PLAYING CONSISTENT TENNIS
“I believe successsful tennis is a game of consistency and taking advantage of the proper percentages”.
Bjorn Borg.
No matter who you’re playing, if you hit the ball back into court you cannot lose the point. This makes consistency a prime concern for players of any level. How can you measure, practice and focus on consistency? Here are three on-court exercises I highly recommend you try.
1. TEN FIRST
Two players rally from the baseline, beginning with a drop serve. There must be a rally of ten shots before either player can score. If the rally breaks down before ten shots have been hit, neither player scores.
2. IT ALL ADDS UP
Players A and B rally from the baseline. When there is an error the player who did not miss adds the amount of shots hit in the rally to his score. For example, there is a rally of twelve shots, then A misses. The score is 12–0 to B. The next rally lasts for twenty shots, then B misses. The score is 20–12 for Player A.
3. GET BACK
Two players compete in singles, keeping the score numerically. If one player misses before five shots have been hit into court, the other player scores three points. If a player misses before nine shots have been played (but after five), the opponent scores two points. If a player misses after nine or more shots have been played, the opponent scores one point.
Here’s the latest article in our Tennis Unlocked series by Peter Farrell, one of Ireland’s most experienced coaches. The series will build into a library of knowledge, specifically designed for club-level players, that can help make your match play more effective.
