Playing Women

In today's world, there are a lot of excellent female players at clubs all over the world.

And, if you're club is like mine, there are a lot of men who really don't want to lose to a woman.

The problem for a lot of the guys is that the women might actually be better players technically.

My observation is that women in general have better backhands than guys, and guys tend to rely much more on power, speed, and a big serve and forehand. Very few women seem to have one-handed backhands, they tend to have very solid two-handers, whereas a lot of guys still have slice backhands and rely on running around to hit forehands.

I fall into the latter category although I also have a two-hander. However, I've observed that it's very difficult to win baseline rallies consistently if you're constantly are at a disadvantage with one pattern -- especially backhand to backhand.

So, here a few generic thoughts about how to beat women.

First of all, if you have a good serve, you must capitalize on it. And, this might involve serving and volleying which is something most women aren't familair with playing against.

Secondly, I've observed that getting balls high can bother wome more than pace. So, if you're able to hit a very high, bouncing, topspin stroke this could be very effective.

Third, try to stretch the court wide and make it a speed game . Do this only if you're the faster player, as otherwise it might work against you.

Fourth, hit a lot of short slice and drop shots to turn it into a short ball/ volley game instead of a groundstroker game.

Lastly, get your ego out of the way. If you're playing not to lose, you're probably going to lose.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but I haven't seen too many serve and volleying women at my club.
Until next time,


Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Tennis Tactics To Help You Beat The Women At Your Club guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
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