Dealing With Training Setbacks

February 19th, 2015 by Do It Tennis

Photo: ladiesdotdotdot.wordpress.com Looking for ways to improve your tennis game if you’ve hit a plateau? You are not alone. Here are some ideas of how to spice up your tennis game and get past your losing streak or that seemingly unattainable technique you just can’t nail down no matter how hard you try. 1) Get a coach: Tennis coaches can catch mistakes that you can't. They can see what exactly may be setting you back in your technique and help you adjust it. 2) Take a group lesson: A group lesson is another great way to get out and play some tennis while improving your game. Most coaches will focus on certain strokes at a time and there is a lot of repetition. With that being said practice will make perfect (as long as you are practicing it right). 3) Rent a ball machine: After you have adjusted your technique, put it to practice by renting a ball machine and focusing on your new technique. Repetition is the key to muscle memory. The more you do something with certain muscles the more you will remember how to do that action with those same muscles. As long as you do it right, with repetition you will definitely improve. 4) Cross train: Cross training is highly beneficial to every sport and can definitely help you improve in tennis. Take up jogging, cycling, strength training or even pickle ball to keep yourself fit on your days you aren't playing tennis. This will also help with your endurance. Sometimes a simple change in your workout regimen is all that you need to improve your game. It’s also important to stay active when you are taking a break from tennis. This helps prevent injuries that are more prone after inactivity and could have been avoided. 5) Tennis specific exercises: When doing your cross training incorporate tennis specific exercises that will focus on the muscles used to perform serves, overheads, forehands, backhands and volleys. For serves and overheads do medicine ball slams. Using a medicine ball of your choice take the medicine ball over your head and slam it straight to the ground. You can start with 2 sets of 10 and increase and change medicine balls to a heavier weight while you progress. This motion will help workout the muscles used for serves and overheads as well as give you more power and explosion in your stroke.

tennis exercise- med ball slams

Photo: nicktuminello.com For your forehand and backhand you can once again, use a medicine ball, and mimic the stroke while throwing the medicine ball against a wall.

tennis exercise- med ball swings

Photo: menshealth.co.uk For footwork you can do ladder drills and shuffle drills to improve your movement and give you quicker feet.

tennis exercise- ladder drills

Photo: willison.wikispaces.com There are countless more exercises that can be done to help improve your strokes and footwork. If you want to know more feel free to come by the shop or reach out to us via email or on one of our social media pages – we’re happy to help you find new, helpful drills! 6) Sign up for a tennis tournament: Signing up for a tournament can put a pep in your step and get you motivated to train harder and improve your tennis game. A tournament can also be very good practice and help you improve and learn more about what you are capable of. Armed with these tips you can shake setbacks off and start hitting the courts again. If you need any training gear or tennis equipment, make sure to check our shop!