Methods of Practicing When You Can't Get to the Court on a Consistent Basis

A

asked_answered

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I'm trying to improve my game (mid 3.5 in level right now), but my work schedule and family obligations allow me to get onto a tennis court about once a week for practice sets and roughly every other week for USTA league singles matches. I know that improvement only comes from good practice, so what methods should I use to practice my tennis skills off the court?

Thanks!
 
Table Tennis using your tennis strokes best you can.
Really tunes up your hand/eye and timing.
 
5263 said:
Table Tennis using your tennis strokes best you can.
Really tunes up your hand/eye and timing.
Click to expand...

Thanks! That's an interesting suggestion. I haven't played table tennis since I was a kid, but I can see how it would really help hand-eye coordination and timing. Of course, I don't know anyone who has a ping-pong table, nor do I have anyone to play with, but I'll see if I can remedy those issues. :-)
 
asked_answered said:
Thanks! That's an interesting suggestion. I haven't played table tennis since I was a kid, but I can see how it would really help hand-eye coordination and timing. Of course, I don't know anyone who has a ping-pong table, nor do I have anyone to play with, but I'll see if I can remedy those issues. :-)
Click to expand...

got mine at a yard sale for $25, 8 yrs ago.
great investment and good practice when it's raining too.
 
5263 said:
Table Tennis using your tennis strokes best you can.
Really tunes up your hand/eye and timing.
Click to expand...

I have put in at LEAST a hundred hours of ping pong in the last four years. It's my ultimate alternate to tennis, and I love it!

I sometimes wonder if I'm developing bad habits for my tennis game though, hahaha :D
 
Find a local wall to hit against. A lot of grocery stores have nice walls in the back alleyway. Keep a racket and a few balls in your car, and hit a few balls after/before doing some errands. Wife doesn't have to know :)

Get a board and lean it against a fence in your yard, or any other wall. It's aice way to practice volleys. A slanted board will send the ball back with an upwards trajectory, which is somewhat more realistic. It will also prevent you from messing up your wall/fence.

Footwork drills.

Distancing: If you have problems with either getting the correct spacing on your shots (such as you tend to get too close to the ball), or problems with finding the right contact point, it helps to practice with a stationary target. Set up a "ball" and practice moving to it and finding the right spacing.

Exercise. Find some workouts you can do at home. Box jumps, lunges, aerobics. There's a lot you can do. You can at least be fit and fast.

Visualize proper strokes.. They've found that high school basketball players can improve their free throw shooting by taking time to visualize practicing free throws. It's not as good as actually practicing, but it's much better than not. I assume this would apply to tennis.

Visualize proper strategy. You may commit strategic errors on the court out of pure habit (example, hitting down the line too often when you're pulled wide, giving your opponent an easy open court). Take time to identify those errors, then mentally visualize making the correct shot choice.

Watch videos (if you can find them) of people playing, ideally at your level. Practice identifying strengths, weaknesses, and tells, and think about how you would counter them. Practice anticipating what they are going to do, where their shot is going to go, and what kind of spin they are going to put.
 
Bergboy123 said:
I have put in at LEAST a hundred hours of ping pong in the last four years. It's my ultimate alternate to tennis, and I love it!

I sometimes wonder if I'm developing bad habits for my tennis game though, hahaha :D
Click to expand...

We always try to focus on hitting with our tennis strokes when playing. Doesn't make our ping pong the best it can be maybe, but we have priorities.
Also modern tennis strokes work pretty well in table tennis anyway.

I bet you have great hands at net in tennis though!
 
BevelDevil said:
Find a local wall to hit against. A lot of grocery stores have nice walls in the back alleyway. Keep a racket and a few balls in your car, and hit a few balls after/before doing some errands. Wife doesn't have to know :)

Get a board and lean it against a fence in your yard, or any other wall. It's aice way to practice volleys. A slanted board will send the ball back with an upwards trajectory, which is somewhat more realistic. It will also prevent you from messing up your wall/fence.

