Basic and Advanced Tennis Strategies for a Competitive Player

The first rule of tennis strategy is not to beat yourself. That means that your first goal when playing tennis is to keep the ball in play.

But just pushing the ball over won't do it if you are playing against quality players. Your shots need to be deep, with good pace to prevent your opponent from setting up for the shot and they need to be directed into open court to keep your opponent on the move.

So your first opponent in tennis is actually... tennis. You are dealing with tennis challenges - judging the ball flight, moving to the ball, timing the shots and trying to hit that big square over that 1m high net.

That's tennis and its demands.

Only when you are quite comfortable and consistent in not losing to yourself - or the tennis game - only then can you start playing against your opponent.

Now you are looking for general tennis strategies with which you will try either to neutralize your opponent's advantages or to take advantage or their weaknesses.

Let's see first the neutralizing strategies:

1. Prevent opponent from attacking with their strength - Majority of players have one shot better than the other and that is the first thing you need to notice. And most players prefer forehand against their backhand so playing to their backhand more would be a simple way of neutralizing their better forehand.

2. Prevent player getting in a good attacking position - A good attacking position is when the ball is short and at the right height, the ball could be off center so that the attacker has a good angle of attack, or the ball is simply not forcing your opponent to move so they can be more precise with their shots.

Good neutralizing strategies are logical: play deep, down the middle or keep your opponent on the move.

There are of course more neutralizing strategies and tactics but for now let's just master the simple ones before we move on to the advanced and expert tennis tactics.

Offensive tennis strategies are sometimes very similar to neutralizing. The only difference is your intention and sometimes the speed and precision of the played shot.

1. Take advantage of opponent's weakness - This is usually their weaker shot but can also be movement. By playing aggressively to their weaker side you can force a mistake or get a short ball which you can put away. Opponent's weakness can for example be their net play. You can then bring opponent to the net by playing short and then taking advantage of their poor volley and overhead skills to win the point.

2. Take time from opponent - This is the favorite strategy of players at all levels but many of them do not know how and when to use it to best effect. Most players just try to hit the ball hard which is one of the tactics to take time from opponent. Another tactic is to play the ball early like Andre Agassi used to play.

These are just two of the offensive tennis strategies that you can use to gain advantage in the point.

Remember - your first goal when playing competitive tennis is to be consistent and not lose to tennis itself. Only when you can play tennis consistently with very few unforced errors should you start thinking about trying to outplay your opponent.

Tomaz Mencinger is a tennis coach and a mental training coach. He shares his experience of tennis strategy on his website http://www.tennismindgame.com. If you are serious about improving your tactical tennis game don't miss his Tennis Strategy Encyclopedia ebook.

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Keep Tennis Strategies Simple

When you play a game of tennis have you noticed how easy it is to make your tennis strategies too difficult to put into match play. You may try to hit your powerful forehand straight down the line when it is more practical for you to hit cross court so that the ball goes over the lowest part of the net? Here are a few tips to help you keep your strategy simple and allow you to focus on executing your shots without thinking too much about your tactics.

Put all your energy and focus into hitting one more ball over the net than your opponent. It is an interesting fact that most rallies are won because of your opponents errors; therefore it is a great idea to just get the ball over the net and back into play. If you manage to get the ball back into play then your opponent is the one who is put under pressure to return the ball back into play. At that point your opponent may make an error and lose the point.

When your opponent hits a cross court shot to you on a diagonal, hit it back cross court. Remember that the net is lower in the middle and you have more space in which to hit when you hit cross court. If you decide to hit the ball straight then you will have to change your directions on the ball, this is much more difficult and risky to achieve. It is easier to send the ball back in the direction in which it came. This is particularly true on the return of serve. Put the ball back deep cross court, and your odds of winning the point will be enhanced.

You have an opponent who hits straight up middle. How are you going to cope with that? Use topspin to clear the net safely and pin your opponent deep in the back court from where it is difficult to attack. You can change the angle slightly to move your opponent around, but do not go for the corners and hit the ball out. If you want to go for the corners, build your rally up so that you can adjust your swing to make those areas without too much risk.

You are engaged in a rallying your opponent from the back court, just keep the ball going back deep in the direction from which it came. Do not be the one to change directions. Be patient and wait for your opponent to make that error, keep your cool and play it simple.

If your opponent hits the ball short and it bounces near the service line, come forward and hit the ball down the line. You are not trying for a winner on this shot, but just putting the ball back in an awkward place so that your opponent may make their error.

Get your first serve in, you may need to take the pace off your serve a little to improve your consistency, but keep it simple and you will develop your serve quicker than you might think.

Keep your strategy simple especially when the going gets tough, review the tips I have given you and put them in to practice. Remain focused and have fun introducing the tips into your game.