Making
the Boomer Self-Destruct
If we were to survey all of the high school tennis teams around the world, we
would find an enormous range of levels of play, from NTRP 2.5 (advanced beginner)
to 6.0 (national competitor). Here, we will focus on the average singles player
on a boys' high school tennis team, who is probably around NTRP 3.5. Some of
what we see in such a player would also apply to an adult at the same NTRP level,
but high school boys have certain tennis tendencies distinct from most adult
players.
Among average high school boys, two major varieties occur: the boomer and the retriever.
The boomer loves to go for the big, powerful shot, most commonly on forehands and first serves. At this level, he gets just enough in to encourage him to keep trying them.
A lot of boomers go for the huge shot on the first ball of almost every point, but the smarter ones might wait until a second or third ball that looks easier to attack. Two or three balls is usually the limit of a boomer's patience.
Here are some of the best ways to handle a boomer:
Out-steady him. For any 3.5 player, errors vastly outnumber winners, so getting a boomer to miss usually takes just getting the ball back reasonably deep a few times. Hitting your shots fairly high over the net is the safest bet, because you'll be sure to get the ball over and you'll also get more depth. Hitting down the middle will help you avoid missing wide, and it will give him less angle to use against you.
Disrupt his timing. If you have any ability to mix the pace and spin of your shots, you'll probably make a big hitter miss more than he's used to, and his frustration will just make him miss more. Backspins are particularly effective, because when the ball slows more than usual on the bounce, your opponent will often have started his swing too early. Being early will make him meet the ball too far forward, resulting in a tilt that will make his hard shots sail long.
Attack his second serve. A lot of boomers like to go for the big, flat first serve. When it goes in, it's tough, but its lack of spin keeps its consistency down, usually way under 50 percent. At this level, his second serve will also be flat, and thus quite slow and easy to punish. Practice attacking these slow, flat serves, because you will get good at it pretty quickly, and once you do, you'll put tremendous pressure on anyone who uses them. Attack them with whatever you have: hard shots to the deep corners, side pocket shots, drop shots, or approach shots. Once you've put a few away, the server will start to try a better second serve than he knows how to hit, and his resulting double-faults will frustrate him enough to effect his whole game.
Test his versatility. Chances are, your opponent has one or two big shots and a whole lot of weak ones. Send him every kind of ball on every part of the court and see what he does. You might quickly discover that he can't hit a high backhand, for example, or that he's completely disoriented at the net. Once you find weaknesses, make him hit those shots on key points.
Tackling
the Retriever
Retrievers tend to drive their opponents crazy, because the essence of their
game is to make the other player commit an error. Most players get more frustrated
from their own errors than from an opponent's winners. Beating a good retriever
takes a careful mix of patience and aggression, and it will test the limits
of your skills. Here are some ideas that should work:
Wait for the right shot. The retriever is counting on you to become impatient. If you try to attack the first ball you get, your percentages won't pay off, but you also don't want to let a good opportunity pass by. As soon as you get a shorter ball that's where you like it, you need to go on the attack, which might mean anything from hitting hard for a deep corner to slicing a low approach shot.
Get to
net. Some retrievers might be fast enough to get almost anything you
hit from your baseline, but by moving to the net, you cut by more than half
your opponent's time to get to the ball: you're hitting from half as far away,
and the ball loses less of its initial speed.
At the net, you've also taken away his favorite shot, the slow,
high ball right down the middle.
Pull him to net. Retrievers are typically baseline specialists who aren't sure what to do with a short ball and are even more uncomfortable with volleys. If you get him to the net, you might find him remarkably easy to pass or lob.
Make him hit short. Most players will tend to hit short if you give them a ball that's out of their power zone. Try hitting a high, deep topspin to his backhand side. If he coughs up a shorty, move in and put it away.
Wear him
out. A tired retriever is in trouble. Try hitting as many angles as
you can without undue risk. He might get to enough of them at first that the
percentages are in his favor, but if you work him hard enough, you'll have easy
going once he runs out of gas.