Losing To "Worse" Players - Ask Ian #37

[@Nicool333]

This is so humbling. I think I'm stuck at 3.5 for life...but with pretty strokes.

[@JB-yr4cf]

I completely agree with this video. Attaching pre-match expectations was my biggest weakness. Either I was overconfident and would get really angry when things got tough or I would psych myself out before starting. My favorite movie? Birdcage. Nathan Lane, Robin Williams, and Gene Hackman. What a combination of talent.

[@EssentialTennis]

Jon Pesnell Haven't seen that one, will have to check it out.

[@valduval50]

***** Love that movie too!

[@haisay8674]

God loves you, seek him and if you want forgiven of your sins and want to be certain that your sins are forgiven believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved

[@haisay8674]

@@valduval50 God loves you, seek him and if you want forgiven of your sins and want to be certain that your sins are forgiven believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved

[@gillianhealy2382]

Ian, Great information. Simplified - take care of business on my side of the court and the score will take care of itself.

[@EssentialTennis]

Gillian Healy Love that attitude!

[@molteni3]

Good analysis Ian. When I was younger I would fit the profile you describe but now at 62, no longer do I take anything for granted. Now, when I lose to somebody I think I should have beaten, I accept the fact he was better than me, and my job now is to identify WHY I lost and work on correcting that instead of denigrating the person who beat me. - American Beauty, On The Beach (the 2000 remake)

[@xieulong]

Great video. I would just play solid basic tennis. Forehand cross court all day, everyday haha, then jump on the ball when I get a short return.

[@farfetchedfarade3197]

Very helpful advice. Many thanks. I feel like kind of coming to terms with your own ego is an important part of the game.

[@KhProStaff]

This video is GOLD. THANKS IAN

[@EssentialTennis]

You're very welcome!

[@PlazaMoon]

7 yrs old (I know), but still good advice. I HAVE THE RIGHT TO WIN THIS MATCH BECUASE MY SHOTS LOOK GOOD!!! You can't win with that mindset. It's about who effectivley hits into space, and who gets one more ball over the net. I've lost to some players whose tennis looks like crap. During a match you have to prioritise tactics and planning - not technique.

[@tinogranados1]

Ian has the longest blinks ive ever seen lol he is an amazing teacher though

[@EssentialTennis]

Hm....first time I've heard that one, heh.

[@edmundorochadermatologista]

Excellent. Thank you Ian

[@amieres123]

To Nacho and others. Many times people lose matches and do not understand what is going on because they focus on the winners and the power strokes instead of the errors which are dismissed as secondary. Many players value power over consistency and attack over defense. Consistency and defense are much more important in match play, especially at the club level. Analyze your game in terms of consistency and see if you still come out the better player. Do not make assumptions, actually measure it. Tennis is a game of errors, minimize your errors and you will win. The other aspect of being match tough is mental strength. That preconceived notion of being "better than your opponent" is a mental trap designed to get you off-kilter. In fact I knew a guy that would keep saying "oh! you are a much better player" even as he was beating the opponent and egging him to "go for his shots". Nothing better for the opponent than you missing your shot, he gets the point and you get mad at yourself and doubly mad because you "should be winning" which will make you miss even more shots. Triple bonus. Then there is strategy and shot selection. That is a whole nother subject but to get into that first you need a clear mind so first remove those preconceptions. I recommend Winning Ugly from Brad Gilbert.

[@EssentialTennis]

amieres123 Great comments!

[@valduval50]

Excellent book...........

[@chidunadig]

Thanks for this video! Helps me understand why I keep losing matches against players that seem to be around my skill level! I've been playing tennis for a little more than 2 years now. Favorite Movie : Prestige, by Chirstopher Nolan.

[@freemjam]

Great answer, thanks.

[@beeth1362]

Great advice. Thanks!

[@christopherlowe4129]

This was so helpful. Thank you Ian.

[@davidpew7135]

Sound advice Ian, thanks! I have recently realised that one thing my wins and losses often have in common is belief. I have lost matches when I stopped believing, because I found myself serving under pressure (to stay in a set/match). Other times I've been behind against a "better" opponent and simply given myself the goal of making them play one more shot in each point. Sometimes that player will get frustrated because they think they should have won the match already, then the doubt can set in. If you play in a league like I do, you may come up against seemingly stronger players in your division, but it's worth remembering that you're in the same group for a reason. My favourite movie is Terminator 2, I'm trying to develop the tenacity of the T-1000!

