possible? i dont think so

[Nachona]

Is it possible for a 15 year old girl to become really good at tennis, with no coach or anything, here's my situation..

I don't have much money and tennis season is over.. i didnt do that bad i got 4th in districts, the thing is that i really want to get better and i dont have anyone to play with, and i cant afford to pay lessons ( 350 a month aprox) is there anything i can do to get better ( besides hitting the ball against the wall)??

and another question how good do you have to be to play tennis in college???

[Tennismastery]

If you are sincere in reaching skilled levels of play, it is possible to do so without lessons. However, you will have to be your own coach by video tapping yourself, and compare your understanding of your strokes to that of skilled players you want to emulate. This can be done by reading books, (good books, that is!) studying video clips of the pros at various websites, (TennisOne.com, Tennisplayer.net, etc.) and by watching good players play.

If you played on a team last season, would there not be other girls on your team that you can call to hit with?

Check to with local clubs to see about taking low cost clinics instead of private lessons. Typical clinics cost about $10 per hour or hour and a half, much less than the $40 or $50 an hour for privates. In the process, you should be able to meet other players who also want to get better in which you can practice with.

Good luck and best wishes.

[5263]

In the states, you don't have to be that good to play in college, assuming you are not expecting GA Tech or the like. The ladies have more scholarships out there and fewer people interested in them, when comparing to the boys. Some schools actually have spots that go unfilled each year. Also you can play on teams without having a scholarship or using some other type scholarship, by playing as a walk on.

As for getting better, you can do it if you really want to and are ready to train at it. I don't say work at it, cause tennis if fun and training is fun. You only need 3 shots to be a threat in every match you play, if you can run and develop good footwork with some basic strategy to back it up.

1. You need a top notch second serve that you can make 19 of 20 and put it right where you want it. This allows you to avoid double faults (free give aways), go for weaknesses and avoid strengths on their returns. It also should give you a great platform for your 1st serve to grow out of and it allows you to take some chances with your 1st serve, knowing you will not miss on the second.

2. You need a solid forehand with good margin for error, that you can put to the smart areas of the court while under pressure and when you are not.

3. You need a solid backhand in the same description as the forehand.

It helps a ton if #2 and/or #3 can develop into a shot that can force errors under the right circumstances. (like short and/or mid court balls) With quick feet and some basic strategy, these 3 shots can take you pretty far, especially in the ladies game, but you must learn to put your groundstrokes in the smart parts of the court in all instances, to the point that this is a weapon for you.

The point of this post is to help you narrow your focus in your training to the most essential parts of the game. From there, everything you can add without introducing lots of unforced errors, will just make you more dangerous. It's a start!

[5263]

Oh yes, and consider the adults in your area for hitting partners. Often they will love getting to rally with a teen and to help them progress when they see a sincere interest.

If the drill groups mentioned above are available, that is a super way to go.

[raiden031]

I am mostly self-taught. I used to do most of my stroke development against a wall and it helped me with preparation and footwork alot. But its limited in that you can't work on your depth and placement of your shots. The more advanced you get, the more time you need to spend on a court with another player. I think its best to spend more time doing stroke grooving than playing matches. If you can't keep the ball in play consistently then no strategy will be effective in a match. There are people on this board who think match play is more important, but I don't think that is true until you are advanced and already have great strokes. You cannot develop great strokes through match play.

Check out this site for video instruction, some of the most helpful video material I've found. The instructor posts on this board as well.

http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com

EDIT: Also I will add that in addition to what I have posted, my ideas about how to teach myself came from Tennis Mastery, the book. Even if you have books that show you proper technique, if you don't know how to practice or how to incorporate new skills into your match play then you will not improve. So read that book to help you come up with a plan to reach your goals.

[HSCoach]

Some great tips here.
Mastery's suggestion of drill groups, along with Fuzzyellowballs will be helpful.

5263, I think your ideas of focusing on the core shots/elements of play is an excellent way to hit the ground running with a chance to be competitive in the quickest manner. I think I will start to take this into account more with new members on our girls and boys teams!

[Bungalo Bill]

In the states, you don't have to be that good to play in college, assuming you are not expecting GA Tech or the like. The ladies have more scholarships out there and fewer people interested in them, when comparing to the boys. Some schools actually have spots that go unfilled each year. Also you can play on teams without having a scholarship or using some other type scholarship, by playing as a walk on.

As for getting better, you can do it if you really want to and are ready to train at it. I don't say work at it, cause tennis if fun and training is fun. You only need 3 shots to be a threat in every match you play, if you can run and develop good footwork with some basic strategy to back it up.

1. You need a top notch second serve that you can make 19 of 20 and put it right where you want it. This allows you to avoid double faults (free give aways), go for weaknesses and avoid strengths on their returns. It also should give you a great platform for your 1st serve to grow out of and it allows you to take some chances with your 1st serve, knowing you will not miss on the second.

2. You need a solid forehand with good margin for error, that you can put to the smart areas of the court while under pressure and when you are not.

3. You need a solid backhand in the same description as the forehand.

It helps a ton if #2 and/or #3 can develop into a shot that can force errors under the right circumstances. (like short and/or mid court balls) With quick feet and some basic strategy, these 3 shots can take you pretty far, especially in the ladies game, but you must learn to put your groundstrokes in the smart parts of the court in all instances, to the point that this is a weapon for you.

The point of this post is to help you narrow your focus in your training to the most essential parts of the game. From there, everything you can add without introducing lots of unforced errors, will just make you more dangerous. It's a start!

Good solid post.

[Julieta]

There are some great sources of information and fantastic coaches right here on the board.

Congrats too on getting fourth in districts. That is a great accomplishment.

You might try contacting your local USTA section to see if there are any programs they can recommend. Maybe there are some low cost summer clinics or maybe they can assist you with some financial help. Sometimes kids dont ask for help and there are things out there. You'll just have to be more creative but those skills will help you on the court too. The achievements are really rewarding when you work hard for them.

If you have access to a court, you can practice your serve too. The great Stanford University coach always said there is no excuse not to have a good serve, since that is something you can control and practice on your own!

Also...you can do footwork drills. Footwork is probably the single most important thing in tennis and even if you spent the summer just working on that, you'd have competitive advantage over a lot of players. if you go to this website, www.thebaileymethod.com and sign up for his free newsletter emails, every week you will receive some drills you can do on your own. http://www.thebaileymethod.com/index.php?module=db&id_m=138

Don't give up. 15 is really young and you've got lots of time to develop your game!

[FedererISBetter]

Try contacting the college tennis coach around your area... they are always eager in meeting good dedicated players and will always look for ways to improve other players. Theres usually some college players that stay back so the best way to get them is from the coach.
Maybe contacting the pros around your area and seek references from them... I never ran into problems from that.
--but basically... the best way to improve is to hit with people around your level or higher. But not just hitting, but hitting with the intention to improve and do some research around for the stuff posters' stated... stuff like drilling.. reviewing the techniques by variety of websites given... etc and etc.
And if possible, do some tournments around.. maybe once a month to see how well you are progressing and how much you need to improve. Lemme know what else I can maybe help you with lol

[Nellie]

Play against the boys if you want to get better. While lessons can give you a foundation, you will still need lots of work on the courts.

[rosewall4ever]

hitting the wall every day(solo practice)... finding a guy or gal better than you can hit with even if they are loads better -you'll find it a humbling experience. you'll always find a person to train with in a club, esp adult who are serious some even pay younger kids to practice with them...attitude and commiting to hard work because you love the game...if your that than sure...talent is nothing in the face of determination and guts ...good luck :)