There are several definitions of a “pusher”. Even encyclopedias attempt to describe a pusher. No matter who you talk to, you will see there are many theories on what exactly a pusher is.
Topspin Sports defines a pusher as: A player who is extremely skilled at keeping the ball into play regardless of the situation
The important thing to note is that there is no mention of skill level in our definition of a pusher. There are pushers at every level of tennis (yes, even pushers on the pro tour too). This article will help you understand why the pusher should be respected and even why people continue to lose to pushers time after time. The typical pusher, who has found it a goal to destroy you from the inside out, has certain characteristics about his style, mental toughness, and physicality that puts him among the elite.
They are smarter players
· Pushers understand that you will hit more errors than winners. Unless you are on tour (or getting there), chances are in a typical match you will hit more balls out than winners. Even if you are a “pusher” you will hit more balls out than you will hit winner. This is one of the most important things to remember about the average tennis player!
· Pushers will always put the ball right to your weakness. There is no need to hit the ball hard to a weakness. That is making things to risky. If you get a ball to a weakness all the time, you will force several more errors out of your opponent. The goal of hitting to your opponents weakness is to force him to make an error, right!
· Pushers in times of trouble will simply get the ball back into the court. It’s easy, if you are in trouble just put the ball back into play. You are in trouble anyway, why sit back and hope for an error!
They are faster player
· Generally, a pusher will hunt down anything you hit at them. They are good at running down balls; if they weren’t good at it, you could just hit winners!
They are content with their style of play
· Pushers tend to use slice more often than the average player. This enables them to hit safer shots in times of need
· Pushers love when you get down on yourself. The typically pusher will get more excited each time you yell, curse, or throw a racquet. As terrible as it sounds, every time you lose your head in a match, another pusher is born!
They win
· Most pushers have a winning mind frame. When it comes down to it, any pusher wants to win. They care little for how they look on the court, how fancy they get, or how much they improve their strokes during a match; a pusher simple wants to win.
Every competitive player at one time or another has lost to the infamous pusher. It is important that players understand what pushers are good at and how they beat players time after time. Hopefully, after reading this article you can come one step closer to respecting the way a pusher plays. Maybe next time you play the pusher, you will not get so down on yourself. Just because you look better than the pusher, that doesn’t mean you are!
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