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Strategy
and Tactics of Tennis
By Ray Brown and Kathrin Hashemi
One of the most difficult problems a coach faces is the development
of an orderly approach to strategy and tactics. The problem is,
to have a comprehensive approach that can be adapted to any student,
that strategies must be developed around the generic limitations
of human performance rather than desired outcomes or simplistic
weaknesses. In this way, one can teach strategy and tactics within
a broader context that covers all situations and even suggests avenues
to analyze to find weaknesses.One approach to tennis singles strategies
is to conveniently organized them into six classes determined by
the type of rally used. Each rally type is keyed to a specific generic
human limitation in performance or training. While any particular
rally or match may not fit into one of these six classes, these
classes provide a very convenient organization of tennis strategies
that can be used make sense of a very complex subject. Among other
things, the importance of this organization is that it leads naturally
to the construction of appropriate training programs. In turn, the
development of training programs is supported by our articles on
conditioning, power development, precision movement, technique and
endurance.
1. The Consistency Rally
In this rally, the objective is to defeat your opponent with consistency.
There is no use of power, change of ball dynamics, or ball direction.
Hence this is the lowest risk strategy to implement. It only requires
that you always hit the ball cross court and in the back nine consistently
with moderate pace, regardless of what your opponent does. If your
opponent is able to match your consistency, then it will be necessary
to move on to another strategy to decide the match. If not, you
are in the next round with minimum effort and risk.
What to look for using this strategy:
A player that cannot hit cross-court with consistency will "bail
out" of this rally in some manner. This requires a change of
direction, ball dynamics or ball speed. If they go down-the-line
they are stating one of two things. Either they fear the consistency
rally or they are good enough to begin moving the ball with consistency.
You will quickly find out which of these two possibilities is the
case since in one case, there will be an accumulation of unforced
errors and in the other case, you will have to begin to run frequently.
Generally, you can make this determination in the warm up or from
'intelligence data' on your opponent and will know in advance how
effective this strategy will be.A second possibility is the drop
shot exit from the rally; the third possibility is a short ball
due to an off-center hit. You must be alert to these changes in
order to win the point by using this strategy. If you should consistently
fail to win the point when the opponent bails out of the rally,
your strategy will begin to work against you and your confidence
will fade. As a result, to use this or any strategy effectively,
you must have the ability to react to the typical changes that the
strategy forces on your opponent. For example, if your opponent
bails out by going down-the-line, you must be able to get to the
ball and hit the cross-court shot or down-the-line shot to win the
point; or, be able to stay in the point by hitting cross court and
re-establishing the cross-court rally.An additional possibility
is that your opponent will get frustrated by your approach and try
to hit winners. This is exactly what you would like, since frustration
degrades skill and can lead to a quick conclusion to the match.
It is important that you do not get spooked by an occasional winner
and give up on your strategy before your opponent has proven their
inability to be consistent better than you. It is equally important
that you do not get discouraged by occasionally losing a point because
you were not able to take advantage of the bail out action of your
opponent.
Who May Use this as One of their Strategies?
This strategy is found among lower ranked professional players and
can be used at any level. Aniko Kapros and many female players have
used this strategy at various times in their career. At a higher
level, Nadia Petrova and Fabrice Santoro can be seen using this
strategy. It is possible to reach a ranking of at least 300 on the
WTA tour, using this strategy as your only strategy. Also, using
this approach, one can obtain NCAA scholarships at many Division
I colleges. At the high school level, players with this strategy
can be found in any position. When all other strategies have failed,
the consistency strategy can be used as a form of the persistence
rally discussed below. Venus Williams has often resorted to this
strategy in the third set of a very close match.
2. The Forcing Rally
The forcing rally is the consistency rally with forcing speed and
depth. A typical speed will be radar readings above 60mph and can
reach as high as 68mph (speeds greater than 68mph are a risk). The
time of transit of the ball at this radar speed will be about 1.1
seconds from the strike to the bounce. Like the consistency rally,
you are hitting cross court. However, unlike the consistency rally,
you are challenging your opponent's reaction time and ability to
return a high speed ball effectively. This is an in-your-face strategy
designed to intimidate with power in the simplest possible manner.
