Two players with similar abilities share a vision of becoming the best that they can be. Both players display similar motivation and dedication and have similar training and competition programs. Both players are dedicating all their available time to their passion of playing on the circuit one day, including taking as much time off school as is viable.

How can one player improve faster than the other player?

Below are some of the ideas which you may be able to use to improve faster than your competitors.

1. Commence all drills with a serve and a return of serve

The serve and return of serve are the two most important strokes in tennis. They either allow you to take control of the point or give your opponent a greater chance of winning the point. By commencing your practice and training with a serve and a return of serve, you will improve these strokes a lot faster.

2. Use time picking up balls for additional fitness training

It is always difficult to fit in all aspects of your strength and conditioning program in the week, especially if you are still at school. Training smarter is about fitting in more quality training in the same amount of time.

Instead of picking up balls in the normal fashion, try some of the following ideas-

(a) Place your racquet in the centre of a group of ten balls. See how quickly you can pick up the balls one at a time and place them on your racquet. Time how long it takes you, repeating the exercise until all the balls are in the basket.

(b) Do some interval training by picking up the balls that are farthest apart. Only pick up four balls at a time before having a rest and placing them in the basket.

The above examples are only two of the many fitness drills you can do with balls on court. If you pick up the balls a lot faster, you will not only gain a fitness benefit, but will have more time available to train on court.

When Pat Rafter (former world number 1 and 2 time US Open champion) was training he used these drills on court for additional fitness work.

3. Arrive early to prepare for the session

To maximize your training and practice time arrive fifteen minutes early to stretch and prepare for the session. This is important especially if you are paying a coach or hitter for their time. Make sure every minute spent with the coach is productive and not spent on preparation or a warm down.

4. Any additional serving practice to be done before a scheduled session

If you were to practise serving for thirty minutes three times weekly, you may need to set aside an additional four to five hours each week, depending how far away you live from your training venue. The tasks that take the time are- getting ready, travel to the venue, warming up, travel back home, taking a shower and changing clothes etc. Adding serving practice to a session you are already taking maximizes your valuable use of time by not duplicating these tasks.

5. Have specific goals in the warm-up

There is no such thing as a general warm-up. Players need to commence their sessions with specific goals in mind. As a warm-up and hit-up can take around fifteen minutes or longer, it is important that this time is used constructively. Fifteen minutes per session, four sessions per week for fifty weeks of the year can turn into fifty hours each year of either wasted or constructive practice time. Over a player’s training and playing life this could easily turn into a thousand hours. Imagine spending an extra thousand hours on improving your game.

6. Bring a larger water bottle onto court with you

Taking time out to go and fill up your water bottle takes time away from valuable practice. If you wish to become the best you can be, you can’t afford to spend time off court filling a water bottle.

7. No out balls- only out of reach balls

When you are training or practising, there are only lines at your opponent’s end of the court. When you are chasing balls at your end of the court imagine that there are no lines. You goal is to get every ball back into play regardless of where it lands inside the fenced area. This method of practising has the following advantages-

- Because the rallies last longer, players hit a lot more quality balls.

- Reaction time and court speed improve.

- The player who hits the ball out has to refocus on the next shot immediately, rather than dwell on the mistake just made.

8. One ball hit-ups / no errors

When you are hitting up, set a goal for yourself that you will not miss a ball. If you can’t hit the ball over the net when you know where it is coming and where you are going to hit it, then you are going to have problems with errors when match-like conditions apply.

9. Use rest time to practise- change of end routines - evaluation skills

Change of End Routines

When you are resting between practice sessions or coach-organized drills, use that time to practise your management and evaluation skills. Bring a chair onto court and sit down near the net post for ninety seconds. (The time allocated for the change of ends during matches). Break up the ninety seconds into thirty second time frames; one for the PAST, another for the PRESENT, and the third for the FUTURE.

PAST- An evaluation of how you have been playing; what has been working and what has not been working as well as how you have been winning and losing your points.

PRESENT- How am I feeling. Do I need water or food or to take time to relax and recharge?

FUTURE- What am I going to work on over the next period as well as getting my heart rate to a manageable level, depending on whether I am serving or returning.

Evaluation Skills

When you are having a rest period and others in your group are still training or playing, you can also use that time to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and patterns of play of others in the group. The ability to learn from others around you, to retain those things that are working and modify those that are not, is one of the more important qualities to develop.

10. Continue to train in light rain

When light rain begins to fall, that should not be an excuse to come off the court and cease training. During light rain you can continue to train or practise; however, you will need to practise those aspects of your game that do not require change of direction or agility. Remember the courts are wet and your safety is paramount.

While everyone else is off court, you are still practising. While they are marking time, you are improving.

11. Fix today’s problems today not tomorrow

About twenty minutes before your practice session concludes, take time out to evaluate how your session has been going; what you have been doing well, and what you would like to do better. Use the last fifteen minutes to work on these areas so that you are happy with your session when it is completed.

So much of your improvement is related to attitude. Don’t go home after a session thinking about a problem that you will have to fix tomorrow. Fix it before you go home today. Go home focused on the new goals that have been set for your improvement.

Summary:

The above contains a number of ways to maximize your improvement in the time available to you. It is up to you to find ways of training to gain an advantage over all those others who have a similar vision to you- to become the best you can be. Many of the above suggestions are not easy, but remember, if it was easy, everyone would be a champion. Average is what most people can do, while a champion attempts the things that most people find a reason not to do

1. Commence all drills with a serve and return of serve

2. Use time picking up balls for additional fitness training

3. Arrive early to prepare for the session

4. Any additional serving practice to be done before a current session

5. Have specific goals in the warm-up

6. Bring a larger water bottle on to court with you

7. No out balls- only out of reach balls

8. One ball hit-ups / no errors

9. Use rest time to practise- change of end routines / evaluation skills

10. Continue to train in light rain

11. Fix today’s problems today not tomorrow

REMEMBER- Train smarter not longer.

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