Like most sports, tennis is a game that requires practice, dedication and discipline to be played at its highest level.
Professional tennis players are often rewarded with the kind of yearly income most people can only dream of, but they also work incredibly hard to constantly improve their skills. Some people use the sport as a way of getting some exercise and socializing with friends, the enjoyment of playing the game is often just as important as the score or how well they perform on the day.
At any level, players love discovering tennis tips and tricks that can improve their experience. From equipment to training strategies, this guide explains some top tennis tips and tricks that should be helpful for every type of tennis enthusiast.
Use Equipment That’s Right for You
Tennis Rackets
Being realistic about the kind of racket you need is essential, you need to choose the best racket for you personally. As a beginner, you will need something sturdy, durable and most importantly, easy to use. At this stage, you will mainly be focusing on hitting the ball consistently and also learning the many different techniques such as forehand, smash and backhand. As long as your racket feels ok to you and has enough bounce to provide a decent contact with the ball when you strike it, most budget, entry levels models are fine.
As a professional player, you will need to look at something more advanced. Premium quality tennis rackets are often strung in a specific way that can be adjusted to suit a player’s style, they are also made from high quality materials meaning you can expect to pay a little more. Heavier frames and tighter strings usually provide the power and accuracy many pro players look for, but to handle a racket like this properly, many years of practice will be required. Beginners attempting to use professional quality equipment will almost certainly struggle to use it correctly without proper instruction.
Tennis Shoes
Taking care to choose the correct racket is important but it also helps to have the right kind of footwear. As the game of tennis involves a lot of movement, ensuring you have a good quality pair of tennis shoes or trainers means you can reduce the risk of injury or fatigue during matches. There are a wide range of specifically designed tennis trainers available and amateur or professional players will probably want to consider looking at the top brands whereas beginners will be fine with any shoe that provides lightweight flexibility, support and comfort.
Consider Some Extras
Though you can enjoy a game of tennis with just the basics, a tennis ball machine can be a fantastic way to add a challenging now dimension to your practice sessions. Things like a discrete and practical tennis racket carrying case or a multi-purpose kitbag can also be good investments if you plan to play regularly.
Skills and Training
Any professional tennis player will tell you that its best to get some tuition rather than trying to learn to play the game by yourself. Enrolling in a tennis school or training course can be a good way of meeting new people, learning the basics and improving your game. You can find tennis instructors online or by searching for sports centres in your local area.
Playing tennis tips and tricks
Fitness
Though its rarely mentioned, fitness is your number one asset when playing tennis. A great tip is to keep in good shape, eat a healthy, balanced diet and make sure your cardio fitness is of a good standard. If you have the energy and stamina to move around the court easily, you will find that you make a formidable opponent, even if you aren’t the most skilled player in the world.
Practice makes perfect
You could have a cutting edge, state of the art racket, the most complicated tennis ball machine on the market and some of the most technologically advanced trainers ever made, but if you don’t practice playing tennis, your game will never improve. Whether you practice with a partner or a group of people you see regularly or on your own using a machine or a wall and an open space, the simple act of repetition will gradually allow you to learn how to accurately hit a tennis ball properly over time.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Be honest with yourself in terms of what you are good at it and which areas you feel you need to improve. If you have a really powerful backhand that seems to defeat your opponents every time but an overhead smash that is always off target, focusing on the weakest of the two shots will mean you can work at improving it.
Take a break
When trying to learn a new skill or perhaps perfect and refine one you have been working on for years, familiarity is not always a good thing. Running, gym workouts or even simple walking can be a great way of keeping up your fitness levels and avoiding tennis overkill if you find yourself playing literally every day of the week.
Find opponents who challenge you
If possible, play with people who are around your level or even a little better than you. This means you can learn from them as you are playing together. The chances are that you will lose a few games but this will make it seem all the more fun when you manage to make a few improvements and successfully win a match.
Keep your eye on the ball
As the number one piece of advice for most ball sports, this old phrase remains as true today as it ever has been. Even with all of the tennis tips and tricks in the world, players who take their eye off the ball are destined to be beaten time and time again. Focusing on the ball as you serve it or as it comes towards you means that you will be ready to make the right move with your racket when you need to. Losing focus for just a second can be the difference between winning a point or losing a game.