Work on your Offensive Game

Every practice session can be a chance to improve on your game especially when you have an intention and focus in mind. Hitting with someone lower level than you does not mean it is a waste of time, It is actually the perfect time for you to work on your offensive game and aggressive shots.

Because the speed and spin of the ball are slower and not heavy than you’re normally used to here are some points you are able to focus on:

• Stepping into the court
• Hitting heavier shots with more topspin
• Developing your dominating shot
• Finding short balls and work on finishing the point
• Work on finishing the points off with your volleys

Note: Being on offense doesn’t always mean going for 150 Mph forehands (Yes heavy hitters, we are talking to you), it's how you position yourself to either force an error or finish the point. The key is to be able to execute it consistently.

Work on Controlling the point

From the feed/return of serve work on controlling the point by making your opponent move around the court. If you’re rallying, work on the depth of your shots and keeping the balls deep. Increase the spin of the ball if you find yourself hitting past the service line often working on heavier balls. This way you can work on your ball control which will help your confidence and get you set up for the short ball that is coming.

Work on your Mindset

How often do you find yourself being angry because you’re missing shots or “dropping your level” when you play someone lower level than you? This is actually very common and alot of players struggle through this because of the pressure of not wanting to look worse than they actually are.

Work on your composure - Know that you’re on the court for this amount of time and give yourself space to go for riskier shots that you could potentially make more mistakes.

Your intentions and goals are your north star for your practice/match so anything that is not aligned to that is a chance to work on your mental game!