Secret to a winning lineup

Kristianne Bontempo | Towpath Tennis Contributor

The Men's 3.0 40+ Team captained by Michael Kramer
reaches the final four at the USTA National Championships
in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

With our summer Men's 3.0 40+ Team & Men's 6.0 55+ Team from Towpath Tennis competing in Nationals this year, we once again applaud their effort for making it among the best of the best in the country. This is the 4th consecutive year Towpath has had teams qualify for the National Championships and we couldn't be prouder. It takes quite a lot of motivation and work to get to the national stage, so it's interesting to take a step back and look at how these teams were able to make it each year. Having strong players is obvious enough, however it's not all about having a few ringers on your team. In fact, you may have the strongest team in the league, but you won't get anywhere if you don't know where to place your teammates. In the past we posted an article on How to create a winning tennis team (check it out). While we still stick to these fundamentals in creating a solid team, we did miss something that is kind of important in making a winning tennis team--that is creating a winning lineup!  So where do you start?

1. Roster Likable Teammates - Hate to admit it, but one sour pickle can spoil a team's fun and success. They don't ALL have to like each other, but your team should genuinely get along not only to avoid a toxic atmosphere amongst the group, but also to make players interchangeable in the lineup so that they become indispensable when its time to pull out the big guns.  
2. Singles Anyone? - If you have a full roster with no singles players, then you might have a problem. However, you'll be surprised at who is actually good at singles when they don't even know it. If you have solid singles players then hurray, good for you! But, if you're like many struggling captains who are trying to fill the spot then first look for willing participants, second look for a hacker/backboard player, and third look for somebody with solid ground strokes. Sometimes players might be intimidated to see a young, hard hitter on the opposing side of the court, but truth is younger, harder hitters tend to make more errors and are generally impatient. If you don't think you can find a singles player that will knock their opponent out, then look for someone that will tire their opponent out. Trust me, it works!

   

   The Men's 55 & Over 6.0 Men will compete this weekend at 

   the USTA National Championship in Orlando, FL.

3. CHEMISTRY - For doubles, I'm a true believer that on court chemistry among partners is everything to a team's success. Chemistry is not just about being nice and encouraging to each other, it's about moving well together, speaking the same language (I get you), having the same goal and making each other laugh. Sometimes what looks good on paper may not translate well on court so that's why it's important to practice and switch teams around until you find one that absolutely gels. 
4. The Lineup - Typically, you want to place your strongest doubles team at 1st doubles and then place the rest subsequently after. Makes sense right? Well, if you're able to fine tune your team enough to predict the result (this team has been undefeated, this team has a strong serve/net game, this team can run anything down), then you will have a better idea of where to place your players. 
1. Second Court - The reason I bring 2nd court up first is that many of the most successful lineups include playing your most solid and valuable singles/doubles team in 2nd position--they're dependable for a win 9/10 matches (in theory). 
2. First Court - The most 'intimidating/fearless/powerful' singles/doubles team play well on 1st court for several obvious reasons. They might not always get the win, but they'll have a higher probability to come out on top or at least put up a damn good fight.
3. Third Court - Let me make something clear, being placed on third doesn't necessarily mean it's the 'forgotten/toss up' court. It's just as crucial to get this right since many a time it's the 3rd court team pulling off a win for the match. The difference is you're allowed a bit more freedom when deciding who to play on 3rd. Third court is a great position to play a stronger/weaker player combo, experiment a potential partnership if you're not able to in a practice, or play those backboard/hackers that will make your opponents want to scream in frustration. 
   
5. To Stack or Not To Stack? - Here's the deal, I'm not a fan. I understand if you may want to play around with teams in different positions, or even if you place a team with a lower rating in a higher position because you truly feel they are the stronger partnership. BUT, if you play your 1st singles/doubles team that has remained at 1st singles/doubles all season long, only to now play 3rd court against a particular team, then you're not playing a fair game, which isn't great sportsmanship. Play a fair game, and you will be rewarded. 

There you have it! This will certainly not give you overnight success, but with continual practice and a little luck you'll find that your team will be the one to be reckoned with.

How to create a winning tennis team

Kristianne Bontempo | Towpath Tennis Employee

It's been a few weeks since our last post, but all for good reason. With a busy fall USTA season winding down as well as one of our own, Natalie Aleman, recently getting married, we want to take a moment to congratulate our 6.0 Mixed 40 & Over tennis team, who just returned from a valiant effort at this past weekend's USTA National Championships in Surprise, AZ! We applaud each and every member on this team because we know it's not easy to get to the National stage given all the blood, sweat and tears involved in the road to victory (even if those tears were from laughter), it's still a huge feat. This isn't the first time a Towpath team has made it to Nationals and hopefully not the last, so we were inspired to share with you our recipe to creating a winning tennis team.

The Towpath 40+ Mixed 6.0 team with (back row) Tom and Amy Haught, Angie Remen, 
Bill Fox, Kip Kuebler, Susan O'Connell, Adam and Cathy Stopka, (front row) Tracy 
Campbell, Ron Novak and captain Michelle Fox. 

1.  Be committed - The first step to victory is simply committing to your team. You might not realize it but a winning team is formed at the start of each season. When you have reliable teammates who show up whenever the lineup dictates, then you're already ahead of the game. What's also great about readily available teammates is you don't need a lot of them, which means you can strengthen partnerships and experiment with winning lineups. Lastly, commit to believing you will make it to post-season. Don't waste your efforts during the season only to be short players when the team is truly put to the test.
2. Have a common goal - What do you want to accomplish with this team? Was this team created with playoffs in mind? Are you just getting some quality playtime in? Or do you just want to have fun with your buddies? Get your team on the same page from the beginning and communicate with them along the way. Who knows a team that you created just for fun may find themselves on the path to playoffs, so goals may change. But just because your goals change doesn't mean your strategy should change. If 'playing for fun' is working for you, then by all means stick with it!
3. Play fair - It's tempting to always play your favorite lineup, but to avoid disgruntled teammates it's best to share playtime among the entire team. This is the time when you need to trust your teammates to do their best and not get disgruntled with them. It's a lot more fun to win as a team than to win thanks to a few token players.
4. Build camaraderie - Team practices, post-match get-togethers, carpooling to matches, team dinners-these are all perfect opportunities to bond with your teammates. You don't all have to be the best of friends, but the support and confidence some teammates have for one another is uncanny. Plus, there's nothing better than winning with people you care about! 
5. Have fun, have fun, have fun! - Is that sinking in yet? The pressure to win can take its toll on team morale, which could easily dismantle all your hard-playing work. Getting to playoffs and beyond is a thrill when teammates aren't bickering about losses or bad-mouthing the captain's lineup choice. Stay positive (even if you have to fake it) and celebrate each success, however big or small. If you've made it this far we know you're competitive and here to win, but it's most important to enjoy yourselves along the way!

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