World’s Most ANNOYING Tennis Opponent - Pusher Mindset (Part 1)
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2020
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If you can read this you have an impressive scrolling game.
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I feel like I've just been to tennis church
🙌
Amen
🤭
The truth will set you free! LOL
😂😂😂😂
I love that tennistroll player.. that guy is a genius. The thing I said to someone on that video was that this type of player frustrates you because it reveals the REAL competitive level you are at. If you can't beat this guy then you may as well be playing with the same technique as him, because at least he's consistent. You aren't Federer, or any other pro, but you're trying to hit like a pro allllll the time with highly technical shots without the consistency to make it worth it. Which is fun and the ultimate goal.. but don't get frustrated when you lose because of your lofty goals. And, these players are hard at this level but he will be stuck at that level while your progress can go further because you're working from a better base.
this is a great advice.if i play with pusher,who are only bringing the ball back,i play with less power and i try to play long rallys too.so i play also like a pusher.and if i fit i have great chances to win,if i not fit ,it is very close.but if i try to go to net,or if i play very fast ,i lose like 9 from 10 matches
@@thebigmonstaandy6644 Pushing against pushers is a terrible idea. They spend all their time running and mastering their game style. You're not going to be as good as it as they are.
@@danmeadowsmusici i dont know,this strategy helps me a lot.
first.there are not pushers on high level.why somebody pushing?becaurce he doesnot have a strokes to make winners.
so if you playes high level,you has better strokes as them.
second.they cant heard you.so you only need to make them rum.in this case they tired and started to make misstackes
Honestly your message cheered me up. I lost today to someone that played me like that...I love the sport, and it's my passion and today's made me feel absolutely useless. I just hope to become a greater player than all these trolls
I agree with everything you say except one thing...that a pusher will be "Stuck" at that level...not necessarily so. I think most pushers continue to improve their games at least as fast as bangers do....they learn how to play the net well, they improve their volleys and overheads, they learn to chip and charge, they learn how to hit a topspin pass, first on the forehand, and then on the backhand. They improve their serves. They mix in serve and volley. Fabrice Santoro did all these things. So did Brad Gilbert. They hit their ground strokes soft and low, and dared you to take the offense....then they'd sneak into the net or drop shot you if you got lulled into thinking too much......Gilbert got to be World number four! Santoro beat more number one players than anyone, and he won two doubles slams!
It took me 20 years to figure out, its what I do on my side of the court that matters and not my opponents. Thank you for reinforcing this.... of course pushers are annoying but I now look at it like a challenge then a frustration.
Exactly! Thanks for watching!
It's pleasure to improve and beat those junk ballers
But you need goid techniques, endurance, mindset and shot selection
Love this video. As a high school coach I see this imbalance so often. Such a hard thing to coach around and convince players to focus on what they can do to improve versus complain about the “pusher”. Really loved the moment when you pointed out that “they (the pusher) were the better player that day”. Truth!
The better player that day is the one who wins! Regardless of what/who you think!
I finally drove that point home one year to an under-performing team by teaching parents how to track winners, errors, and unforced errors. Had everyone write down what percentage of their points ended which way, and not a single kid was even close to being right.
Once they saw the numbers for themselves, it was pretty entertaining to watch the shift in approach for some of them over the next few matches.
@@EssentialTennis Indeed! One can hear that by Nadal in an eloquent way in this press-conference: ruclips.net/video/veirps-fSvM/видео.html
When I coached HS tennis, I could beat all the kids convincingly, even though I was in my late 50s. I came from self-taught ping pong and street games, and didn't really take up tennis regularly until I was 30. My buddy who got me into the game had played in HS, and his Dad had played. He liked to bang the ball. In ping pong, when your opponent bangs, you defend by slices and blocks, so that's what I did. I also threw up lobs when I was in trouble. We played outdoors, often in windy conditions. Soon I was dominating him, and he was breaking rackets. My original thought was just to get the ball back so I wouldn't embarrass myself. The kids I coached included several kids who had taken lessons for years, whose fathers were serious players. When I started beating them all with slices, lobs, and junk, they became intrigued. They all realized that there was another way to play. Some kids who were new to tennis developed quickly by emulating my forehand slice shot. The number one player, was a very athletic kid who just bunted the ball back down the middle. He had absolutely no pace unless you came in to the net against him, at which point he'd hit a flat Jimmy Connors passing shot off either wing. (he was a righty who played lefty!) He just blooped the ball in on his serve. I taught him to mix in some lobs with those passing shots, and he wound up beating the number two player in the conference, and almost beating the number one player....both of whom went to college on tennis scholarships.....NOBODY can hit a consistent overhead in that New England win....I also taught him how to read his opponent's overhead, and how to block the ball back at his feet.....
