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[Mordecai]

This is especially for mikki_blinkme.

So ano nga ba ginagawa nyo pag-off day kayo?  Ako...umuuwi na lang.

Here's an article with suggestions...

From: http://www.tennis.com/articles/templates/instruction.aspx?articleid=480&zoneid=16

Everybody Has Off Days
April 19, 2006 - By Paul Annacone

Everybody has off days. The trick is finding a way to win when you do.

Every player goes into a match with the goal of playing well, and when you execute your shots, the game is fun and easy. But even pros admit they don’t bring their best stuff with them every time they hit the court. So the biggest challenge, at all levels, is what to do when you’re not on your game. Somehow you’ve got to find a way to give yourself a chance to win and hopefully learn from the process. The most evolved and thoughtful players are the ones who handle this adversity well. Here are some things to try in order to salvage a match in which you’re not giving your best performance.

BEGINNER

OBJECTIVE: Get your mind off the score and keep it simple.

 When you don’t feel confident about your game to begin with, misfiring on your shots will make you that much less secure. At the beginner level, having a challenging day physically can also damage your emotional outlook. The best way to deal with this situation is to focus not on the score but on very simple things. Easy-toreach performance goals like making solid contact, moving your feet, and hitting the ball high over the net will improve your level of play. Give yourself more margin for error by taking some pace off your shots; add safety with plenty of net clearance. Try to put six to eight balls in the court in a row by making sure you hit the ball in the center of your racquet. Even if you’re still losing, simply making fewer errors should help you develop better rhythm on your shots and rejuvenate your confidence. This will give you a more positive attitude about climbing back into the match. I don’t recommend tinkering too much with technical aspects of your game (grips, shoulder turn, follow- through, etc.) because it’s hard to correct those problems during competition. Tackling the problem from this angle will cause added frustration and negative results. If you have a persistent mechanical flaw, that’s something that should be addressed outside of a match. Finally, at this level, worrying about strategic plans like attacking your opponent’s weakness isn’t the best way to get yourself out of a rut. You’re better off trying to clean up your game with consistency and improved fundamentals.

INTERMEDIATE

OBJECTIVE: Rely on your best shots and try to get some of your rhythm back.

When you’re playing poorly, you want to make sure you get back to doing what you do best. At this stage of development, you probably have a favorite shot or weapon. That’s the stroke you want to use to regain your form. If you’re a baseliner with an exceptional forehand but a suspect backhand, you want to do everything you can to set up your forehand. If you’re a net-rusher, take more opportunities to move forward.

You’ll have an easier time improving with a stronger part of your game than with a weaker one. An effective tactic to try is to engage in a few rhythmic baseline exchanges. In other words, try to get into a crosscourt rally several points in a row so you get into a pattern of putting balls back in the same spot.

Engaging in a few crosscourt rallies will help you find rhythm and consistency.

That way you’re hitting the ball over the lowest part of the net, you’re using the biggest part of the court, and you’re getting a rhythm on your shots with more safety and consistency. If you get into a pattern where you hit three to five backhands in a row, followed by three to five forehands, your confidence will grow and you can start to pull the trigger on more aggressive shots.

Also, add some strategic elements to the mix. You still want to keep the concepts simple and not fixate on the score, but there are some tactical things you can apply that might help shake you out of your doldrums.

Remember to move forward after hitting a good shot to take advantage of a potential weak reply, or add topspin or slice to your shots to disrupt your opponent’s timing. These simple changes can help turn things around.

ADVANCED

OBJECTIVE: Quickly assess the situation and use your serve to stay in the match.

When you struggle at the highest levels, the games can go by in a hurry. If you’re not adept at handling adversity and don’t know how to turn things around, you’ll find yourself off the court pretty quickly. Still, because you’ve got some skills, you can also rebound in a hurry. Because of your experience, you’re less volatile emotionally and can convince yourself that with a few deep breaths and some better execution you’ll turn things around.

One of the best ways to achieve this is with the serve. As an advanced player, you use your serve as a weapon and can potentially use it to keep your game afloat. If you win some easy points and service games, you’ll start to feel better about your chances. But if your serve is misfiring, you’re in real trouble.

Every player should have a trigger that helps make the serve click. For some it’s making sure to use a healthy knee bend, while others have to keep their hitting arms loose. In general, I have found that if you’re missing a lot of serves, you should become extremely deliberate at the beginning of your motion. Take your time in your preparation and backswing and concentrate on putting the ball toss in the right spot. Those two things will help you get back into a successful serving routine.

You also want to do your best to be as consistent as possible with your returns of serve. Again, make it simple— keep in mind a few directives, such as “stay down through contact” and “keep the ball out in front.” Give yourself a large margin for error and you’ll allow yourself the opportunity to play your way back into the match.

