We hear our coaches tell us the same things every day (pretty much)! We know it. . . but it’s hard to change. It takes years for recreational tennis players to break one bad habit and replace it with a newer and better one. Even some of the best players must keep their focus to avoid these common mistakes during a match.
Here are seven of the most common mistakes recreational tennis players make on the court. Take a look and see if there are any you need to work on most:
Hitting a toss you don’t like
This is probably the most common mistake recreational tennis players make: It’s your serve, and you’re anxious to start the point. Your release isn’t quite where you want it, but you hit it anyway. . . why? Because you feel like it’s close enough, you don’t want to keep the opponent waiting, you don’t want to embarrass yourself by catching it to try again, because you are impatient with yourself. . . the list goes on and on. So what do you do? You hit the toss anyway, and most of the time, you miss that serve.
Do yourself a favor. Take a deep breath and take your time. You have 20 seconds to serve the ball – use them. Hit the toss that is right where you want it. It takes courage and trust in yourself. Don’t worry about who’s watching or how long the opponent has to wait. If you have to toss and catch (two or more) balls, it’s OKAY!
Lowering your arms/racquet when up at the net
Here’s the scenario: You’re so focused on your surroundings and what’s going on that you subconsciously start to lower your arms and racquet. Unfortunately for you, the opponent notices and rips the ball right at you, and you are unprepared and miss.
It happens to the best of us, and it’s hard to remember things when so much is happening at once. Just develop that habit of keeping your arms and racquet UP and out in front of you.
Only practicing shots you like
Yes. . . I love my groundstrokes, but the rest of my game could use a tweak here and there. However, many times when I practice with the ball machine, I only practice groundstrokes. I don’t mean to; it just is so convenient 😛 Honestly, it doesn’t take much time or effort to adjust the ball machine and practice volleys, slices, overheads, etc.
Recreational tennis players: Take the time to practice what needs more work, even if it’s uncomfortable and not fun. It’s necessary!
Not bending your knees
Even I’m guilty of doing this sometimes. I know I should be getting down lower to load my legs for some shots, BUT it requires more energy, LOL 😂 We often get tired and don’t feel like exerting so much, but we need to practice getting low and grounded for those lower shots. This promotes leg drive and explosiveness so we can hit harder, more effective shots.
My advice is to practice this: get down low for the lower balls during your drills. Develop the habit! Then, when you play that match, you will be using muscle memory to use all that leg power you have!
Not doing the split step
This is the most important and most common mistake recreational tennis players make. Most recreational players don’t do the split step at all. And unless the ball comes right to their strike zone, oftentimes, they have difficulty returning it.
Others do the split step, but they do it too soon and then just stand there, flat-footed, waiting for the ball. This results in being unprepared or not in position for the next shot. An easy fix to this is to just tell you to NEVER stop bouncing on your toes while you’re in the middle of a point. If you do this, then your feet will stay in motion, ready to move toward the ball in any direction.
To better explain WHEN to start your ready hop, I always say that when your opponent hits the shot, you should hop. This is a general statement but a common way to test the timing of it.
Practice this every time you are on the courts – for practice and in patches. It takes time to build the habit!
Watching your target and not the ball
Most recreational tennis players do this. I do this sometimes, too – especially when I approach the net. I start to watch my target instead of the ball coming to my racquet. It’s a common mistake and another habit we should try to avoid. Just WATCH THE BALL when it’s coming toward you. It sounds so easy, right 😉
Watching the ball and not your opponent
I thought you just said to watch the ball. 😂 This is a different situation entirely. When the ball is going toward your opponent, WATCH THE OPPONENT. We’re all guilty of this one, but some more than others. You hit a killer shot that you think is a winner, and you just stand there admiring it. Ahhhh. . . It’s such a beautiful shot. Then POW! Your mental victory dance is interrupted by your opponent smacking the ball back. . . and you’re not ready. You had already convinced yourself it was a winner and relaxed, and now your OPPONENT has the winner!
Just remember, recreational tennis players – when the ball is on its way to your opponent, watch your opponent. See how they react to the ball. Are they not going for it, or are they hustling to get it back? Their reaction will let you know what you need to do next!
No matter how great you think your shot is, ALWAYS be prepared for it to come back.
So there you go! Did I miss any key points? Comment below and tell me what you think!