Footwork drills.

Distancing: If you have problems with either getting the correct spacing on your shots (such as you tend to get too close to the ball), or problems with finding the right contact point, it helps to practice with a stationary target. Set up a "ball" and practice moving to it and finding the right spacing.

Exercise. Find some workouts you can do at home. Box jumps, lunges, aerobics. There's a lot you can do. You can at least be fit and fast.

Visualize proper strokes.. They've found that high school basketball players can improve their free throw shooting by taking time to visualize practicing free throws. It's not as good as actually practicing, but it's much better than not. I assume this would apply to tennis.

Visualize proper strategy. You may commit strategic errors on the court out of pure habit (example, hitting down the line too often when you're pulled wide, giving your opponent an easy open court). Take time to identify those errors, then mentally visualize making the correct shot choice.

Watch videos (if you can find them) of people playing, ideally at your level. Practice identifying strengths, weaknesses, and tells, and think about how you would counter them. Practice anticipating what they are going to do, where their shot is going to go, and what kind of spin they are going to put.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions, BevelDevil!

I definitely like the wall idea. I'm not sure where I could go in my area to find one, though. (I currently hit a foam tennis ball against the interior garage wall for volley practice, but the exterior walls are all surrounded by grass, have too many windows, or are set on steep inclines.)

I'm all for footwork drills; I just need to locate a spot to do them. Right now the space I do have is very limited.

That distancing drill sounds good, too. I'm actually considering incorporating a "ball-tracking" preparation move where I hold the racquet with my main hand on the grip, the offhand on the throat of the racquet until I'm ready to swing. It seems to help with setting up to hit at the proper distance. (I picked up the idea from one of Jeff Salzenstein's video tips.)

I've decided to try burpees for exercise (again from Jeff Salzenstein's video suggestions). If they don't kill me, they'll make me stronger and increase my endurance. :-) I'm at a good weight now (175 pounds at 6'1"), but my strength and stamina need improvement

I like the stroke visualization idea, too. I actually practice shadow strokes without a racquet in my office (with the door closed, of course), but adding the visualization to that process can only help.

As for visualizing strategy, that'll take some time. I need to first record some of my crappy match play so I can really see all of the strategic and tactical errors I'm making, then I can visualize the solutions.

I'll dig around Youtube for some 3.5/4.0 matchplay to analyze.

Thanks again!
 
Last edited:
Footwork work requires almost no space. Even if you don't have a jumprope, draw a line on the ground, begin by first moving one foot in front of the line and then back and then do the other foot. Do this as fast as you can with good control for 30 seconds, repeat three times.
 
maggmaster said:
Footwork work requires almost no space. Even if you don't have a jumprope, draw a line on the ground, begin by first moving one foot in front of the line and then back and then do the other foot. Do this as fast as you can with good control for 30 seconds, repeat three times.
Click to expand...

Cool. Thanks! (I was thinking about large-area footwork drills.)
 
BevelDevil said:
Find a local wall to hit against. A lot of grocery stores have nice walls in the back alleyway. Keep a racket and a few balls in your car, and hit a few balls after/before doing some errands. Wife doesn't have to know :)

Get a board and lean it against a fence in your yard, or any other wall. It's aice way to practice volleys. A slanted board will send the ball back with an upwards trajectory, which is somewhat more realistic. It will also prevent you from messing up your wall/fence.

Footwork drills.

Distancing: If you have problems with either getting the correct spacing on your shots (such as you tend to get too close to the ball), or problems with finding the right contact point, it helps to practice with a stationary target. Set up a "ball" and practice moving to it and finding the right spacing.

Exercise. Find some workouts you can do at home. Box jumps, lunges, aerobics. There's a lot you can do. You can at least be fit and fast.

Visualize proper strokes.. They've found that high school basketball players can improve their free throw shooting by taking time to visualize practicing free throws. It's not as good as actually practicing, but it's much better than not. I assume this would apply to tennis.

