Getting Ready for the New Tennis Season

Winter is starting to break, and you know what that means: tennis time! It won't be long before you are back on the courts battling it out for wins. Or maybe you've already been on the court a few times. Either way, it is still early in the game. There is plenty of time to whip yourself into shape to be your best. Here are some tips that will help you get back in the swing of things.

Backboard

If you can find yourself a good ol' fashioned backboard to hit against, do it! The key is not to see how hard you can hit the ball, because that will defeat the purpose. The goal is to get your strokes into a groove so that you can find your rhythm. Remember, don't focus on hitting the ball hard, because the ball will inevitably come back too fast for you to handle. If you have enough room, you can step back and let the ball bounce twice. Standing back gives you more of the real tennis feel. Also, make sure to give your forehand and backhand equal time.

Drills

Since the season hasn't fully kicked off yet, this is a perfect time to work on some kinks in your game. Did you want to implement more serve and volley into your repertoire? The opportunity won't get any better than this. Working on new skills now is beneficial because you can practice them without the stress of learning during competition.

Along with practicing any skills that you want to include, make sure that you go over the oldie but goodies. You know, the serve out wide/forehand to the open court type of drills. These are staples that will help you when the going gets rough during the season. Don't neglect them.

Fitness

Tennis is a game of movement. If you can't move, you won't win. Mix endurance (jogging, biking, etc.) with exercises that involve short, quick burst of energy (i.e. sprinting). You'll be surprised just how many tennis matches are won just by sheer fitness alone. Also, do footwork drills. You can never be too good at moving your feet.

Stop and Think

During this time, really stop and think about your play last season. What were your biggest victories? What were your worst losses? Why did those events occur? Use this time to analyze those events so that you can make improvements along the way.