Coaching tips
How to train & practice tennis skills by yourself
While tennis is a sport played between two or even four people, there are still plenty of ways that you can practice or train by yourself at home or on court.
LTA expert coach Matt Smith takes you through some of the exercises you can do by yourself to improve your tennis skills.
Hitting against a wall
Want to practice all of your shots? Forehands, backhands, volley, etc? All you need is a racket, a tennis ball and a wall to play against.
Hitting against a wall is great because you can dictate exactly what you want to work on. Need to sure up that backhand side? Try rallying all backhands. Need to practice those volleys? Get close and keep volleying against the wall from both sides.
You can set yourself specific drills as well. You could try working on different patterns of play, working on transitioning from groundstrokes to volleys, serve – the possibilities are endless.
Serving
If you’re looking to get in some practice by yourself on a court – the best shot to work on is your serve.
Your serve should arguably be your biggest weapon when you play and is the only shot you fully have control of, so being able to practice by yourself is a real bonus.
Grab a few balls – or a full basket if you have one available – and just practice your technique and landing as many serves in as you can. Make sure that you practice both your first and second serves.
Once you’re feeling good with your consistency, you can add some targets to help your work on your serve placement.
Start by dividing the service box in half. Before each serve say aloud if you’re serving to the forehand or backhand of your imaginary opponent and then aim for that respective box.
You can then divide it into three. Then you call out if you’re aiming down the ‘T’, through the middle or out wide. Make sure you keep mixing up your targets and again, use both first and second serves.
Tap the ball
Back on court again, and one way you can develop your touch and different spins is by playing tap up tennis.
Stand with your shoes either side of a line and just tap the ball up to yourself on either side of the racket face, making sure to let it bounce each time.
This is a great exercise for practicing your chopper grip for volleys and for working on the feel for your slice shots as well.
You could develop this into a rally over the line with yourself, moving across the line to play each shot.
Work with a Coach
If it’s individual practice you’re looking for, then a lesson with a coach is always going to be top of the list.
LTA Accredited Coaches will work with you on a one-to-one basis to help you develop key areas of your game with a variety of fun games and drills.
There are thousands of expert Coaches around the country at parks, clubs and other venues near you. Find your nearest Coach today and get in touch to find out more about what they have to offer.