There is little developmental benefit in simply hitting balls back and forth.
Unless you have the luxury of training full time, finding time to practice with all the other things that are going on in your life isn't always easy. Practice time is often precious and restricted, so making the very most of that time is important.
Your practice should be purposeful, and tailored specifically to your individual game—the characteristics of which we have been helping you discover in the previous articles.
There is little point spending 30 minutes hitting balls back and forth. You'll get some exercise and some enjoyment, but you won't be any better prepared for your next match.
Instead set up scenarios that tick all the boxes of quality practice. This starts by doing work based on your top shot.
Nick Wheatley is an LTA Performance Coach and head coach at Hawker Tennis in south west London. His junior teams, the Hawker Jets, have won 44 competitions since formation, and over the last 2 years alone, his junior players have won 19 singles tournaments between them at county level.
He has been ranked in the top 75 nationally in 35 and over singles and in the top 5 in Surrey county. Nick has done video analysis for numerous players at all levels, including former British Top 10 player Marcus Willis.
His unique teaching video series, covering every aspect of the game, is available on his website www.nickwtennis.com
You can also contact Nick directly via the homepage of his website.
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