improving my high school game

[LeftHandedTennis]

First post. I'm in my Junior year in high school. I started playing tennis for "real" freshman year, but I only played 1 or 2 JV matches. Last year, my sophomore year, I played varsity all year. I started with #2 Doubles, but that didn't work out, so I played #3 singles in the second half of the season. I only won 1 or 2 matches, and I feel like I let my team down. Second singles is open this year and I'd love to play it. Last year I was inconsistent and nothing of my game was very strong. I hope to get a tennis membership at my local club, so I can get some practice before the season. What should I do to improve and hopefully play 2nd singles?

[yourmom08]

as a fellow high school player looking to move up the ranks this coming year, i have only one word of advice: steroids

[LeftHandedTennis]

haha i am pretty small, but I dont think steriods is an option.

[soggyramen]

what i needed to really move up when i went from a JV freshman to a Varsity sophomore was...

1. better pace and consistency
2. bigger shot arsenal
3. to take chances
4. more consistent serves
5. much better court sense

i can't really tell you what you need until you tell us where your strengths and shortcomings are and what your confident shots are.

[LeftHandedTennis]

ok, well my serve is not powerful (i wish it was good, because im left handed). I don't really have consistent control of my shots. My volleying is pretty solid, but I don't seem to use it too much. I don't use spin, because my dad (been playing since he was 5 but he can't play with me now because of injury) never taught me. My strokes are pretty good but inconsistent.

[lolsmash]

If you want to be a solid varsity singles player, improve your footwork, consistency, and court strategy. Consistency, in my opinion, means that you can hit your shots, including your serves, volleys, etc., with the confidence that you can place it and have it go in and where you want it to go to.

[soggyramen]

ok, well my serve is not powerful (i wish it was good, because im left handed). I don't really have consistent control of my shots. My volleying is pretty solid, but I don't seem to use it too much. I don't use spin, because my dad (been playing since he was 5 but he can't play with me now because of injury) never taught me. My strokes are pretty good but inconsistent.

so you're kinda a pusher sorta? are you playing against strong schools.

[LeftHandedTennis]

idk what a pusher is, but im in Kentucky. Our opponents don't seem to tough. Idk what to compare them to though.

[lolsmash]

so you're kinda a pusher sorta? are you playing against strong schools.

Umm... a pusher would be consistent and he said he was inconsistent.

[tennisace432]

as a fellow high school player looking to move up the ranks this coming year, i have only one word of advice: steroids

second that. A friend of mine actually tried some, in a few months of it he had a noticeable increase of power on his groundstrokes and serve.. he also got bigger too ;)

[quicken]

I want a video of this guy

[quicken]

Take my advice for this, be consistent! it should be your main objective, get a good technique for all of your strokes, volleys and serves.
I think someone may have said court strategy, but that should be the last of the worries.
So to list the priorities::
1. Consistency (FH,BH,Volleys,SERVES)
2. Footwork
3. Pace
I've seen kids who dont have a great pace, but play with incredible consitency whether it be corners or deep shots, so although pace is an important topic this should not be your main objective.
4. Strategy

AND JOIN A CLUB IT HELPS YOU IMMENSELY
While a lesson is highly recommended, just going with your friends to hit around helps also.

[Noveson]

Consistency is huge in high school tennis, and unless you are going for lobs, topspin is a must. You should really focus on getting some consistent topspin groundstrokes.

[don_nguyen11490]

What I found best for my game was playing with people better than me. Even if I couldn't keep up, I was determined to one day be just as good as them. It helped push my game to a higher level and now I stand today as captain of the varsity team.

Also, get used to playing games with some friends. Play challenge matches. Rallying is good, but what you really want to do is getting used to playing and winning games.

[LuckyR]

idk what a pusher is, but im in Kentucky. Our opponents don't seem to tough. Idk what to compare them to though.


This is helpful info. In Kentucky I would work on two aspects of my game: first would be match toughness, mentally. The second would be consistancy. You need to be able to hit one more ball than your opponent. Don't worry about hitting winners, let the chump on the other side of the net worry about that. Just get the ball over the net and deep into the court, when he makes an error on his shot it is just as good as you hitting a spectacular winner, point-wise.

[chsu74]

To be a more competitive high school tennis player goo hit against the wall on all shots to improve your consistency. Stand closer with a shorter back swing to practice pressure shot preparation and further back for normal rallies.