[@dr.madhuriaglawe1998]

Thank you sir you helped me in many cases which I faced in many matches and this is one of them You are the best tennis teacher till time.

[@EssentialTennis]

It's my pleasure

[@weekendhacker]

My doubles partner has a hard time with this. We will come up against players much older and less fit than us with nothing serves and style that isn't exactly something you'd want to emulate but we often end up losing. They just junk ball everything, slice, shop, lob - anything to keep the ball in play and they manage to get a racquet to everything. That's the name of the game. Get a racquet to the ball, keep it in play. Tennis isn't that complex really and the technically better players don't always win.

[@tensaijuusan4653]

Haha - that's me!

[@genemolina]

I'm right there with you Ian! I get this all the time! It's so bad with some players that they avoid playing "worse" players because they know they might lose and can't face the fact that they in fact are the worse player. Great video! Movie, Spaceballs!

[@davidbaber5038]

Apocalypse Now !!! Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen...... great story,great scenery, great direction... worth watching.

[@EssentialTennis]

David Baber Amazing movie, definitely in my top 10.

[@marjorieann2222]

my favorite movie is 'adaptation" with nicholas cage, chris cooper and merly streep because it is exciting, complicated and includes fantastic swamp footage and stuff about orchids

[@EssentialTennis]

Marjorie Milliken Awesome plot! I love movies that are out of the ordinary. That one definitely is.

[@Southpaw101]

Answer :) : Shawshank Redemption. Love that movie, beautiful story, Great Acting, Dialogs and awesome narration by Morgan Freeman

[@hydra4263]

Dear Ian, I would like to know how to block out or copy my opponents ability of being intimidating, I play tournaments frequently and most of my opponents come off as intimidating. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[@tylerblincoln]

Thanks for the video. I've been getting frustrated recently about losing to players whom I feel that I "should" beat. I know full well that I'm not playing as well as the other person on the court, but losing on unforced errors is my own fault. There's nothing more frustrating than making mistakes that I feel I shouldn't make. I'm going try to remove the outcome from my evaluation of the match, and try to pay more attention to my own effort as the barometer of my play. Hopefully winning will follow. And for best movie of all time,? Tough call - but Chariots of Fire and Caddyshack are running neck and neck.

[@EssentialTennis]

+Tyler Lincoln Glad to hear this was helpful to you, Tyler.

[@pbillings808]

Brilliant -- drop the big picture thoughts and focus on the details. Thanks for the passionate view!

[@apples2chickens]

I've always thought of it as they have a weapon that I don't have a counter to and often have managed wins over players who were better overall than me but didn't have an answer to one of the weird things in my game.

[@Vo-iDstudio]

Blade Runner! Love the advice. I often catch myself thinking about "what if" during a match. Staying in the present is not easy but something I am working on.

[@juanmontes6701]

Very enlightening-Juan montes

[@RoddickBook]

Most people can´t evaluate what level theyre actually at and the rating system gets their head even more screwed up. Most of the time when people lose to ¨bad¨players they actually are worse than those people to begin with. Absorbing WHY they lost and respecting and appreciating different skill sets is key. Or, basically, what Ian said.

[@2ddw]

A more general problem I've encountered is walking into a match with the expectation that 'you must win'. So this could be because you think you're better than your opponent as discussed here or your USTA captain (was a jerk) and told you that you have to win or you know that if you don't win here your team doesn't go to playoffs...etc. It is that EXPECTATION before or during a match that screws up the mind so you can't execute.

[@davids.6813]

Fav movie of all time has to be the Star Wars Saga! Great video by the way on a great topic.

[@NikeProductions2008]

This video was so helpful! Thank you so much for making this because I've had this problem for sometime and the points you brought up were extremely helpful.

[@EssentialTennis]

NikeProductions2008 Awesome, good to hear!

[@valduval50]

Thanks Ian.......excellent mental processes for me to work on..............and conquer............my favorite movie is Tootsie with Jessica Lange and Dustin Hoffman............I love a happy ending............

[@EssentialTennis]

Valerie Duval You're welcome :-)

[@hamaqal]

favorite movie (although i have a few) ... is Dune. itz a sci-fi classic with serious spiritual over- and undertones ...

[@Altair565]

Great advice. Thanks.

[@reginstravels]

Up in the Air

[@SuperMirtel]

MOOONBALLLSSSSSS FUCK

[@alejandrocruz7962]

This is great coaching on the mental game, Ian. Thanks! As for my favorite movie: "This Is Spinal Tap."

