2 Modified Scoring Drills for Mental Toughness

By Kyle Mollison, USPTA

Being able to properly manage momentum and play the score is a great way to always make sure that you have the upper hand on your opponent. However, this is hard to practice in a drill format. One of the best ways to practice this skill is to set up modified scoring situations that replicate these scenarios.

Screws Scoring

I often tell my clients that you need to keep the screws on your opponent; what I mean by this is that you need to keep the pressure on them to draw unforced errors from them. A great way to practice keeping the screws on your opponent is to play a practice set with this modified scoring:

The first game is played regularly. If the player that won the first game wins the first point of the following game, that player is up 40-love. If the player that lost the first game wins the first point of the following game that game is played with regular scoring. Play an 8-game pro-set using this format.

By using this format an emphasis is placed on getting ahead and then keeping that lead, by doing so, your opponent constantly has pressure on them, making them liable to crack eventually.

Digging Out Of A Hole Scoring

Many players will often find themselves in a hole, it’s simply a fact of the sport. The truly great players know how to dig themselves out of those holes. Follow this simple modified scoring method to practice doing just that:

The serving player ALWAYS starts down Love-30. Play regular scoring from there. Play an 8-game pro set.

This simple modification forces the serving player to play smart and focus on managing errors as well as managing a roadblock in momentum to hold their serve.