[LeftHandedTennis]

Thanks guys, awesome tips! So this year I need to focus on consistency (hitting one more ball than my opponent). I need to allow my opponent to make the mistakes, got it. Yeah, mental is a big problem for me. I use my head too much and I think about my game and everything way too much.

[fuzz nation]

I've coached high school teams and without even knowing your type of game, I can tell you that consistency rules out there. Yes, you need to get a lot of balls back which means that you need reliable strokes, but you need speedy feet, too. They'll help you run down a few extra balls in singles matches, keep you in more points, and demoralize the hell out of your opponents.

Lots of players at your level want to land a rock star first serve, but way too often I'll see them just waste first serves in bunches. Velocity is nice but it doesn't compare with accuracy and, that's right, consistency. When you can decide where your serve is going to land, you control the start of the point.

You're doing yourself a great service by joining a club. Get some matches under your belt before the start of the season and stay in the moment while you're out there - play it point by point and stay positive. Lessons do not take the place of match time, so don't take a thousand of them to get youself ready for the season. That will only scramble you tennis brain just in time for tryouts. Help yourself by helping your teammates and your coach when you can. Contribute. Be supportive. Have a blast!

[RestockingTues]

Take a video of yourself. That's the best way for us to help you.

[LeftHandedTennis]

Thanks fuzz nation. Excellent advice. I realize a fast serve isn't near as important as consistency. I'm gonna definately stop using my head to think about everything else. I'm gonna focus on each point. But how exactly do I develop consistency?

[Doc Hollidae]

I agree with Fuzz nation. Having a steady, consistent game will own HS level tennis for the most part. Most players lack shot tolerance to hit 5-6 balls over with depth and rally ball pace. Work on depth and consistency more than power and pace.

Also don't forget your footwork. Footwork is often overlooked and rarely identified as a problem. Remember a player's footwork usually breaks down before his technique does.

[LeftHandedTennis]

how do I improve my consistency?

[Carlito]

Its been about 10 years since high school tennis and as I remember, it really easy compared to USTA tournaments. I was by far the best on my team and one of the better juniors in the state when I was playing.

And everyone who is telling you that consistency is the key is 1000% correct. And this doesnt apply to just HS. I remember playing in HS and not having to hit 1 power shot to win a match. Unless you are in a league with a bunch of serious tennis players consistency trumps all.

One of my problems when I was in high school, and even now with low to intermediate players that I run into at clubs, is that a lot of people don't know how to rally. Not rally during a match, but just warming up and practicing your strokes. When warming up or practicing hit the ball right back at the guy with a nice firm consitent stroke. Work on depth and placement and not power. You get to many guys trying to hit winners in the corner when warming up or swinging to hard and missing long or into the net. The point of rallying to top develop a nice consistent stroke that you know you can get in 99.9% of the time.

When I rally I try to count how many balls me and and my partner can get in in a row. If I can get a good rally partner, we can go all day with out having to pick up balls. You shouldn't try to dink it in just for the sake of the getting the ball in. Work on a nice fluid stroke and hit it to the guy so he can hit it right back at you. The more confident you become you that you will get the ball in then you eventually get the confindence to swing harder.

Im not saying you should never practice power shots and angles. But if you can even hit the ball in, how are you going to hit a power shot when it counts?

[A.J. Sim]

I'm a lefty like you, so we have an advantage with our serves; if you can work on that serve, especially the slice serve on the ad court out wide. Work on your volleys too.

Consistency, consistency, consistency. At the high school level, you can win a match without hitting a lot of winners (I sure did, ;-)), but you will lose a match for sure if you make a lot of errors!

[fuzz nation]

A couple of things concerning consistency.

An old school hacker named Bjorn Borg could grind anyone to dust for a lot of reasons, but the one that we all can emulate is his affinity for hitting cross court. No matter what, if you hit cross court you effectively give yourself a lower net and a longer court. Corner to corner on a singles court extends 4 1/2 feet farther than straight up the line. Easy day.

You can never get set up at your hitting zone early enough. When the ball hits your opponent's racquet, the sound should be a starter's pistol in your head and you should burst in the direction that you need to move. Incidentally, that first move should include at least a partial shoulder turn. When you're having an easy knock around, stay fixated on the ball and burst toward it to reinforce the habit. Always get it on one bounce, just like in a point, or you're cheating yourself. Get to balls earlier and your strokes can be unrushed, routine, and (whaddya-know) consistent.