We have no right to expect balls with good pace, decent depth and enough topspin. It's not a social contract. If they deny you your favourite shots, you deny them their favourite shots. Hit to their backhand, take the ball early, serve and volley, whatever makes them uncomfortable.
Well said Satyu!!
Amen.
Roger Federer 2009 US Open 😉
I found the record of the guy in the TennisTroll video and holy smokes he wins almost 80% of his matches at 4.5!! I thought maybe it would be around 50/50, but that's honestly incredibly impressive for that play-style to be winning that many matches at 4.5.... It's like you said even if you hate it that's something you have to give respect too. Especially the fact that he is self taught.
Wow, that is an incredible record. Totally agree, Richard! Respect is a must.
If he's that good playing with that style imagine how much better he'd be if he learnt how to hit a ball properly.
@@malcolmloong5511 Not necessarily. If he would mostly hit "proper" tennis shots, even with his incredibly low amount of errors, his opponents wouldn't get as frustrated, and would be able to read his balls easier.
@SomeoneYouKnow Good point. Maybe that’s the limit of that particular persons potential but I’d love to see how others like that can progress.
@@EssentialTennis i love your opening about how points are scored. This guy wins so much and frustrates so many, that you've dedicated a series of videos on how to beat him. It's not an easy "do this one thing" solution...it's a video series. That's how hard and how much respect these players should get. Can you do a video teaching a traditional player how to play with the pusher strategy most effectively? I sure would like to have this strategy as a Plan B when Plan A is failing. Thanks, I love your videos.
My coach taught me to be a pusher when I first started playing competitive. He told me to be extremely cautious while attacking and keep hitting each ball over the net in the no man's land with top spin. He knew exactly why people lose points. Unforced errors. Man told me to just hit the ball 6 to 7 times back to my opponent. And it worked! A shitty strategy that but it did get me the points. I'm glad that I've moved on from that phase though. Take a lot of risks now.
Great video! Most of my oponents are like this. I can't wait for second part.
Thank you! 😊
I have no regrets or shame to admit that I was a pusher and still sometimes adopt this same strategy to unsettle some really good orthodox technique players to unsettle them.
During my college and university days and even later, I won or ended up runners up or performed satisfactorily sticking to pushing..
But pushing needs a stubborn and patient mindset combined with really good stamina, brisk movement and endurance!!
Pushers must be praised and appreciated as they arent violating any of the game's rules and still irking established technique players!!!
Pushing strategy can be taught and coached too as its a successful weapon against some decent players too.
I will always be a pusher!
Beautifully stated.
Pushers adhere to the most fundamental law in tennis: keep the ball in play. Technique should enhance consistency, not at the cost of it. Form should always follow function, not the other way around.
You're exactly right, and at the end of the day, it's the only thing that matters... keeping the ball in play.
@@EssentialTennis I feel like it matters most in competitive tennis matches. But most of the time we play tennis (when not at pro-level) it's to have fun. I would much rather lose in an extremely fun and fast paced game, than win a boring stretched out game. That's what it comes down to and why amateurs/semi-serious players dislike pusher-style games.
@@TheViolander You would flip for joy if you beat a good pusher., convincingly, and in a reasonable amount of time,..admit it. It can be done, but you are going to have to learn some of the pusher's tricks and mix them with your own. No more one-dimensional tennis. The pusher just doesn't get the ball back, he does THREE things: 1) He tries to get everything back, 2) He tries to put the ball in a place, at a pace, and with a spin, that you can't do much with it, and 3) He LEARNS from you as the game goes on, observing what shots you hit well, and which ones frustrate you, and he changes his game accordingly. He is always probing for your weakness. Good pushers develop serve and volley skills, drop shot skills, and chip and charge skills. They don't just rely on moonballs and slices, unless you let them. Look at the pusher in the video. He's actually playing a more aggressive game, hitting more winners, and playing from inside the court more often.....
