The warm-up doesn’t have to be long, but there
are three things you want to accomplish:
- Continue physical warming up of
your body and mind that began with stretching and pre-match planning and
visualization.
- Get your eyes and body working
together for successful stroke production, which includes managing nerves,
- Learn as much as you can about
your opponent.
Groundstrokes
First thing to remember: try and hit your
initial groundstrokes deep, just inside the baseline. In fact, if the ball is a
little long, great. Aim for just inside the baseline. Don’t let a ball fall to short. Pay attention to what you are
doing. If a ball lands in or near the service box, correct it and go for the
baseline.
Get the stroke extended by hitting deep. It sets an early pattern of hitting to the
back of the court, which is one of the single most important habits you can
have. In your match it’s better to hit one out of five shots long than four out
of five short. So start hitting deep early.
Overheads
Overheads get ignored in warm-up, especially by
B and C level players. Here’s why. It may be the shot you hit worst and nobody
likes to look bad in front of their opponent. Nobody likes to look bad in front
of themselves. It’s the most difficult shot to time right, especially when you
just started.
The overhead warm-up does 2 things:
- It warms up the overhead;
- It also starts warming up your
serve.
The Serve
Hit 4 serves to both courts, both wide and down
the center. Hit your initial serves with an easy, relaxed motion. Keep your
wrist very loose – almost floppy. Hit your first three serves with almost a
lazy motion. Aim for the service line or beyond. Then gradually increase
velocity.
You want to help yourself as much as you can
for the first service game.
Service Return
When your opponent is hitting serves during the
warm-up, hit them back. Practice hitting their serve with a good service
return. Hit some focused, rhythmic and connected returns.
