Whether you play tennis for fun or professionally, you will surely want to improve your game. Constantly looking for new ways to learn, sharpen, and polish your skills will be beneficial in the long run. Thankfully, there are many ways you can improve your tennis game. Here are a few suggestions which you can give a try!
1. Find a Pattern
When it comes to improving your tennis game, you can first start by finding a comfortable and strong game pattern. Amateur players tend to be frantic, scattered, and take on all the shots they can. When you are in a match, especially if it is a professional one, do not try to get creative. Stick to the shots which you think will work and you are sure you can hit. Select your strongest shots and go for them with confidence. Find a good and strong pattern that suits your game style and stick to it throughout the match.
2. Keep Moving
You can not be ready for the opponent to volley the ball back to you if you are standing still. The opponent will know exactly where to set the ball down since you are not ready. Being ready means to keep your racquet back, keep your feet moving, and your eyes on the ball. Work on your footwork. You want to be quick to move without falling over yourself. As you practice, do foot exercises that will help you balance more on the toes and still move. Standing still is hesitation, a lengthier amount of time before you move toward the ball.
3. Practice The Follow-Through
No matter the sport you participate in, following through is an important aspect. It assists with the speed and the direction. If that means you appear to be exaggerating the hit, so be it. Follow all the way through and keep moving your feet.
4. Do Not Allow a Double Bounce
Every coach in the sport will tell you to chase down the ball before it bounces twice, even if you do not think you can reach it. You must try it. Some of the World’s greatest players were taught to chase down the ball. What stops most players at this point is that they do not think that they can reach the ball in time. This automatically slows the run down, and the player with this hesitation will ultimately miss. Do not think about what you are after, just run and hit.
5. Be Ready
Another mistake that many players make is to hit and then congratulate themselves on a great hit. This is not the time for that. Your confidence and ego should already be in play. What is important once you hit that ball is to be ready for the next hit. Many coaches will call this the “Hit and Recover.” They are saying to get back into position and be prepared for the opponent to make their hit.
6. Serve Properly
Mastering the serve shot can be a difficult task for many players. Hitting the ball as hard as you can is not the best technique. Practice, practice, and more practice. You want to focus on your accuracy rather than the force you use to serve.
7. Pinpoint Your Shots
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? When we think we are making a great shot, but the ball goes out of the line. This is quite painful as this happens out of recklessness and miscalculation. To stop giving your opponent easy points, you should try to pinpoint your shots in certain areas of the court. This technique will only improve the more you practice.
Make sure you always hit with precision. Pick a target or sight where you want your shots to land without the risk of having it go outside the lines. The better you are at selecting where the ball will land, the better your game will be.
8. Focus and Keep Your Head Still
If you are watching the ball you just hit, you are not ready for the play coming back at you. Keep your head still. You need to follow the ball to the racquet and then follow through your swing.
9. Proper Positioning
The proper positioning to hit the ball will make a huge difference. Keep your back leg and your weight behind the ball. This is easier to make a transfer of weight and a more consistent shot.
10. Pick the Right Grip
How you hold your racket will determine your shot. All coaches will recommend and have you practice using the continental grip as a beginner. If you are going for a groundstroke, the semi-western grip is the hold you want to practice using.
11. Practice Makes Perfect
All the practice you put in is what leads you to matches with competitive players. The more you practice, the better you will become. That ultimately means you should be looking for more experienced players to have a match against. You can practice for hours each day, but your practice time is pointless if there is no challenge across the court. It is time to move up your playing skills and play against better players, making you a better player. Another great benefit of playing with skilled players is that you get to learn not only the game techniques, but the rules of the game as well.
12. Eat Right
Another aspect to consider is your diet. You want to be healthy to play a healthy game. If you are weighed down with fattening treats or fried food, you will not be as light on your feet as you could be. Concentrate on being healthy, all-around healthy. Your mental and emotional status plays a big part in all that you do. Clean eating, meaning eating whole foods without the fat and other harmful ingredients, will help you become lighter on your feet and stay mentally focused.
How to Get the Most Out of Coaching?
You are all for the practice times, the hard work, the lessons, it is all an excellent plan. Then you find that you cannot get along with the coach that is there. First off, you can not gain any knowledge of the game if you do not have a coach that has the knowledge, him or herself. Be sure they have the capabilities you need.
You also want a coach who will talk to you. Not just lecture you about how you did this wrong, that hit was wrong, you did not follow through. A coach encourages, teaches, and listens. If you feel that you are having issues that the coach is not addressing, speak up. You will not learn if you do not understand.
It is no different if the coach gives you tips on preparing yourself and you remain standing still. That makes the coach’s task even more difficult when you do not listen and take their advice.
The tips and lessons you receive from practice and the coaching staff are the fundamentals of the sport. How you put them all into action is how your game will play out. It will not make a difference if you are told one hundred times how to do a certain grip, if you do not put that grip into play, you are losing out on valuable fundamentals.
You need to be willing to do much of the lessons, the tips, and the practice on your own. The coach does not have to be with you each day. He may not be there every single week. You will be! You will need to do the footwork exercises, practice shots, the serve tosses, and the different grips. All of these are things you need to learn and put into play. Your coach will not be on the courts with you during any match or any upcoming tournaments. Yes, tournaments. If you want to become better, tournaments are a likely step in the process.
Final Words
To end this all on one path of knowledge, you will improve by listening and learning from the coach. Listen to those tips you are given, put them into motion. If you have questions, if you are not comfortable with a certain grip, work on it, practice it until you are comfortable.
Furthermore, be the healthiest you can be if you truly want to make progress on the tennis courts. That quick fast-food burger on the way to practice is not going to help you move faster. Stay hydrated, grab a sandwich wrap, there are fewer carbs to weigh you down and you receive more flavor. Have fruit and lots of water with you to replenish what you are using during the practice sessions.
