How to beat the pusher

John McEnroe was one.  So is Andy Murray.  They win a lot of matches and most tennis players hate playing them.  Of course, I’m talking about THE PUSHER.

For those of you new to tennis or less familiar with the game’s jargon, a “pusher” is a player who focuses more on consistency, less on power and mechanics.  They do whatever it takes to get the ball back and beat down their opponent.  At the rec level, the focus on consistently “lobbing” the ball back can be much more pronounced.  A 3.5 or 4.0 Pusher usually hits the ball with very little pace, puts all of their focus on consistency and could care less about mechanics.  They tend to frustrate the hell out of the classically trained Tennis player with their slow, methodical junkballing.

There is nothing wrong with being a pusher.  I totally respect a player that can grind it out and outlast their opponent.  I remember playing in high school and realizing that I could win a lot of matches by simply not missing – so yes, I WAS a  Pusher at one point in time.  I don’t play like that anymore, but I still respect those players that do it well.

Now, Playing at the 4.0 level, I run into my fair share of Pushers, so spent a little time tonight researching how to BEAT THE PUSHER.  I’ve boiled it down to three main strategies that can beat them:

1. Beat them at their own game and out-push them.  This one is dangerous.  An experienced pusher’s primary objective is to pull you into their game.  If you’re a solid player and believe you can out push the Pusher, got for it.  But unless you like the feeling of cutting your toenails too short, I’d ask “Why?”  Executing a better strategy is the best way to beat a better player, so I wouldn’t even mess with it.

2. Attack the net.  You can expect a lot of short balls from a Pusher, but if you’re not placing your approach shots in the corners, you can also expect to chase down a lot of lobs.  But keep in mind, the Pusher likes to have time and the more you can get in to the net, the less time you’re giving them.

3. Maintain your rhythm and dictate the pace.  A benefit of the Pusher conning their opponent into their game is making them play at their pace.  They want to take the air out of the ball and make their opponent generate all of their own pace.  The typical result is missing shots from over-hitting.  This video from Fuzzy Yellow Balls does a good job of showing how a focus on footwork can help you maintain your rhythm and dictate the pace on YOUR terms.