Let’s start by briefly looking at what can affect shot selection at club or recreational level. It’s not an exhaustive list, but enough to get us started. I’ll add a brief note by each factor. It’s important to note that the list is not in any particular order. After that I’ll explore some basic principles. Your Strengths and Weakness – What you are good at and bad at ON THE DAY ON THE MATCH.Your Opponent’s Strengths and Weakness – What your opponents are good at and bad at ON THE DAY ON THE MATCH.Fitness Level – Both you and your opponent, at the moment of the shot.Court Situation – Is it a hot or cold court? Does it have a high or low ceiling? Is it a fast or slow court?Score – is it 1-1 all in the first game or 9-9 all in the fifth game?Players’ Position – Where are you and where is your opponent when you play the ball?Ball’s Position and Vector – Where is it, how fast is it moving and in what direction?Your Style – Almost the same as strengths and weaknesses, but not quite.Match Situation – Is this an important match or just training?Gameplan – What are your strategic goals and tactical actions? Fitness Level It’s not the most important factor, but at club level it is very important. I’ve seen players making terrible decisions on court, and they get much fitter and suddenly they are making much better choices. Nothing has changed about their game, they were just able to wait a little longer in each rally before attacking. When you lack fitness, you often go for attacking shots because you just want to end the rally. You hope that you’ll win the point, but often you don’t. Getting fitter can help you wait for the right opportunity in a rally. Your Strengths And Weaknesses I’m going to use myself as an embarrassing…
Shot selection is an “art”, not a “science”. Put simply: shot selection is what shot you choose to play. There are many factors that must be considered when selecting shots and the “art” part comes from deciding which factors are important. All in a split-second!