In the event that your opponent is equal to you in this strategy,
you must move on to another strategy phase of the match.
What to look for using this strategy:
The point of the strategy is intimidation, hence we look for sings
of intimidation. The most common sign is that the opponent will
cease to move effectively. This arises from the natural effect of
fear on the legs. It is not uncommon to see an intimidated player
fail to adjust to a ball that is hit right at them. A second characteristic
is for the player to be late is striking the ball. This results
in unintentional down-the-line shots that can be mistaken for intentional.
If you make this mistake, you can lose confidence in your strategy
and abandon it prematurely. Miss hits are also a common sign when
opponents are unable to cope with speed or get intimidated. You
must be ready to react to these patterns, especially the down-the-line
late hit. If you are not properly conditioned, you will tire out
moving to these balls and hitting with power and will have to abandon
the forcing rally.
Who May Use this as One of their Strategies?
Players such as Agassi may implement this strategy when playing
much lower ranked opponents. Agassi's ball speed is often sufficient
to win a match against a player who is unaccustomed to high speed
rallies. Any top player with consistent high speed shots can also
be seen using this rally against lower ranked players. Gonzales
is an example of a player who can use speed to force errors without
resorting to higher risk strategies.
3. Movement Rally
Often a player is consistent and capable of handling power when
the rally is cross-court. This is common since many teaching pros
feed balls from the net to either the forehand or backhand without
making their player move. However, when the player is forced to
move, their ball speed, accuracy and consistency break down. Thus,
when neither of the first two strategies are decisive, the movement
rally may be recommended.Using the movement rally is higher risk
and requires greater skill than either of the two previously described
strategies. Also, it is higher risk than the persistence strategy
described later in this article. In radar studies we have found
that satellite and challenger players lose as much as 10mph of ball
speed when forced to move. This often translates into a loss of
depth, offering the opportunity to begin an attack. To execute this
rally you must be in good enough condition to move and maintain
your ball speed. Otherwise, you have compromised your own skill
with this rally.
What to look for using this strategy:
The most common features are reduced ball speed and balls that are
hit higher over the net. The ball could go anywhere on the court:
short, down-the-line, or deep in the middle of the court. There
is usually a loss of ball control when the strategy works. Typically,
for this strategy you must be able to take advantage of the slower
speeds or high bounces. Developing a swinging volley will assist
in concluding points quickly. Either a flat high speed ball or heavy
topspin approach shot will be useful.
Who May Use this as One of their Strategies?
This was a standard approach of Agassi and so we often refer to
this strategy as the A-Strategy. It was commonplace top see Agassi
take up a position in the middle of the court and run his opponent
back and forth until they bailed out of the rally with a desperation
shot.
4. Endurance Rally
If your opponent can move and maintain good
ball speed and placement, you may be naturally forced into the endurance
rally. The most common form of this rally is the well known cross-court-down-the-line
rally. It may endure for as many as 40 shots. This strategy requires
exceptional skill and endurance but can be devastating to the opponent.
If you have this skill level, you are in a position to quickly demoralize
any opponent who does not have this skill.
What to look for using this strategy:
The most common features are visible exhaustion of the opponent
with an increase in weak shots or unforced errors, especially first
ball errors. It may only be necessary to engage in a single long
rally to break a weaker opponent's will. If you are able to control
the rally, it may be possible for you to stand near the mid point
of the baseline and simply run your opponent from side to side until
they drop. In using this strategy, one should resist the temptation
to end the point. The longer the opponent is forced to run, the
more quickly they will wilt and give you the match. Also, be aware
that you do not have to move the opponent much to run them to death.
The reason is that the energy losses of the opponent are mainly
in stopping, hitting and reversing direction with precision. Any
tactic that forces the opponent to continually reverse direction
and sprint will quickly exhaust the anaerobic energy system of a
poorly conditioned player.If your opponent is is great condition
and has trained for this strategy, it is time to look to other strategies.
