Warm Up Analysis
What can you do in the first five minutes to better understand your opponent? Discover practical tools that you can use every time to assess the player on the other side of the net and help you win more.
Coach: Beverly Bowes, Former WTA top 50. Five-time all-American.
Bio: Earned top WTA 50 world ranking. Five-time All-American at the University of Texas (UT). Inducted into the UT Women’s Hall of Honor in 2000. Division I NCAA Head Coach at SMU, Assistant Coach at UT, and a USTA National Junior Development Coach.
Birthplace: USA
Residence: USA
Length: 1 min 43 sec
Theme: Strategy
0:01
A couple of things that I'm looking for in the first five minutes when I go out to play somebody.
0:07
The first thing is when I do the coin toss or the racquet flip, do they serve first? Because they serve really good. Did they return first? Because they think that their return is really good.
0:20
When I hit down the middle, do they take a forehand? Or do they take a backhand? Are they slow getting to balls? Is the opponent going to run for balls that are a little bit away?
0:34
Did they volley well? Do they have good form? Is that look like something that's going to finish the point? Are they going to have really great footwork? Are they going to play short? First Strike points? meaning they're going to hit one ball and train and the point?
0:52
Are they someone who likes to have the point go longer? And if the point goes longer, they get better as they go? Is their overhead something that I would want to definitely hit them some more? Or is their overhead really, really strong? If you hit high and loopy balls, are they going to move back from and get in position? Are they going to hit him on the rise and be a little bit lazier?
1:17
So you're gonna look at different things that can really help you sort of get a feel, do you want to play a style of game that straight off the bat is just how you play hitting your shots or you going to come up with another plan. These are the things that you're thinking of so that you can figure out what kind of style of play you want to play against them.
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