Visualize proper strategy. You may commit strategic errors on the court out of pure habit (example, hitting down the line too often when you're pulled wide, giving your opponent an easy open court). Take time to identify those errors, then mentally visualize making the correct shot choice.

Watch videos (if you can find them) of people playing, ideally at your level. Practice identifying strengths, weaknesses, and tells, and think about how you would counter them. Practice anticipating what they are going to do, where their shot is going to go, and what kind of spin they are going to put.
Click to expand...
+1, very useful information.
 
shadows, mimic your strokes.. your nervous system will learn the patterns. The same with your footwork.

Physical conditioning. Strength. Elasticity, Power, Aerobic endurance.

Hell you could go to the court 3 days a week and become a better player just by doing the physical.
 
I joined a gym that has racquetball courts specifically so I could hit tennis balls against the wall.

This way at least I have grooved strokes when someone calls me for a match, even if I haven't stepped on a tennis court in a while!

I find that the "wall skills" transfer better for doubles than singles, because it grooves my ball-striking, but not so much my running-to-the-ball skills.
 
I have a spare room with a wooden floor so I hit a foam ball against the wall and also work on my footwork, skip and train with a resistance band and in the 8 months since picking up tennis from scratch, I've come on tremendously.

There's a local park with a wall which I use to hit also do medicine ball work which is also great when I can't get onto a court.
 
salsainglesa said:
shadows, mimic your strokes.. your nervous system will learn the patterns. The same with your footwork.

Physical conditioning. Strength. Elasticity, Power, Aerobic endurance.

Hell you could go to the court 3 days a week and become a better player just by doing the physical.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestions!
 
travlerajm said:
I joined a gym that has racquetball courts specifically so I could hit tennis balls against the wall.

This way at least I have grooved strokes when someone calls me for a match, even if I haven't stepped on a tennis court in a while!

I find that the "wall skills" transfer better for doubles than singles, because it grooves my ball-striking, but not so much my running-to-the-ball skills.
Click to expand...

I've noticed that I tend to hit running shots when I hit against a wall, because I try to angle shots from forehand to backhand and backhand to forehand. I don't do it very well, of course, but it's good exercise. :-) Thanks!
 
Last edited:
syc23 said:
I have a spare room with a wooden floor so I hit a foam ball against the wall and also work on my footwork, skip and train with a resistance band and in the 8 months since picking up tennis from scratch, I've come on tremendously.

There's a local park with a wall which I use to hit also do medicine ball work which is also great when I can't get onto a court.
Click to expand...

Cool. I use the interior of my garage for foam ball wall drills (mostly volleys), but I ought to use it for more than just that. Thanks!
 
Ian, from Essential Tennis, had some good tips for practicing against the wall:
Backboard or Wall Hitting Lesson http://www.essentialtennis.com/video/2011/10/backboard-or-wall-hitting-lesson/

Hitting on the second bounce can allow you to better concentrate on perfect strokes, and better approximates your distance to the net for baseline rallies.

Hitting that target, and having goals for consecutive hits, can sharpen your focus.


But you can also use other stratagies.

One is to intentially put yourself in trouble, just like happens all the time on the tennis court.

Move in to take it earlier and earlier on the first bounce to mimic when you are being pressured, and to learn to hit it "on the rise". [With experience you can anticipate how high the ball will be bouncing from how fast it is coming in and where it is bouncing so you can time your stoke to hit it - hint: the ball will usually be low, so prepare to hit a low ball and start your stroke up accordingly.]

Practice half volleys - you're going to need to hit them in match play.

Practice volleys.


Practice coming out of your split step.
The wall is like the other player on the double bounce practice, so split step when the ball hits the wall.

