Marcin Bieniek

Failing to plan is planning to fail. This famous sentence is used in sport to make players aware of how important it is to make specific work. Preparation has to include conscious training sessions, consistent development of different areas as also planning their own strategy. However, you can’t be sure if your plan will work exactly the way you expected.

A tournament is a real test for tennis players. It puts pressure both on the strong and weak skills of the player. The better performance player can achieve while dealing with these challenges the more chances he has to accomplish the task and win the match. A proper plan is inevitable for all competitive players who think about beating more advanced rivals. Without a plan decisions are based on emotions and strokes are used without a purpose so it is impossible to maintain a high level of performance in these conditions.

Creating a plan is only one side of the coin. The player can set up goals to achieve based on the information about their own skills, particular opponent and the environment he will compete at. The other side of the coin is the situation during the match. Even the best plan can fail because tennis is an unpredictable sport so adjusting your own plan during the battle is necessary to stay on the right track. Players who believe that the pre-match plan is enough to win the match will be negatively surprised because the tennis match consists of many ups and downs so the player has to learn from won and lost points to be able to choose the most effective way of playing.

In tennis there are a lot of breaks. Players have 20 seconds between the points and 90 seconds while switching sides. These times give an opportunity for players to think about necessary changes to the pre-match plan and to make some minor or major adjustments that will help them to play more effectively. However to successfully do these corrections players have to be aware of numerous areas that have an impact on performance quality.

Won/Lost points

That is definitely the easiest way to look at your effectiveness. During every break, player should pay attention to the last won/lost points and take as much information as possible to plan the next points. On the one hand, won points show exactly how players should continue to play so no changes are needed to maintain given quality. On the other hand lost points should make a player think about analyzing the reasons of negative score and knowing them will make it much easier to precisely address areas that give advantage to the opponent.

Decisions during the point

Every point is built on many decisions. Either we want to hit the ball to the opponent backhand or change the rhythm of the rally with slice behind every shot there is a decision in the player’s mind. Sometimes one wrong decision can significantly change the momentum of the point and can put player into troubles. Analyzing own thoughts is a good way to find improper tactical solutions and correct them to increase their own level of play.

Unexpected changes

In tennis we can never be sure what the next minutes will bring to the battle. Sometimes cloudy day changes into sunny one. Other times opponent changes strategy and his defensive approach transforms into offensive style. To achieve great results you should never expect to have the same conditions from the beginning to the end of the tennis match. You have to constantly know what is going on and if it is necessary you have to implement needed adjustments before your opponent does it.

It is difficult to choose only one skill that is a priority for achieving success in tennis. Complex preparation is needed to develop a complete game but without awareness of on-court situations during the heat of the battle it is impossible to play well for a longer time. To play more effectively, cut down the number of own errors and force rivals to make more risky shots players should have a plan before the match but they should also be ready to make some adjustments to this plan. A tennis match is like a stock market – if you don’t react quickly you will lose a lot.

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