[@leesaffell8921]

Lord of the Rings trilogy, very good advice, it is so easy to be big picture and not focus on the moment.

[@gala9151]

I (for some reason) always lose to players worse ranked than me and I win the ones that are better ranked and have more experience/medals etc. I am not a tennis player, I am a fencer but I think that mental strenght is important in any sport. Do you have any psychological advice how to fix that. Btw great video, you got a sub

[@candyperine]

I believe that there is a huge difference between "hitting the ball" and "trying not to miss." I don't mind losing so much if I walk off the court knowing that I played my best game. What I want it to hit the ball as well in a match as I do in practice. How do I hit without fear? How do I keep from tightening up on important points? I hate losing to myself!

[@EssentialTennis]

Here's some free mental toughness coaching for you, Michael: www.essentialtennis.com/defeat-your-mental-demons

[@pbillings808]

Dead link, is this still available?

[@larrybenton2034]

Ian, thanks for all the wonderful videos. My favorite movie is True Lies with Arnold Schwartzeneger and Jamie Lee Curtis.

[@Yoruking189]

Man this is so true in high school tennis

[@dwr4005]

True I see this happen all the time on our schools team

[@kylemcdonald3420]

+Sam Nguyen Happened to me today.

[@micahtouchet]

North by Northwest, Chinatown.

[@alexanderpermain6568]

ive also got another question... "What is the best way to deal with chiselers" basically people who constantly get the ball back and keep consistent. It can prove frustrating for me as it is hard to win points. Thank You

[@Jem-ss9eq]

Thx Ian this was a really good advice this was something I really needed to hear !

[@MBasaar]

Nice tips. I didn't like the tone of the question even though I sometime go through the same issue. I would more properly say (Sometimes I lose to someone whose technique does not relate to proper tennis (no swing, no spin, no power, only return the moon balls). I am new but I have worked on on myself quite fine and practiced with experienced tennis player. I can execute a strong forehand and all the other basic shots. He can't return my stroke when we hit the ball freely. But I miss easy strokes frequently in games when we count points. About movies, I like Mr. & Mrs. Smith :D Thanks for tthe great series Ian

[@EssentialTennis]

AlColonel I hear what you're saying about his tone. However, I think if we're all honest with ourselves we probably have all had condescending thoughts like that. We just might not post them on the internet, haha.

[@2ddw]

+Aqeed Basaar The tone is the way it comes up in one's head. It also shows that he/we/you/I haven't analyzed why we're losing. Here you point out 'technique' as the difference, but it could just as easily be 'movement' or 'positioning' or anything else. Have you ever played those old guys/gals who don't seem to move but damn they get the ball back AND there they are standing in no man's land.

[@hhheavymetal6648]

Read 'the inner game of tennis'

[@salmasohim1918]

Thank you really very useful

[@EssentialTennis]

You're very welcome, Salma!

[@christophegrimault1978]

Hi Ian, My best movies : Blade runner, Lawrence of Arabia, Apocalypse Now

[@EssentialTennis]

Christophe Grimault Awesome choices! Apocalypse Now is amazing.

[@bart6890]

1.Fight Club 2. Star Wars (episode 4-6) 3. Kon Tiki

[@melindacarson151]

Top 3: It's a Wonderful Life, Wizard of Oz, Once Upon a Time in America

[@EssentialTennis]

Melinda Carson Classic!

[@lsegura1212]

2001 Space Oddisey

[@EssentialTennis]

Classic!

[@lucasassis9587]

Great video! Favorite movie: Star Wars ep. V

[@alexanderpermain6568]

hi ian, I would like to know how to deal with players who hit deep shots which pushes you back from the court ? This is something I struggle to deal with

[@marcodurao1990]

Great video! Favorite movie: The Matrix

[@ashbow3806]

Always love your videos, my problem is I can hit with consistency hitting with my machine or hopper, but when hitting (not games) with others I get nervous and can’t even get it over the net, even someone watching from other side of fence I get tensed up and hit terrible, your thoughts please, thanks, Monty

[@rbraxley]

OK, important things first. I'm a classic film guy, so my list of best/favorite films includes The Searchers, Casablanca, and Singing in the Rain. I do include the LOTR series, a lot of Hitchcock and also Breaking Away, but if you push me into a corner, my top film is Lawrence of Arabia. This is moviemaking at the absolute pinnacle of almost every aspect of the craft. Stunning. As for tennis, there are absolute no style points in the game, which is unfortunate for me. I have better form (Really, I do.) than almost everyone I play with, but I can lose to just about anyone. Despite 40 years of playing, it's still the first lesson which gets me: watch the ball. I almost never watch the ball, and it really kills my game. Simple, right? I guess not. I'd say I suffer from TDD; tennis deficit disorder. For all of that, I still love the game.

