Key takeaways
- You beat a pusher by changing shot selection, not swing speed. Stop trying to hit them off the court.
- Pushers win by farming three free errors: overhitting deep floaters, netting low slices, and mishandling high loops.
- Build points inside a planned 3 ball sequence: heavy depth, move them wide, then attack the gap.
- Track your match errors by ball type instead of relying on memory to pick which drill to practice next.
- In doubles, take the deep floater out of the air to force the pusher into strained passes or defensive lobs.
You beat a pusher by changing your shot selection, not your swing speed. Stop trying to hit them off the court and treat each ball type as a decision: attack the short slice, reset the deep floater, take the high loop early. The three errors costing you matches are overhitting floaters, lifting short slices, and waiting too long on loops.
For the full list of pusher tactics, read our complete guide to beating a pusher. This post goes deeper on shot selection, footwork and drills.
What exactly is a pusher and why do they beat higher ranked players?
The pusher's actual win condition
A pusher rarely tries to win a point outright. They return everything, often with slice or looped topspin, and wait for you to make the fourth or fifth error of the rally. Their win condition is your unforced error count, not their winner count. The rules have no shot quality requirement to win a point, only that the ball lands in. That is exactly the gap they exploit.
Why out hitting them fails at UTR 3 to 8
Hitting harder raises your own error rate before it raises theirs. At UTR 3 to 8, your margin against a ball arriving slow, low, or loopy is thin, so extra pace mostly produces long balls and netted drives.
The fix is shot selection and patience, not swing speed. Accept that you will not hit through them. Instead, pick targets that force them to hit a ball they cannot simply push back.
Which of your own shots is the pusher actually attacking?
A pusher does not beat you with their shots. They beat you by waiting for the three errors you give them for free.
Error 1: overhitting the deep floater
A floater sits mid court with no pace, and it dares you to unload. Most players at UTR 3 to 8 try to hit through it and send it three feet long. Take the floater at the top of the bounce and hit a deep, heavy ball to a corner. Save the put away for the genuinely short one.
Error 2: netting the short slice
Low slices pull you down and forward, and the instinct is to lift hard. That is how balls die in the net. Bend your knees, get the racquet under the ball, and return it deep with the same loft you would give a moonball.
Error 3: mishandling the high loop
High loops to your shoulder height force late contact, and late contact means weak replies the pusher eats for breakfast. Move your feet so contact happens at chest height, or back up and let it drop into your strike zone.
Track which of these three shows up most in your match debrief. That is the one to drill first.
What shot should you hit against a deep floater versus a short slice?
Pushers win by feeding you balls that sit in awkward zones. Your shot choice should be decided by where the ball lands and how high it bounces, not by how you feel about the rally.
Deep floater: take it early or move it wide
A deep floater that lands near the baseline gives you two safe options. Step in and take it at waist height before it jumps past your comfort zone, or roll it deep to the corner and reset. Do not try to flatten it for a winner from behind the baseline. That is the error the pusher is farming.
Short slice: approach or drop, not a winner
A short slice below knee height is an invitation to move forward. Hit a deep approach to the weaker side and close on the volley, or play a drop shot to drag them out of their shell. Swinging for a winner off a low skidding ball is where most unforced errors against pushers come from.
High loop: neutral reset, not a hero ball
A shoulder high loop feels attackable but punishes impatience. Take a neutral reset deep down the middle and wait for the shorter ball. Most players overhit the higher, slower balls far more than the low ones.
| Ball you get | Best shot | Target | Patience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep floater | Early strike or deep roll | Wide corner or deep middle | 2 to 3 balls |
| Short slice | Approach or drop | Deep to weaker side | Act now |
| High loop | Neutral reset | Deep middle | Wait for the short ball |
What footwork handles low slices and high loops?
Pushers win with two ball heights: the skidding low slice and the loopy moonball. Each needs opposite footwork, and mixing them up is why your backhand breaks down in the second set.
Low slice footwork: bend the knees, lift the racquet
A slice stays below your knees, so your legs must drop, not your racquet face. Take a wide stance, bend both knees, and get your back knee near the ground on one handed backhands. Keep the racquet head above your wrist and swing slightly downhill through contact. If you reach with your arm instead of moving your feet, you will scoop the ball long.
High loop footwork: let it drop into your zone
Against a loop, the mistake is hitting it at shoulder height on the rise. Step back and let the ball fall into your contact zone at waist level, then hit a normal drive. Time your split step as they swing, not when the ball bounces, because loops take longer to arrive. Waiting half a second longer turns a defensive poke into an attacking shot.
How do you stay patient without falling into their rally count game?
Patience against a pusher is not hitting 20 neutral balls and hoping they crack first. It is building every point inside a planned 3 to 4 shot pattern, so you are building points, not surviving them.
The 3 ball point plan
- Ball one: a deep, heavy shot to their weaker wing, even if it lands mid court.
- Ball two: move them, wide or behind them, to open space.
- Ball three: attack the gap, usually behind a short reply.
