I have always practiced in phases.  I build up a weak part of my game until I am satisfied with the progress, and then start working on another flaw (needless to say, I have plenty to choose from).  Lately, my focus has been on consistency.  To accomplish this I have adapted the world renown tennis coach Ken De Hart’s ‘5 Tactical Priorities’ for hitting your shots and have come up with the 4 factors of consistency, as well as provide drills to help you work on each part individually.

So let’s begin.  The 4 factors of consistency are direction, depth, spin, and power.  Now just as you should learn to walk before you run, you should attack each of these factors in order, only progressing to the next factor once you have a solid grasp on the current one.  Notice that power is dead last (more on that to come).  That brings us to our first factor:

Direction

Direction is a simple concept that most people at the club level can easily grasp.  At its basic form, direction is hitting the ball to either your opponents forehand or backhand, while at its most advanced could be you deciding to what degree you would like to pull your opponent off the court.  Direction is extremely important when you have an opponent at net because they are usually just waiting for you to hit a shot close enough to for them to attack.

Doubles Drill: Monkey in the Middle

This one is simple.  Starting with a drop feed and both teams in a normal configuration (one up-one back), the two players on the baseline play out the point doing their best to avoid the players at the net.  If they win the point in regular fashion against the other baseliner (error or winner) it counts for one point however if the baseliner hits a winner passed the net player or the net player hits a winner off of a poach then it counts for two points.  Play to 11 points, no lobs allowed.

Singles Drill: Figure 8’s

Both players start on the baseline.  Starting with a drop feed, one player is designated to hit only cross-court while the other is only allowed to hit down the lines.  Players switch off every few minutes

Depth

After you have mastered direction, it is time to move on to depth.  Depth is extremely important in preventing your opponent from ever getting on the offensive.  If all of your shots are falling in the back three feet of the court, your opponent will be very hard pressed to find an opening to approach on.

Doubles and Singles Drill: Keep it Deep

All players start on the baseline.  Starting with a drop feed, players begin a rally point with one altered rule, the service boxes (as well as the doubles alleys that are the same length as the service boxes for doubles) are considered out, meaning the entire point must be played with shots landing passed the service line.  Approaching and hitting volleys are allowed, and play ends when someone has reached 11.

Spin

I’ll admit it; I would be nothing without my lefty spin.  Mastering spin is perhaps the most important part of improving the consistency of your tennis game.  Once it is understood, it really improves the depth of your shots as well as helps you prepare to ht shots with unlimited amounts of power.  That’s right, with enough control from spin, you can swing as hard as you possibly can and still get shots in.

Singles and Doubles Drill: Short Court

All players start on the service line.  For singles use one service box, for doubles use both.  Starting with a drop feed, players play out a point in just the service boxes.  The two altered rules are that all shots must be either topspin or slice and that no volleys are allowed.  During this exercise, really focus on hitting full strokes if you want to get as much out of it as possible.  Play to 11 points.  *Note* This drill really brings in all three of the previous factors.  Use direction, depth, and spin to hit full shots inside the service line and understand how they all come together.

Power

It saddens me to see how many players rely on this and just this to win points, especially at the club and junior level.  I was in a club tournament recently where an opponent who has a very fast serve was my opponent.  During the entire match, he hit one first serve in on the ad side, one!  Sure, all of his faults were fast and I had trouble returning the one first serve that got in, but the second serve was a puffball and my returns gave him trouble.  If you rely solely on power against a smart opponent, you will lose.  If however, you compliment your power with the other three factors, then you are in business.

Singles and Doubles Drill:  10 to 100

All players start at the baseline.  Starting with a drop feed, players start a rally at what they perceive to be 10% of their maximum power, barely getting the ball over the net.  After a minute, increase to 20%, then 30%, 40%, and so on.  At some point, you will reach your current threshold, where your current mastery of direction, depth, and spin will not allow you to be consistent at that power.  Play at or slightly above that level of power, focusing on getting every single shot in.  If you are still in accurate, then this power level is not where you can comfortably rally at, and go down in power.

So there it is, the 4 factors of consistency.  Keep at these and you will be able to improve your game at a constant rate for a long time.  As always, please comment with anything you have to say, I would love to hear it!

Bonus: Here is another video I found that really shows all of the factors really well:

What are these guys doing that you aren't? Photo by akosikarla on flickr.

