List Of Tennis Tips

Tennis is a sport that requires concentration, hand-eye coordination, and strength. Many tennis players have figured out how to perfect all three. There are many tricks to being a tennis player, a coach, a parent, and a fan; learn about all of those tips here!

Tips For Tennis Players

• If you go into a match with the mentality that you will lose, you probably will.
• No matter what happens, stay positive. If you are negative or get down on yourself throughout the match, the likelihood of you winning is very slim.
• On the day of your match, make sure to eat healthy and not to skip any meals. This could impact your performance.
• Don’t eat a big meal before a match, but make sure to eat enough to keep up your strength and speed during a match.
• When hitting a good shot, make sure to recover and move back to the center of the court.
• If you are losing a game or a set, make sure to slow the pace. If you are serving, take your time and take some deep breaths. This will help to calm you.
• Learn to adapt to different weather conditions, types of courts, and indoor or outdoor courts.
• If you keep losing point after point, try to focus on serving your second serve first. This will help in changing the pace of the game.
• When warming up with your opponent and throughout the match, make sure to pay close attention to your opponent. This will help you find out their strengths and weaknesses. It will help you create a game plan of where to hit and where not to.
• Always know the score; you don’t want to lose any points because you don’t know the score.
• Try to pull back on your serve speed. It is better to get more serves in and have better placement, rather than having less serves go in and them being hard serves.
• Make sure to hydrate on every changeover and snack on every other change over. A good drink to have is a sports drink or water. A good snack to have is a granola bar. This will help with staying hydrated and keeping your energy up during the match.
• Make sure to stretch before your match or in-between changeovers. This will help with being able to loosen up and will increase your speed.
• Make sure to cool down after you play tennis. This includes stretching and doing some light jogging.
• Make sure to get your racquet strung by a professional.
• Do not just go for winners, make sure to build the point and have your opponent make the mistakes.

Tips For Coaches

• Make sure you have the cooperation and support of your players’ parents.
• Have a good relationship with your players’ parents and make sure that you are communicating with them when necessary.
• Try to understand the best way to give feedback to each player. Some like strict and straightforward feedback, while others prefer more easy-going and kind feedback.
• Become aware of the players’ fitness, eating habits, and their relationship with their family. Try to guide them and help if they need extra support.
• Try to gain as much experience with tennis as possible. It can help gain more support from your player or team.
• Make sure to continuously educate yourself. Keep up-to-date with the best drills, best coaching tactics, and the best equipment.
• Have good communication and listening skills. Communication is an essential part of being a great tennis coach.
• Keep a good relationship with your players. Make sure to reach out to them and let them know that you are there for them.
• Some aspects of tennis that you need to coach your player on includes: their forehand, backhand (one and two-handed), backhand and forehand slice, volleys, overheads, first and second serves, footwork, and the mental aspect of tennis.
• Have a positive attitude. You will get better results from your players and it will create a positive atmosphere.
• Keep practicing your coaching skills. Stay dedicated to working each day to become a better coach.
• Communicate with other coaches on their coaching style and tips. You will be able to learn about other ideas that might fit your style more. It will also allow you to have a wide variety of different coaching styles or tips to try with specific players.

Tips For Parents

• Remember that you were once a youth. Put yourself in their shoes and know that tennis might not be their only priority.
• At some point your child will want to organize their own practices, tournaments, and manage their own time. When this occurs, be sure to give them the freedom of this and to understand that they will learn from their mistakes.
• Make sure to hire good coaches. Find a coach that has a lot of experience and fits well with your child.
• Your child will need breaks from tennis. They will want days off and to spend their time doing other things.
• Don’t interfere with your child on the court. The last thing they want to hear when they are playing is you correcting them or yelling at them.
• Be a parent first. Win or lose, you are their parent at the end of the day and what they want from you is your support.
• If your child loses a match, do not start off by critiquing them or asking them questions. They need time to cool off and decompress. Asking them questions or critiquing them right after losing will only make them more frustrated or upset.
• Make sure to stay calm during their match, especially if it is close.
• Focus on their performance rather than the outcome.
• Make sure to focus on their performance and their improvement compared rather than if they won or lost.
• Watch your child's match where they feel comfortable having you. This could be right in front of the court or a few courts down.
• If your child doesn’t want to practice, don’t make them. It will only make them dislike the sport more.
• If your child loses or is really upset about their match, try and take them out to do something they like. Such as getting dinner or ice cream. Then, talk to your child about the match or whatever they want to talk about.
• Let your child’s coach do the coaching. They are in-charge and are there to improve your child’s game.
• You don’t need to attend every practice, match, or session. They need to get used to playing without you around.

Tips For Fans

• Do whatever you can to see world-class players and matches close up. It will establish more of an excitement and love for the game.
• Many matches occur overseas and in different time zones. Try to find a way to stay up. Good recommendations include coffee, wine, or a good nap.
• When attending a professional tournament or match, make sure to wear something comfortable and weather appropriate. It will make the viewing experience a lot easier and more enjoyable.
• Try to find different players that you like. Sometimes players will drop out of tournaments last-minute. If you only have one player you like in a tournament, it can ruin the viewing experience.
• Follow social media accounts of tournaments, players, and leagues. It will keep you up-to-date on what is happening and you will be able to see some behind the scenes tennis that you don’t see on TV or in-person.
• Make sure to watch professional tennis players if you play. It will help your game, and allow you to pick up on tips from the professionals.