Love Tennis? Here’s How to Become Even Better At It
A tennis game may sound very distant and uninteresting until you get hooked. You may wonder where you have been all along. You might even re-watch matches that are decades old. Oh, the beauty of this game, you may remark.
Your love for the game is bound to grow as time goes by. The tennis court may seem not too big, but you won’t exhaust what you can do to be better at the game. Even Novak Djokovic, the currently best tennis player, is still improving his game.
The following are some of the ways you can use to refine yourself on the court.
1.Buy the Right Equipment
You will need a variety of equipment for the sport. A racket, tennis ball, shoes, and appropriate clothes are mandatory for you. You may also need a wristband and a headband. The wristband will prevent sweat from wetting your hand; wet hands affect the strength of the grip.
Your clothes should absorb sweat, keep you cool, and allow free movement. The best tennis shoes should give you stability and prevent sliding as you move sideways. They should be comfortable and light.
2.Stick to Your Strongest Shots of Play
You may have thought that displaying various shots makes you a pro. Good players only have one or two patterns of play throughout a match. That’s what will set you apart as well.
Narrow down your shots to your most substantial and most accurate. Many shots will make you scattered and less effective. Stick to fewer shots that you can use confidently.
3.On Your Serve Speed, Add Accuracy
A powerful shot is good, but not all the time. You may have perfected the art of transferring maximum force on the ball. But this is a competition, and in the end, it is what you score that will matter.
Focus on the accuracy of your serving. And do not withdraw the power of your shot and serve. A relatively less powerful shot that lands where you wanted is better.
4.Ensure an Easier Weight Transfer for Consistent Shot
Your shot should also be consistent and not wobbly. You will achieve this by getting your back leg behind the ball so that you can achieve a more effortless transfer of your weight onto the ball.
It would be best if you also had proper footwork to reinforce your stroke accuracy. Minimize your foot movements and make them simple so that your ball timing is precise.
5.Play the Momentum of the Game
In a tennis game, you will either be trailing or leading your opponent at any given time. That is if you do not have a tie to break. Your response should not be the same when trailing as when leading.
You may be tempted to fight back hard when behind in the score. The best practice is to slow down. This way, you will get more organized and reduce panic. Otherwise, you will lose more.
On the contrary, when you are at an advantage, press hard against your opponent. Keep up the push while you have some momentum.
6.Recharge by Drinking and Snacking On Every Changeover
You use up a lot of energy during a match. You need to boost your energy and keep your body hydrated to increase your chances of winning.
Plan to have a snack or a drink that you can take during any changeover. You need to watch your nutrition even during the match.
7.Don’t Target the Line on Every Shot
Aiming your shots at the line is risky. You may score, but several other serves may fall outside the court. You can still target inside the court and score.
It would be best if you had a target to aim with brutal force but with fewer risks. This way, you will minimize giving free points to your opponent, which means losing.
8.Identify Your Opponent’s Weak Points and Hit Harder
Get smarter and score more points by capitalizing on your opponent’s weaknesses. You can expose their weak points by hitting their strength first.
In this game, after acquiring and mastering techniques, use them to your advantage. Poor shot decisions won’t benefit you. You may lose points to weaker players that you could be crushing.
9.Do a Video Analysis of Yourself
Record a video of yourself as you play a match with the help of a friend. Later on, analyze your hits, motions, serves, and your skillset. You will be surprised how much you will discover about yourself.
This will be easier on you since another person has not pointed it out. No biases here. It’s you judging you. This is effective for you to improve your techniques faster and your on-court decisions.
10.Improve the Mental Side of Your Game
When you put your mind to the game of tennis, you can beat players who have even better skills than you do. You are never very far from achieving a win. You only need a slight adjustment on how you think.
Set your mind right and be intentional about growing your mental ability on the court. Knowing that tennis games are won on minimal margins should make you not throw away the game yet.
11.Go For Tournaments to Build Yourself
Your practice sessions are critical in increasing your fitness level and improving your skills. And since tennis is a game of at least two, find a partner to train with you. Ensure your partner is at your level of skills or more.
A more rewarding practice arena is tournaments. Here you will try out your new skills and perfect them as well. You also pick new skill sets during the competition for you to learn. You may fail and suffer loss; that is much better-you shall have discovered what cannot work or what to improve on.
The on-court methods of how to improve your tennis game are very critical for you. If you perfect them, they will have a more direct impact on how you play. As your game gets better, you will still discover areas to improve. Keep learning as learning never stops. With consistency, who knows, maybe you may become the next tennis star.
