The Smarter Way to Practice Tennis (And Get Better Faster)

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Amateur players don't have a lot of time to practice, and that's why you need to be very efficient when practicing, so it can really help you improve. In this video I'll show you how to get the most out your practice sessions!
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[@jpelphrey91]

Favorite serving drill you can adapt depending on your goal. Let’s say I want to improve my 1st serve percentage. Keep score in tennis scoring. Start on deuce side and hit a first serve. If it’s in, I win the point. 15-0. Move to ad side, I miss. 15-15 and so on… Play out an entire set. See if you win or lose the set. You can track progress by setting a goal to reach 6-0. Once you’ve mastered that level, shrink the service box. Cut it in half and call your side before every serve. Keep shrinking your target as you get better. You could do a bunch of variations with spin and location. Keeping game score pressure helps when you are in a match. It relaxes the mind because you’ve called the score when you’re down a break point so many times in practice that you know you can pick a target under pressure and hit it.

[@shanehertzel]

That’s genius I need to try that out! Thanks for the tip

[@chasingseptember7216]

I do the same drill but add one more element. If you miss your first serve, you lose the point AND you have to take a second serve. If you miss the second serve then you lose the game!

[@unknownentiti2351]

@@chasingseptember7216 damn

[@Nadal-]

Awesome idea, it has so much potential for many variations depending on what you want to train. Im so grateful I scrolled through the comments

[@tennisteuton]

My friend and I are actually playing a normal game where we are not allowed to score until the ball has passed back and forth three times. That avoids quick winners/losers, and we are forced to focus on consistency at least a little bit. Of course, you can increase the number to 5 or even 7, if you want to incorporate even more consistency.

[@joeljones441]

As a coach, I find this video INVALUABLE! If KZbin had a 'love' button I'd smash it 👊🏾🎾 This is the mindset coaches MUST bring to each lesson. More content like this please Karue, keep it coming!

[@kevinnguyen9596]

One of my favourite things to do with my hitting partner is a cross-court/down-the-line drill. One person hits cross-court shots and the other person hits down-the-line shots and vice versa. In addition to developing those shots, it really helps with our footwork and court coverage as well!

[@jimclarke6344]

Love this content. Thank you for this

[@kevinarmes9804]

Karue this is great content! My favorite is watching YOU play, especially mic’ed or commentated. But love all the videos. And there are a lot of great comments in this section giving examples of drills coaches and players find useful. So thanks everyone!

[@BakeLikeAPro]

Good morning Karue ! Loving loving loving your channel ! 🙂 How many pizzas do I need to make for you, so you'll come up to Canada and give me a few hours of lessons ! haha. 😊

[@nikolasb5111]

Karue is like a Ninja Turtle, he eats a LOT of pizza 😂

[@bradleaoverseas]

Love what you are doing Thanks great work

[@fmtien]

Hands down, the BEST tennis channel on KZbin! Just great stuff, Karue!

[@Tamagoyaro]

Really great tip here. Thanks mate!

[@playing99]

Super great ideas and reminders

[@MPTennis]

Great video and definitely agree! You can almost get better with a hitting partner then with a coach these days, if you practice like this. One we like to play is a tiebreaker where you serve and volley on every serve. Great way to force you to add that dynamic to your game while in practice. Teaches you how to defend the serve and volley as well. Another one we do is play points with one person hitting slices from the BH corner while the other player hits topspin from the entire court on their side to the BH corner.

[@dougsmith5920]

The quality of these videos keep getting better and better.

[@geausportequipment]

Awesome tips, thanks

[@kmcclarney]

Great video. Thank you

[@Lucas.jp13]

'Switch' is one of my favorites to get people moving. Doubles from the baseline. Each team much hit the ball and switch (add to deuce) two times before a doubles point is started. So essentially four cooperative hits with two switches each before playing out a point. Adding in a mandatory rush for more advanced payers after the fourth ball is also fun.

[@hartspot7418]

What do you mean by switch? Like switch from deuce to add?

[@ZacharyShahan]

Great, subtle points highlighted here about why games are so important and how the pros practice (always something people wonder about!) - thanks a ton! And like the game ideas. With my 7yo daughter, I like when she tries to hit balls into fold-out chairs I put on the court. Her favorite is when I hit the ball really hard at/near her and she sees how many she can return. (Though, honestly, we didn't count before for that extra **game element** you are suggesting, but will definitely do so now!)

