There are many different types of Tennis player and it’s hard to know which category you really fit into. So we asked coaches at the IMG Academy and the LTA to see if they could breakdown some of the key different playing styles. They came up with three…

Aggressive Baseliner

The name tells you a lot about what you need to know about this style of play. This is for the players who like to hit big and to hit winners. If you play this style, you’ll be searching for every opportunity to hit a winner but ultimately will be looking to get inside the base line and finish the point. Aggressive base liners can be some of the most entertaining to watch but the risk is always high and so they are most prone to making mistakes.

Counter Puncher

The counter puncher is the precise opposite of the aggressive baseliner. The counter puncher focuses more on consistency, they have less of a desire to come forward and instead they allow their opponent to make the move. The reality is that, going all out attack, often can actually leave you exposed. For example, when you come to the net, you may have a dominant court position but now your opponent has a greater chance of hitting a winner off the next ball. A strong counter puncher relies on this, they let their opponents tire themselves out hitting big and just make sure they get the ball back competitively, then the opponent makes the mistake or the counter puncher seizes the opportunity when the opponent is out of position.

All Rounder

Finally, you have those that are a little bit more unpredictable. Unpredictable in the sense that they can do a little bit of everything. Perhaps, adaptable is a better way to put it. The all rounder doesn’t have a particular style they subscribe too, but rather they play the opponent. If they need to attack, they can do that, if they need to defend they can do that too. There is an argument to say all players should do this but ultimately, it is quite a skill to be a master of both traits and so often an all rounder may be good at both but a master of none.

Benefits of knowing

So why is this important? Well, it’s important to know when choosing your racket. There is still a lot of variations with in each of these three categories as to what racket you would choose but it can help you maximize your potential in that style. Another factor is trying to decide what player you are and what player you want to be because as soon as you can start to understand who you are, you can work on what you need to do to perfect it, or at least improve it. Further more, once you recognize your opponent’s style, you can start to prepare for it. So, it may be something that you’re not thinking about that perhaps you should, in order to take you to the next level.