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New tennis goals for a new year!

/ Author: Chris Osborne

Assess  your game
In order to improve your game, you have to understand what needs work and why. 

Identify an area of weakness to set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and timely) goals. An example of this would be the desire to improve consistency on your forehand groundstrokes. There are many aspects of your game you can work on in your own time.  This may include consistency on your second serve and practising to targets and keeping track of your scores. This should be a constant assessment throughout 2016.

Set goals
Setting specific goals will hold you accountable and keep you motivated to improve your game. 

Practice regularly – Make a practice schedule and commit to practicing for a specific frequency (e.g. twice per week). Set up practice matches.

Focus on a specific skill  â€“ If you want to improve your serve or develop a killer volley, make sure you practice drills that will build the skills you need to do so. Remember to incorporate those strokes into your next match.

Go mental – Aside from physical improvement, don’t forget to work on strategy and mental control. Always make a mental note of your attitude and the amount of effort you put into the game.

Get fit – Use other activities apart from tennis to maintain your core fitness. Swimming and cycling are excellent example of this. Core work can be achieved in the gym with proper supervision.

Remember your ABC’S
The ABC’S (agility, balance, coordination and speed) are an integral part of playing successful tennis. As with getting fit playing other sports can really help develop and improve ABC's

Develop rest and recovery
Recovery is another important aspect to consider, and scheduling breaks from training is imperative to keeping your game on track. Building your strength and flexibility will help you recover quickly and avoid injury. Make sure you get enough sleep so your body gets the proper rest it needs. This is particularly relevant to pre tournament preparation.

Check your equipment
Perhaps this is the year to invest in a new racket.  Maybe your game would benefit from a change in string tensions. Young players who develop physically may now not need so much help generating power and can have their strings tighter for more control. Check out the latest range of equipment from HEAD

Practice and compete with different partners
Playing with people with a very different game style to yours can be very beneficial.  It challenges you both mentally and tactically. Practicing with somebody who is left handed for example may help to improve your backhand return. Your game will become much more balanced when learning to deal with different opponents.

Join leagues and tournaments
In 2016 seek out as much competition as you can. Look at your local club for leagues and ladders that you can participate in. If you wish to further develop your tennis look at the LTA website to see what competitions in your are are being held by other clubs.

By competing a bit further afield you can test yourself against more players.

Hopefully this article as given you a great start to 2016 and some inspiration for your continued improvement!

Enjoy the practice!