@@joemarshall4226 You are just plain wrong> i regularly play against pushers and beat them every so often.
It's boring as hell.
@@TheViolander You need to play some better pushers. Try the guy in this video.
Bravo! Your brilliant Tennis tips n sense brought my game to a new level ! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
They improvise adapt and overcome, sounds like winners to me
You got it Aglight!
U have never played one before then because they are so annoying to the point of getting in your head
Agree. You have to do 20 pushups before starting to be considered macho enough to be considered legit. I mix up both power and like my friend says "dinks."
Yeah but it's pretty damn annoying to play them
Yeah but they dont win by being good but only by destroying the opponent's mental
Thanks Ian, your clarity is so welcomed! Tell it how it is. 👏
Thanks for watching Denise!
Fantastic video Ian!! Love the mindset coaching and meta commentary on tennis that helps beyond stroke technique ❤️
Stick around for the rest of the series!
"it's got a whole bunch of upvotes"
Redditors: Ah, finally... a *man of culture*
I did an analysis of one of my doubles matches, and the breakdown between winners vs errors was eye-opening. You're doing a good job reinforcing that here
It is a surprise to most people!
Oh boy ibsaw your 2nd video in this series, came to see the 1st about the mindset, you hit right in the nail.
You got yourself a new subscriber, keep teaching people to respect their opponents and accept the results as they are, that way there can be some improvement.
I'll go see the rest of your videos, cheers!
Nice video! You’re 1000% right....players who struggle against “pushers” at any level tend to either not respect them as players and/or they don’t have a clear game plan. I see it even at the pro level....your opponents job is to make you uncomfortable. At the end of the day patience is the key.
You're spot on AP! It's all about understanding your opponent!
A view from the other side. I remember when I went first time to the court just to hit the ball with my friends I thought "wow, tennis is easy!", "and fun!" I was playing and enjoyed it very much, only thinking about hitting the court. After some time I tried playing matches (looking like this guy on the video) and people hated to play with me (especially when they lost), they said "you have no technique, no style, you should take some lessons". I thought maybe they are right, so I tooked some lessons and then I thought "wow, tennis is difficult" :P Lessons were hard for me because the "proper" way of playing seemed uncomfortable for me, but I was trying. The most annoying part was when I could not hit the target in the way instructor told me. When I tried "my way" I could send the ball where I wanted but the coach told me "doesn't matter the ball hit the target when you are doing it in the wrong way" so I tried his way and ofc the ball was in the net and he said "good, dont worry that the ball is in the net, you should do this that way". So now after many lessons my "style" is better but efficiency worst. I'm losing matches with the people I was winning before. Maybe because I'm worried now about my "proper technique", maybe becouse they are more familiar with my new "more conventional" way of playing. Good news is now they like to play with me more ;)
Coaches that don’t understand function over form should be avoided. Especially at the recreational level.
@@jacobhansen8965 its not the coaches fault. they are there to help you improve. if you play with bad technique you will hit a wall. if you just want to have fun, dont take lessons.
Joshua Cai yes, and many don’t know how to work within someone’s game to help them improve. They teach styles over function and fundamentals. Many adults can produce very effective games without perfect form. The whole point of this video.
Nice Anna!
the way the coach is teaching you is so you have a higher ceiling to improve. of course you can get really good playing your style but you will hit a wall against tougher opponents. so it really depends on what you want to achieve. if your goal is to be as good as you can be personally, then the coach's method is correct. If you'd rather just immediately have fun and win games, then stick to your method.
What a great video! Every club player needs to see this series!
Great content man! People don't take sportsmanship and fun of the game seriously enough.
Just getting into tennis and love seeing the parallels to fighting games.
Camping is a universal strat and tilts everyone.
Im so gonna follow this, i was one of the ppl "commenting" on the tennistroll channel, a name that couldnt be more to the point when watching that clip. But i think i gave kudos to the pusher
Nice Ad Lib! Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for making a mindset video! I wish more channels posted about mindset because honestly mindset is one of the most important parts of the game. Thank you :D
It is definitely an under studied part of the game! Thanks for watching!
You're so welcome!
Ian lovely video! Appreciate this channel a lot!
