First Team

[Mike2228]

I've been playing tennis seriously for about a month and i just joined a begginers/intermediate team. I'm pumped up. My first practice is saterday. Does anybody got any advice on how to prepare for real matches? And maybe you can share some stories about your own first tournamet match expierences.

[spot]

Hit to people's backhands until they show you that they can beat you when you do that.

[Mike2228]

Originally Posted by spot

Hit to people's backhands until they show you that they can beat you when you do that.

thanks... i'll be sure to give that a go

[JavierLW]

Try to prepare for practice and the real matches the same way, and have fun out there.

A lot of people look great in practice when they are relaxed and they are screwing around and saying silly things like "it's just practice".

But then when the real matches come they get tight and they sometimes obsess over every point, stress their partners out, and they look bad.

Either way just remember you're out there because you enjoy playing tennis and you want to win every point you're in.

[skiracer55]

...hit it hard, and don't think...

[Mike2228]

Originally Posted by skiracer55

...hit it hard, and don't think...

the not thinking part shouldn't be an issue and the hitting hard ability is coming

[kendall22]

Don't just hit groundstrokes like the usual lazy rallying/practice.

Practice what you will do for the real match- do some net work/overheads, practice 2nd serve as much as 1st serve, practice running shots (i.e. run after it if maybe out of your reach).

[ProgressoR]

Originally Posted by spot

Hit to people's backhands until they show you that they can beat you when you do that.

thing is most times it will come back as BH cross court so you will get your BH tested too....

at lower levels i am still surprised by how little i have to use my BH, i do hit to opponents BH a lot however.

[skiracer55]

Originally Posted by Mike2228

the not thinking part shouldn't be an issue and the hitting hard ability is coming

...is what my former coach, Sam Winterbotham, now Head Men's Coach of the 2010 Runner Up Div 1 team once told me, which is "Don't think your way through a match, play your way through the match."

And don't forget to watch the ball, too...

[Cindysphinx]

Read The Code and the Rules of Tennis.

Seriously. Read them.

And remember, your opponent will be trying to put the ball wherever you are not. This makes it hard to play well!

Cindy -- who can recall the score of her first USTA match in 2005 and the names of her opponents

[spot]

progressor- in my experience when you hit to a beginner's backhand they are mostly worried about just keeping the ball in play and not hitting to your backhand. To me the single best skill I learned early on in tennis was a topspin inside out forehand.