your practice partner

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Tennis Anyone?

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

The backboard became my most frequent and most consistent practice partner.

"Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now." - Helen Keller

Once you've received a few lessons, the next thing to do is find a partner and play. If it's practice you want, ideally, it's much better for you to play with someone who can hit consistently and accurately, rather than with someone else who is also learning how to play tennis.

The reason for this is that your rallies will be much longer, you'll get to hit more balls (and less time picking them up), and you'll improve much faster.

If you can't find a hitting partner (or even if you can), another great way to fast-track your improvement is to practise against a wall or volley board.

The Tennis Backboard is the single most practical and efficient tool for improving and enhancing your tennis game that has ever been developed.Backboards are the perfect compliment to any tennis court. Backboard practice is one of the best ways to develop proper ground strokes and volley techniques and is an integral part of any tennis training program. Whether you're out to improve your backhand or warm up before a big match, your backboard is ready when you are!

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.-Aristotle

Once you acquire the basics, you can start mixing shots together. Then you can start composing points. Mix up your shots. Add direction, height, spin and shot selection. Make it fun for someone to watch you play or even while you are practicing.

Brad Gilbert did it when he was trying to break out of a slump in 1983. Evonne Goolagong did it to warm up the morning of her 1980 Wimbledon final with Chris Evert. And just about every other top player has done it often during their formative years. What's their big secret? They all used a practice wall.

Benefits:
• practice anytime.
• enjoy uninterrupted practice on skills
• enhance eye-hand coordination
• enhance self-confidence by building skills
• practice more efficiently
• enhance your fitness level

Surprised? Don't be, because hitting against a backboard or wall is one of the best ways to work on your strokes.

In just 15-30 minutes, you'll hit more balls than you would in an hour and a half of practice with a partner.

Plus, you can work on nearly every shot in the game and do it at your pace. And unlike other forms of practice, you don't need anyone else to join you.

Many players think an easy, rhythmic hit against a backboard is the perfect way to center their shots and their mind before a match.

The next time you're in need of practice and find yourself without a partner or a lot of time, don't forget the wall.

One thing to remember:

Don't try to hit too hard against a practice wall, because you'll end up rushing yourself. Slow down, let the ball bounce twice if necessary, and focus on technique.

Work on your racquet preparation and footwork.

Learn to skip sideways: If skipping sideways as you move to a ball is something new to you, you must learn it quickly. It is an essential to backcourt play because you must watch where your stroke took the ball and what your opponent is doing.

You will see the pros making these skip steps frequently as they judge and just before jumping for the ball, they try to have the right foot in correct position to gain spring to where they wish to strike the ball. Such "dancing" movements become part of their game they would be a little surprised if told they had "danced" about the court.

Whether hitting a forehand or backhand, you always want to take your racquet back early.

You should strive to get into position to make contact in your comfort zone as frequently as possible.

Depending on your preference, that’s generally somewhere between thigh and chest height. No matter where your rebound’s shot lands, you want to react and move to make contact at the same ball height each time. This will build consistency in your ground game.

Once you feel confident with your crosscourt shots, try hitting everything down the line. Keep all your shots in that half of the court and make sure to move so that if you’re supposed to be hitting forehands, that’s the only shot you hit.

Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.

-Thomas Jefferson

To be successful at tennis you’ve got to keep the ball in play.

Sounds simple, but many players don’t practice this.

Hitting winners is great.

Remember:

The player who makes fewer mistakes is going to win nine times out of ten.

You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.

-Robin Williams

"More tennis can be learned off the court, in the study of theory, and in watching the best players in action, than can ever be learned in actual play."
-- Bill Tilden