[@BSoloe]

Solid vid Karue

[@stekkensdnbhd]

Thanks for the tips. Best way to up the ante.

[@nicolashornewall8800]

We often play variations of 4 cross, 1 line and repeat. When we begin we collaborate and try to get as many balls over the net as possible. When we want to start playing points we do 4 cross, and then when someone goes line, we open the court and play the point. Similar style drill that I learnt here that I love: 2 players play cross. if ball is over service line you need to continue play cross, if it goes in service box, you need to go line and then play out the point. Serve can easily be added.

[@sonnyyombo2230]

Thanks for this.

[@sharto9618]

This tennis channel just belts out gold every single upload. Thanks for doing this!

[@ClarkdeLeon]

Why did I Not think OF this when practicing. Thank you!

[@dabarons001]

Thanks for the tips. Favorite game of mine is the coach feeds in cross court. I have to move in as soon as the ball is dropped and hit a half volley back and then play out the point at the net.

[@karllee7667]

Your points are SO TRUE!!!! I think change is hard, so the fall back position is the comfort zone, ie just doing repeat hits, staying in one place, etc… To get better, to truly improve, you are tight, the player needs to challenge himself and get out of the comfort zone.

[@ayushrayoo3624]

great video

[@indirajayaraman4758]

Nice tips. I coach tennis on weekends, where I have a removable tennis net and no court as such. Only open ground. Still I use my creativity to make the lessons interestjng, using a goal oriented approach like you mentioned.

[@animal0319]

thanks for making those awesome tennis videos. I'm wondering which tennis racket is your primary one?

[@zacharycardenas]

This video is awesome! Definitely going to be implementing more goal orientated practices into my practice sessions! Thanks Karue!

[@timothyizaac3406]

Last training we had to observe in which part of the court the ball was going to land and shout it out. Service box was one, 3/4 court was two and behind 3/4 was three. The point was how fast you could observe where the ball was going to land..haha.. That was a fun!👌🏾 Later on we did the same, but with the difference that you have step in the court when you see it's going to land in one, stay in position when you think it lands in two and step back when you think it lands in three 😎

[@MyTennisHQ]

Wow I really like this! Will try it at practice today

[@timothyizaac3406]

@@MyTennisHQ 😎 Nice man!👊🏼👍🏾 Are you going to film it for the channel too?

[@JH-tk8gk]

Getting this through to my players is incredibly difficult. The predatory tennis culture pushed by coaches in my area has bread an entire section of players that want to do nothing but play baseline games from the middle and are left wondering why they underperform in matches while their coaches rake in cash by stroking egos and watching from the side.

[@kaushikdr]

Thanks Karue! Fellow UCLA alum here (go Bruins!) and remember seeing Mackie and meeting Maxime; unfortunately, I never got to see you. One of the things that is tough is figuring out what needs to be improved in each practice - how do we go about working on this? I think it would be really helpful if you could create a list of things to work on for each level of tennis. Also, if we are not able to hit with a tennis partner everyday (I only have coaching once a week), can we practice the same things against the wall?

[@wrupnick]

Unfortunately most drills wont work with a wall because you will never be hitting balls with realistic spin

[@UserIsM]

Great video Karue, I see that you are still using the vcore 95. What are your customizations for it? Thanks

[@LordOfTheDrinks01]

@Karue Hey, I know you said in the video that if you had to mention all the examples of goal oriented games it would take you 7 hours but my guess would be that for most of us (your viewers) it wouldn't be that easy coming up with them on the spot. Video idea (probably wont fit in one) Goal oriented drills for Consistency, Accuracy, Endurance or whatever type drills you would recommend divided in difficulty levels. Cheers from Bulgaria, love the content!

[@fsuchrisconnell]

Been watching a while now. I won mens 4.0 in Savannah this weekend. 4 matches. I rewatched some of your vids as I prepped for the final. Thx for the awesome content. It has helped me :)

[@MyTennisHQ]

That’s awesome to hear! Congrats

[@fsuchrisconnell]

@@MyTennisHQ Thx bud

[@Multisportamateur]

We all have an issue with court time. So, when I don’t have time to perform a proper warm-up, I feel that mini tennis and then mini tennis volley-volley then baseline all within 7 mins. I often feel that volley-volley is very critical since it puts my mind up to speed when I get to the baseline. So, volley volley with movement from side to side. This is my go to “game” since it works on my movement, reaction, touch, placement, and I can sweat a lot more quickly.

