Have you started playing tennis as an adult? In this post, there are tips for you to help you enjoy and learn more about tennis.
Tips for Tennis Adult Beginners
Tennis is a subjective sport, so it’s best to interpret the tips according to your own preferences. I recommend that you pick a few tips from the list and use them in your own tennis training sessions and matches.
Regularity
Playing tennis requires many physical and mental skills and it can be challenging to start playing as an adult. Especially in the beginning, players tend to make a lot of errors, which can make playing tennis frustrating. However, it is good to remember that making errors is part of the learning process.
In its simplicity, the best way to learn tennis is through regular practice. The more regularly a player plays tennis and the more repetitions they perform, the faster and better their muscle memory will develop.
As muscle memory develops, the player’s body learns to perform certain movements efficiently and automatically.
Mindset for Training Tennis
Another crucial thing is to have the right attitude to training. Tennis is a challenging sport, which can cause feelings of frustration which decreases training motivation. To keep your tennis experience enjoyable and rewarding, you should think about the following before and during training:
Learning Curve
Some adults may find the learning curve of tennis rather steep as they need to learn both the physical and mental aspects of the game simultaneously. Therefore it is important to remember to be forgiving and patient to himself/herself.
Identifying Successes
When succeeding in tennis, for example by striking well or winning a practice point, it is important to give yourself positive feedback. When you are positive toward yourself it builds confidence which further improves your learning.
What to Do if a Lot of Errors Occur?
If a lot of errors occur in your game it is important to be able to refocus and concentrate on the present moment. If you start to dwell on your errors it becomes difficult to learn new things and enjoy the tennis practice.
There are two ways of dealing with errors:
- A player can start to avoid performing harder things to prevent errors. For example, if it is difficult for a player to hit a backhand he/she can start to use forehand instead of backhand. This causes the player’s backhand to be underdeveloped which will cause further problems in the future.
- A player can start to see errors as challenges and gain motivation from them. It may not happen overnight but eventually, a player can start to learn to enjoy the challenge and gain confidence to perform even the hardest movements on the court.
Own Goals
It is important to set yourself a few goals when practicing tennis. With the help of these goals, you can track your progress and concentrate on certain critical aspects of your game.
For example, when performing serve you can concentrate on having a correct racket grip. Once you achieve the correct grip you notice that your serve has gained a lot more power.
Comparing Yourself to Others
Adult tennis usually works in group lessons. In the tennis group, there can be players with different backgrounds and skill levels. This can be discouraging for some but it is important to remember that everyone has their own learning pace.
At the start of the season, you can be the worst player in your tennis group but if you have the right attitude and work hard you may be the best player in your tennis group by the next season.
Social Pressure
The different skill levels in your tennis group can cause social pressure on you to perform well. This can be either good or bad.
The negative type of social pressure is that you feel inferior to others and not good enough to practice with the other players. If you tend to make more errors than others, it may feel embarrassing and you can become hard on yourself. This will negatively affect your enjoyment and learning progression.
Therefore it is essential to understand that you are on the tennis court for yourself. It doesn’t matter if you make more mistakes than others as long as you do your best.
The social pressure can also be positive. In positive social pressure, you aspire to be as good a player as others. This can help you focus better in training and have a healthy competitive edge towards others and yourself.
Busy Schedules
As an adult, you may have busier schedules and it may be harder to play tennis often and regularly. That is why it is important to acknowledge these limitations. The more you play the more you develop and the less you play the less you develop.
If you have very little time to play tennis you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t develop as fast as you would like.
The Right Practice Group
When practicing tennis it is important to be in a training group that is suitable for you. The skill level of the group should be closer to your skill level and the group itself should share the same training attitude.
If the tennis group is too advanced for you the practice sessions may feel too challenging and discouraging. This can hurt your tennis motivation.
Also if the tennis group is too easy for you the practice sessions may feel frustrating and boring. Playing in an easy practice group can cause your development to stall if there is not enough challenge.
Finding a suitable practice group can take time and it may require some trial and error. Sometimes a practice group can feel unsuitable even though it may be the best group for you.
When finding a suitable practice group for yourself the best way to start is to have a conversation with a familiar tennis coach who can appoint you in the right direction.
Interaction With Your Tennis Coach
When practicing tennis it is recommended to interact with your tennis coach. The tennis coach is not there only to feed you balls but also to develop you to become a good tennis player physically and mentally.
Having a conversation with your tennis coach is a great way to receive personalized feedback and encouragement. The conversations also help the coach get to know you and your aspirations better.
This way your practice sessions can become more personalized and relaxed because the coach is not only your coach but also your friend who knows you.
Playing Equipment
When playing tennis you should have suitable equipment for your skill level. From these guides, you can find a tennis racket and tennis shoes that fit your player profile:
Competing
The last tip for adult tennis players is to think about competing in tennis at some point. At first, competing may sound far-fetched or even scary but it is one of the best ways to learn tennis and develop as a player. Practicing tennis without competing will only get you so far. By competing you will get the full understanding of what tennis is all about.
Practice sessions and official tennis matches are completely different situations. A player can perform really well in practice sessions but underperform in official matches. The main reason for this is usually the player’s ability to handle pressure.
Regular tennis practices offer the player a relaxed and safe environment to learn tennis. Competitive matches on the other hand offer the player a more stressful situation where they have less room for error. This improves the player’s pressure-handling skills and decision-making.
In addition to these aspects, competitive matches offer also various game situations that do not occur in regular practice sessions.