There are few shortcuts in tennis.  If you want to get better, you are going to have to work hard at it and spend a lot of time honing your skills, period.  There are however, some quick fixes (or realizations) that will take very little time and can improve your game tremendously.  This one happens to be a favorite of mine.

Here it is: The Easiest Way to Improve Your Doubles Game Iiiiiissssssssss…

Talk.

Sorry, it really is that simple.  I know, you were hoping for something magical but really this is so powerful.  It is one of those things that seems so simple yet so many of us ignore it.  Watch any professional doubles match and they talk between every single point.  Not occasionally, every one.  Most of the time it is only a few words but sometimes that is all it takes.  Here are the contents of these quick conversations:

• Tactics - A server should always tell their partner where the serves are going to be going and with what kind of action (both first and second serve).  This prepares their partner for what shots they should expect coming back.  The returning team should discuss possible return targets and what the general plan is for the point (rush the net, double back, lob, and so on).
• Support – Probably the most important thing you can do to help out your partner.  If your partner makes a bad shot (did I say ‘if”?, sorry ‘when’) keep their head in the game with a simple pick-up.  Get their mind off the last point and into the next one.

Try it next time you are out on the court playing some doubles.  Try too make some physical contact as well.  High-five, fist bump, chest bump, or work in the Carlton dance somehow, it doesn’t matter as long as it helps you prepare for the next point.  Comments, questions, and videos of you doing ridiculous dances in between points (PLEASE) are always appreaciated.

Oldschool family out on the courts. Photo by amandabhslater from flickr.

One of my favorite things about tennis is that everyone can play it.  Tennis accomidates the rich, poor, young, kinda old, old, really old (I knew a player who was literally over 100), tall, short, fast, slow, and everything in between.  One of the best things about this is that everyone in your (yes yours!) family is perfectly capable of playing together.  here are some tips to make family tennis fun for all:

• Adapt as Necessary - If you are going to play basketball with a 5 year old, you wouldn’t play on a 10 foot hoop.  Likewise, you shouldn’t expect a child that young to play on a full sized court.  Instead, maybe use just a service box as a court and use a larger ball that is easier for them to hit.  Also, if mobility for anyone is an issue, try to play doubles or triples instead of singles.
• Compete Minimally – This is especially important with younger boys.  The worst thing that can happen is the family competes too hard and someone’s feelings get hurt.  Try to make tennis initially just be about fun (rallying back and forth, not scoring) and let competition come later.  If competition is a must, switch teams around frequently so everyone forgets quickly and wins some time.
• Exercise = Fun! – Parents, you can not instill this enough.  Perhaps the greatest gift you can give to your children is to show them that exercise is something that is fun and not a chore.  Show this through your own actions on the court and they will do the same for the rest of their lives.

So there it is, my tips on how to make tennis a family matter.  Next time you get out on the court, get the whole household out there with you.  Also, do me a favor; if you go out with the whole family, take some pictures of it! I’d love to show how much fun family tennis could be on the site.  As always, voice in with your own thoughts!

Keep your game moving upward with the right motivators! Photo by Bisayan lady. Follow her on flickr!

Okay, so I am going to assume that you have taken my advice from the last post and have found your source of motivation.  For the next few days everything is going great!  You are hitting the tennis courts regularly, following your conditioning regimen perfectly, and are even working onyour coordinaton and footwork drills.  After a few days, that initial jolt of inspiration starts to fade and you start to fall off of your program a bit and miss a session here and there.  Before you know it, you are back where you started, with no improvements to show the world.  Fear not!  Here are a few tips to keep your tennis progress going at a continuous pace:

• Keep It Fresh – One of the primary reasons people fall short of their fitness goals is because they do the same routine over and over and over again.  This is why programs like P90X that keep mixing things up are becoming so successful, they get results while not gettting dull.  Tennis should be the same.  Don’t always do one thing when you go out on the court, always try something different.  Some days do drills, others play singles, or doubles, or even triples if you would like.  the first time i actually enjoyed doubles was when i started experimenting with unconventional formations.
• Buddy Up – It is far easier to get through a tough drill session on the court or workout routine in the gym if you have someone right there with yo, sharing your pain.  Find a friend (or friends) about your skill level who will push you to reach your goals.  While it can be no problem getting through the fun social doubles and singles matches, the drills and conditioning will take a lot more dedication.  Try to do group lessons or share a personal trainer to help each other out and keep it fun.
• Commit, Commit, Commit! – If you need that extra push or are just the person who likes having a deadline, schedule a tournament 1-3 months in the future that is slightly above your current play level.  Now you are forced to step up your game or risk getting destroyed on the court and sent home early.

