Everyone wants to know what it takes to elevate their game to the next level. If that is you then you have come to the right place! It’s easy to take your game to the next level, the question is, are you willing to do what it takes?
Great Coaching
Find a great tennis coach who can help you clean up some of your bad habits, which can include incorrect grips and unorthodox swing patterns. Cleaning up your technique is the fastest way to get better. If your thought is you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, then be a master at what you do. Perfect your craft weather flawed or not. Do what you do and do it well.
Play More
Put in the time on the tennis court. Another simple way of getting better is simply being on the court—the more you play, the better you will get. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.
Participate in Classes
Participate in tennis clinics that focus on skill building. Most classes will have a set theme on one or two aspects of the game to work on during the clinic. Listen to the information, absorb the information and apply the information even if you are bad at it in the beginning. We all heard the saying, practice makes perfect.
Match Play
Play more matches. Matches are a great opportunity to measure the things you are doing well while also showing you the areas in your game you are struggling with. When competing, a loss is way more valuable than a victory because it breaks down everything you need to work on. Some players will lose a match and just say ”I didn’t play well.” My questions to you are why did you play bad? Were you struggling with your backhand? Did you not get up to the net enough? Were you not moving well? Did you struggle mentally on the big points? Did you run out of gas? Were you making a lot of unforced errors? After each match, especially one that you lost, you should take a moment to reflect on the things that worked and didn’t work. Losing provides you with a blueprint of what you need to work on.
Eat Right
Nutrition is huge in all sports. You have to fuel your body properly for it to perform at it’s highest capacity. Everyone is different so I am not going to get into too many details, but you should eat and drink the things that give you energy during your time on the court. I will tell you a lot of tennis players eat a lot of pasta before their matches to have the carbs they need to sustain. Know your body and find out what works for you.
Get your Rest
If you show up to a match tired, you probably are not going to be able to give your absolute best effort no matter how hard you try. You would not be as focused as you need to be successful. You also will probably not have the best concentration. Getting a good nights rest is very important for your success on the court.
Get Fit
Last but not least, you need to get your butt in shape. We are very fortunate to have the best of both worlds here at our Club with a full gym and swimming pool. Take advantage of it! Getting in shape helps you be better not only on the tennis court but in all aspects of your life. Benefits of being in shape on the court are as follows: you can move better to the ball, have the strength to hit stronger shots, have the stamina to outlast your opponents and you’ll be able to recover faster to play more matches in the same week.
Hopefully, you find my tips for improving your game helpful. As always, keep on playing!
