponent to hit balls below and above his/her strike zone. Getting the ball up against a big hitter may require hitting from a deeper position on the court (to provide more time to get underneath the ball). When hitting from a deeper court position, it is important to get depth and weight behind your shot with heavy topspin (to prevent your opponent from moving in to take the ball in the air with a swinging volley). The best way to keep the ball down is with a hard, biting slice (with a low angle of contact to surface incidence).
Disrupt rhythm by moving your opponent. Utilize full use of the court hitting to the four target zones with short and deep, drop shot and lob, deep corner to corner, cross-court down-the-line redirection and sharp angle patterns. The goal is to not allow your opponent to get comfortable dictating play and the pace of the rally.
Slow or manage the pace of play or tempo of the match. Many big hitters tend to play quickly or prefer to play quickly (particularly when ahead in the score). To counter the big hitter who likes to play fast, slow down the pace of play by being methodical and deliberate. Take all or most of your allotted time in setting up to serve each point. Judiciously go to your towel and consciously walk methodically (slowly) to retrieve balls to buy time. Your goal is to turn the match into a mental grind frustrating your opponent into being rash with no shot tolerance.
Be resolute and resilient. Big hitters tend to be streaky by the nature of their game and willingness to take risks. It is important to hang in there “weather the storm” and be prepared to take advantage to establish or reestablish momentum when your opponent experiences a dip in performance.
Keep the ball in play (as best as possible). Resist the tendency to go for too much. Do everything possible to extend the rally and make your opponent hit one more shot. Be scrappy and run down every shot. Be especially attentive on getting the serve back in play, varying your return position as necessary. Make your opponent work for every point.
Vary the variables in your control (pace, spin, trajectory, net clearance, depth, direction, court position, etc.). There are other things you can try to disrupt rhythm such as taking time away by closing into the net whenever possible but ultimately it is the variety of shots in your arsenal and the variety of different options you can apply (with disguise and unpredictability) that will serve to best disrupt the rhythm and confidence of your opponent. Mixing things up with strategic intent is the best way to stifle a big hitter.

New Year Resolutions

Listed below are 10 resolutions or commitments applicable and beneficial for every tennis player.

I promise to…

Show respect to my opponents by giving 100% of my effort and focus every match, acknowledging their good shots, points, games and matches and accepting their line calls and decisions for which they are responsible for on their side of the court.
Acknowledge my position on the court and not try to hit winners when hitting from a neutral or defensive position. Be prudent and smart and hit with high margin to big targets when defending from a disadvantaged position.
Eliminate or reduce “bad” unforced errors particularly balls hit into the net.
Run down every ball, making every effort to get a racquet on each ball.
Hit my intended service targets, get at least 70% of my first serves in play and develop a reliable, functionally sound, heavy second serve that I can get in all the time (or at least 95% of the time).
Raise my shot threshold to be able to extend the rally as long as necessary to win the point.
Be bold and decisive when presented with an opportunity from an advantageous position to finish the point.
Acknowledge and implement a plan to improve my weaknesses including a commitment to potentially sacrifice results as necessary to effectuate more long-term gain.
Look for every opportunity to play.
Embrace the fun aspects of tennis including the comradeship and shared experiences with friends, joy of hitting, variety of different and creative things you can do with the ball, challenge of competition versus players with diverse strengths, weaknesses, playing styles and personalities, playing at different sites and venues with different playing surfaces and conditions, complex coordination, movement, strength and endurance requirements of the sport, unpredictability and variability of point length and match times and thought process and skill required to construct points and develop and execute a strategic game plan.

Happy New Year!

Tennis Training Theme #10 – Defensive Baseline Style of Play

Objective

Learn how to extend the point and successfully defend from the baseline with the goal to frustrate and wear down your opponent.

Develop a high shot tolerance (a willingness to hit as many shots as necessary to break down your opponent and win the point). Do everything possible to make your opponent hit one more shot.
Work on your ability to extend the point but raising the height of your ball with a high margin of net clearance. Establish a “must” goal of not making any mistakes in the net. Learn how to utilize lobs and semi-lobs to recover back into position when pressed to retrieve a difficult shot.
Work on your footwork and fitness to be able to run down every shot.
Develop your “hands” and improvisational skills to be able to manipulate the angle of the racquet face to retrieve difficult shots with control of direction and trajectory. Work to develop “soft” hands and the ability to make subtle and quick adjustments with your grip.
Work on your depth and the margin established by depth. Develop the ability to consistently hit past the service line (preferably having the ball bounce midway between the service line and the baseline). Work predominantly to the middle of the court (middle 1/3 of the court).
Learn how to control the pace to your preferred tempo and rhythm. Work on maintaining a manageable pace. Learn how to take pace off the ball (with spin) when the tempo of the rally starts getting too fast and unsustainable.
Work on your ability to stay in a point by maintaining the direction and angle of each shot. Learn how to maintain direction by hitting over the middle part of the net (using the center strap as reference). Improve consistency by hitting to big targets. Make sure to create margin and not force a mistake out wide of the sideline when redirecting a shot down-the-line. With down-the-line redirection, account for the difference in net height and establish a hitting line that has the ball clearing the opposing baseline at a perpendicular angle.
Work on getting your first serve in play. Target to be able to maintain a 1^st serve percentage of 75% or higher. Consistently getting the first serve in play helps to maintain your rhythm for the ensuing rallies and point exchanges and supports a game plan for consistency, depth and your ability to “grind.” Equally important, in singles work on getting your return of serve back in play preferably deep to the middle of the court or cross-court (maintaining the direction of the serve). Target to get 80% or more 1^st serves back in play and 90% or more of 2^nd serves back in play.
Learn how to vary spin, depth, net clearance, and trajectory to disrupt the rhythm of your opponent. Learn how to manipulate these control variables to get balls outside the strike zone of your opponent. With an inability to establish rhythm, your opponent will hopefully get unsettled and tentative which in turn, should help in your goal to slow down the pace and extend the average length of each rally.
Work on managing the flow and tempo of the match. Be methodical and deliberate in your preparation before the start of each point with an established ritual prior to serving and receiving. Learn how to slow down the pace of play and the general flow to the match. Establish a strategy to make play a match of attrition with long, extended rallies (favoring your style of play) and/or frustrating your opponent into making mistakes by going for too much too soon in the rally. Work also on your mental fortitude, resoluteness, stamina and commitment to stay in the rally and make your opponent work for every point. Work on your ability to stay engaged each point with no mental lapses and no free points given away to your opponent.