[adadrian]

hi im rather new to tennis and pretty bad at it as what proves as me losing to my mate today
6-1
i dont really have the money to get lessons or join a club but i have been playing against my friends for quite a while and im not improving that much.
what can i do to help me?
i love tennis and i have only just started at 21 years of age is that 2 old ? only been playing a few months. previously played a lot of cricket
anyway any advice would be appreciated

[Hawkman]

Match play is not what makes you a a better player per say but more match tough. To become a better player you have to practice; this means hitting balls and then hitting more balls.

Drill drill drill.

Either find a hitting partner, rent a ball machine, or hit against 'racquet ball' courts.

Save the matches for game day.

[adadrian]

thanks for the advice.
but surely match play has to improve your game somehow?

[Hawkman]

Well of course it will.

I was being somewhat general in nature. But really, skip the match play for a bit and drill as much as possible. Tennis is about consistency and hitting hundreds of ball.

Professionals put in hundreds of hours before going into a tournament and then put in even more as they advance though the draw. Most new players want to play as much as possible (Which is the idea) but lack the skills to play quality tennis because they never practice.

Next time; instead of a match, ask your partner to just hit, hit and hit. Your game will imprive dramatically.

[adadrian]

okay i've been practising and playing a bit and slowly improving i can notice my it.
should i go for lessons? or just keep practicing by my self and develop it my skills naturally.
i've read a lot about coaches and how people are against them etc

[Hawkman]

Against them ?

Your game will improve 10 fold in quantam levels.