How Can I Improve?

Improving your game and getting up to the standard you would like only requires time and a willingness to improve. The well known saying 'practice makes perfect' applies with tennis as it does with every other skill. It requires excessive use of the same actions which results in the build up of what scientists call 'muscle memory'.

Muscle memory is the result of using the same muscles in the same sequence, building up a memory that the brain stores. Every time you perform a particular action, the muscle memory in the brain for say, a top spin forehand, is reinforced in the brain. As you also know, repeated contractions of particular muscles results in muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth.)

Do not be afraid by all these scientific terms. This is a simply an introduction on how humans acquire skills and ultimately how to improve. In my life of playing tennis, I have found these points have allowed me to get off the ground and begin to play well.

1. Watch the ball. The ball can be hit in many ways, such as backspin, top spin, drop shots, lob shots, deep strokes and others. I had a coach when I became familiar with the game, who's motto for teaching was "Watch the ball hit the strings". If you do not concentrate on the ball connecting with your racquet, it will be highly unlikely that it will accelerate in the direction you would like it to.

2. Join a local sports centre. A local sports centre should provide a tennis court for you to practice on. Find a tennis partner of the same standard as you are to have regular sessions of practice. This will help you develop muscle memory of basic shots and help teach yourself of sportsmanship and etiquette.

3. Learn your shots and play them accordingly. Once you have mastered a few shots of your own, such as long shot backhands and forehands, you can begin to understand the benefits of placement. Tennis does not only depend on power, a common misconception developed by the media, it also depends on placement and direction. If you can make the other player run for your ball, you can make them lose the point.

A brief history of tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt past a net into the opponent's court.
The modern game of tennis originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century as "lawn tennis" which has heavy connections to various field/lawn games as well as to the ancient game of real tennis. After its creation, tennis spread throughout the upper-class English-speaking population before spreading around the world[1]. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including people in wheelchairs.
The rules of tennis have not changed much since the 1890s. Two exceptions are that from 1908 to 1960 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times, and then the adoption of the tie-break in the 1970s. A recent addition to professional tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point challenge system, which allows a player to challenge the line (or chair) umpire's call of a point.
Tennis enjoys millions of recreational players and is also a hugely popular worldwide spectator sport, especially the four Grand Slam tournaments (also referred to as the "Majors"): the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.