Play to Win: Forcing Errors from Opponents

 If you're serious about taking your game to the next level and want to win more matches, this is for you. "Playing to win" can look different for various styles of play, and there are common themes that you can implement. In my experience coaching high-level juniors and college players, the strong majority of points result in unforced errors. Very few points end in winners. I think that winners happen, but should never be intended. What I mean by that is a winner should be a normal, controlled shot that is hit after creating an opening on the shot before. 

Knowing these stats help define a strategy for junior players. I tell players that I work with to try to force errors out of their opponents instead of hitting winners by them. When we do this, it changes the mindset and mentality from "I don't want my opponent to touch this shot" to "I want to make my opponent miss." This is a massive advantage in junior tennis where unforced errors abound. When the mindset shifts from winners to forcing errors, now margins improve for your player. Better margins result in fewer unforced errors. 

So now, just by changing the mindset from hitting winners past an opponent, the number of points won increases two-fold: more errors forced out of your opponent and fewer unforced errors hit by you. As a coach, cleaner tennis is winning tennis. Winners are not repeatable, but forcing errors from opponents is a strategy that will work time and time again!

Use this strategy and mindset in your next match to boost your game!