How to Beat a Pusher: Tennis Strategy Lesson

[@PeterFreemantennis]

tell us your worst pusher story

[@11T872]

Just become better pusher?

[@11T872]

Was Borg a pusher?

[@tennisone6376]

When I lost with pusher I want to smash his face in but I just say good game and shake his hand keep my cool

[@huntsail3727]

Once I decided that anyone who beat me was better than me on that day, I stopped losing to 'pushers'. Playing against the style you are talking about; I would see that I was losing because of my errors and would stop making errors. It did make for some long points and matches. I may have looked like a pusher myself, but it did not matter. The way to beat a pusher is to win. You are your record. This entails doing what you need to do to stop beating yourself with errors, and either finish points or watch them make the errors, assuming you are in fact the better player. I think many people are underestimating how good their opponents are and overestimating themselves. That does not help, you have to know what you can do and what you can't under pressure to win pressure matches.

[@fretstain]

My pusher has an amazing first serve (lousy second though) and is like a wall at the net haha. I'm still going to try drawing him in.

[@redrum21225]

I've been playing since age 10 & did usta juniors. I still struggle and often lose to pushers. I never even thought to use this strategy, but it makes perfect sense.

[@jean-pierreuys1554]

Awesome advice - especially the ego part and that pushers can absorb pace. Thats a light bulb moment. My story. I am 42 - play a 70 year old pusher (nothing against age - he is a legend to still play that age) I was up 3-0 and then I just went down the spiral and lost that set 3-6. One that I did that made me win the second set was I started taking the ball on the rise on serves and all the time - this helped because at 70 he wasn’t that fast and I took away all his time to prepare. I find the older players closer to 4 able to push, slice and able to put away short balls many times. They are hard to beat. Their pace is not that big. Wow they are a challenge to me. Should I just use the same approach back to them? Thanks for todays video - cool shirt.

[@tennisteuton]

I find that pushers are usually very good at ball recognition, which means they are often standing in a very good position to successfully dink the ball back. But they rely on high bounces that are coming towards them. So finding a way to put them off balance may cause them to lose control over their dink shots.

[@tennisteuton]

Footwork is important. I think if that is lacking, and we don't always have the proper position to the ball, it becomes very difficult to sustain control over a longer time period, as we might have to do against pushers. And because we know we are not consistent enough for longer rallies, we try to finish the points quickly, and miss. This is another reason to check our ego at the door: at the lower rec level, the risk-reward payoff of blasting everything to the other side is just not in our favor. As sad as it may sound, at the 3.0 level, our hardest shots aren't all that hard to return. But they sure end up long or in the net quite often. Instead, maybe we should adopt Bruce Lee's mindset: be like water flowing around the obstacles.

[@lisatucci386]

Great video. Totally agree. Push ball wide, short, etc for set up then hit for winner.

[@yili9725]

that needs some better skills. you can try to combine varieties of shots and see how easy to get errors.

[@Mmoran64]

Spot on you described my experience perfectly. I love hitting with pace & spin power tennis and pushers can throw you off your game. I do incorporate the tactics you mention and it works well but not as much fun as power tennis. Still need to play aggressively with pushers don't fall into the paddy cake exchanges step in hit the winner take the ball out of the air low short slices make them move forward etc... mix it up bottom line which works against any player. bottom line make your opponent uncomfortable.

[@larryquan5272]

Peter, great video as always. There are 100% videos that show how to play against pushers but 0 videos that show how to play as a pusher or rather, a defensive player. I am a defensive player, with competent modern strokes that would be best described as a clay court style. Fh topspin but very very high arcing, and bh single handed slice. I get called a pusher all the time because I don't go for linear flat winners like connors. If anything I am like vilas. Can you make a video that supports or legitimized defensive styles which may include traditional pushing but is really all about playing percentage tennis and being super consistent. Thank you Coach.

