Can You Improve By Playing Pushers?

Pushers. Everyone, but absolutely everyone hates playing against pushers. They get to every single one of your balls, give you no pace to work with, and win by sucking up all of your silly little errors. However, they are extremely efficient and end up winning their matches. One of the most common questions that coaches get is the following one. “Can I get better at tennis by playing against a pusher or a dinker? 

The answer is quite complex. So, let's say you're playing against pushers or dinkers and you're having a hard time playing against them. You're losing and you're playing terribly.

Will you, by continuing to play against these players, get better at tennis? No, you will not. Hence, in today’s article, we will show you how to master the three pillars that are necessary to start having success against pushers.

Technical Deficiencies

When you play against a dinker or a pusher, they're giving you very little pace to work with. Anytime you are forced to swing faster because you don't have as much pace coming from the incoming ball, your technical deficiencies are going to be highlighted by the fact that the ball doesn't have any pace.

So, in other words, if I'm playing a pusher and I get a dink ball and have an issue on my forehand, if I swing faster this issue is going to be a big problem because the chances of me missing the ball are going to be much greater.

The faster you swing with technical deficiencies, the more chances you have to miss.

I'm sure you're often seeing players who hit the ball very gently, and they're able to keep the ball in. Players with very poor technique, that's fine. 

But as soon as you start swinging faster with poor technique, the chances of missing are much greater.

And that's one of the reasons why so many players struggle against pushers that don't give them any pace. They have technical deficiencies, and they get frustrated and they want to put the ball away, they swing faster, and then make one mistake after another.

Wild Balls & Spins

Another reason why your technical deficiencies are going to be a bigger headache for you when you play against pushers is that a ball from a pusher is often more unpredictable than a ball from somebody who hits the ball firmly with some good depth.

Those types of balls are going to be more predictable. And a ball from a pusher, often pushers will use different slices, different spins, and the ball will be very lively.

Yes, it's slow, but you can't really predict the bounce it's going to have. Therefore, if you have technical deficiencies in your shots, you better correct those, or you're going to be making a ton of mistakes.

When it comes to you trying to find a way to be the pusher while you have technical deficiencies in your shots, that's going to be highly unrealistic. You have to do the hard work and correct your technical deficiencies. 

You have to have sound fundamentals on your forehand, your backhand, and you have to be able to hit them in different locations on the court.

Shot Selection

When you have deficiencies in your strokes, no matter what tactic you try to implement against a pusher, it's going to be very difficult to execute.

Some people suggest coming to the net against a pusher, but if you have fundamental issues with your serve, forehand, or backhand, you won't be able to get to the net effectively to put the ball away.

The second pillar to improve against pushers is shot selection. Players of all levels often struggle with this aspect when facing pushers or defensive players. 

Even high-level juniors and players on the WTA tour can make mistakes with their shot selection. One common example of poor shot selection is in the middle of the court.

When a pusher gives you a low and short ball, attempting to hit it very hard for a winner usually leads to mistakes. This issue is separate from technical deficiencies.

When you're closer to the net in the middle of the court, hitting the ball too hard can cause problems. The ball may not have enough space to go up and down, leading to errors.

The proper shot selection here would involve hitting the ball with more topspin and less penetration. It's crucial to shape the ball a bit higher over the net, ensuring it goes inside the baseline.

Aim for a higher ball in this part of the court, allowing you to hit the ball with a straight downward trajectory. This enables you to hit the ball as hard as you want for a winner without sacrificing control.

Struggling With Height

However, many recreational players struggle with hitting higher balls. They are used to hitting around the waist and find it uncomfortable to use proper technique for higher shots.

This issue extends to high backhands and high forehands as well. Recreational players often lack practice in these shots, making it difficult for them to put the ball away when faced with a ball that's sitting up a bit higher in the half-court area.

As a result, they can't execute proper fundamentals and fail to put the ball away against pushers.

Mental Challenges

There are loads of challenges of playing against the pusher or dinker or defensive player, and this goes for all levels of tennis players. Many feel a sense of frustration; they don't have the patience to stay in the rally long enough.

They are annoyed that the other person just keeps dinking the ball back. Even if they're good athletes, they get frustrated that the rally continues to go on, and this frustration often leads to the wrong shot selection.

This issue is not limited to the half court; there are certain areas across the entire court where players make mistakes by going for shots that they shouldn't attempt against a defensive player.

Patience Is Key

The solution, from a mental aspect, is to have the patience to stay in the rallies longer. It may be easier said than done, but it's essential to enjoy the battle and grind it out.

Understanding that the only way to win against the pusher is to stay in the rallies longer is crucial. The pusher cannot be put away with just one or two shots.

It requires waiting for the right opportunities and recognizing that success against pushers demands a tremendous amount of effort.

The question of whether playing pushers can help one's tennis game depends on mastering the three pillars of beating pushers. However, this can be a long road, especially for those at lower recreational levels with technical deficiencies.

The effectiveness of the pusher’s tactic is widely recognized at the recreational and even junior levels. It involves players simply putting the ball back in play, and this strategy is very effective due to the reasons discussed in the article.

Final Thoughts

Playing against pushers can be beneficial, but it will only help if you improve the three pillars mentioned. However, working on technical deficiencies should be done outside of match situations. Putting in the hard work to improve technique and getting rid of flaws is essential. Additionally, recreating scenarios that a pusher might present during practice helps the body and mind become accustomed to handling these situations in a match.

Even if you possess the three necessary pillars to beat pushers and do well against them, playing against pushers still has its benefits. It helps build mental strength, patience, resilience, and effort, which are valuable attributes for your overall game. So, even if you can beat pushers handily, remember to always stay patient. It’s sure helped me a lot.