Don't Practice With Your Tennis Coach

Huh?  Don't practice with my tennis coach?  If I'm don't practice during my lesson with my coach, what am I supposed to do?

Well, think about this. There is a big difference between learning to do something and practicing something. Your tennis lesson is your time to learn - stroke technique, form, footwork, court position, strategy and tactics. You need to take advantage of all of the knowledge and coaching your coach can give you - get every last cent of your money's worth out of that lesson.

Once you've learned some things, you need to get out and practice them, preferably at least twice a week.  Of course that means you may need to find some people to practice with you.  But tennis is a social game - you must know somebody to hit with!  And check out your club or area courts for drills and clinics that may be low or even no cost and will give you a chance to just hit lots of balls.

Also, think of how many things you can do on your own.  You can work on strokes with a ball machine.  You can hit up against a wall and get a lot of footwork in.  You can practice your serve out on a court all by yourself.  Heck, you can practice your toss standing in front of the TV with a rolled up ball of socks!

All of these are things your coach would not only encourage you to do but would be happy, maybe even excited, for you to do.  They will not only improve your game but will help you move forward in your lesson so you are ready for your coach to take you to the next level.





© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved

How to Join a Tennis Team

It's the end of the fall tennis season and all three of my teams are wrapping up. Thinking about the next season, I find myself talking with my team mates about where these teams are going - strengths of various players, weaknesses, who plays well together, who doesn't, who is staying on the team, who is leaving. But while all of this talk is interesting (at least I think it is), the truth is once you're on a team, it's almost impossible to get kicked off!

If only you could get on those really great teams . . .

So how do you join a tennis team in the first place? And how do you move up to a better team when you're ready?

Here are my tips for finding and joining a tennis team:

1. Talk to your friends - If you're interested in tennis, you must have friends who are playing tennis. And most likely, at least some of them are playing on teams. If you're already on teams, you know who is playing on the higher level teams. So find out if your friends are on teams looking for new players or if they know other captains who might need players. And, when you get those names, don't be afraid to "cold call" captains to find out if they have spots open - captains are always looking for players to join their teams.

2. Talk to your tennis coach or pro - Any good tennis pro not only teaches, he is also talking to his students to find out how their games are going. Are they winning or losing? And just how are their teams doing? Your tennis pro should know the teams that his students play on and he probably knows if they have openings. The great thing about talking to your pro about joining a team is that he knows what level you play at and can help you find a team that is appropriate for you.

3. Talk to the Tennis Director at your club - This is their job! If you're paying dues to belong to a club that has a Tennis Director, she better know what teams are playing out of her club, who is captaining each team, and hopefully, who is looking for new players. Have your Tennis Director give you names and phone numbers for these captains and, again, don't be afraid to cold call.

4. Play in mixers, tournaments, drills and clinics - In other words, play a lot of tennis! These events are always fun and attract people who are "in to" tennis, like you and me. Chat them up and you are sure to come across a team captain or someone who knows of a team looking for a player just like you.

5. Become a sub - This is absolutely the best way to get on a team. So offer to be a sub and don't consider it to be beneath you. Because today you're a sub, tomorrow you're the player filling in for the team member who got injured and the next day, you're the reliable player that the team needs. And if you're looking to move to a higher level team, becoming a sub ensures that you'll get the challenging match play you need to make that leap up.