Two warriors enter the battle field. The match ends with a handshake.
Both are winners. But the game is won way before the battle begins.
Remember to enjoy the battle. Win or lose.
The Test of a Good Player
Ask yourself the following questions to measure your progress toward becoming a great player.
- Covering the Court
- Hit the ball
- Control my shots
- Setting up the points
- Control my nerves
- Learn from my mistakes
- Intimidate my opponents
- Pressure my opponent
- Enjoy the battle
- Handle the outcome
Building your game to enjoy the battle
Here are 5 steps to building your tennis game whether you want to be a social player or a competitive player.
- Lessons. You need to know what to practice. Figuring this stuff on your own can take forever and by then you have such bad habits you can’t learn the good stuff. So save time and avoid injury by taking lessons.
- Ball Machine. Practicing on a ball machine speeds up the learning process because you can isolate a shot and hit it repeatedly without chasing after the ball.
- Rally. After your instructor has shown you what to practice and you have practiced it on the ball machine, you need to practice hitting the ball with another player where you don’t keep score but instead try to hit the ball “to” each other.
- Play Games. Play for fun. Then compete for fun
5. Compete Under Pressure. Enter a tournament or play on a team.
And again, remember to enjoy the battle. Win or lose. Always shake hands and be gracious in victory or defeat. There is always the next tournament.