ROBBIE SALUM
Guest Columnist
news@lbknews.com
The ultimate winner in most matches is generally determined by the outcome of just a few key points. These big points, or pressure points, establish critical match momentum. Pressure dynamics and feelings of confidence markedly change in response to who wins the big points. Tiebreaker points, game points (especially break points), set points and match points are generally acknowledged as the big ones. Good competitors consistently play the big point situations well, while poor competitors consistently break down.
Of all the questions I’ve been asked by players, those dealing with problems playing the big points well are the most common. Typical are questions like, “Why do I break down on the big points?”; “Why can’t I play the big points well?” or “How can I play great until the big points and then suddenly fall apart?” It’s interesting that when I ask players why they play poorly on the big points; they all list the same reasons-poor concentration, no killer instinct or no confidence. Such explanations rarely trans¬late into constructive action.
What breaks down?
The fact is that if you played well getting to the game, set or match point and then suddenly proceeded to play badly, something changed for the worse. That’s a breakdown. Players break down on the big points in any of five different areas: strokes, playing strategy, emotional response, physical response or mental response. Knowing specifically how you break down under the pressure of big points is the key to correcting 1t. Once you understand your faulty patterns and competition deficiencies, you can train to correct them. Remember: If you didn’t win but should have, some· thing broke down. And for most players, breakdowns follow rather predictable patterns. Rather than responding with all-too-common but rarely productive self-criticism, self-directed anger or guilt, pursue the question: What broke down? Take each of the five areas separately and gradually build a profile of how you typically respond under the pressure of big points.
Which strokes fail?
The first question to ask following your match should be how your strokes held up on the big points. What strokes, if any, broke down on the big points or in pressure situations? Did your forehand, backhand, serve or volley let you down when it was critical? Perhaps your approach shot or overhead smash failed as the pressure mounted. If, for instance, your forehand always seems to evaporate on the big points, in all likelihood it’s not your head that needs fixing, it’s the mechanics of your forehand. The biomechanics of all your strokes must be sound enough that you can still play reasonably aggressive tennis-even you’re nervous-without making too many unforced errors. Nervousness is actually a good test for the soundness of any given stroke. And what about your second serve? If you tend to double-fault often on the big points, there’s a red flag. Of all your strokes, your second serve is the most critical from a pres¬sure perspective. Without a reliable second serve, one that can be hit with aggressiveness and depth under pressure, being tough on the big points is next to Impossible. Players rarely connect match toughness with second serve quality and consistency and, as a result, rarely practice second serves as a vehicle to improve mental toughness.
The point is simply this: Players often attribute their poor play on the big points to mental factors, when in reality the real culprit is often a poorly designed stroke, where a slight increase in muscle tightness causes the stroke to collapse. If the same stroke consistently breaks down on the big points, make improving the mechanics of the stroke your number one training strategy for playing the big points better.
Where did your strategy go?
Many players believe they must do something very special and different on big points. As a consequence, players often break from the pattern and style of play that got them to the big point. Going for too much too early is a strategy breakdown. Going for the low percentage winner is particularly tempting on the critical points but generally spells failure.
Another common way of breaking down strategy-wise on big points is to suddenly start pushing the ball back, hoping your opponent will make an error. Shifting to a very conservative, not-aggressive style on the big points in order to keep your errors to an absolute minimum will be about as effective as going for too much too soon. The old cliché, never change a winning game, still holds. Whatever you had been doing to get to the big point, continue doing. As a general rule, you will be most successful if you learn to play offensive, high-percentage tennis on critical points. You become the aggressor and work to get your opponent to make a forced error, without making an error yourself.
To do this, you must know your own game well. Your general strategy for big points should be worked out well in advance of your match. And breaking down is when you don’t follow it!
Emotional aftershock
Players rarely have trouble being positive and energized emotionally on the big points. They know this is a critical time so they generally give 100% percent effort and approach the point positively. So how do you break down emotionally on the big points? The breakdown actually oc¬curs after the point is over, after the critical point has been lost. Becoming a good pressure-point player means you do not become overly angry, frustrated or negative when you lose a big point. Losing an important break point often breaks the player emotionally too. The player fully realizes how important the particular point was and, from that point on, doesn’t try as hard and is not as positive. And in reality this becomes the deciding factor in the match.
And what about choking? Being nervous on big points is not a break down. The fact is that players are likely to be nervous at critical times. The breakdown is determined not by the nervousness but by how the player responds to the nervousness in terms of strokes, strategy, negative emotion and so forth.
How do we break down physically?
What you are looking for here are unproductive changes in your physical presence that may occur before, during or after big points. The following questions reflect such changes:
Do you walk faster or take less’ time on big points? If so, that’s a physical breakdown. Do your eyes wander more on the big points, or do you keep your eyes riveted on the strings, ground or ball between points? Do you stay with your normal pattern of rituals on the big points, such as bouncing the ball, tucking in your shirt, blowing on your hand before the point starts? How about your breathing pattern? On the crucial points, does the pattern of your breathing change between or during points? Do you project a strong confident, relaxed image on big points, regardless of how you actually feel? And if you lose a big point, do you suddenly look defeated, and let your head, racket and shoulders drag?
Failure to perform consistently in any of these areas will clearly undermine your efforts to play the big
points efficiently. Breakdowns here, as the other areas, follow rather predictable patterns. Deficiencies in these physical areas must be addressed before significant improvement in big points play can occur.
How do you break down mentally?
Players generally break down mentally in one of these three areas:
The first is that because of their poor play on previous big points, they start thinking very negative about the one they’re currently playing.
The second breakdown area is negative self-talk. This is simply verbalizing outwardly your negative thought patterns. Verbally criticizing you for playing poorly on big points only make things worse. Such negative self-talk can be a major block to playing big points well.
The third mental breakdown area is negative visualization. Players who have no problems on big points are often the same ones who visualize just before they start the point what they don’t want to have happen. They visualizing not double-faulting, not hitting the ball into the net, and not making an unforced error. And what they get is precisely what they feared: double-faults, errors, etc. Those who play the big points well invariably have learned to picture as clearly and vividly as possible what they want to have happen before each point.
Construct your own profile
If you’re not playing the big points well, something is breaking down. Understanding HOW you’re breaking down is the key to improvement. Begin by developing the most accurate profile you can of what typically happens to you under the pressure of big points. Use all five breakdown areas to complete the profile. Then determine what you’re going to do differently in your next match on the big points; create specific match goals. Being tough on the big points simply means eliminating breakdowns. Start working on your profile today and begin to turn breakdowns into breakthroughs!
Robbie Salum is a USPTA – PTR – RPT – Cardio Tennis – USTA Certified Teaching High Performance Professional and Tester with over 44 years of experience. He is also member of the Wilson Advisory staff. Robbie has coached ATP and WTA ranked players, top juniors as well as coaching and lecturing in many countries. He has been a staff member of the Van der Meer Tennis Clinics since the late 70’s, he worked at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy (along Dr. James Loehr, world renowned Sports Psychologist). He was Head Pro & Co-Director at The Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, The Landings Racquet Club, Cedars Tennis Club and Resort, Longboat Key Resort and Wychmere Harbor Beach and Tennis Club in Cape Cod, MA. and a staff member of the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center.
