Tennis Drill Time…

Now, if you’re a smart player, you never want to just come onto the court “swinging” – hoping that your ball lands in a good spot.

That’s not good enough, if you’re serious about your game like the heavy-hitters of the 2010 French Open. True, you can get lucky.

And though luck can definitely be a part of winning, that shouldn’t be the only leg your game and shot-selection have to stand on.

You need to have control over your shots and be able to pin-point your spots on the court with marksmen type precision, if you want to WIN CONSISTENTLY. Why?

The type of shot you hit and the area in which it lands, many times, helps YOU determine the type of shot that will be coming back to you.

If you already know the possible shots your opponent can send back to you, this will save you a ton of time, and you’ll instantly know what recovery position is needed to execute a rock-solid reply.

BUT… If you have no idea where your shot is going, it makes it very difficult to accurately anticipate the possibilities of where your opponent’s shot may land and what move you should execute next.

Then, you’re a step late on a lot of your shots and will find yourself playing catch-up in a lot of points – trying your absolute hardest just to stay in it and keep it interesting at best.

And heck, then if you throw pressure into that scenario, you’re really in some trouble. You don’t want that, do you? Of course not.  You want to be in command and dictate what’s going on. So…

Here’s a fun drill that’ll bolster your ability to hit your targets with a lot more precision and help you dictate the tempo in your favor come match time.

As you’ll soon see upon the release of TMC Strategy Secrets 101, I love to use examples from other sports to help solidify a point and really make it stick in the player’s mind -  or just to make things a bit more interesting.

And with us being in the center of NBA playoffs, I thought it’d be perfect for us to bring some B-ball stuff in the mix. This tennis drill is very similar to an  ancient basketball shooting drill that just about everyone on this earth has heard about, HORSE. Except…

This Tennis Drill is Called S-P-O-T:

This is how it works…

OBJECTIVE: The core of this tennis drill is to Enhance Your Shot Accuracy (Plain & Simple).

POSITIONING: Thought you  may play with as many players as you’d like, 2 players minimum are needed. One stands at one end of the court while your opponent sets up on the opposite side.

EXECUTION: Both players outline a specific target or section of the court where their shots *MUST* land. For example, if you wanted to strengthen your ability to hit the ball wide into the corner (…using the angle cross-court)…

…You’d  setup either in the center of the baseline or in the corner of your side. Then you’ll select the space somewhere in between the center hash mark and the single side line diagonally across from you as your intended target area.

Now, don’t try to be too big of a sharp-shooter right off the bat.  Many do that, then get discouraged with they’re not perfect right away.  Instead, I’d recommend starting about 1.5 feet from the center hash-mark.

Then, as your shots get more targeted (…through practice) and you get more comfortable, then move it farther and farther out – thus making the target smaller.

Or… If you’d like to work on giving your balls more depth, you could select the box beyond the service line (…right before the doubles alley) as your target area. And anything that doesn’t make it beyond the service line is an error.

Now by no means is it limited to just these two. You can extend the center service line, straight up the middle – all the way back and practice your shots down the line as well.

You can bring it closer to net and work on your volleys. Heck, you can even use it to strengthen the accuracy of your serve.

NOTE: As you get better, you’re going to want to decrease the size of your targets. But when you do that, it at times, can be difficult to see whether your shots are actually hitting the mark or slightly outside it.

If this is the case with you, try using *Visuals*. To make your perimeter more defined, you’d put  piece of tape  down as a marker to outline where you’d like your new boundary line to be, and try only to hit it within that section.

In the cross-court example, you’d could simply put a brightly colored strip of tape between the hash mark and the single’s sideline. Using a color that’s dull or one that resembles the color of the court surface, isn’t going to do any good.

So, be sure to always use a bright color or one that really stands out so it’ll be easy for your eyes to lock onto.  Remember this, and it’ll help let you know if you’re really making the progress you think you are, instead of the possibility of jumping for joy behind fools gold.

HOW DO YOU WIN?: It’s pretty simple. This tennis drill is very similar to  HORSE, whoever fails to strike the target and hits the ball outside of the designated area gets a letter. Miss one, you got your S. Miss another, you tack on a P. And so on…

The first one to miss 4 times and spells out S-P-O-T loses. Oh yea, 4 tries isn’t a lot, so you need to really be on your game.

MAKE THIS TENNIS DRILL MORE FUN (…AND EFFECTIVE) WITH STAKES:

This tennis drill is a great way to enhance your game, but if you *REALLY* want to bring the feel and the environment of it closer to what you’d feel in a real game, add more pressure! Make it interesting.

Before starting, agree to put a little *extra* on it.  For instance, the first one to get all 4 letters has to buy the winner lunch from the restaurant (…fast food or sit down) of her choosing. That’s sure to beef up the intensity!

Can’t really afford it right now? Don’t worry, I can’t either . But the great thing is,  things don’t always have to be monetary to increase the intensity or raise the stakes. How does a personal car wash  in your drive way this Saturday, courtesy of your favorite hitting buddy sound?!?!

It’s all in good fun. Hey, and when those competitive juices are gushing out there,  it really can produce some awesome results.

Hey, and if you start getting really good at it,  challenge yourself even more by shortening it to 3 Lakers… (…I mean letters ) with the infamous game of O-U-T.

The fewer the letters, the fewer mistakes you can make.  And the more precise you’re going to have to be to avoid that after-practice meal or complimentary car wash.

Just, whatever you do, don’t spell out H-E-A-T or C-E-L-T-I-C-S  . It’s seven years bad luck – just kidding!

The better you become when performing this tennis drill, the quicker you’ll be able to send your opponent packing.

Have a great rest of the week and an even BETTER game!

For more tennis drills and other tennis tips, visit this page.

All the best,

Brian Hall

TennisMindCamp

P.S. I’m taking my mom out for her 65th birthday, and this one needs to be special! Any ideas? I’d love to hear them. Please hurry lol. Gotta run.