Practice makes perfect

Everyone likes to play matches. It’s how you measure yourself against the competition. But it doesn’t necessarily improve your tennis ability. The best way to accomplish that is to pinpoint deficiencies in your game and practice them until they become reliable. Playing matches puts the emphasis on winning, not improving. By removing the pressure of winning, you allow yourself the freedom of making mistakes and exploring parts of your game you’re not comfortable with. Here are some things to remember when practicing: —You can still make a game out of it:Some players complain that practicing is boring. You can play points out, just don’t keep traditional score. Play a tiebreaker or to 21 and start points without serving. The less you make it feel like a real match, the more you will experiment and try different shots. —Expose yourself:Whatever part of your game you’re not happy with is what you should be practicing. When playing a match, you want to win so you try to play to your strengths and conceal your weaknesses. You’ll never be a complete player that way. If it’s volleys – get to net. If it’s a slice backhand – start chipping. And there has to be something you can work on, because even the pros practice. —Remember, you do it in other sports:Tennis is one of the few sports that don’t emphasize practice. Golfers hit the range to work on their drives. Baseball players get in the batting cage to improve their swing. Practicing your weaknesses just makes sense. If you don’t have anyone to practice with, don’t be embarrassed to take a bucket of balls and just serve. Skip the match and hit the practice courts. It’s the only way you’ll really improve.