How To Improve Your Game on A Budget

I know many very talented players who achieved a high level of competency without spending a lot of money on lessons. Certainly, if you have the opportunity to take lessons then by all means do that. But make sure that you get the most for your investment by practicing as much as you can on your own time. A coach can only give direction and make suggestions, but it's up to the individual to make the sacrifice and put in personal training time to move to the next level.

Here are some inexpensive ways you can improve your game.

1. Read everything you can about tennis. There are a lot of good publications out there. When I was a young player I devoured Tennis and World Tennis Magazine. I read every word cover to cover. There are also lots of good books at the local library. You can also try your local half price book store for some bargains on great titles.
2. Watch Tennis Matches on Television. There is much more tennis coverage on TV than there used to be. I wish the tennis channel was being produced when I was a junior player. Sometimes the commentators aren't too good, but you turn the sound down. There's always something to be learned by watching better players.
3. Go to the net. I mean the internet. There are a lot of great instructional sites out there. I'll try to make that a topic in the future and provide some good links for you to check out. Until then, at least you have me...!
4. Buddy-Up with a friend. When I was in High School, I had a friend that I played doubles with and we were each other's personal trainer and coach. We fed drills to each other, we served and returned to each other, we worked out instead of just playing matches against each other. It's always a good idea to practice with a partner who is 'like minded' in terms of goals and work ethic. If you don't have a partner, there's always a backboard....
5. There's nothing wrong with group lessons. While one on one private lessons can certainly be beneficial to one's game, a good group lesson is a great deal more economical, and a good instructor knows how to create an environment of learning and motivation in a large group setting.

Try some of these suggestions and you can still take your game to the next level without investing in private lessons or going off to a week-long tennis camp or academy.

Just for your information, I was a self taught player. I learned tennis on the public courts in Bay City, Texas. My game was primarily influenced by the methods described above and through hitting with caring adults in the local tennis community.

Thanks for reading my tip. i haven't posted on this site in a while, but I'm going to try to make it a habit of posting a new tip a couple of times a month at the very least, so please check back again.

Bye for now,

Coach Sam