Thanks for the support Starman!
I’ve seen this play style my first year playing. I has no clue what the play style was. It was so foreign to me. Now I know. Thanks Ian!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for these kind of analysis videos, More of this please.
More to come! Here's Part 3 in this series: ruclips.net/video/QYumuM9CbII/видео.html
A good analysis of what's actually going on, Ian. As far as I personally was concerned I learned as much about tennis during this guy's match as I do watching the pros play - esp. regarding what I have to do to play well against someone like the pusher, who is the type of player I am more likely to come up against than a pro. Isn't the guy annoying! BUT doesn't he do well at what does and isn"t he hard to bea! I have really enjoyed your recent spait of amateur match videos and your insights regarding them
Well done indeed - and thank you! Tony Costa. Tennis Wales Ambassador.
Great analysis and comments, keep up the good work guys .
Thanks, will do!
Very interesting topic! I'm surely guilty of "blaming" the game of the opponent in the past, and in the process get mad at myself and question my abilities. Nowadays I accept that not everyone in tennis has the same ambitions as myself and that is absolutely ok.
Some of the strategies I came up with is making sure I don't run a lot myself by keeping cross rallies going, and wait for the short ball to open up the court. Also doing faster paced balls at their body yields decent results, as they have to have some decent footwork to be able to create a good counter shot, and often they come up with a short ball which I can convert to a winner or a forced error on his/her side. Often it requires a bit of probing to figure out what kind of balls they are having trouble with (slice, backhand, topspin, dropshot, etc). Also, pushers can "feed" you balls which you think you should smash (slower mid-court balls, high balls) but make sure you keep your cool, as they are often much harder then you think!
You're in the right mindset Justus! Keep it up!
Thanks for that perspective. Respect is key. I just try discovering some things the pusher doesn't like and then bombarding him with them. For example, many pushers don't like to come in, so I hit them short balls and easily pass them when they pop up a reply. Pushers tend to be mental and they take pride in thinking they're outsmarting you with their tactics (and sometimes they are), but I've found that making them continually do what they don't like messes up them mentally so THEY become the frustrated one on the court.
Thanks also for mentioning the analytics aspects. I know you've covered it some in the past, but I'd like to see even more on that (maybe I'M becoming too mental!). Craig O'Shannessy is really on the right track there. Who is the analytics guy "Warren" you mentioned?
Respect them, find their weakness and exploit it! We'll be talking all about it in the next few videos!
If you push back against a puher, it can be frustrating, They LIKE pace. the DON'T LIKE having to create their own pace.
Great job countering pushers, have to play with brains too not just blast power shots 😄
Thank you Ian for your new video. The best opponent I've ever had is just a high-level pusher, he plays softly when I attach him and he always knows the right placement that will give me the most trouble. However, I learned a lot from him, I respect him. Just like you said, respect pusher, and take responsibility to grow and hit one more shot.
Glad you've come to appreciate him! We will have some tips to beat him over the next few videos!
Waiting for your part 2 video Ian, thank you for your reply!@@EssentialTennis
Great video and I look forward to the rest of the series! I guess one way to think about it is that as opposed to all the factors in tennis you list that don't matter, one factor that really does matter is timing. And pushers - they don't have the muscle or the aesthetics, but they actually have really good timing. Not as good as the pros, obviously, but better than the majority of recreational players. Which is why they make so few errors and are so hard to beat.
Thanks for watching!
Another key to pushing is that the strokes are simpler. So when the big points come along and both players are nervous, the pusher is less likely to have his strokes abandon him. He just has to remind himself to keep massaging the ball on to the court, whereas the power player has to take big power shots hitting them deep or close to the sideline, making the opponent run. The pusher can just used the pace and block the ball back with a variety of speeds and spins.
Wow! I really like the non-comparison of tennis to skating. I am interested to see how I can focus on the "right" part of the point. Cant wait for part 2! 😁
Will be coming tomorrow Vlasean!
@@EssentialTennis Yay
I realized that when I play stronger players, scrambling, and just trying to get the ball in play, I am a pusher to that opponent.
All depends on the scenario, that could definitely be more of a defensive style of play
We need more videos of how to be a “pusher” or just beat players who hit harder than you. None of the videos really address that. People seem to want to just play matches where whoever hits harder wins by default.