If the pusher resets the pattern, start it again rather than forcing ball four. You are not out rallying them. You are running the same three shot sequence until it produces a short ball worth finishing.
Rules that stop the tilt error
Tilt against a pusher is usually one decision repeated: going for more when the score tightens. Set two hard rules before the match:
- No shot selection changes before 3-3 in a set. The pattern only speeds up on a short ball.
- After any unforced error, the next two balls are neutral depth and height. No exceptions.
Then check whether you actually followed the rules. Reviewing five tilted points after a loss is cheaper than a lesson spent relearning the same mistake.
Which drills simulate pusher style opponents?
Floater drill: early contact on the rise
Have a partner feed mid court floaters at moderate pace. Your job is to move in and hit every ball on the rise, before it drops to knee height. Success: 8 out of 10 contacted above waist height with your weight moving forward, not standing still.
Slice drill: low to high consistency ladder
Your partner feeds low skidding slices to your backhand and forehand alternately. Work a ladder: 5 crosscourt, then 5 down the line, resetting to zero on any net error. Success: complete the ladder twice without a reset, finishing each ball above net height.
Loop drill: patience rally with a target count
Rally high loops with a partner and commit to a count: you cannot attack before ball 6. This trains the exact patience pushers exploit. Success: you reach the count without forcing an early error in 7 of 10 rallies.
Match simulation: the no winner game
Play first to 11 points where winners count as zero and only opponent errors score. This feels wrong at first, because every instinct says end the point. That discomfort is the point. It rehearses the exact decision you face against a pusher, when your forehand is begging to be hit hard down the line and the score says stay in the rally.
Track two numbers across the game: how many times you hit into the net (rushing) and how many balls you left short in the middle (too passive). Because winners score nothing, you learn to build pressure with depth and height instead of pace.
If net errors outnumber short balls, your problem is patience. If short balls dominate, you are hitting safe but spineless, and the fix is height and depth, not pace. Run this game weekly and the counts tell you which drill needs the next session.
How should your tactics change between singles and doubles against a pusher?
Singles vs doubles pressure points
In singles, the pusher only has to cover half the court and can retrieve everything. In doubles, their safe crosscourt loop lands into your net partner, and their low slice sits up for a poach. A pusher's whole system depends on never having to make a decision under pressure. Two players at the net force decisions constantly, which is why pushers are weaker in doubles.
When to come in behind the floater
Take the deep floater out of the air and follow it to the net. The pusher's reply is usually a defensive lob or a strained pass, and your partner covers the poach lane. If you can get one player to the net against a pusher, the match usually turns.
A coach would walk you through this kind of match debrief at $60 to $150 a session. Ace does it for $9/month.
How do you know if the plan is working in your next match?
Track errors by ball type, not by feeling
"My backhand broke down" is not a stat. Count errors against the pusher by ball type: low slice, high loop, deep floater. If eight of your ten errors come off low slices, the fix is footwork and lift, not a new forehand. One match of honest counting beats a month of guessing.
What a stat team catches that memory misses
Memory lies after a tight third set. A stat team in your pocket, like Ace Tennis Coach, logs your match results and stats so your debrief is built on numbers, not memory. Video tools like SwingVision add footage if you film matches, but most pusher matches happen unrecorded, which is where logging the match yourself earns its keep.
The limit is honest: no app sees your footwork on a low slice the way a coach does. Use the stats to find the pattern, then use a drill to fix it. Before your next match, tell Match Mode about the pusher you're facing and get a plan for that player.
FAQ
How do you beat a pusher in tennis?
Change your shot selection, not your swing speed. Attack genuinely short balls, reset deep floaters with heavy depth, and take high loops at waist height by stepping back. Most losses come from three free errors: overhitting floaters, netting low slices, and poking at shoulder high loops. Count your errors by ball type after the match and drill the worst one first.
Why do I keep losing to pushers even though I hit harder?
Extra pace raises your error rate before it raises theirs. At UTR 3 to 8, your margin against slow, low, or loopy balls is thin, so swinging harder mostly produces long balls and netted drives. The pusher's win condition is your unforced error count, not their winner count. Pick targets that force them to hit a ball they cannot simply push back.
What is the best shot against a pusher's slice?
Do not try to lift a winner off a low skidding ball. That is where most net errors come from. Bend both knees, get the racquet head under the ball, and return it deep with normal loft. If the slice is genuinely short, hit a deep approach to the weaker side and close on the volley, or play a drop shot to drag them out of their shell.
How do you stay patient against a pusher without getting frustrated?
Build every point inside a planned three ball sequence: heavy depth to the weaker wing, then move them, then attack the gap. If they reset, start the sequence again. Set two rules before the match: no pattern changes before 3-3 in a set, and two neutral balls after any unforced error. Then check whether you actually followed them.
Do pushers work in doubles?
Poorly. Their system depends on never making a decision under pressure, and two players at the net force decisions constantly. Their safe crosscourt loop lands into your net partner, and their low slice sits up for a poach. Take the floater out of the air and follow it in. The pusher's reply is usually a strained pass or defensive lob.