[@CG92965]

Omg - I died laughing at your impression because that’s exactly what I say and sound like every time I lose to a pusher which is far too often lately! Great video here!!! Great advice! I’ve had success too spin lobbing pushers.

[@PeterFreemantennis]

thanks Chris

[@Sweeney-Kubach]

I have never seen a pusher beat a Hacker, I think Hackers are tougher to beat. Ian crushed MEP by hitting overheads and coming to the net! Great video Coach!

[@yili9725]

they played indoor court that Ian teaches. MEP travels a long way to meet Ian. Ian has advantage, plus it's easier to hit overhead in an indoor court. if they play in an outdoor court that MEP is familiar with, Ian could loose.

[@KherojitSingh-dk1ek]

So nice lessons sir ...❤ Ur strategic... Combo...😂

[@xg3069]

Great video as always. My best advice is to practice overhead. Those who struggle against real pushers will continue to until they get comfortable with overheads.

[@jchan810]

If pusher keeps looping the ball deep forget about the overhead. Pick your spots on when to be aggressive... Wait for short balls or take ball early.

[@xg3069]

@@jchan810 my advice is much more down to earth. If you don’t know how to volley or hit an overhead you will most likely lose to a pusher unless you push as well. So practice easy volleys and overheads.

[@jchan810]

@@xg3069 it's more important to practice approach shots than volleys and overheads. You shouldn't push against a pusher. You should be looking for opportunities to go on offense or else you have endless rallies.

[@xg3069]

@@jchan810 I know but the advice to be agressive or take the ball early is too hard for players who struggle against opponents who simply moon ball. It’s like saying “serve aces”. So to me the key is to no longer be afraid at the net and finish easy balls.

[@peterastor613]

Amen to that advice. When I teach net play to my adult learners, it’s among the first things I emphasize. It’s amazing how much better they do coming to net when they have confidence enough to hit high balls hard and to the right target. Now, if they could only bring that to their matches - but that’s a topic for another day.

[@tennisteuton]

I think Steffi Graf used the push/hit combination a lot. Slice, slice, slice, forehand and backhand, until she got a short sitter back that she could then put away with her forehand. Was she able to win matches? I'd say, yeah, maybe a few... but we also have to remember that she had excellent footwork!

[@GinoFerreri]

Your T-shirt should say: I love pushers. Bring your game on and test me! 😂

[@andreasm7306]

I haven't finished watching the video yet but I need that shirt! ;)

[@Javier-yw4td]

Great analysis! At the end of the day, tennis match is nothing but two guys confronting their tools. If someone is able to beat you with their ugly ones, it’s just because is better than you. So, try to challenge your rival with your capabilities and, if he/she manages them successfully, accept the result and keep training.

[@Mmoran64]

wouldn't say better player. more skilled players lose to less skilled players all the time by beating themselves like in the case of playing a pusher who just keeps getting the ball back in play (ugly off the frame etc...but the ball keeps coming back so you get impatient make errors going for too much at the wrong time. so yeah need to mix in shots that will set you up for the kill shot instead of trying to go for winners off every ball.

[@manujohn99]

Yaa make the pushers work & toil hard for them to get to the ball & in this repeated process of making them work hard, they will begin fail & in that failure we can step on the accelerator a little bit & rub their failures in their face to get a good lead & also for us to cross the finish line 😃👍👍👍

[@kingarthurusatenniscoach1415]

Read Vic Braden book tennis for the future

[@kingarthurusatenniscoach1415]

Learn to volley learn an all round game and read Vic Braden book Mental tennis

[@studfinderball]

We pushers rule! No? Look up Fabrice Santoro and his wins against No. 1 players like Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, and Sampras. You're gonna say Santoro never won any slams. True. Running everything down is exhausting in a two week tournament. But my point is this: no matter how good you become, you will ALWAYS be vulnerable to a pusher.

[@medhany1785]

Plz, no stupid screams when you're explaining something.

[@kingarthurusatenniscoach1415]

Get a big serve and cheat lol