[@lilies9251]

Great video! I don’t know about US, but in Japan coaches follow this recipe, and I am grateful for that and implement it when practicing with friends. By the way, I know you are using VCore 95 with some lead, can you share how much you added and where to make it stable?

[@Nnexxxx]

I love that filter at 0:15!

[@LTBlightthebeam]

Karue - Teach me some cool racquet tricks and flips. I wanna learn how to look pro too!

[@UchihABitachi]

I never knew I needed “practice” bc I’ve reached a level of consistency on all wings and shots, but this changed my mind completely. Goal oriented practice that mimics mini-games/real match plays are very important in both training muscle memory & mental strength when being pressured.

[@alexlam7980]

Crosscourt points to 10, both sides. For doubles I include the alleys, but the middle is out. Works with serves or feeds.

[@bradschafer2575]

A favorite game-ified drill: "Mini Tennis Madness" Rules: Mini-Tennis court size ( just service boxes). Stand outside the service box to start. Whoever is behind feeds underhand, if it's a tie either can feed. Feed must be up the middle, return up the middle .. then the point is on. The ball must bounce once before you hit. Your hit must be of the "game-mode" and land in the opponents mini-tennis service box ( both singles service boxes are good). Modes: All-Slice All-Top Spin Scoring: If you hit in the net 3 points to the opponent. If you hit out 1 point to the opponent. First to 9 points ( win by two ) wins. This game forces really good footwork, sharp angles and big penalties for hitting the net.

[@jehanw543]

I am gonna try this out. Can you explain if I or the opponent hit a clean winner does that count as a point or does this drill discourage to keep a rally going until the other person hits the net or outside.

[@eoliva1972]

You should make a video how to practice at the hitting wall

[@harryp3804]

Karue pls show us thr true hidden drills you do with your players 😉

[@kentwood2914]

Great video. Great perspective Karue. In my coaching I do a "game" drill where the player has to earn inside out forehands instead of feeding them one. They have to hit a backhand crosscourt deep and heavy enough to earn the opportunity to get around the ball properly to execute a quality inside out forehand. Most people, including top 100 pros are fallling away...out of their inside out foreahand because they 1. don't move properly around the ball and 2. they don't have a specific intent to be really loaded and prepared to reallyl hit a good inside out forehand. Making them earn it is the first step to them being able to have time to move around the ball properly and get set properly.

[@MyTennisHQ]

Install Tennis Clash for Free ✅ ANDROID/IOS: bit.ly/3rG878w ✅ and get 200 gems and 500 gold coins!

[@jerrychen2302]

I've played tennis clash, it's p cash grabby and not a great game tbh

[@anhvu3780]

I learned the same technique from a serve drill on KZbin a while back. You serve to different chosen spots and count points like in a match (i.e. make everything like a game). My problem is that I don't have a practice partner at my level (or better). All the guys just try to smash every ball. Another problem is that 1 or 2 hours a week only maintain your skill (if you're lucky). It is not enough to raise your level. I have to practice the following every time: serve, lob, volley, and overhead. I should include backhand as well. the point is that 2 hours are not enough. You also need match time to improve under pressure. BTW, I am just a 3.0-3.5 level.

[@gouveia305]

You disappeared, man! I’ve been waiting for a long time for your new videos!

[@MyTennisHQ]

Working on a launch. Stay tuned

[@gerardovitaliani9318]

My favorite is serve, 1st ball to the other side and reply neutral incoming ball.

[@jeffhermida4788]

11:35 Karue's reaction. LOL

[@bigrobsydney]

Hey Karue, You asked for feedback, so this is what I'm thinking: 1. Time is precious, so we NEVER walk on the court and start with points. Assuming all the warm up / stretching is done, the focus when we start is a series of repetition drills (what they are exactly doesn't matter; it's specific to the player). 2. The drills are done to a high level of speed and spin; a good quality shot. 3. 50 - 60 balls in a repetitive set. Why? Because this is more or less the number of balls hit under match situations between breaks. When the 50-60 balls are hit, my player grabs a drink and has a bite to eat for energy level consistency, I collect the balls, then we go again. 4. I would suggest splitting the sessions between "heavy" and "light" sessions. For example, light sessions are touch in the boxes and only diagonal, maybe training drop shots, do a series of 7 point tie breaks where you are only allowed to hit slices. Light sessions also include volleys. Why? Because I don't want the player to over train physically with repeated heavy sessions. Lots of first serves will hurt a players elbow if taken to extremes, which is why I'd recommend the split between heavy and light. 5. Separation between tennis specific training, and S&C, diet, and any psychology support. That is, definitely do it, but keep it as a separate activity off court. Because I 100% agree with not wanting to turn this into a 7 hour discussion, I've deliberately steered away from discussing specific drills, other than to say every player is different, and they need to work on whatever is relevant to their development curve at that time.