If your backhand is weaker than your forehand, run around your forehand to hit more backhands in practice. Get more confident with the stroke and you'll land it in your rallies. You can't hit your shots as hard as a dude named Safin (hey, neither can I), but you don't need to. If you can hit them deep and firmly all day, you'll outlast many opponents and when you get them out of position, you just need to hit one of your routine shots through the open court.

[herosol]

i think me and the opening poster are in the same situation.
My coach, who has done alot of high school tennis coaching, who i just met after my freshman year (now sophomore can't wait for spring), he tells me to hit around 9-10 shots MINIMUM.

Although I played Doubles #1 (which is horrible. Doubles SUX!!! :D), I watched a lot of singles matches from our own, and others since we shared these 10+ courts with another school.

I watched alot of the D1 schools (I play D2? or D3 forgot), most Singles players are pretty big hitters. They hit tremendous forehands, have good backhands, rely on the huge first serve, but have no tolerance for long rallies.

Only when you meet good tournament playing Singles #1 players, where you run into problems. I've seen amazing players, who hit hard, and are consistent, and worst of all they move lightning fast.

Other then this rare occasion:

Don't get too excited. Don't be a pusher. Don't be a shot-maker. Don't over do it. Never try to do more then you already do.

Always look to find your happy medium which varies on a daily basis.

Doing these things have let me win more sparring-like singles matches.

[chsu74]

it sounds like your swings are not consistent enough yet. John McEnroe said the biggest improvement in his game came from hitting the wall for hours. if he hit a bad shot, he had to chase it. This made him focus more than hitting against a ball machine or a pro.

[Nadal_Monfils]

I play high school tennis as well and it seems like a lot of the other players are pretty consistent. Most of them hit high deep moonball shots continuously and I was wondering if anyone has an effective strategy to combat these types of shots.

[LeftHandedTennis]

Ok, so consistency is the major component I need to work on. I work on rallying and I'm capable of that. I'm gonna have to get a tennis membership at my local club, so I can evaluate my flaws. I guess that's the only way you guys can help me.

[ROFLingpanda]

DON'T FORGET THE FOOTWORK! gotta love the footwork :D

[ChocolatePie]

Well I made Varsity this year as a Freshman, so I didn't exactly "move up."

However, it is immensely difficult to get a 2 singles spot here because of having to play matches with a lot of people to compete with it. Most of the kids on our team can aim their shots corner to corner with relative pace and then go up to net. It's a sure winner.

[LeftHandedTennis]

Well it'll be relatively easy for me to play #2 singles because of how small our team is. We have 3 seniors for this year. One will play #1 of course, and the other two will most likely return at #1 doubles again. Our #2 singles player is gone from last year, so that will be open. The only "good" juniors that played varsity last year are me and another kid. Everyone else played JV. We only have like 10-12 guys on our team. I assume i'll be challenging the other junior to play #2 singles. I know i'm better than him, but he beat me last year, because for some reason, I can't win matches.

[RestockingTues]

I play high school tennis as well and it seems like a lot of the other players are pretty consistent. Most of them hit high deep moonball shots continuously and I was wondering if anyone has an effective strategy to combat these types of shots.

Learn to hit on the rise. It's not that hard...

[RestockingTues]

The doubles teams at my school suck too. The guys that've been playing tennis since they've been smaller then their rackets are all in singles, and jv singles players are too proud of playing singles to try varsity doubles.

[LeftHandedTennis]

Last year, my first year on varsity, I won I think 2 matches. (This is #3 singles mind you) All of the guys I played weren't even that good. I know I was better than them, but I still lost. I don't get it. I always blew good leads (like 5-3, 5-2, even 5-1!!!). I can't figure myself out. When I blew those leads I always got frustrated, which also lead to my loss of the match.

I could use some comments/advice..

[bucpride]

Last year, my first year on varsity, I won I think 2 matches. (This is #3 singles mind you) All of the guys I played weren't even that good. I know I was better than them, but I still lost. I don't get it. I always blew good leads (like 5-3, 5-2, even 5-1!!!). I can't figure myself out. When I blew those leads I always got frustrated, which also lead to my loss of the match.

I could use some comments/advice..


Looks like your having trouble finishing...

My advice is, even if your winning, play every point as if you were losing and don't get too confident. If you let your guard down even if you have a comfortable lead, before you know it your opponent is catching up to you.