@@morganzimmerglass9925 You got it. I call those "gunfights".
Please refrain from ever telling me the truth again.. unsub.
Just kidding.. Hard to look at that grease board but all true. It's funny because you start to think about why you started to play tennis in the first place. I admit it wasn't "Wow what a great sport, I want to learn this so I can win as many matches as I can!". It was "Damn! I want to be able to do that!". Not the same.
Great video as always, looking forward to the next two in the series.
😅 it's very true! Thanks for watching!
Bloody hilarious
Great video a lot of people need this video, It's been years since I have had to play a true pusher and mannnnn its annoying
Thanks for watching Dill Plays!
I literally played one of these last night. So frustrating. Any solid groundstroke I hit to his baseline he just lobs back over, effectively, close to my baseline. Can't smash from back there and he knows it. He did it so well, like his mentality is 80% just get it back, safely within the lines. Only goes for the finish if the opportunity is huge. Needless to say he whooped me! Grrr. Looking forward to part 2!
Stayed tuned Chris! We'll help you beat him next time!
I love to play against pusher. I'm a Volley player and they usually don' have good passing shot.
This one did....we'll be talking about that!
they do have a good ability to lob .. specially if they are on a run ..hahhaha.. incredible .. i seriously have a lot of respect for them because even with such a rubbish technique they have the ability to win matches because they are head strong
@@EssentialTennis tennis troll's approach shots weren't good for the most part though
@@benkofi8570 harder to hit a good approach shot when their push has no pace on it.
@@albertcamus5970 i would guess that tennis troll probably got in his own head and tried slowing down his pace to increase his consistency to match the opponent. happens to me when i play a pusher and it takes a lot to overcome the urge
Ian, YOU nailed it...AGAIN! Thanks.
You're welcome!
'That's the only way you can score a point in tennis'
Code violations: am I a joke to you?
😆
Thank you for this, and looking forward to the rest of the series! This reminds me of a book a friend recently recommended to me called "Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis" by Brad Gilbert. Have you read it?
Great book! Thanks for watching Yonghyun!
Totally agree with your argument. Was at the very beginning talented in slice shots, which annoyed my opponents. But somehow I gave up the style and being up to the 25% or massive strikes. For a very long periods I'm getting realized that tennis is not all about the technique but more about the attitude and wisdoms.
Thanks for watching, Qihao!
Thanks, Ian!! In Brazil, this type of player is called "pangaré". Usually, the "pangarés" are not respected. That's why i have a video "Why did I lose of a tennis pangaré".
This series is really good. The main problems when playing a pusher are inability to generate pace off a slow ball and impatience in the rallies. If you hit hard in the high percentage areas and stay patient you will win. Another element is that you need good stamina to stay in the really long rallies..
Key take aways.
1. Three fourths of the points won are mistakes from the opponent.
2. Only one fourths are winners.
3. You can choose to respect the pusher or disrespect them. If you respect the pusher then you are putting the blame on your self for loosing. If you disrespect them then you are blaming them for the loss.
Thanks for watching Pravith!
The pusher is your best teacher. There are a couple of players I dominated by pushing, who actually took on the challenge of figuring me out, and learning to beat me regularly. I forced them to learn their own weaknesses, and to figure out mine. Hats off to them!
Hey Ian, great video once again. I Was browsing the website and wanted to the quiz on the homepage aswell as subscribe to get the forehand mastery lessons, but both instances gave me an error page. Any idea if I did something wrong?
Hey Jean, thanks for watching! We will look into it! Thanks for letting us know
An important lesson from a great teacher - thank you.
You're welcome Andre!
I love to play against pushers! It's the only time where i can try new strategies and game plans, and the matches are always tough! For more pushers in the world!!!
Good to hear Caio!
This fellow is so good at using space, time and direction to bring out an error from his opponent. Looking forward to your insights Ian.
More to come Sean!
Great video Ian!
Thanks Rob!
I like this type of player. For me that kind of match is tennis fun, instead of hitting harder i focus more on moving them all over the court and usually they end up really annoyed since they see im having fun, maybe too much fun xD
😆
Excellent analysis and presentation! I am a proud 70 year old "pusher" and enjoy upsetting much younger opponents who tell me they are 4.0's and then when they lose to me respond angrily with "How the hell did I lose to you" or "If I didn't have this knee injury............" or " 5 years ago and I would have beaten you easily" or "You scrambled (sic) me!) - the last one from a Chinese person, and I am still trying to translate.
