Coaching

Turning the Tide and Reversing Momentum to Take the Lead

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00

Every recreational player has felt the moment of panic when a lead slips away.  What matters is not that it happened, however, but how the player responds. 

Here are a few tips on how to deal with this slippery situation:

  • Slow down the tempo when losing. This will give more time for your opponent to think and start feeling the pressure.
  • Don't forget to breath. It will help you slow the tempo and help you to calm down and to think.
  • Play the player not the score. For example against a solid player you might have to come to the net a few times to make them think a bit and put them under pressure. Or against a serve and volleyer you might have to throw a few lobs or short balls at their feet, and so on...
  • Try to understand why the situation changed. Have you lost your concentration? Could you have lost your concentration because of dehydration? Has your opponent changed something in their game? More power, different tactics...?
  • Believe in yourself, think about what you want to do to get the momentum back and commit to a plan. If your opponent can win four games in a row, you can do the same.
  • Go back to what you were doing well at the beginning. You were leading for a reason, so you need to take confidence from that, relax and get back to that place mentally.
  • Take a step back to think about what’s gone wrong. The momentum often switches quickly when you’re playing a very aggressive opponent who makes lots of errors one minute and hits a string of winners the next. Try to think about solutions to get the match back on your terms.
  • Get more first serves in by taking the pace off the ball.
  • Have set routines. It really helps to keep a cool head and think through things mid-match. You know that you’re going to go to the change of ends. Sit down for 90 seconds and spend 30 seconds evaluating it, 30 seconds planning your next plan of attack and the final 30 seconds planning the execution of that plan.
  • And before losing momentum think of raising the tempo when dominating. This should help you to avoid to slip down.

 

In order to follow these tips you have to be aware of the shift in momentum. As a general rule, try to avoid to lose more than 2 points in a row. This will put a lot of pressure on your opponent.