How to Get the Most Out of Your Tennis Practice

tennis practice

As I watch the U.S. Open (Grand Slam) tennis tournament I can’t help but feel the urge to go out on the tennis court and practice.

I am sure you might feel the same. But before you do it, I’d like to share with you some tips that can help you get the most out of your time on the practice court:

1. Serve Practice:
– Hit the ball with a loose arm: begin at a slow pace then after about 10 serves increase the power on your serve.
– Practice with targets (use cones): place one target in the corner of the singles line and service line, one just inside the service line and about halfway between the singles line and center line, and one target at the corner of the center line and service line. Aim for them one at a time and do not move on to the next one until you get the serve within 6 inches close to it.
– Practice consistency: serve 10 balls in a row and see how many go in; then do it again and try to better the previous exercise. Do not cheat on the pace – if you practice your first serve, hit it at the speed you would in a match.

2. Return of Serve Practice:
If you can find a player willing to practice their serve then you are in luck.
Regardless if the player hits their serves hard or slow you can always practice returning them to certain areas in the opposite court.
Your targets should be cross-court, down-the-middle, or down-the-line – but they should always be DEEP – that is unless you would play to a serve-and-volley player…

3. Ground-Strokes Practice:
Consistency is key on every shot in tennis, especially on groundstrokes.
Regardless of the level of skill that your partner possesses, you should always try to out-rally them in practice. Counting your good strokes in a row is a great way to rally practice – that gives you great feedback on how consistent you are and it also helps you relax as you play.
– Placement: Invite your partner to play some pattern drills like cross-court or down-the-line rallies; or rally deep and stop if the ball lands inside the service line (or better yet, if the ball lands inside the service line to have the player move up and attack at the net).
– Experiment with new shots: While you might be tentative about using your weak slice backhand in a match, the practice is the time to use those strokes that you need more improvement on.
But you don’t want to upset your practice partner by missing a lot of balls when using your weaker shots, therefore, you should do it on every 3rd or 4th shot.

4. Net Game Practice (volleys and overheads):
– Practice good court positioning and feel for the ball.
Considering that the ball comes to you a lot sooner when at the net, you will have to develop good habits of positioning to take the ball quickly and closer to the net as possible.
– Do not try to put the volleys away in practice, instead try to feel the ball and control the placement of every shot without the intent of finishing the rally right away (even if you could). Going for winners in practice will not win you anything besides frustrating your partner – save those shots for the match.

5. Match Play:
– If you play against a better player, that is the time to push yourself and see what areas of your game need improvement. Do not worry about the score too much; play to improve your strokes and quickness on the court instead.
– If you play against a weaker player, then you shouldn’t worry about the score either. This is the time for you to focus on new shots (maybe drop-shots, slices, etc.) and tactics (e.g. serve-and-volley). Avoid playing the same game that you find comfortable only for the sake of a win against your weaker opponent. Be okay to lose a match as long as you try different things in your practice match (I know it is hard to do so… :))
– Play pressure situation kind of games: begin every game with the server at 0-30, or play a game where the server loses two points instead of one when making a double fault, etc. These kinds of games teach you how to handle pressure situations.

Above all, make sure that your tennis practice is a positive experience and that you always learn something from your time on the court.

Cosmin Miholca

Cosmin Miholca

Certified Tennis Coach

Check out my work at WebTennis24 where I share with you my best video tennis lessons, drills and tips for players, coaches and tennis parents.