Welcome to the United States Handball Association

How To Improve Your Game

Apply Pressure To Win - Be A Dreaded Opponent

by Terry Muck

Players dread playing certain other players. He really takes it out of me, is how that dread is usually expressed. Perhaps you have noticed how some matches against certain players tire you much more than matches against other players, no matter the score, win or lose. Well, forget winning or losing for a moment. Against some opponents, you come out of the court gassed. Against others, you come out relatively fresh. Pressure applied makes the difference some players apply it, others don't.

Pressure can come in two forms, physical and mental. You can apply physical pressure by the types of shots you hit, where you place your shots, and your level of physical conditioning. You can apply mental pressure through your undivided attention and concentration, your confidence in your ability, and the tempo you establish during the course of the match. Applying pressure makes your opponent work as hard as possible on each and every point. The more pressure you apply, the better chance you have of winning, especially those long, close matches where fatigue plays a major role in the outcome. There are numerous ways to apply pressure on your opponent. Try to master the ones that work best for you and your style of play.

Shotmaking: Very few of us have the complete repertoire of shots that the great players possess. However, we all have our own pet shots that we can control effectively to score points when we get the opportunity. The trouble most players run into is not using their good shots often enough during a game. Instead of hitting shots they have mastered, they attempt shots beyond their level of competence.

For example, it takes a great deal of power, precision and practice to kill the ball from deep court with a high percentage of success. Yet many players who have not developed the skills necessary, shoot ball after ball into the floor from deep court. Instead of applying pressure to their opponent, they heap it on themselves by ruining their confidence while building their opponent's. The solution to this common problem is to practice a wide variety of shots, then use them intelligently during the course of a game. Determine which shots score points for you and which shots consistently cost you points. This is a simple matter of determining your percentage of success with the shots in your repertoire. Don't make life easy for your opponent by attempting low percentage shots.

Maneuvering: A good rule of thumb in shot selection is to select the shot that makes your opponent move the longest distance to make his return. Your shot may not end the rally, but in the long run you will gain more points than by attempting shots that will allow your opponent to get set before he hits. "Hit 'em where they ain't", was the most common instructional advice in the early days, and it certainly still applies. Driving pass shots to the opposite side of the court of your opponent's floor position will really take a toll, much like body punches in the boxing arena.

Every club or YMCA has an older player who gives the younger players fits. Not because he hits the ball hard or hits the bottom board with consistency, but because he maneuvers the young bucks all over the court. Meanwhile, the older player never seems to leave center court, cutting off shots and placing them down the side walls so they end up in the rear corners. His younger opponents come out of the court gasping for breath, while he barely breaks a sweat. This older player has mastered the art of maneuvering his opponent.

Outlasting: Stamina wins handball games and the important matches. Anyone who has ever played the game knows this. Running your opponent out of gas is the greatest of all pressures. If you can fatigue your opponent, you should be in good enough shape to take advantage. Keep the ball in play to avoid giving your opponent any cheap points and accompanying rest periods. Try to maneuver him around the court, making him travel long distances for every return. Watch for signs of fatigue in his game and, most importantly, get yourself in shape to take advantage of your opponent's fatigue.

These types of physical pressure are essential to being a consistent winner of handball games. But mental pressure can spell the difference between two evenly matched players. Under mental pressure we include the intangibles, such as concentration, confidence, and the ability to change the tempo of the game. You can also apply pressure through gamesmanship or psyching, but this is such a controversial and wide-ranging topic we will do no more than mention it here. Some players can have you so irritated before you walk on the court that you can't play up to, or even close to, your potential. These guys don't usually make for best friends, though.

Concentration: This is everyone's instructional cliche, no matter what the game is. Everyone talks about it. Few practice it. No one can teach it. Concentration is many things to many people, including the will to win, desire, energy, single-mindedness, etc. Concentration is also hard work, so you must be in good physical condition in order to practice it. You must want to win badly enough to expend the energy to concentrate on your goal, so desire is also an essential ingredient. All outside thoughts must be blocked from your mind once you walk through the door of the court. Think of nothing else but the match you are playing...How you can win the match...And, how you can score your next point. Concentration means total devotion to your game plan and playing good handball nothing else. As an example of how you can improve your concentration skills, how hard do you concentrate on placing your ceiling shots into the rear corners? We all have the ability to concentrate when attempting to kill a setup. Our eyes bulge out of their sockets, we visualize the kill, and we flatten it. But all too often, when we're forced to use our defensive strokes, especially the overhand, we lazily send the ball back up with no intent of placing it in the 'coffin' corner. Yet, it would be a sure bet that you'd score more points with well-placed ceiling shots than you would by killing setups over the course of a game.

Tempo: You can apply pressure on your opponent by speeding up or decreasing the tempo of the play, whatever is more to your liking and not to his. If he seems very comfortable playing at a slow pace, speed up the tempo. If he seems comfortable playing a fast tempo, slow the pace. If you are the one controlling the tempo of the game, you will feel comfortable whether it's fast or slow. Hopefully, your opponent will begin to feel manipulated, which is exactly what is happening. When you can play at a tempo that is uncomfortable for your opponent, he will certainly feel the pressure mount Taking the ball out of the air, either fly killing or fly passing, and maintaining your position in the front court will increase the tempo of the play. It takes a lot of quick side-to-side movement and great anticipation to cut off your opponent's returns in the front court, so you'll have to be in good condition to maintain a fast tempo.Only the best-placed pass shots and ceiling shots will force you to retreat to deep court and allow your opponent a breather. When you use this tactic well, the points can add up in a hurry while your opponent is huffing and puffing. Control players invariably try to establish a slower pace with accurate placement of their ceiling shots and passing shots. Keeping the play in deep court will force your opponent into errors when he loses patience and tries to force a shot. Again, a setup for you at the end of each long and grueling rally is the likely outcome if you're controlling the tempo.

All good players learn to play both fast and slow tempos, but all prefer one or the other when they are in control. In developing your game, experiment with speeding up the pace and slowing it down for an invaluable edge when it comes to tournament play against a wide variety of playing styles.

Confidence: Your opponent can tell when you have confidence in your game, and your confidence can plant seeds of doubt in his mind. Openly display your confidence, not through outright cockiness but in the subtle ways available to you. Look like a champ when you step on the court, with your head high and good equipment. Don't express anger at your missed shots or any calls that might go against you during the course of a game. Let your opponent know that you can win in spite of any bad breaks. Remember, your opponent will build confidence on your lack of confidence. Don't do anything that will indicate your confidence is cracking. If you miss a good percentage shot, don't rant and rave. Just make sure you make the next similar opportunity. Everyone will be convinced that it must have been a fluke that you missed the previous attempt. Of course, you can also build your confidence on every shot in your repertoire by practicing in the court alone. And, may all your opponents dread playing you!