But with single bounce practice you are hitting it when your opponent would be! - (your spacing to the wall is only 1/2 the distance from where your opponent's ball would be crossing the net, with the other 1/2 distance when the ball is coming back to you!)
So you can get into of the habit of always moving out of a split step on the court by immediately recovering into a split step after hitting the ball, then moving out of a split step for your next shot. [This is especially true if you are hitting the ball hard, you won't have time to split step if you wait until the ball is coming off the wall.]


Don't fall into the bad habit on the wall of hitting only line drives without topspin. You can fall into this trap as the ball will come back faster, and be a better test of your ability to return harder hit balls. Plus, if you are a little low, the ball will still come back (and not stop in the net). But you need to continue to hit topspin on your drives to have a stroke that will not result in too many unforced errors when you return to the court. Remember to practice hitting "low to high".


Practice serving against the wall. You shouldn't have to chase too many balls if you simulate a T serve from the ad court.


Practice playing points against the wall. Return your own serves, hit some groundstrokes until you get a "short ball" to slice down the line, and come in for the volley. Then hit volleys until either you or the wall wins the point. [But be forewarned - it's hard to beat the wall. :roll:]


Good luck!
 
charliefedererer said:
Ian, from Essential Tennis, had some good tips for practicing against the wall:
Backboard or Wall Hitting Lesson http://www.essentialtennis.com/video/2011/10/backboard-or-wall-hitting-lesson/

Hitting on the second bounce can allow you to better concentrate on perfect strokes, and better approximates your distance to the net for baseline rallies.

Hitting that target, and having goals for consecutive hits, can sharpen your focus.


But you can also use other stratagies.

One is to intentially put yourself in trouble, just like happens all the time on the tennis court.

Move in to take it earlier and earlier on the first bounce to mimic when you are being pressured, and to learn to hit it "on the rise". [With experience you can anticipate how high the ball will be bouncing from how fast it is coming in and where it is bouncing so you can time your stoke to hit it - hint: the ball will usually be low, so prepare to hit a low ball and start your stroke up accordingly.]

Practice half volleys - you're going to need to hit them in match play.

Practice volleys.


Practice coming out of your split step.
The wall is like the other player on the double bounce practice, so split step when the ball hits the wall.

But with single bounce practice you are hitting it when your opponent would be! - (your spacing to the wall is only 1/2 the distance from where your opponent's ball would be crossing the net, with the other 1/2 distance when the ball is coming back to you!)
So you can get into of the habit of always moving out of a split step on the court by immediately recovering into a split step after hitting the ball, then moving out of a split step for your next shot. [This is especially true if you are hitting the ball hard, you won't have time to split step if you wait until the ball is coming off the wall.]


Don't fall into the bad habit on the wall of hitting only line drives without topspin. You can fall into this trap as the ball will come back faster, and be a better test of your ability to return harder hit balls. Plus, if you are a little low, the ball will still come back (and not stop in the net). But you need to continue to hit topspin on your drives to have a stroke that will not result in too many unforced errors when you return to the court. Remember to practice hitting "low to high".


Practice serving against the wall. You shouldn't have to chase too many balls if you simulate a T serve from the ad court.


Practice playing points against the wall. Return your own serves, hit some groundstrokes until you get a "short ball" to slice down the line, and come in for the volley. Then hit volleys until either you or the wall wins the point. [But be forewarned - it's hard to beat the wall. :roll:]


Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for the wall training tips!
 
luishcorreia said:
Besides practice sets, there are a few simple drills you can do with just one hitting partner that are great.

You just need some ball cans or cones.

Check them out at my blog.

Attacking / Defensive Consistency Drill -> http://online-tennis-blog.blogspot.com/2012/01/attacking-defensive-consistency-drill.html

Its all about the angles -> http://online-tennis-blog.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-all-about-angles.html

Drills for two -> http://online-tennis-blog.blogspot.com/2011/08/drills-for-two.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the drill suggestions! When I do make it to the court with another person, I'm sure these will be great.
 
When its wet outside I usually find an open space in my house and practice my strokes in front of a mirror and see whether or not it looks fluid.
 
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