Well, these are my tips for you to keep up the hardwork and always keeping the motivation to push onward and upward.  As always, voice in with your comments!

I’d like to start things off with this YouTube video I found recently.

The second this video finished, I laced up my shoes and went out back to jump rope for as long as I could.  About two minutes later I came back inside with some burining calves, a little bit of embarrassment (two minutes?), and a new found motivation to train like crazy.

At times, motivation can be difficult to obtain.  Whether it is to serve another basket, run the extra mile, or sometimes even to get out of bed, everyone needs some form of motivation to get it all done.  When I am in need of some new motivation, I usually turn to these sources to pick me back up:

• Videos – Much like the video above, sites like YouTube as well as television shows and movies can provide great amounts of inspiration (like Rocky 1, maybe Rocky 2, definitely not Rocky 3-27).  Just seeing a story of hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity can help you push through whatever slump you might be having.
• Quotations – My favorite by far.  Literally every wall in my room is covered in the best inspirational quotations I can find (not written on the wall like in horror movies, more like millions of colorful sticky notes like a cubicle).  You will truly be surprised how powerful a sentence or two can be when you are looking for the drive to succeed.  Keep your favorites close; some people write them in a notebook, recite them regularly, or go to the extreme and tattoo them on their bodies (not recommending that one, just saying it is an option).
• People – Finally, the people around us can often times be a source of motivation.  It could be we are striving to be better than someone else, maybe better for someone else, or simply trying to follow in another persons footsteps.  Look at friends, amily, and mentors to see who has done something you would like to achieve yourself, then go out and do it.

There are plenty more sources of motivation, but these are definitely my favorite.  Feel free to chime in with some of your favorite sources of motivation too!

Photo by lori05841. Click image to follow her on flickr!

Group tennis lessons are a very affordable way to receive quality instruction at a fraction of the cost of private lessons. Unfortunately, if you aren’t careful, what could be a huge boost to your game can also be a waste of an hour and some cash if you don’t make the most of your time. Here are some tips to get the most out of your group lessons:

• Stretch Before. See if it is possible to stretch and warm-up before your lesson, instead of at the beginning. While you should nver neglect loosening up your muscles, I’m sure you would much rather be learning something valuable during your lesson rather than have 10 minutes used up hitting basic groundstroke and volley warm-ups. Get those out of the way before the lessons start and get more of the actual instruction.
• Watch other players. When it isn’t your turn to hit, watch what the other players are doing. If the instructor is talking to them, listen in on what they are saying. There is a good chance that at some point you will have a problem similar to theirs. It is always better to have too muh knowledge in tennis than too little.
• Hit from the weaker side. Admit it, you avoid using your backhand unless you absolutely have to. I used to play a guy who would regularly run around backhands to the point where he would be in the doubles alley (and yes, I would hit a winner in the open court, Tennis 101). During lessons however, you should run around your stronger side so you can emphasize your weaker stroke. If you screw up here, there is an instructor on the other side of the net who will help you correct whatever needs to be corrected. In matches, focus on your strengths, in lessons focus on your weaknesses.
• Don’t be shy. You are paying for these lessons, you might as well get the most out of them possible. If you don’t understand something ask your instructor to explain more fully. Also, another usually untapped resource is asking the other students around you. Guaranteed, everyone in your group has something to teach you (sometimes it might be what
  NOT to do). If someone has a nice shot, ask them what they are doing that you aren’t.
• Demonstrations, please! This is a very similar to the last one, but if words simply aren’t doing it for you, ask for an example. Every instructor will be able to show you how to do the shot you are trying to learn, good ones will be able to show you with both their left and right hands. Demonstrations let you see EXACTLY what you need to do.
• Stretch again. Be sure to stretch again at the end of your lessons. As you are cooling down, think about everything you learned during your lesson, and how you can implement it into game play. Your lessons are practically useless if you can’t actually use any of the instruction.

Put these tips into practice and you will start to see how useful group lessons really are. When conducted properly I feel a group lesson can be just as helpful as a private lesson, but you need to keep yourself in check.