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Game Plan

 



Key Points

Must Have A Game Plan

It’s very important to understand that having a game plan does not necessarily mean that a point is always going to unfold how you want it to – but your chances skyrocket by simply having the plan. It’s all about raising the percentages of winning the point and having a plan before it starts is absolutely the best way to do that.

Bad Plan v No Plan

The very fact you have a plan, even if it is a bad one, gives you direction and clarity for the point you are about to play. If you have no plan at all you are simply reacting to what your opponent wants to do. You have no control over the points and most likely the opponent is getting to run their patterns of play. You can always modify a bad plan and turn it into a good one and with practice you will be figuring out how to make good plans against tough opponents.

Write Your Plan On Your Strings

When you are formulating your game plan you want to be going to your strings to figure it all out. You can certainly have an idea of what you want to achieve before the match starts and the warm-up and the first two games can play a major role in putting the game plan jigsaw puzzle together. Go to your strings and think, think, think…..

Modify Your Game Plan

What happens if your game plan is not working? Well, you change it. It’s imperitive that you have a game plan but it always has a degree of flexibility to it. Your opponent may change – you may need to change as well. Sometimes as you begin a new set there are different involved that you make take into account. It’s quite okay to modify a game plan as the match unfolds.

Executing A Game Plan

There will be days when the game plan is exactly right but you can’t execute it the way you want. You may be too fatigued or the conditions may not help – there are various reasons for missing. Quite often over hitting is the problem, especially at a club level. When you are losing it’s not always because you have got the game plan wrong. Sometimes it’s using better footwork or positioning to get the contact point out in front that can make all the difference.

Rafael Nadal’s Book – RAFA

The 2007 Wimbledon Final v Roger Federer.

I knew I could have done better, that it was not my ability or the quality of my game that had failed me, but my head.
And I wept after that loss. I cried incessantly for half an hour in the dressing room. 
I had beater myself as much as Federer had beaten me; I had let myself down and I hated that.
I had flagged mentally, I had allowed myself to get distracted; I had veered away from the game plan.
So obviously, so exactly what you must not do in a big game. 

Go Do This.

Always have a plan before the point starts. Have some direction for your game.

Try to have a simple play for the first four shots of the rally.

Always plan your serve location. Wide, body or T are simple locations to attack.

Think about Serve + 1 Forehands and Return + 1 Forehands. 

Planning for a point is not a guarantee but it definitely raises the %’s it will happen.

A bad plan is often times better than no plan at all. 

Keep evaluating your plans. Make adjustments when necessary.

Notice when your opponent adjusts their tactics. You may have to adjust as well.

 

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