I have coached many athletes over the years and have been lucky to have been involved in several upsets. My athlete was given no chance but because we had prepared properly, the upset occurred. Here are 5 ingredients for upsets.
1. You must practice a unique shot selection in many cases. My first upset was me laying it on an unsuspecting opponent. Here is how I did it. First I realized I could not slug up front with this opponent so I allowed myself one shot and then I hit a defensive shot if I was lucky enough to get another chance in that rally. I also stationed a practice partner in the first row who called serves for me if I needed them. In preparation for the big match I had my practice partner try to distract me during rallies by yelling at me or stamping their feet. All of these things helped me prepare mentally as well as physically for the upcoming battle which I won.
2. Next upset happened at junior nationals when my junior athlete finally defeated a kid who had his number for three years! Extra hard training was the key. I screamed “Real Runner” from the top of the court and his opponent had no idea what that meant. The Real Runner was a machine that universal made and we used that thing and hated it. It was a sprint against resistance and it hurt! Mentally and physically it gave the edge.
3. Another upset comes to mind with my college level player defeating a top woman on the pro tour in the old tournament of the Americas which is now called the Pan Ams. On the day off while others were out shopping we went through shot selection and patience. It paid off! Down went the number one seed!
4. Another one I remember was a poor kid, who thought she was playing doubles only to find out she was pushed into playing singles due to injury. This kid was so nervous I gave them something to think about. We came up with a goofy facial expression that was pretty funny. We both used it and it helped take the athlete’s mind off the pressure. Again, another winner!
5. Another huge win for me was a few years ago when I had a doubles team pull off a huge upset. I woke up in the middle of the night two weeks before the tournament with a vision and a game plan. We employed it (statute of limitations; sorry cannot divulge it) and it worked!
1-5 would not have been possible if the athletes had not prepared properly. To pull the upset you must have the skills to make the shots. You must believe in yourself, and you must play fearless.
Mix all of those things together and you have the ingredients for the upset victory!