Coaching Tip - May 2019

Good Practice Habits
Are a must

Tennis players must in addition to their Private lessons and Squad training find time on court to put into practice the techniques and tactics learnt during these sessions.
The magic formula is that for every hour Private/squad training you need to spend 4 hours on the practice court.

Developing Good Practice Habits
Practice should help to develop and improve your tennis game
• Set reachable, finite goals to assist your improvement
Train and play to improve not just to win
For example developing a more consistent forehand with power will probably be more achievable than having a goal of being the number 1 player in your club or the world
• Train with intensity not casual
Practice the things that will be useful during match play
Chase every ball
Never let the ball bounce twice
Keep your mind on the game at hand
Shut out all distractions
• Hit every ball with a purpose in mind
Aim the ball to an particular area in the court
Don’t just hit the ball anywhere
• Visualise your shots
Imagine the perfect placement for your shots in practice and matches
In your mind see how your shot will look and feel
• Use shadow swings ie practicing your shots without a ball in slow motion
To help groove your shots
Practice your shots in front of a mirror to improve your balance and smoothness of swing and develop the muscle memory essential to hone your tennis strokes
• Power and Control are opposites
So remind yourself that hitting the ball harder will probably give you less control and result in more errors.
During training concentrate on hitting with more spin to increase your control and reduce the number of errors

I hope that the tips above will help you develop some good practice habits that work for you.
Your match results will start to swing your way and your ranking should improve.

Enjoy playing tennis, the game of a lifetime.

Coach Steve
Email steve@stevejamestennis.com
Website www.stevejamestennis.com