All tennis players, no matter at what level, want to improve their game. For beginners, that desire might be for improved consistency in getting the ball over the net, whilst for club players it might be about tightening up an already good service action so you can break into your club's first team.
Having played tennis from a very early age, I know that tennis can be an intensively frustrating game to play. There are times when you hit a screamer that flies low over the net and whizzes past your opponent for a clean winner. You think about what you did to play the shot and it all seems fairly straightforward; you just leaned into the shot and followed through. However, the next minute you're faced with the same shot and you either net it or it flies hopelessly over the baseline! How then can the amateur tennis player improve his or her game?
The good news is that there are lots of things that you can do that should help make a noticeable difference:
1. Professional Coaching:
If you are prepared to pay for lessons, then a coach can identify all the bad things that you're doing, in terms of your racket preparation, the way your hitting the ball, and your positioning on the court. They may also be able to straighten out glitches in your service action. Of course, the younger you are when you get coaching the more benefit it will bring. It's much better to be taught all the right things from the off, rather than being allowed to develop all manner of technical faults! Even so, a few simple lessons with a trained coach should see a marked improvement in aspects of your game, no matter what age or standard you are.
2. Advice from fellow players:
Another alternative is to ask for advice from other players that are better than you, or at least maybe are better in one respect. I was lucky enough to play a few games against a player who had played on the fringes of the professional game. As well as soundly thrashing me (about 6-3, 6-0), he kindly offered some advice on what I should do with my feet when approaching the net to play a volley. He pointed out that you need to plant your feet at the last moment to give you good balance so that you could direct the volley properly. I had been focusing on what I was doing with my hands and not putting any concentration into my foot work. In general, actually, poor foot work is a major cause of poor shots.
3. Play against people who are better than you (or at least the same standard):
It's nice to win matches but you don't get better by playing against people that you can easily beat. You need someone who's going to force you to play at the very best of your ability. At first, you might get heavily beaten but hopefully you can gradually raise your standard. A key aspect of this is that better players get the ball back over the net that extra time, forcing you to play more shots. Most amateur matches are won by the player who makes the fewest errors rather than the player who hits the most unplayable winners, so your consistency will be forced to improve if you need to play five shots to win a point instead of three.
4. Warm up before playing:
An obvious point but how many of us actually properly warm up before playing? As well as improving your game, it will reduce the likelihood of injury. The warm up should include playing shots against your opponent. Just like the professionals do, you should play some baseline shots (including forehands and backhands), some volleys at the net, and some serves. If professional players were forced to start matches without having had the benefit of a good warm up, then their standard would start slower. You don't have their skill levels, so it's all the more important that you do the necessary preparation.
5. Get fit:
It's much easier to play consistently well, if your body's in good shape. A lot of missed shots are where we're having to stretch for a ball and improvise a shot, because our legs couldn't get us to the ball in time.
6. Play frequently:
It's no good picking up the racket when Wimbledon's on and then again when the US Open's on. If you want to get good, then you need to be playing regularly. Joining a tennis club and playing at their weekly club nights is a great way to get some regular practice in a friendly atmosphere.
7. Play within your limitations:
The temptation is to try to hit that serve at 100 miles an hour. However, maybe 70 miles an hour might be a more realistic speed. Forcing extra power comes with the penalty of reduced accuracy and it's usually better (at amateur level) to get the ball in play (and go for accuracy) rather than being hit and miss in your shot success. The same applies to ground shots, volleys and smashes.
8. Play doubles:
Doubles is fun and is great for working your reflexes. It also gives you great practice in doing volleys and lobs, shots which you don't always have so much opportunity to perfect in singles matches. Another advantage is that you can team up with someone who is better than you and learn from them.
9. Practice drills:
I remember being on a camping holiday in France when I was about eleven and they had this fantastic wall with the line of a tennis net painted along it. I was able to hit the ball against the wall (aiming to get it above the net line) and it would always come back at me. You don't need something quite so elaborate but practicing things like volleys against the gable end of your house is an easy way to sharpen your reflexes, assuming that your parents or spouse will put up with it!
I also used to have a device where there was a ball on the end of an elasticated line and you could hit the ball and it would then come back at you. These kind of things are especially great for kids and will keep them occupied for hours!
10. Have fun:
Tennis is a great game, either to play socially or competitively. And if you're enjoying it (and the company of your fellow players) then you're more likely to be relaxed which is conducive to producing your best tennis.
Hopefully, this article has given you some ideas for how to improve your tennis game. Or, alternatively, has inspired you to pick up that racket that's hanging in a dusty attic!