[@sergiosimbula]

He didn't ask for feedback. He asked what the favourite games/drills of his viewers are. So actually you did have to get specific. I mean what is this list? You seem to know enough about tennis, but this seems like a random list of things you think are important. It isn't feedback to this video (again he didn't actually ask for feedback on the content). Second you say you agree that it shouldn't become a 7 hour discussion. But again he didn't use that word. He said if he would go on giving examples the video would be 7 hours long. You obviously prefer it to be a discussion given your choice of words. Maybe your list is of use to some people but to me it feels random and sounds like you came here to show you know a thing or two about tennis.

[@bigrobsydney]

@@sergiosimbula If you'd like to add something that can help players in terms of how / what to train, I'd be more than happy to read about it.

[@sergiosimbula]

@@bigrobsydney I am a coach just like you but I am a visitor here to MTHQ so I will leave that to them.

[@mariohornsby40]

What camera equipment do you use?

[@jcramirez77]

what string did you put on the vcore and did you add weight to it? thanks

[@karllee7667]

Xct game: alleys are good, feed game, alternate slice - topspin , either side ok.

[@travisgibson739]

Hi Karue, my kids and I enjoy your tennis videos. They are aspiring tennis players (10, 11, and 12), and we are curious about the exhale noise (grunt/sigh) you make when you hit. Did you develop this intentionally, or is this something that just evolved naturally. Is this a good practice that I should try to develop in the kids? Thanks for the videos!

[@trugoras]

I'm just an amateur, with some experience, but of course, I can be wrong, this is just my view. The exhaling noise is all about training to exhale when you hit the ball as this will help with your swing, making noise is not really necessary, but it is a good method to help train, and focus on the timing, as both the trainer, and you can hear you exhale, hopefully at the correct time, and thus it is at least in part intentionally trained behavior. Hope this helps.

[@gazzer92]

What Maurits said for sure but also there was a journal article (scientific study on it) and found what Maurits said , it helps with explosiveness etc in the shot focusses the mind etc

[@_APV_]

Nice video I really liked the FIVE THOUSAND EUROS!!!

[@jimmynguyen3386]

That winner at 11:52 😂😂😂

[@nikolasb5111]

What is the best ratio: hours of practice vs hours of real match play? Or better yet, practice sessions to matches? Thx

[@MyTennisHQ]

If you are talking about actual matches, playing tournaments and such, play as much as possible. You learn a lot by playing with actual consequences. If it's practice matches it really depends. Sometime you have to focus more on skill development, sometimes it's more about jut playing points. No real formula

[@karllee7667]

Maybe you need to bring back up battery pack?

[@LennyLobsYou]

Baseline games where points won while standing inside the court is worth 2x. Rewards aggressive playing and stepping into the court to attack

[@DBoi333]

Gotta share this with some of my "winners only" crew. They'll hopefully take your word over mine! [FIVE THOUSAND EUROS]

[@karatecaleb]

Tennis

[@RigMaster_]

My favourite game is The Witcher 3

[@TripAces]

It's funny with a dead camera.. appears that your talking to a group of people :-)

[@vanvalium]

I know it's good for the channel to make money etc but I really hate the invideo commercials.

[@Prin_Cess_007]

You can sub to KZbin to get rid of commercials. Almost all channels do commercials 🙄

[@ErikOstermueller]

Good ideas, could have been communicated in 1/3 the time

[@joseppi4cinqua]

7 out of 10 is a little much. Make it 3 out of 10 and he can rip. Then 4 and so on.

[@blakebarone1809]

This information is priceles… errr, should I say it’s worth “FIVE THOUZAN YUROZ”!

[@MyTennisHQ]

Hahahah might start charging 5K euros for each video

[@nikolasb5111]

I just spent almost $400 on your tennis-warehouse link(balls and another vcore 95). I hope you guys got credit for it. 🤗

[@linolium3109]

Such a nice video and good tips! If you are ever considering changing rackets, then contact me, I would buy a racket immediately 💪 🥎