Learning to Win
Through Practice Pressure

Rob Heckelman

There are fundamental problems in the way most people practice. Many players try to incorporate change from a lesson directly into match play. Or they consider effective practice to be simply hitting balls or repetitively drilling. Unfortunately these approaches do not lead to real improvement.

Making changes that will hold up in match play requires players to take critical intermediate steps. These steps are competitive drill games that allow players to build their confidence under pressure, but less pressure than in matches.

In the last article, we looked at a series of these drill games designed to improve basic strategic elements--serving accurately under pressure, hitting more consistent volleys, and playing winning point geometry. (Click Here).

Now let's delve a little deeper into the psychological realm. In this article I want to present three more very powerful practice games. Play them for a while and you will likely find out something new about yourself, or specifically, why you fail at crunch time and how to reverse that.

I know these games work, because I developed them from my own competitive experiences, motivated by my frustration in closing matches, especially against players whom that I wanted to beat very badly.

When I came up against these players, I would try to play the game of my life. But the results were always the same. I would lose.

Over time I realized I was playing against not only my opponent, but against myself and my inner own demons. How could I learn to simply play my game at the critical moments?

The answer came in a moment of personal epiphany, in which I finally recognized how my expectations were holding me back. This happened in a tight juncture in a three set match.

I looked over at my wife, who was eight months pregnant. She was leaning up against a tree trying to relax her body as she watched me struggle to finish a match I desperately wanted.

I realized I needed to do the same thing. I needed to relax. I needed to develop more confidence so I could simply play instead of being paralyzed by the situation.

And so these drill games were born. I created them to satisfy my own need to practice my game under pressure.

The idea was to recreate the critical moments and to practice succeeding over and over. Simulating these situations gave me far more repetitions than in actual play when the moment sometimes comes and goes only once or twice in a match.

The results for me? Against one of those targeted opponents mentioned above, I was finally able to serve out a match from a 4-3 lead in the third. That match turned the tide and took a lot of pressure off me going forward as a player—and also my wife.

Yourself Under Pressure

I call the first drill “Role Playing." The idea is to get more comfortable being yourself under pressure and specifically more comfortable playing your game, whether it is offensive, defensive, or some combination of the two.

In Role Playing, the server is asked to play aggressively and the returner is asked to play defensively. The rules are the same as a regular game. Except that the point must be decided within a fixed number of balls.

The server or the aggressive player has 5 shots to win the point. This means he hits his serve and must win the point within, at most, the next four balls.

The player can win with any strategic style, from the baseline or the net, or a combination. The style doesn't matter.

The goal here is create a sense of urgency—the sense that under pressure you have to play your game and go for your shots. If you hesitate in this drill game you will lose. And that is the frame of mind you need to have the courage to play your best tennis in matches.

Meanwhile, the returner who is playing defensively has his own benefits to gain. He is learning he must stay consistent under pressure, not become over anxious, or change a winning game.

This game drill forces that mentality because to win a point he needs to get 5 balls back regardless of what the opponent is doing or his own temptation to rush. When that 5th ball goes over the net, it's a great feeling to catch the next one knowing you have accomplished this goal.

With this game you can also vary the number of balls to win the point. Fewer balls put more pressure on the server. More balls puts more pressure on the defender.

The other major variation is to switch offensive and defense. The server can be the defensive player who must keep the 5 balls in play. The returner can be the aggressive player who has to win the point within the 5 ball duration.

Playing this game repeatedly makes executing your game under pressure seem routine. You will instinctively know that you must attack relentlessly, or on the flip side, that you must defend as long as necessary. When it gets down to the critical situations in a match, the situation will feel familiar—or even comfortable.

Understanding Big Points

How often have you lost a big point and wanted to have another chance at it? This is your opportunity to live that dream, in a game appropriately called “Do Over."

Each player serves a game, with the score starting at deuce. Play a regular set. Each player is allowed to replay only three points.

Like those children's fairy tales where three wishes are granted, it's important to choose the right three points and not waste your replays on lesser opportunities. Have fun with it, and after losing a point, raise your hand to signal the do over. Almost as if you were appealing to shot spot in a pro match.

The first big benefit here is recognition. This drill will help you understand intuitively what points are the big points during a set. You will encounter a lot more of them much sooner in games that start at deuce!

Over time you wil find that you thought you had chosen the right moment for a do over, only to find that a much more important opportunity came along when you needed that do over back, but didn't have the option.

The other benefit is desensitization. Because you have practiced having a second chance at critical junctions over and over, you will develop the feeling of “having been there before." When the situation arises, for real, you will feel a lot less pressure and make far fewer mistakes.

A final point. This is a great game to play with a player who is at a lower level. You can change the number of do oevers each player gets as an equalizer. For example, the stronger player still gets 3 do overs and the lesser gets 6 or even 9. That ratchets up the importance of good decision making and only increases the benefits of the game when you move into actual matches.

The Finisher

Here is another game that will help you learn much about your character in a competitive match, especially in matches with wide ebbs and flows. Learning to deal with the momentum and tempo of a match is a mandatory aspect of winning play.

How often have you found yourself winning against a formidable opponent, maybe someone you have never beaten, and everything is falling into place, then suddenly you lose a few points, doubts creep in and the next thing you know, you have lost that momentum?

This can happen at all levels of play because you are heading into new territory but without deep confidence you will reach your goal. This makes you ripe for the reversal. Suddenly one little thing goes wrong and it's all downhill.

The drill game that I call The Finisher will help you address this issue. Each player serves five points in a row, with the first point scoring as one, the second as two, the third as three, and so on.

The scoring multiplies only if you win consecutive points. So if you lose a point, the next point you make is only worth one point. The first player to get to 21 total points wins.

If all goes well, you can win this game by winning six points in a row. That would be 5 points on your serve, then the final point as a return point on your opponent's.

The opposing player, of course, must make every effort to stop this from happening. The key is to win as many points against serve as possible, thereby cutting off the increased point value of winning consecutive points.

It's well known that in the overwhelming majority of matches, the player who simply wins the most total points wins. (Click Here.) These drill games teach you the value of every point!

Practice should never be dull! Playing the drills games I've outlined in the last two articles makes sure that doesn't happen. They make it fun. But more important, these games create the benefit players think they achieve in practice, but so rarely do. They teach you how to win under pressure.

There are more variations to come! Stay tuned.