Preparing Yourself to Play Competitive Tennis

Preparing Yourself to Play Competitive Tennis - Helen Curtis (Freelance Writer)

Making the switch from simply hitting a few balls with your friends for fun to playing competitive tennis is a big leap, both physically and psychologically. Many people dream of becoming a professional tennis player and playing the sport they love at a competitive level, but that dream is very difficult to achieve. Ready to try and turn it into a reality? Here are just a few hints and tips for preparing yourself to play competitive tennis.

Mental Preparation
Ask any professional tennis player what makes a good tennis player, and how even the most mediocre of tennis player can immediately improve his or her game, and it’s likely that they will tell you that mental preparation and the psychological part of your game is the most important part of any tennis tournament. [1] Your brain is the most powerful tool at your disposal, and if you can harness it properly you will quickly see your performance improve. Watch back your matches, if you can and analyze your own game objectively, looking for signs of weakness. [2] You have to be able to handle the pressures of the competition, focus single mindedly on the goals you wish to achieve (i.e. winning) without distraction, and be able to immediately bounce back from any missed shots, double bounces or other minor or major failures. It isn’t easy. But with a determination to succeed and a commitment to getting yourself as mentally prepared as possible before each match, you can find yourself thinking like a pro in no time.

Build Up Your Fitness Levels
Competitive tennis players are in the peak of their physical fitness: this is no coincidence. They pay painstaking attention and care to their physical condition and they train hard. Whilst some pros may seem very laid back and appear to take a laissez fair attitude towards their training, in truth, if you want to play competitive tennis then you have to be as fit as possible and that means you have to train regularly, train hard, and train smart. [3] Every player has weaknesses in their game; the best players know what those weaknesses are and work on improving them.[4] Accuracy, for example, is so important in tennis and can be the difference between the best player and the worst. Spend time working on the specific skills that you feel you are weakest at, as well as overall fine tuning and conditioning of your game. Sharpen your reaction times, hone your accuracy by doing plenty of target hitting, push your body to its limit and build up your fitness levels. In a long game, stamina will become key, and you don’t want to be let down by your ability to play the long game.

Extra Things to Consider
Of course, mental and physical preparation aren’t the only preparations you must do in order to ready yourself for a competitive game of tennis: it’s also important to ensure that you have all of the practical material aspects of your game plan in place: this includes ensuring that you have the right kit. A racket that you’ve played with before and are perfectly comfortable with, tennis whites and trainers that have been similarly broken in, and the right kind of insurance are all essential. Having insurance that will cover you for any injuries that you sustain whilst you’re playing (particularly if you’re planning on travelling abroad to take part in competitive tennis competitions) is especially important if you have any preexisting medical conditions or have already sustained a sporting injury that you may be concerned about aggravating again. [5] Having all of this admin-type preparation organized as early as possible before your game will leave you with plenty of time to focus on the all-important mental and physical preparation and enable you to clear your mind completely of everything superfluous to playing the very best game of your life.

Additional Reading
[1] “Tennis player and peak performance”, Competitive Edge, https://www.competitivedge.com/catalog/tennis
[2] “Preparing yourself for competitive play”, Brian Mac: Sports Coach, http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni25a2.htm
[3] “Andy Murray’s Strength Workout”, Men’s Health, http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/get-big/andy-murrays-strength-session
[4] “Mentally tough tennis tips”, United States Tennis Association, http://www.norcal.usta.com/T-I-P/mentally_tough_tennis/
[5] “Pre existing medical condition travel insurance”, Compare NI, http://www.compareni.com/insurance/pre-existing-medical-conditions.htm

Many thanks to Helen Curtis for her second contribution to the blog, another enjoyable read.