Practicing your tennis strokes in ways that don't mirror a tennis match doesn't help you reach your potential, and may actually hurt your game. Hitting hundreds of balls in a row can cause nervous system and muscle fatigue, resulting in lazy footwork, sloppy swings and a late contact point. Practice your shots, not just your strokes, to get the most from your workouts.
Step 1
Warm up with mini tennis. Rally inside the four service boxes with a partner, trying to use proper footwork and low-speed, full swings. Keep the ball in play by making contact early.
Step 2
Perform a dynamic stretch after several minutes of mini tennis. Swing your arms, skip across the court with high knees and perform quick movements that make you move like you will in a match. Don't hold stretches, or you'll decrease your power and vertical leap.
Step 3
Practice a particular stroke by receiving the same type of ball for several minutes so you can practice your technique. Have a partner feed balls to you in way that doesn't make you move more than a few steps, with the ball landing in generally the same place each time. Have your partner feed from the opposite baseline to simulate the timing of a tennis match.
Step 4
Continue to work on your shot by receiving different types of balls after you have "grooved" your stroke technique with your first round of practice. Do this after several minutes of practicing technique. If you were practicing your cross-court forehand, receiving every ball deep to your forehand, start practicing your cross-court forehand by receiving a mix of short, deep, wide and into-your-body feeds. Do this for several minutes until you can hit your desired shot no matter what type of feed you receive.
Step 5
Move to a game-like situation, hitting a combination of forehands, backhands and volleys, receiving balls that are short, deep, wide and close to you. Simulate patterns you are likely to see in a match.
Step 6
Finish practice under point pressure, using live-ball rallies and points. If you are working on cross-court forehands that land in front of the opposite service line, rally for several shots before going for a sharp, cross-court forehand to end the rally. If you miss, you lose a point; if you make it, you earn a point. Set a reward or penalty, based on how you do. Rewards could include not having to pick up balls, while penalties could include extra laps after practice.
Step 7
Cool down by walking around the court at a moderate pace, raising and lowering your arms while you decrease your heart rate. Let lactic acid and excess blood leave your muscles during the course of five or more minutes. Perform a static stretch of all your muscles, stretching them just past your comfortable range of motion and holding the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
Things You'll Need
- Partner
- Tennis balls
- Court
Member Comments