by Anne Sanders

Created on: February 23, 2010

After having played tennis recreationally for over 20 years, I have gone through the cycle of being a beginner, progressing to an intermediate player and actually winning a citywide tournament and representing my city in regional play.

Here are some tips on how to take your game to the next level, but first I want to remind you that it will not come in a few days or weeks and that to really reach your potential you will need to spend both time and some money.

General Tips for New Players

With that in mind, the first suggestion is to take some tennis lessons. To save money, you can take a group lesson, but an individual lesson will allow you to focus on a particular shot or weakness of your game. Another easy and less expensive way to get some time with a professional is to join a tennis team that works with a teaching professional.  You can find teams through the United States Tennis Association (USTA) or your public or club courts. The best teams will practice at least once a week with a tennis pro doing drills and also have competitive play between team members. If you play doubles, then booking a regular lesson with your partner each week will help you both individually and as a team. You can also meet with your partner and do drills on your own once you have learned a few of them from a professional or gotten a book of drills to use on your own.

If you haven’t guessed it yet, practice does make perfect in sports as in anything.  You will progress most quickly depending on how often you play, so shoot for at least three times a week. Joining a team or weekly league will provide a few chances to play each week but don’t let that be your only time on the court since you may not be scheduled to play every week. Another option is to hit against the backcourt whenever you have some time or rent a ball machine for an hour and practice different shots for 20 minutes each.  Rather than throwing balls away when they get a little worn, start collecting them and keep a basket of them in the back of your car.  When you are on a court using a ball machine, return it and then get your own balls out to practice your serve.

Mix it up.  Don’t play just doubles or singles.  You will find that playing one will improve your skills in the other game. Specifically, as you learn to cover a whole court in singles, you will be more aware of what part of the court you are responsible for in doubles and how important it is to communicate

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