HOY! Pero iba pa to sa mga ginagamit lang to na excuse kung bakit sila natatalo!

[skywalker_1701]

If I have an Off-day, I would choose sunday para nood ako ng sine  .  Parang DH ang dating (hehehe).

Seriously, here is my contribution which I posted in some of the previous threads.  First is Release, Review and Restart.  Once you done the first three (3) R's, apply the remaining ones which is Ready, Read and React.

[mikki_blinkme]

actually ako pag sa rally pa lang parang di na maganda timpla tuloy tuloy na. kakainin na rin ako ng dobol fault, wrong anticipation, late reaction. ginagawa ko tatapusin ko yung game tapos di na ulit ako maglalaro muna. haha!

[LitoGarcia]

Off Day? Sa akin, pag hinde maganda laro ko, assess and learn from there.

Para sa ating hinde mga pro, almost every game is off day kasi nga we are trying to learn the game pa din. So, everytime I played, it is a lesson to be learned.

[Fabs]

hhmmmm off day heheeh palo parin ng palo pero medyo balik sa basics na sure ball ang tira hehe wala munang power power feeling na meron ako nun hehe balik balik na muna ng bola hehe,

[mikki_blinkme]

korek korek fabs and sir lito!

lahat naman ng tira natin lalo na ako e weakness pa rin. Siguro ang "confident shot" ko is serve and forehand.

still learning the basics. sino na bang naka master satin ng basics man lang? sabi ni coach A ganito daw ang tama sabi naman ni coach B mali daw eto daw tama. ewan ko ba. i dont know what is right or wrong. basta hit the ball chaka tumawid ng net masaya na ako lalo na kung matulis at mahaba kahit di malakas basta pasok at pumunta sa dapat puntahan e masayang masaya na ako.

[mikki_blinkme]

Off Day? Sa akin, pag hinde maganda laro ko, assess and learn from there.

Para sa ating hinde mga pro, almost every game is off day kasi nga we are trying to learn the game pa din. So, everytime I played, it is a lesson to be learned.

korek! idol talaga si sir lito! at dahil dyan may nagtext na naman... 

[burosky]

What I do when I'm having an off-day is I stick to basics (no fancy or cute shots) and I play slightly more conservatively (I try to keep the ball in play as much as I can).  On my serves, I use my second serve as my first serve (I just get a little more agressive on the placement) since my second serve is a more reliable serve.  If I miss it the first time, chances are, I will get it in on my second try (less agressive placement).  If my groundstrokes is off, I try to get to the net as often as I can.  If my volleys are off, I would just block my volleys instead of being agressive with it.  If my serve, groundstrokes and volleys are all off at the same time, it's usually a sign that my opponent is way better than me.  In this case, I just keep trying to adjust to at least give my opponent a decent match.

[racketwiz]

I'm too old to worry about fighting through an off-day.  More relaxing and enjoyable to step off the court, grab a bottle of Sam Adams and watch someone else blow their heads on court because they're having an off day

[mikki_blinkme]

korek korek RW!  wala na tyong magagawa sa off day oks lang naman kasi manalo o matalo wala namang mapapala e. hahaha! pwera lang kung may taya! 

[daryl]

pag off day, umuwi ka na, matulog at bumalik ka kinabukasan at maglaro ulit

[rock_it_man]

I'm too old to worry about fighting through an off-day.  More relaxing and enjoyable to step off the court, grab a bottle of Sam Adams and watch someone else blow their heads on court because they're having an off day

quite agree with you Rick, just a  bottle or two ( or three or four...) of my favorite pale pilsen brew and i'm good. bumawi ka na lang sa kantiyaw !!!

[commander ians]

pag off day, umuwi ka na, matulog at bumalik ka kinabukasan at maglaro ulit

hahahaha

[Darkwing]

Pag Off day ko ayos. Ibig sabihin walang labahin at plantsahin. Pati paghuhugas ng plato wala rin. 

[mirage]

pag off day usually tantrums sa court bagsak raketa dito doon pro pipilitin ko pa din maglaro hangang zapped out na ko.... tapos uuwi sa bahay ikukwento ko yung pagkatalo ko!!hehehehe!!!

[krukspec_56ers]

try to relax , isipin bakit mali ung palo mo, aun tapos balik sa basic,, napakasimple

[wiretrain]

i pause, think, relax, psych myself, ready, set, go! bam!

in the end talo pa din hehehe

[mirage]

i pause, think, relax, psych myself, ready, set, go! bam!

in the end talo pa din hehehe

hahahahaha!!!!!

kala ko pa nmn my chances na mahugot mo yung sarili mo!! ganda pa nmn ng pattern