Great video!
Thanks for watching!
Usually when i play, i would make saver shot and become defensive (or pusher, my friends call me that) when i was on the lead. And became aggresive and made risk shot when i fall behind.
Is that a good playstyle in tennis ?
The Respect part is a good point I experienced this my self as a junior good video
Ian ....you are the best at explaining tennis
Thanks for this, I didn’t realize that this kind of players are very useful to upgrade my tennis game.
We'll be talking more about it over the next few videos!
Need that video 2 ASAP
On the way!
The video is edited but from the clips I watched, I thought troll tennis didn’t create enough 1-2 punch opportunities on the serve, came to the net when he shouldn’t have (like neutral situations or hitting cross court), could’ve played higher percentage shots on neutral balls, and didn’t take advantage enough hitting his forehand to green’s backhand. All of it is easier said than done though haha
We will look at the points more in depth over the next few videos and talk about the good and the bad!
When is video two gonna be up? Also craziest thing thins morning I played a pusher and I got so down on myself and was so frustrated I left the game mid set and came home and the first video on my RUclips feed was yours
hey don't do that, whatever it is, you should not disrespect your opponent and leave halfway. It's very rude.
Hey Jeffrey! Hope this video was helpful and made you rethink your match, video 2 will be up tomorrow and we'll talk about different strategies when playing a pusher!
Hard true! Thanks for the video!
You're welcome!
so true. Thanks for revealing the inner blockade.
By the way i won vs a pusher with practically not a lot of winners but tiring him. Thisvideo helped me really. I changed my mindset and accepted his way of playing.
Good video
Glad it helped!
Thanks for helping to improve my tennis
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
You're very welcome!
Ian, I watched the original video on tennis troll's channel in full and only one thing came to my mind, the tennis troll's transition game was effectively dead weight, it barely helped him because (from the highlights) it never seemed to help him keep the upper hand in the points, allowing the pusher time on the ball to pick his spots with lobs and passing shots. The pusher showed no real sign of having any threatening power or even heavy topspin but there were so many times where tennis troll's fairly weak net game and transition/approach really made his life a lot tougher than it needed to be. I give full respect to the pusher he did his job very well, I do it sometimes when I feel overpowered by an opponent or I feel they are haemorrhaging points, tennis troll, however, had a lot of missed opportunities to close out points at the net and didn't take them. I feel for him because I don't have a great transition game either, it is something I know I need to work on. Again great video concept Ian, probably a more pressing issue than me incessantly asking for vids about transition play
Thanks for the thoughts Ben!
I like very much that you bring statistical analysis to lessons. I just think the information in the graph you are showing may cause misinterpretations. Although errors are greater than mistakes The fact is that forced errors are the main source of points in tennis, so hitting hard balls play an important rule, at least among good payers, may be among 3.5 and up level?
Quick question unrelated to the video: I'm hitting an approach shot but it wasn't very good but I'm committed to going up to the net. At this point, my opponent have a short ball to hit either side of me. Am I supposed to react to their shot or play the percentages and pick the side they are most likely to pass me to volley back?
Stay committed and play your percentages unless you know something different!
Good video, analysis and discussion in the comments. I just got schooled by a very skilled pusher the first time we ever played, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0. He could easily handle any speed or spin that I sent his way and he gave me no pace at all during most rallies, had good defensive gets and recovery shots, and could put it wherever he wanted with shorter slice. Yes, it was frustrating. After my “lesson” I asked him, “play best of 7?” but he had to go. It showed me some (many) areas for improvement in my game. I liked the graph of contact points for each player in the link below. We’re taught to always hit the ball deep. However, I realized too late that feeds right into a pusher’s game hitting right to them especially if they move well laterally. The graph of the pusher’s defensive return shots show lots of short balls against the more aggressive groundstroker. That’s what my pusher did to me. I will try to anticipate that next time and be quicker to move forward. I notice that I tend to let the ball bounce twice when I’m practicing and “just hitting” from the baseline which I realize is very bad for playing sets. Instead of moving in, taking the ball early, using angles or short balls to apply pressure to the pusher. Of course against a player with strong ground strokes I become a pusher. Some of my defensive blocks barely make it back and appear to be drop shots when in fact all I was trying to do is stay in the point. I love a cat and mouse counterpunch style game mixing spins, adding a touch of junk if needed. I’ll know what to expect and be ready next time (and over time maybe have closer scores or even win).
great comment. I also had the same experience as you. It's tough mentally to stay focused and still stick to your technique and not fall into your opponents trap.
love pushers. they point out where my mistakes are and where to improve on.