Who May Use this as One of their Strategies?
Nadal is the player who is most capable of using this strategy to
break down their opponent physically. To use this strategy as an
every day approach you must be the strongest player on the tour.
5. Complexity Rally
This rally consists in continually changing
ball speeds, direction and dynamics. Of particular importance is
changing ball dynamics between slice, top spin and flat. Obviously,
you must command this skill to use this strategy. The objective
is to break your opponent's will by denying them a chance to get
into a rhythm. This rally does not require that the player using
it have the top level conditioning unless your opponent is unaffected
by the strategy.
What to look for using this strategy:
The most common sing that this rally is working is frustration.
This shows up in impatience of the opponent, anger, self deprecation,
slumping posture, and unforced errors, especially first-ball errors.
If your opponent is able to hit winners off changes in ball speed
or off your slices, or is able to also implement this strategy,
then you will have to move on to the strategy of last resort, the
persistence rally.
Who May Use this as One of their Strategies?
Federer has used this strategy to rise to the top of the tennis
world. During Hingis's first appearance, when used this approach
to dominate the WTA tour. This was prior to the emergence of the
conditioning factor in tennis.
6. Persistence Rally
This is the strategy of last resort when your
opponent has neutralized every other strategy. If you have progressed
through strategies 1-5 and have found your opponent equal to you
in every phase, you must attempt to break their will with by extending
the time of each rally as long as possible. This is a simple concept:
outlast your opponent's will to win. The persistence rally takes
many forms and some use it at the outset. The most common form is
the pusher rally. A variation on the persistence rally is the counter
puncher. However, at the highest levels, simply pushing the ball
will not work since the ball speed is too low. Some form so spin
will be needed, and the best choice is a high top spin rally down
the middle of the court. As an alternative, fast topspin that is
bounces near the service line is possible.
What to look for using this strategy:
Impatience, fatigue and frustration are the signs that you are breaking
your opponent's will.
Who May Use this as One of their Strategies?
The list is long and dates to the earliest period of tennis. Conchita
Martinez, Michael Chang, Harold Solomon, Lleyton Hewitt to name
a few. However, when the match gets tight, any player may resort
to this strategy, and the Williams sisters do not hesitate to use
to win when all else fails.
Training follows Strategy
and Tactics
Using the above organizational outline, one
can develop an appropriate training plan. For example, to use the
consistency rally strategy one must clearly be consistent. In addition
to good basic technique, to have consistency one must also have
stability. This starts with the feet, continues up the legs to the
hips and waste, and even the neck. If one does not plan to use the
forcing strategy, sufficient stability for most purposes can be
developed by training the feet and strengthening the feet and legs.
In addition to these obvious measures, you must go further to address
the patterns of the bail out. For example, a training pattern to
cope with the down-the-line bail out is to feed several forehands
to the player, then throw in a surprise backhand that they must
reach and hit cross court to continue the strategy. Clearly this
implies that the player must have sufficient strength to move with
precision to the ball, stop, hit, and recover to continue the rally.
It also demonstrates the need for choreography drills, footwork
agility drills, and focused strength training as explained in our
earlier articles.We will present a more detailed training plan in
a future article.
Summary
In this article we have outlined six basic
strategies for match play. No single match follows each strategy
completely but is rather a blend of strategies. The organization
we have presented is designed to allow for a coherent and orderly
training plan to be developed to bring the student's thought process
and game approach to a high and organized level.The organization
also allows us to see clearly the "WHY" of a training
program and the importance of such things as anaerobic endurance
training, precision movement training, and the acquisition of fundamental
stroke skills. We have found that teaching the "WHY" greatly
accelerates student development and empowerment and having an organized
view of strategy and tactics makes a significant contribution to
teaching and to answering the question "WHY?"
We would like to thank Ray Brown and Kathrin
Hashemi for this informative article. Visit www.easitennis2.com
for more great information from Ray.
Best wishes
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