[@EssentialTennis]

rbraxley Awesome comments, both film and tennis!

[@kymconnor732]

Thank you Ian for all of your great videos!! I am a 3.0 and have been competing in USTA for a little over a year now. Your information is very helpful!! My favorite movie for "this season" is St. Vincent. Bill Murray played a completely different role than usual. Great cast all around. Are you going to be at Indian Wells?

[@EssentialTennis]

Kym Connor Bill Murray is amazing! Yup, I'll be in Indian Wells most of March. Working a lot unfortunately, but enjoying the sun immensely :-)

[@jasonwaggoner548]

This is easier said than done. Its infuriating to lose to frying pan, pushing gimps. Pisses you right off.

[@RoddickBook]

Pan play is underrated.

[@vikhattangady]

Movie - Pirates of the Caribbean

[@MrShinn73]

Awesome video and advice! My fav movie(s) is(are) 'Harry Potter'. Cheers!

[@bdp46]

"They Might Be Giants," starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward!

[@nigelbaker5034]

You do not mention anything about analysing who is making the mistakes; many times it is self defeat not being equipped to handle an unorthodox opponent, or boring steady canny returner. Attitude is part of the issue but not the whole issue.

[@AltamishM]

Hi, Ian! My favourite movie is a tie between Scott Pilgrim Vs The World and The Breakfast Club. ^^, I have a question : What are your views on using ankle weights on court? People often advise against them as they weaken joints. Are there any useful applications for ankle weights that don't add injury risk? Thanks :)

[@Yurkevich22]

good explanation! movie - Knocking on Heaven's Door.

[@jevonclyde]

Hi Ian, if I could like this video more than once, I would.

[@EssentialTennis]

Jevon Clyde Mathew :-)

[@subhashm]

Hi Ian, Is 13 too young to play tactical tennis? I am a 34 year old playing tennis for only two years. I just push back the ball deep into the opponents weaker side unless it is short on my forehand side. I volley & smash reasonably well. I regularly play with my 13 year old relative who is going for coaching for the past three years. He is much better than me with stronger ground strokes (though physically weaker) and hits with spin and is more consistent . Though he volleys well, he can be passed or lobbed easily as he is not tall. He is very athletic and moves well. He keeps performing very well in city level Under-14 tournaments. His parents aspire to make him a professional player. However, I beat him quite consistently by engineering scenarios that are in my favor rather than just exchanging ground strokes. May be my experience of playing shuttle badminton at a competitive level gave me that match temperament. Over the past week, I am trying to make him a bit more tactical in his approach and tried to teach him how he can play to his strengths and beat people like me more often. For instance, I suggested that he play a short angle (whenever the opportunity comes) and take me off the court and then go for deep shot in the open court. Though he has the basic shots to execute this simple tactic, he started making lot of errors. May be he is not able to pick the opportunity or is not patient enough. Should I push him to get more tactical now itself or as his coach says, is 13 too young to play tactically.

[@2ddw]

+subhash madireddy "His parents aspire to make him a professional player." that's trouble right there! As a benchmark, that would require that in 3 years of training and playing (at 16) he is winning national junior tournaments and playing in the US Open qualifying rounds. Sorry, NFW. In fact, "NFW" should be the default response. How many professional players are there making money from winning tournaments versus how many juniors are and have been playing tennis in the last 5 years. 99.999% won't be pros. Just keep tennis fun for the boy.

[@johnbauernfeind8116]

the kid must want it bad enough to be a pro...plus there is plenty of opportunity to teach after not making it and educational oppertunity is becoming more and more available online then ever before ..otherwise knowledge is power, the misses he endures now will become makes more quickly later in life, and tge introduction of that thought process is esseial in development...those shots are also fun and will keep a child into a sport considering that their game will be constantly charging

[@11sess11]

Interstellar!

[@ttrdf]

no matter what walk in life, you don't 'deserve' anything no matter how gifted you think yourself to be.

[@mickeyb5217]

JAWS

[@User_1138]

But one match doesn't decide the better player. Neither does 10 matches. Or 20. Or 40. For example, who's better, federer or Nadal. Everyone has a different opinion, because it is not something that is definite. When players are close in level, who is better is just an opinion, not fact.

