Playing tennis is a great way to get outside, get active, and have fun. Although it’s a fairly easy sport to understand, as with any sport, there’s going to be a learning curve. These essential tips for new players will help you get a better grasp of the game at a quicker rate.

Practice Consistently

The easiest and most beneficial tip of all is to keep practicing. The old saying goes “practice makes perfect”—which is a mindset you should use with any sport, including tennis.

Make the effort to keep a consistent practice schedule. Whenever you struggle with a certain tennis skill, take note of it and work on it until you improve; it’s as simple as that. By consistently and thoroughly practicing, you can adjust key factors such as your grip, footwork, serve, and swing. 

Surface Determines Gameplay

One of the most essential tips for new tennis players to grasp is to find out what court you’re playing on before each match. The types of tennis court surfaces include asphalt, clay, concrete, and grass. Each of these courts promotes a specific type of playstyle.

Due to the height and speed at which each surface causes the tennis ball to move, grass courts promote a faster type of gameplay that requires quick thinking and reflexives. Clay courts, on the other hand, promote a slower pace that allows more time to think and plan ahead in between hits.

Courts made from asphalt or concrete are commonly called “hard courts”; they’re the middle ground between clay and grass courts. They promote a faster type of gameplay, but not quite as fast as matches on grass courts. Knowing how each court changes the game will help you prepare your body and mind for each match.

Don’t Forget to Stretch

Tennis can promote a healthy lifestyle—but if you don’t stretch before each match, you can hurt yourself instead of improving yourself. At the start of each match, take some time to do stretches such as arm circles, jumping jacks, lunges, light jogging, and shoulder rolls to prepare your body for the game.

Not only should you stretch before each match, you should also stretch afterward, too. When playing multiple matches, another way to keep your body healthy is by taking breaks. In between matches, simply find a comfortable place to sit down and hydrate.

It’s for this reason homeowners or club owners shopping for tennis court equipment should invest in comfortable, durable benches for players and potential audience members alike. A tennis court bench might sound like a luxury item as opposed to a necessity, but benches are actually very helpful tools for keeping your mind and body healthy on the court.