Coach’s Corner: Look Good, Feel Good... TRY to Play Well?

BY BRANDEN BEETS, USPTA, USTA HIGH PERFORMANCE COACH, USPTR, PPR DIRECTOR OF RACQUET SPORTS

What are the things we can control in a tennis match? Our preparation, sleep, diet, equipment, and outfit to name just a few. But the weather, sick kids, school concerns, the sound of lawn mowers beside our match court, issues at our job… these things are out of our control. The two mistakes I see players make are trying to FEEL good and trying to PLAY well, but these are also out of our control.

When players turn their match focus to themselves trying to FEEL good and PLAY well they lose sight of the objective of a tennis match: to win the match and develop as a player regardless of how we FEEL or how we PLAY. I should mention, winning isn’t the whole goal. We still benefit from getting exercise, interacting with others, getting some vitamin D, and having fun even if we lose the match. But isn’t it great when we do all those things and win?

Feeling good and playing well do not equal winning. As a young player, I fell into this trap with my two-handed backhand. I wanted it to be my biggest weapon. I wanted to hit it harder, flatter, closer to the lines, and have the ability to hit it from anywhere on the court no matter the situation. Hitting my backhand like this made me feel good and, in my mind, play my best. The problem was, I couldn’t do it ALL the time and instead of a weapon it sometimes became a mental battle I was fighting during my matches and therefore a huge distraction from my objective. My focus became how my backhand was performing, which I equated to how I was performing, and I would lose sight of the match. Thankfully, I got wiser as I got older.

A “feel good, play well” mindset turns your vision inward. Instead, focus your attention on strategy and don’t be stubborn like my younger self. That guy had to learn the hard way to run around a backhand to hit forehands, to play with more shape over the net, to add slice and change patterns of play when his aggressive backhand stopped working. Learn from my mistakes and begin to focus on what you can control your strategy.

Does your opponent like pace? Then slow the game down. Take more time between points, take pace off your shots, play much higher over the net, increase your spin on the ball, lengthen the rally, transition to the net, and play more east/west with your angles. Forget about feeling good and hitting a perfect shot. Become mindful of tactics (now is a good time to be working with your coach on adding tactics to your toolbox, so be sure to ask if you need help in this area). In other words, do what you need to do to win TODAY, against THIS opponent.

As only an occasional golfer, I sometimes don’t hit my tee shot in the fairway. However, I get the most satisfaction out of finding a way to recover and make par on hole with a bad start. If I can figure out how to get around a tree, choose the right club, play to the best part of the green to set up a putt, avoid danger, and execute, then I feel successful. It doesn’t work out all the time, but it’s still rewarding because I focus on controlling what I can my mind and strategy.

You don’t have to be the best ball striker to win a tennis match. There are some things that will make a big difference and are within your control, like your shot selection, resiliency, and situational awareness. So don’t focus on how well you are hitting the ball today. Instead, adjust your court position to create pressure on your opponent! And, when you come off the court, if your coach asks you how your match went, you won’t be able to say, “I just didn’t feel good, it wasn’t my day.”