March 22, 2010 
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How to Slide on Clay
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How to Beat the Aggressive Baseliner CSU Bakersfield Women's Head Coach Dan Mc Cain Before you can beat any player, you must assess his or her strengths and weaknesses. This begins the moment you walk on to the court for your pre-match warm-up. What is the body type of your opponent? Quick or slow? Left or right-handed? Does she prefer forehand or backhand during baseline exchanges? Is you opponent comfortable at net with volleys and overheads? Most importantly, you want to identify your opponent's style of play. Is your opponent an all-court player, counter-puncher, or an aggressive baseliner? There are specific ways of beating each of these types of players, and most of the time players will fall into one of these three categories. By making these identifications your first priority during a match, you can more easily draft a plan on how to beat them. A good strategy is often better than hitting good shots, and this is absolutely true when competing against an aggressive baseliner. Beating the Aggressive Baseliner When you play an aggressive baseliner, typically you are playing someone who likes to hit with topspin and with pace, often from both forehand and backhand sides. The best aggressive baseliners (think Andre Agassi) hit with pace and also take the ball early. They prefer to use their groundstrokes to both set-up and finish points.
Expect aggressive baseliners to have solid groundstrokes, but many have limited confidence when brought to the net. In men's tennis the aggressive baseliner will often favor the forehand slightly over the backhand, but these players can control a point from both sides if given the opportunity. In women's tennis, the aggressive baseliner can also control points from both wings, but many females in today's game favor the backhand side. Aggressive baseliners play power tennis so expect a lot of pace and topspin. And they play their best tennis when their opponents respond with pace and topspin of their own. Drive the ball short and you will pay a heavy price. The general rule here is find out what your opponents like then feed them a steady diet of the the things they don't like. So since aggressive baseliners like to hit balls in their strike zone that have pace and a little topspin, mix it up and keep them off balance. Keep the Ball Out of the Strike Zone First and foremost, beating aggressive baseliners means forcing them to hit balls out of their comfort zone. This could mean hitting high-bouncing, heavy topspin shots that force them to hit above their shoulders, or low slice shots that force them to hit shots below their knees. Keep the ball in their strike zone and may earn yourself a quick trip to the showers. Mix Up Your Shots Don't be afraid to mix it up against this kind of opponent. Aggressive baseliners love a consistent pattern of topspin baseline rallies, so mix up your shots and don't allow them to find their rhythm. A good combination would be a three-quarter rally ball, followed by a slow, high topspin shot, followed by a short, angled slice. That's three different types of shots on three consecutive shots. Of course, there is a range of different combinations you can use to give them fits, but giving them different looks is what it's all about. Don't Provide Rhythm
Tennis is all about confidence. Allow these players to get grooved and you'll most certainly be in for a very long day. Your goal is to disrupt their rhythm so they become impatient and start taking ill-advised shots. Alternatively, aggressive baseliners may lose confidence and stop going for their shots, giving you the chance to the aggressor. Aggressive baseliners love long rallys from the baseline, allow them to camp out there and your playing into their power. But many of these players are uncomfortable at the net. In fact, the only time they approach the net is to shake hands when the match is over. So disrupt their rhythm and bring them in whenever possible. Roger Federer uses this tactic as well as anyone – a sharply angled crosscourt slice followed by an aggressive forehand. On the other hand, these players are extremely adept at passing shots from either the forehand or backhand wing so hit a well placed approach shot out of their strike zone (a low slicing shot that brings them in and forces them to hit up or a high topspin shot that pushes them back near the fence) or you're likely to find yourself on the losing side of the point. Wrap-up The best way to beat any opponent is first to assess their strengths and weaknesses, and the "type" of game they like to play, then implement a game plan that gives your opponent all the things he or she doesn't like and you, the best chance to win. As always, we would love to hear from you! Questions, comments, personal experiences all create helpful dialogue for everyone! Please click here to send us your email.
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