2009 US Open semi final Federer vs Djokovic. Can't believe Federer lost the final
😁
He won
thank you for choosing my comment re: nightmares for the thumbnail. now I expect I will have MORE NIGHTMARES. hahahaha. xoxo
Is part 2 out yet?
I play the lowest level tennis tournaments, and I see many people terrified of pushers. I like to play them, and I usually beat them. My mindset is that they cant hurt me, I can hit with more space for error, not going for lines, just casually moving them around from the centre of the court. They make me calm down and relaxed. A short weaker shot of mine will not be punished. If I cant finish a point in 5 shots I will do so in 10. Just wait for the really easy shot, until then make the pusher run. Many of them are really clever tacticans, and if they start losing after some games they try to start hitting hard. But usually hard hitting is an even worse matchup for them. I'm helped by the fact that I'm equally good (or bad :) ) at everything, I can hit a forhand, backhand, volley and overhead, they cant push safely to one spot.
Glad you have the right mindset Tamas!
Could you find some example of counter puncher? (better pusher)
We'll talk about it Adrian!
I have a friend who worked for Nick Bollitieri. He actually taught Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi when they were young. My friend took up tennis in the early 70s when he was about 20, and got to play at the pro level! He told me a story about a young lady who was the number one junior in the country. It was his job one day to teach oll the kids how to handle a junk player. she said, "Nobody could beat me playing like that!" He said, "Well, let's see." And he took her on. He did nothing but junk ball her, and he won a very long set (he was NOT a junk baller by nature, he was just doing this to make a point). The girl quit tennis soon after this. Bobby Riggs beat Margaret Court easily by junking her.
That's a great story, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this
You bet, thanks for watching!
You're welcome!
Yep. Saw that video and reminded me how I lost to my two nemesis who I cant beat. Def my lack of patience and mentality that leads to the defeat. All respect to their consistency
We'll show you how to beat them William!
Can you include some advice for doubles players, especially if the opponents are a combo of pusher and a player who hits with much more pace (and poaches well) but is slightly less accurate.
That's interesting Cindy, we'll add it to the list of topics!
My approach is to approach strong and finish at the net. Works a treat.
Nice work Sol!
@@EssentialTennis I'm a coach again as well. Just got recertified after years away from tennis. Formerly a 6.5 player. Enjoying your content. Subscribed. I play because I love tennis again. Competitive days are behind me and now it's just fun again.
Green shirt kinda looks like you Ian. :) Are you sure you're not just trolling the tennis troll channel? :)
😂
We need videos of how to be a pusher/retriever/magician/counter puncher. Or even just how to beat players who have harder ground strokes than you do even if you’re not a “pusher.” It just seems like everyone just wants to play matches where whoever has the harder ground strokes and serve should just win by default.
2009 US Open Semi Finals third set federer up 5-4 30 all two sets all.
The stats Ian showed apply mostly in games between fast players (at their respective levels). Imho it is quite the opposite when balls come to your court at half the speed (and that is a good speed for a pusher that can't top spin a ball no matter what ..). In this situation you have all the time in the world to position for your best shot (coming around to forehand on back-end balls for instance) even if unable to anticipate, find your balance, execute the shot like in practice (change grip, drop racquet, bend knees, ...) so the rate of winners goes up dramatically.
Of course, I'm' speaking from the perspective of 3.5-4.0 level, there could be super-pushers out there that can hit back at normal speed, top spin, etc... but then we'd have to change the definition...
Looking forward to the follow-up videos.
More to come Radu!
I am having a mini panic attack remembering my last game against a pusher. So frustrating 😡
😬
I have played against this guy in the video and he is TOUGH! He's so good at what he does, he's very smart - not to mention he is physically and mentally tough. Glad this got featured - I knew he was a special opponent to get to play against.
