That's the point.

As we discussed in an earlier post, our HP program utilizes a concept best descr

ibed as " Read the Hurt!" The origin of this is a popular tactical analysis that there are three stages to every point. Those stages are, BUILD, HURT, and FINISH. Let's take a look at all three.

To BUILD the point is exactly that. A top player constructs the point. Through patterns of play, opportunistic response, and good game plans - the intelligent player will probe and explore, test and challenge, and manipulate his opponent. Clever placement and advance planning will allow him to move his opponent around and create space and opportunity that he can then attack.

This attack is where the HURT comes in. Though the term implies pain, it may not always come in the form of brute force, or pace. A well timed and disguised drop shot or direction change may HURT a player just as much as a blistering passing shot or a heavy deep ball. The key is to get a player off balance, out of position, rushing for time, and scrambling outside of his game plan. Our concept and rally cry of "Read the Hurt!" is simply to recognize that you have accomplished this, and take advantage of the situation both with position, and shot selection.

The final stage, to capitalize on the HURT opponent and complete the task, is to FINISH the point. This may sometimes come in the form of a winner off the baseline, an overhead into open court, or a stick volley on an acute angle. But it just as easily might be a soft placement in the middle of the court after the shot that HURT the opponent moved them so far off court that they simply cannot recover in time. The FINISH is not necessarily powerful or glamorous, it simply FINISHES the attack process by capitalizing on the compromised HURT player and definitively ending the point.

If you observe a lot of competitive tennis, it becomes pretty clear which players are aware of these stages, and use them regularly. It also is clear when a player executes one or two of them, but not the third. We often see a player execute the HURT stage with brutal efficiency, only to fail to FINISH, and allow the HURT player back into the point. Conversely, it is not uncommon to see players go for the HURT too early, bypassing the BUILD stage, which often ends in an unforced error. Coaches commonly address this as "going for too much, too early".

So as you go about playing each point, be aware of and utilize the stages of the point. Take time to BUILD your points, always looking for an opportunity to HURT your opponent (tactically, not literally!).When you do HURT them, be clinical and calculating and FINISH the point swiftly and efficiently. I think you get the point.