10 Tennis Tips to Improve Your Game Faster
Serving Aces
Most club players don't need a new forehand. They need to do a few simple things a little earlier, a little more often, and with gear that isn't working against them.
These are ten tips we hand out all the time, in the shop and on court. One of our stringers is also a qualified coach, so a fair few of them come straight from his lessons. Four are about technique, three are about tactics and three are about your equipment. Each one comes with a simple way to practise it.
Pick one or two for your next hit. Trying all ten at once is a good way to remember none of them.
Technique
1. Split step every time your opponent hits
The split step is a small hop that lands just as your opponent makes contact. It loads your legs so you can push off in either direction straight away. Without it, you start every shot flat-footed and a fraction late.
Try this: say "hit" quietly each time your opponent strikes the ball, and hop on the word. After a few rallies the timing becomes automatic.
2. Turn your shoulders before you take the racquet back
A lot of players prepare by pulling the racquet back with their arm. Turning your shoulders and hips together gets the racquet back for you, sets your balance and stores power you can release into the shot.
Try this: the moment you know which side the ball is coming to, turn until your opposite shoulder points towards the net. Let the racquet come with you.
3. Keep your head still through contact
"Watch the ball" is the oldest advice in tennis, and most of us still look up too early to see where the shot is going. That small head movement pulls your shoulders around and changes the angle of the racquet face.
Try this: keep your eyes on the contact point for a moment after the ball has left your strings. Watch slow-motion footage of any top player and you'll see it: the ball is gone and their head is still where contact happened.
4. Use your legs for power
When shots land short, the instinct is to swing harder with your arm. The better fix is to bend your knees and drive up through the ball. Your legs are far stronger than your arm, and using them takes load off your shoulder and elbow.
Try this: for one rally, think about nothing except getting low before each shot. Notice how much easier depth becomes.
Tactics
5. Aim higher over the net
More rallies end in the net than past the baseline. Aiming a metre or more above the net in a rally gives you margin and pushes your shots deeper, which gives your opponent less time. With a bit of topspin, the ball still comes down in.
Try this: rally cross-court and count how many of your balls land past the service line. Raise your target over the net until most of them do.
6. Rally cross-court, and change direction when it's safe
The net is lower in the middle (91.4cm) than at the posts (107cm), and a cross-court shot crosses that lower section with more court to land in. That makes it the safest shot in a rally.
Try this: stay cross-court until you get a short or slow ball, then change direction down the line. That's how most points are built, at every level of the game.
7. Serve to a target, not just hard
At club level, where your serve lands wins more points than how fast it travels. A serve that drags your opponent wide or jams them at the body is hard to attack, even at moderate pace.
Try this: take a basket of balls and hit five serves to each target: wide, body and down the T. Then do the same with your second serve, using more spin instead of slowing your arm down.
Equipment
8. Check your grip size
A grip that's too small makes you squeeze to stop the racquet twisting, which tires your forearm and is a common cause of elbow pain. A grip that's too big limits your wrist on serves and topspin.
Try this: hold your racquet in your normal forehand grip. You should be able to slide the index finger of your other hand into the gap between your fingertips and the base of your palm. If there's no room, the grip is too small. Our grip size guide has the full check.
9. Restring before your strings go dead
Strings start losing tension the day they go in, even if the racquet isn't used. Polyester strings drop tension quickly and go "dead": the ball starts flying long, spin drops off and the racquet feels harsher on your arm.
A simple rule is to restring as many times a year as you play each week. Play twice a week and you should restring at least twice a year. Poly players usually benefit from restringing more often than that. Our stringing guide covers tension and timing, and you can book a restring in store, usually ready the next day.
10. Wear the right shoes for the court
Running shoes are built for moving forwards. Tennis is side to side, stop and start. Proper tennis shoes give you lateral support and a sole made for the surface you play on.
That matters in Melbourne, where clubs mix acrylic hard courts, synthetic grass and en-tout-cas. A hard court sole lasts on acrylic but slides around on loose surfaces, while a clay court sole grips those loose surfaces but wears quickly on hard courts. Here's which shoe suits which court, or browse our tennis shoes.
Bonus: warm up before you hit
Five minutes of light jogging, side shuffles and shadow swings makes a real difference to how you play the first set, and to your chances of pulling something. Then start your hit-up with short, easy rallies from the service line before moving back to the baseline.
Quick questions
How can I improve at tennis quickly?
Play regularly, work on one or two habits at a time, and get the basics of your gear right: the right grip size, fresh strings and proper tennis shoes. A few lessons with a qualified coach will speed things up more than anything else.
How often should I practise to get better?
Twice a week is enough for steady improvement for most club players, especially if at least one session is focused practice rather than match play.
What string tension should a club player use?
Most club players string somewhere in the low to mid 50s, measured in pounds. Lower tension gives more power and comfort, and higher tension gives more control. Your racquet's recommended range is printed on the frame.
Will a new racquet improve my game?
It can, if your current racquet is the wrong weight, head size or grip size for you. If it already suits you, fresh strings at the right tension will usually make a bigger difference than a new frame.