How to train for a tennis tournament

A tennis tournament requires either physical or mental training. It also includes diet routines and necessary rest for a good performance on court during the whole match. Training all along the low season, when there are no tournaments, is the perfect period to prepare the body and get fit in order to achieve excellent stamina and physical strength. It is important to prepare a routine and work on it methodically during the previous weeks of the tournament.

Tips to succeed in tennis tournaments

1. Tennis training tips
2. Mental tennis toughness
3. How to win a tournament

1.- Tennis training tips

In all physical activities, emotions are engaged. Fitness, technical strokes, and development are also important aspects we will talk about below. Tennis game is for both, experienced and amateur players. To build the correct technique, you need to follow some basics in place tips for tennis serve. We will talk about 7 steps progressions that will allow you to perform greatly.

1. The stance: the position of your body should be appropriate. For right-handers, the left foot has to be placed forward and the right one has to be parallel to the baseline. Make sure to keep the line between the left heel and the right foot toes.
2. Continental grip: to find it, you must take the racket in a way when you put your left index finger next to the bone of your thumb is pointing to the top edge of the racket.
3. Hitting part: it is the most important part of the serve. If you do the hitting part correctly the backswing will go naturally aligned, so you will be able to hit the ball correctly. One of the most common mistakes is to hit the ball using the whole arm instead of swinging the arm at 45º angle, hit the ball, and then switch the movement and pronate the racket to the target with your wrists and forearm. Note the drop of the racket.
4. Backswing & toss: place the ball in the middle of your hand holding it with the thumb so your racket can lean on the rest of the fingers. Then, to work on the backswing, you have to swing both arms simultaneously letting them go up and down, getting to the trophy position of both arms. Remember that the right arm – if right-handed – before tossing must be straight.
5. Serve in two parts: is about putting everything you have learned together. Backswing, catching the ball – to make sure we are in the right position – then we toss again, and we hit the ball.
6. The power move: before hitting the ball and the racket is starting to drop, the body has to start rotating from your hips and then shoulders. Keep in mind that when hitting the ball, the body must be in 45ª angle to the court – as we just face it after the swinging movement–.
7. Complete serve with the follow-through: to put the racket in the left side when the hit is done, the swinging cannot be done using the shoulder. The swing has to be smooth, out towards the right side, pronate and allow the body to hold straight naturally, followed by the natural swing of the arm towards the left side.

2.- Mental tennis toughness

The training mindset is focused on performing your best when playing matches or tournaments. In your daily workout is easier to concentrate, as you do not have lots of people starring at you. But, do you know how to stay focus surrounded by people and cameras? We advise you to work on specific mental exercises during your training sessions. So, is time to block any distraction, and work hard in shots you might use in the future. But most importantly, get your daily routine done to achieve the training mindset. The time spent in the training has to be equal to the amount spent playing practice matches. That will help you in the transition of your playing mindset. Try not to think too much about your technique. Instead, think about targets, strategy and get the job done and win. Focus, intensity, confidence, self-control, trust, and determination are the main aspects to get a tough mind to play tennis. Do not let fear holds you back of the game. Do not think about disappointing your coach, embarrassing yourself or others. Avoid focusing too much on the outcome, over-controlling the ball, tighten up – when you play thinking on not to lose instead of thinking to win and/or enjoy. Where is my fear coming from? Once you have answered this question is time to step to one-point at a time mindset, what am I doing at this time, at this moment.

3.- How to win a tournament

The second serve is much more important. It has to be done with confidence and not delivered with speed and in an aggressive way. So, learn which is the right swing path and reduce the margin of error and do not forget that the ball must have a correct curve. Probably the return of serve is the second most important shot in tennis. To do it great, make sure first you have good timing when it comes to watching the serve and split stepping the second. Your legs must be placed widely, keep in mind they are your base. What is also so important? In order to return a serve, you have to be able to start the point from the returner side. That means, getting the ball back. Then, what are the keys to return a serve?

• Make sure you have good timing & split stepping
• Get a good wide base to shift your weight to the outside leg

If you hit a forehand, split and shift your weight to the outside leg on the forehand side. If you get it back, do the exact movement shifting your weight to the outside leg on the backhand side. When you load the outside leg and your push through the ball, you are using your legs to create the power to put through the ball for the return. The unit turn is probably the third most important step in tennis. It should be the swing. Keep the racket in a short position and match it with the ball in front, avoiding big swings. Patterns of play, margin, and awareness are the three last points you must keep an eye to. The simplest pattern of play is to keep the ball cross-court until you can shift the ball direction. The margin for error when cross-court the net is six inches lower in the middle than the outside. The last one, awareness is good advice. However, do what works for you!