Tennis Drills: Improving Your Skills Without A Court
by Gray Rollins
Every tennis players wants to improve his or her game, and over time most players get better. However, all too many players are willing to dedicate the time and energy it requires in order to take their skills to the next level of excellence; but find that limited access to a court is keeping them from achieving their goals. If this sounds all too familiar, try some of these off court drills. By learning how to practice your tennis technique without needing a court or a net you can turn a backyard, or even a garage, into your personal tennis training gym.
The most effective thing you can do to improve your game when you don’t have access to a court or a partner is to build your endurance and do footwork drills. Making a regular practice of following increasingly challenging jogging routes will help you build the kind of endurance that will help you keep your energy levels high throughout even the most challenging games. To keep from injuring yourself during a jog, be sure to do a full set of warm-up and cool down stretches.
In addition to covering some ground as a jogger, it is a good idea to make up your own personal footwork drills so that you will be able to put your newfound endurance on the courts to full use by exploring your full range of lower body movement. Going through even a short daily regimen of slides, backwards jogs, side steps, kicks, jumps, and other low-impact aerobic moves will help you become more agile. Being light on your feet can give you a huge advantage when you are running for the ball. The more effortlessly you can slide, skip, run, and bounce on the court, the more graceful and efficient your play will become. If you have access to a lot of open air space like a large field or park, try playing a bit of tennis golf as a break from your regular drills.
tennis is a very technical sportThe game of tennis golf may sound strange, but it is actually a great way to have a lot of fun while improving your tennis skills. You can play alone or with a group of friends. If you play in a group, make sure that everyone has a way to distinguish his or her unique ball. A round or two of tennis golf can help you increase your serving power and accuracy while having a great time. Like regular golf, the objective of tennis golf is to get your ball to a set spot in as few serves as possible. A landmark like a specific tree in an open field is a great place to aim for. Serve the ball as powerfully as you can and try to hit your target. Wherever your ball lands, go to it and serve it again from there. By playing in different kinds of terrain, you will be able to develop your serving skills in a variety of situations that call for different levels of power and precision. The confidence and accuracy you gain from playing tennis golf can translate to a better performance on the court.
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