Tennis Tips
How To Beat A Pusher
Learn how to beat a pusher with this quick video from our founder and professional tennis coach Scott Baxter!
The very first thing to understand is how a pusher plays: a pusher is somebody that gets the ball back in the court and allows you to beat yourself. That’s why they’re so frustrating to play against–most of us are very capable of beating ourselves if given enough time.
Pushers bring out the weaknesses in our game and force us to go for shots we’re not comfortable with. By the nature of the way they play, pushers don’t like to hit winners.
So what does that mean for you? Well, you’re playing somebody who’s never going to do a ton of damage to you. That means you get unlimited opportunities.
To beat a pusher you need to:
– Be patient. Find your opportunities to attack. Don’t go for aggressive winners when you’re at a position or just because you’re getting impatient, really wait to find the shot that you know you’re comfortable going after.
– Try to work your way to the net. Then you’re putting them in an uncomfortable situation, forcing them to hit a passing shot or a winner which is something you know they don’t like to do.
Using these techniques, you will find that you’re getting a lot of easy volleys to win the point.
For an in-depth demonstration check out the video above!
What if they are really good at lobbing you when you get to the net?
Hey Ben, good question. When people come to the net they often think that means they literally have to almost touch the net. If you do that, yes, it becomes very easy to get lobbed whether they have a good lob or not. Instead, push them deep and come in to around the service line. From there, you can close the net if they hit a short ball or move back if they hit a good lob. Another benefit is they will see your positioning and try to hit an even better lob, which often forces errors. Good luck!
My suggestion is exactly the opposite try drop shots and short balls to bring them in. Pushers normally hate to be at the net and it becomes easier to hit the winner when they are at the net.