[@davidhckung]

Blade Runner

[@larryfletcher8689]

Would you believe"Groundhog Day"

[@eulerianorder6972]

Black panther

[@heitormorgado]

Movie: Tenacious D in PIck of Destiny!

[@EssentialTennis]

Hahaha, awesome!

[@heitormorgado]

Essential Tennis - Lessons and Instruction for Passionate Players what does this movie tells about my personality?

[@EssentialTennis]

That its amazing.

[@Channel2351]

Narnia lol

[@yaserrahimi7382]

Godfather

[@VictorAlves-Vet]

LOTR :-D

[@JoshHuntnm]

Star Trek

[@MyChevySonic]

If they won, they're not worse. You are.

[@EssentialTennis]

Whammy

[@haisay8674]

God loves you, seek him and if you want forgiven of your sins and want to be certain that your sins are forgiven believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved

[@tensaijuusan4653]

I have had this experience so many times - a coach trained player loses to me and then complains that it is because I'm a "lefty" (true) or because I "scrambled" her (whatever that means) or because I "play old man's" tennis (true) with drop shots and lobs instead of slamming it from the baseline. So pleased to see this video and your expert opinion on this problem of bad attitude.

[@tensaijuusan4653]

Favorite movie - Cloud Atlas.

[@kiesbett]

i just gave you the like number 666

[@EssentialTennis]

Yikes!

[@RandomDrumNoob]

A good example if the case of Fed v. Nadal. Everyone claims Fed is the better player because of all his grace, style, elegance blah blah blah and Nadal being jerky, unnatural, forced, ungrateful etc. etc. yet he has a 23-10 h2h record. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples but i use this because everyone will know what I'm talking about,

[@zachrubenstein5355]

Idk if you still look at comments but I’m a boys 14 USTA national player and this really helped!

[@EssentialTennis]

I do, Zack 🙂 So good to hear that!

[@zachrubenstein5355]

What’s your experience with playing tennis?

[@Manu182OC]

It happened the other way around to me. Last saturday I went against this guy who once saw me training and offered to play a friendly match. When I finished my training session I stayed around watching him play a bit, and he was doing it WAY better than me. Finally the day came, and I totally forgot how good this guy was and tried to play my best. He ended up beating me 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 but it was a damn good match! A movie? Well, I can't really think of only one, but Whiplash is one hell of a movie.

[@marcelo_delgado]

Spiritual lessons from Ian: "meditate, live in the present moment!"

[@genofre]

i just loved what you sad. it really happens all the time in amateur games!!! it's very hard to maintain focus when your mind is up to this pressure of playing better than him and forgeting to really play for a win!!!... just loved it and hope to use it in future!!! thanks for this!!!

[@hooha1692]

Hey Ian! Love all of your videos, there all extremely helpful and fun to watch. Thank you for helping us all out! Where I live the tennis community is very small. I don't have any body to consistently play with and I want to get as good as I was and beyond skill wise. I was a decent player, and even went to college to play for a short while. I'm now working full time 10 hrs a day and I'm strongly considering getting a tennis tutor ball machine. You play with a tennis tutor in some with your videos and was hoping you could provide some insight. The amount of information and reviews on the tennis ball machines extremely limited. I'm looking at either the tennis tutor plus or a tennis tutor plus player that simulates actual match play. Do I really need that or should I stick with the basic features (topspin, backspin, elevation, and two line)? Again, thank you for taking the time and answering all these questions. I've made a recent decision to try and make a career with something to do with tennis. I've thought hard about it and decided that life is too short to not do you love. Tennis is a passion I can't get away from even if I wanted to. I love this sport from the bottom of my heart. From the new ball smell, picking the fuzz from your strings, the sportsmanship, the kindness, the competitiveness, getting up early feeling the dew in the air at a tournament before the sun takes over, and even the sound the ball makes rocketing off my forehand. Sorry I ranted haha.

[@samkovacs9739]

I liked your video. Fucusing on one point at a time helps me. Also if I'm ahead in a match I relax so to combat that I put myself in a position where I'm behind. I play better from behind. When I get tight I remember what rod laver said " play like you practice". That helps me hit the strokes I have instead of playing"careful" which I don't practice. My favorite movie is "Valdez"! A western about an unassuming under dog who turns out to be a lot more than he appears. You should watch it. Thanks for all your good work.

[@EssentialTennis]

Sam Kovacs Good movie suggestion, I'll check it out :-)