One of the biggest problems I have when playing competitive matches (in a tournament, for example) is that I always need some time to get my timing right. The worst situation is when I have to play on a court where I have never played before and against an opponent I haven't played against.
In an ideal situation, I'm able to hit for 30 minutes or so on the court before the match, or alternatively, hit for one hour earlier that day. However, this is not always the case, and sometimes I can't warm-up on the court for more than just those allowed 5 minutes.
In these cases, I do some off-court warming-up though. I try to jog to get the adrenaline going and take shadow swings to warm-up my muscles. However, that doesn't help my coordination and timing very much, and usually when start the match, it might take 4-7 games before my timing is at the level where I want it to be.
In the beginning of the match this often results in errors or shots that don't go where I want them to (for example, straight in the middle), and allow the opponent to take control of the point. I've also tried "warming up" during the first games by mostly hitting crosscourt shots just to get more feel, but I might still make too many errors in the beginning.
Needless to say, it's hard for me to win the first set if I don't get my game working before being down 1-4 or 2-5.
Any tips on what might help overcoming this?
In an ideal situation, I'm able to hit for 30 minutes or so on the court before the match, or alternatively, hit for one hour earlier that day. However, this is not always the case, and sometimes I can't warm-up on the court for more than just those allowed 5 minutes.
In these cases, I do some off-court warming-up though. I try to jog to get the adrenaline going and take shadow swings to warm-up my muscles. However, that doesn't help my coordination and timing very much, and usually when start the match, it might take 4-7 games before my timing is at the level where I want it to be.
In the beginning of the match this often results in errors or shots that don't go where I want them to (for example, straight in the middle), and allow the opponent to take control of the point. I've also tried "warming up" during the first games by mostly hitting crosscourt shots just to get more feel, but I might still make too many errors in the beginning.
Needless to say, it's hard for me to win the first set if I don't get my game working before being down 1-4 or 2-5.
Any tips on what might help overcoming this?