How to maximize your court time?

Tennis is a complex sport. There are a multitude of skills that it requires. Immense physicality to chase down every ball, the fitness to play for hours on end, coordination, and dexterity to create a vast array of shots, and let’s not forget the mental skills required to keep your emotions in check, solve problems and formulate a winning game plan. But, if we are honest with ourselves, how often do we practice this full repertoire of skills? I’ll be the first to admit that my practice time can be quite one-dimensional focusing heavily on forehand groundstrokes, which of course is an important skill to have and base my game around. However, balance is key and making sure every part of your game gets the time it deserves is crucial… after all if you want to execute serve and volley at the key times, or save a break point with an ace, it needs practice. Here are 5 tips to maximizing your on-court time:

1. Don’t just play sets and matches. Matchplay brings a lot of challenges, some of which can only be practiced in game. For example, it is tough to recreate match pressure and dealing with important points outside this environment. However, matchplay lacks the specificity needed sometimes to develop skills… for example if I want to work on my volley but never come into the net in a match, I am not learning that skill. Not to mention I will only see a few volleys to ground strokes in any given point. Instead, why not sometimes try hitting exercises or tailored point play to practice those more specific skills? Admittedly for some, a standard cross court exercise can become tiresome and in creeps the need for some friendly competition. But rather than playing a standard match/set, why not introduce big team games or fun service box games into your hitting? Service box games are great for your hand skills around the net and big team games can introduce a social element to our tennis, mixing skill levels, upping the pace and making covering the court slightly less intimidating. It’s like doing math but only doing the sum 2+2, if you keep repeating this your math won’t get better.

2. Warm up. A boring one I know but extremely necessary. It always amazes me how many players arrive… have three rallies from the baseline (usually melting every ball at 100+ mph), hit three or four serves then spin up ready for the match. If this is you, your best tennis will be hard to find at the start of a match let alone the risk you run of injury. Instead take 15 minutes to warm up, start at the service box playing short and work your way back to the baseline. Start at 50% intensity and up this by 10% every two minutes of hitting. Warm up a good number of serves, volleys and smashes and then you are ready to go… it will be great for your timing, mentality at the start of the match and your body. I know the pros only have 5 minutes hitting on court before their matches… but what you don’t see is the hours stretching and hitting they did beforehand!

3. Play everyone. Let’s dispel this theory of right and wrong ways to play. Tennis is a massive smorgasbord of abilities and styles of play. Even your own level varies massively from day to day. Furthermore, we are a small club in one part of Dundee, we have a very limited tennis world we can interact with, the likelihood of this ‘perfect’ player existing in this is unlikely. Sometimes we will have to make do with our parents, friends, and siblings of differing abilities… you can still improve your tennis together. The ball must go over the net and in… that is all… so get on court with anyone and everyone (including tournaments and social nights), if you are not doing this you are missing a chance to develop your skills against different players.

4. Play everything. It is amazing how many players I see let the ball bounce twice before it reaches them or catch it when knocking up because the ball was out by a few centimeters. Just because that incoming ball does not fit into your definition of good quality or makes you feel uncomfortable on the court, why should you not play it? Play everything, chase every out ball, volley from the baseline when having a knockabout and smash a ball that is looping over your head into the fence. You will see a massive improvement in your skills if you put yourself in awkward situations and adapt!

5. Stop turning down matches. Don’t forget tennis is the sport. Rallying is not the sport, coaching is not the sport, tennis is the sport. Tennis is being competitive in different forms and that includes matches and competitions. These things are anxiety inducing nightmares for a lot of players and a gladiatorial battle that fires others up. Whichever category you fall into, get out and play matches and tournaments, as stated before they are not the be all and end all, but they are a big part of tennis and its continued enjoyment.