[LeftHandedTennis]

So, I should continue to fight for every point? I guess when I got good leads in a match, I'd lose focus and like you said, before I knew it my opponent was catching up to me.

[RestockingTues]

Most players lack shot tolerance to hit 5-6 balls over with depth and rally ball pace.

Lol that's me hahaha
Bollettieri academy? I've never heard of it, I go to TW academy

[RestockingTues]

So, I should continue to fight for every point? I guess when I got good leads in a match, I'd lose focus and like you said, before I knew it my opponent was catching up to me.

You should absolutely fight for every point. If you get into a "i'm up 40-love let's go for aces/forehand bombs on every point" mindset then your opponent will catch up fast...

[LeftHandedTennis]

Ok, i'll remember to fight for every point. Thanks for all your help guys. I hope I improve this year. I'm so anxious to start the season!

[DrewRafter8]

Funny enough, I watched a kid win a tournament today in B16's who I really was impressed with. He had solid strokes, but he could also hack and slice and dice. He played to his opponent's weaknesses and beat a kid that I thought would run through the tournament without a problem. I was very impressed. It was a great lesson for all of the junior players out there today.

[Tempyst]

One problem that I have experienced with playing new people is that I lose aggression. That is something that shouldn't happen. I used to blow leads because I thought I could play it safe and keep the lead. Nope, I basically fed the balls to my opponent and dumped balls into the net because I was "playing safe". Stay aggressive. Even if you don't feel like you're losing pace/aggression/power behind your ball, take a look at where the balls are landing in the 2nd or 3rd set. If the balls are landing short, you can raise the amount of juice you can put on your strokes.

[RestockingTues]

One problem that I have experienced with playing new people is that I lose aggression. That is something that shouldn't happen. I used to blow leads because I thought I could play it safe and keep the lead. Nope, I basically fed the balls to my opponent and dumped balls into the net because I was "playing safe". Stay aggressive. Even if you don't feel like you're losing pace/aggression/power behind your ball, take a look at where the balls are landing in the 2nd or 3rd set. If the balls are landing short, you can raise the amount of juice you can put on your strokes.

Opposite with me haha, I love meeting new people and when I do, I push myself to make myself look good in front of them.
One of my current hitting partners said I was good when I first hit with him, but he consistently beats me 6-4 :P

[ChocolatePie]

RestockingTues has a good point. You don't want to let your guard down. But if it's 40-0 don't be afraid to try and up your first serve =)

You must have had a lot of seniors from last year then...because here basically what happens is if our 2 singles were to leave then our 3 singles would move up and our 4 singles too unless someone fought their way up from the bottom.

[LeftHandedTennis]

We don't really move up places form what I understand. I don't know exactly how our tennis coach does it. All I know is, #2 Singles will be open, and I'm determined to play it.

[1337Kira]

I'm also a junior, and hoping to be higher up in varsity.
Like everyone else said consistency is pretty much the difference in HS tennis.
I often feel like I lose to people who are less skilled, mostly because they are consistent.
I was really up and down all year only winning on days I felt good.
You should probably also use your entire arsenal of shots and hone them. For example many players I went up against could neither hit lobs consistently or smash consistently. You might want to exploit that and make sure you can't be exploited yourself.
Another key part of a good varsity player would probably be the serve and return of serve which are arguably the most important components of any players game.
This is actually probably the worst part of my game (aside from consistency in general), especially my serve. While I had some days where I was just blazing aces the whole match, many other days I was just terrible throwing free points away by double faulting alot.
Practice practice practice is probably the only way to get better. I know people are jokingly suggesting steroids, but even if you do take them lol, they probably won't help you much other than intimidating opponents by having large muscles. They won't help your strokes a bit, and may make you less consistent and the side effects might hinder you also.
I myself am too busy to be able to take advantage of a club membership, but luckily, our team has captain practices on the weekends which I am able to go to sometimes.

Well, good luck to the both of us this coming year lol.

[LeftHandedTennis]

Yes, good luck to you too!

I played for the first time in, I think 5 months, last night. It was indoors of course and when I got adjusted, I didn't play too bad. I imagined myself playing worse, but still, i'm not at the level I want to be. I don't think it'll be good enough for #2 singles...idk we'll see when I practice more and start being more consistent, etc.