LOVE your attitude, Acing: he is a special opponent!
Did u win?
@@clint1285 Nope.
Thing that a lot of people don't understand about tennis is that you dont have to win, you just have to not lose for long enough XD
Love it!
Love ur videos! Still waiting for my video on how to not panic!
Thanks for watching Sai, it's on the list. Also check out our podcast for lots on that topic!
Thanks for watching, Sai!
@@EssentialTennis Extremely appreciate ur effort! Keep up the great work!
Played a pusher on my high school team...took 5 sets, but I won. Sometimes you just have to use trial and error, and adjust your strategy. Never lose the same point twice. I really like the Kevin v. Ian matches for that; they're constantly strategizing.
"never lose the same point twice" - that was drilled into me as well (actually it was 3 times is the charm - don't try it again but it was good to read your comment)
Interesting Video that points out one of the things i find weird about Tennis. I play Tennis for about 5 years now, quite casually, mostly to do some sports. While i like the etiquette that comes with this sport i dont understand some mindsets. E.g hitting another player with the ball is allowed, yet people seem to be upset when it happens. Or what was shown in this video, blaming another player thats playing in a way i cant beat, for doing someting "bad", even though he is playing by the rules.
Being a passionate PC gamer where e.g in a Moba like Dota everything thats possible is allowed and being executed (if its not a bug) such things in Tennis really are an oddity for me.
I just watched this match...reminds me of you and the gang playing opposite hand tennis.
😅
I enjoyed how you used statistics to show why players like green shirt win matches and enjoyed how you summarized the video at end. Well done.
Thanks for watching, and thanks so much for sharing your matches/content! We have a few more videos in this series!
Essential Tennis - Lessons and Instruction for Passionate Players excellent- we are excited. Also added your video link to pinned comment as many viewers will want to know how to best play against an opponent similar to green shirt’s style. Thank you for making this series!
We've done a quick breakdown showing the contact points from each player, for the whole of the Tennis Troll video - imgur.com/a/2yyDLuF (feel free to use however you like). You can see at a glance why the pusher is so successful; he's able to maneuver Troll around the court far more effectively than vice versa. The pusher hits 90% of his shots from within a metre of the baseline, whereas Troll only hits 50% from within the same area, and has to cover much more court during the match.
I’m a counter puncher right and I hit the ball harder than all the other counterpuncher and also if the person I’m against I sorta attack is that still a counterpuncher ???? (I am not like the person that hit the ball so much in the air
You're probably not
Oh baby this comes right on time
Glad we can help, this is part 1 of 3!
We also need part 2 and 3, when will these parts come?
With your graph, it would be interesting to see what proportion of the errors are unforced errors, or forced errors. Forced errors in concept are the same as winners right - them winning the point. As opposed to unforced errors, which is you losing the point.
An error is still an error: Unforced vs. forced errors is skewed an not as reliable either because it's up to the statistician to determine which is which. They are starting to categorize them all as just "errors" now.
New video idea: one set between Ian and an pusher 😀 And see how it's done.
Love it!
Dude did you not see Ian vs Kevin, when Ian wants to be he is a great pusher, kudos to him, the game would last so long it would be unreal
Comence a jugar de grande, a los 47 años. Nunca voy a tener una tecnica pulida, pero siempre supe que la cosita amarilla iba del otro lado. Viendo sitios como essential tennis y otros pude de a poco formar mi cuerpo y jugar un poco mejor. Que cambio?. Los recursos del juego. Antes era simplemente pasarla, como sea. Hoy puedo decidir si quiero acabar el punto con mis fortalezas. Claro, cuando puedo. El tenis es esencia pura. Y la mentalidad domina sobre la tecnica
Thanks for watching Pablo!
I respect all of my tennis partners including pushers, which I have a few. And yes, I lose to them way too often. Do I want to be one of them just to win more games? No way. Do I want to make better decisions to beat them? Definitely so. Looking forward to the second video.
Coming soon Leo!
In general, no matter what style of opponent you play, I find that going into matches thinking you're going to win easily leads to you getting into difficulty. That's part of why a lot of us play at our best against players we think are better than us. It's a cliche but "respecting every opponent" will lead to more consistent results.
I like that thought process Stephen! It's true, respect all opponents!