[LeftHandedTennis]

If I join my local club and practice indoors (hopefully outside, with the weather improving, and it's free too) until our season starts (idk when..late feb.?) how much improvement do you think i'll see in my game? Last year I didn't practice at all until the season started, and the team practiced together, so it took me a while to get warmed up. What do you guys think? I don't wanna spend a bunch of money, unless I can ultimately improve my game so I can play #2 singles.

[quicken]

If I join my local club and practice indoors (hopefully outside, with the weather improving, and it's free too) until our season starts (idk when..late feb.?) how much improvement do you think i'll see in my game? Last year I didn't practice at all until the season started, and the team practiced together, so it took me a while to get warmed up. What do you guys think? I don't wanna spend a bunch of money, unless I can ultimately improve my game so I can play #2 singles.

It obviously depends how hard you train, if you train hardcore ilke everyday for 2 hours, you probably can break #2 singles without a doubt. But if you play casually like 3 or 2 times per week ehh its kind of iffy to say. It will still keep your game up w/o a doubt but I doubt its going to improve your game per say.

[LeftHandedTennis]

So it's really a tough call?

[LeftHandedTennis]

If I get a membership idk how much I would go up and play, that's the problem I guess. Is there anything I can/should do when the season begins to try and make/secure that #2 spot?

[LuckyR]

If I get a membership idk how much I would go up and play, that's the problem I guess. Is there anything I can/should do when the season begins to try and make/secure that #2 spot?

Spank the #3 guy...

[LeftHandedTennis]

Yeah i'm gonna make sure I do that. He played #3 at the beginning last year then I switched with him and we don't seem to get along that well anymore. I know i'm better than him, and I'll definately beat him this year.

[LuckyR]

Yeah i'm gonna make sure I do that. He played #3 at the beginning last year then I switched with him and we don't seem to get along that well anymore. I know i'm better than him, and I'll definately beat him this year.

Then by definition you are Golden!

[LeftHandedTennis]

I'm Golden?

[LeftHandedTennis]

Anybody else with anything to add/say?

[ChocolatePie]

lol if you could possibly get lessons that would make you improve by A LOT.

[LeftHandedTennis]

Really? I'll have to look into maybe taking a few..

[tbini87]

sounds like you need to work on your entire game, and just improve as much as possible. practice practice, and practice some more. especially with your serve, you can practice that all by yourself, and you can become very consistent with it. if you can find a partner, get out there and work on your fh and bh to develop topspin and build confidence and consistency. a simple fh and bh slice could also go a long way in building consistency when you are on the run or in trouble.

[Pusher]

Anybody else with anything to add/say?

First I'll state the obvious. Tennis is a year round sport and to start practicing now for a HS season puts you at a disadavantage if other players are playing year round.

There is no court strategy that will make up for a mediocre game. And if your game is mediocre it is doubtful you could successfully implement such a strategy.

All you can do is start working hard right now. HS tennis is all about serve and return and that is where most points are won and lost. There is no shortcut to getting a good serve, the old saying that "if you don't have a good serve you are just lazy" is so very true. Serving is all about timing and the only way to get it is to practice.

HS tennis is so very dependent on the coaching. Most HS teams get together a couple of hours after school and there is very little serious work being done. Make sure you hit with someone at practice that can help you get better. If a guy that can barely get the ball across the net wants to hit with you then kindly refuse the offer. Its all about you getting better-not the other guy.

For serious players HS tennis can end a promising carrer. They substitute HS practice for serious training and their game never recovers. Make sure you get trained and if HS practice is not doing that then you will have to get it elsewhere. Joining a club would be a good decision.

Good luck.

[LuckyR]

I'm Golden?

Well, if you can definitely beat the #3 guy, then you must be either #2 or #1, by definition.

[LeftHandedTennis]

LuckyR: I haven't played him, like in a serious match, but I know i'm better than him just by watching him and seeing his flaws/mistakes.

Pusher: Thanks for your advice/help!

[KhaosBaseliner]

hey Lefthandedtennis, where are you located in Kentucky if you dont mind my asking.

[LeftHandedTennis]

Northern Kentucky, actually about 10 min. from Cincinnati, OH

[LeftHandedTennis]

I don't think my teammates practice year-round. I don't think they practice at all until the season begins (just my assumption), so if anything I maybe be benefiting if I join a club.

[LeftHandedTennis]

I guess I don't have much else to say, get advice on...anyone with any more words of advice?

[LeftHandedTennis]

anyone else?