Consistency! Rather, the lack of consistency is consistently (see what I did there) one of the most frequently discussed issues amongst club tennis players.
When most recreational players mention consistency, they are referring to making the ball in the court. If they make the ball in the court, then they believe that they are consistent.
However, we are going to change that definition. We are going to define consistency as an individual’s ability to perform the same series of movements, also known as complex motor patterns, repeatedly.
The Paseo Club is a social club in the Santa Clarita Valley. We offer a comprehensive tennis program led by pro instructors with drop-in play, drills, leagues, and tournaments.
In this article, we will give you tools to improve your ability to execute your strokes reliably.
%20(1)%20(3)-1.jpg?width=350&height=350&name=compressedunnamed%20(6)%20(1)%20(3)-1.jpg)
Why define consistency
The reason for the more specific definition is that there are a multitude of ways to make the ball land inside the lines of a tennis court.
Nevertheless, most of the methods used to place the ball inside of the court are not biomechanically optimal. Consequently, we would like to create a motor pattern that is both biomechanically efficient and can make the ball in the designated area.
After all, who does not want to crush the ball and have it land in the court on a regular basis?
Behavior design pattern
Another phrase for repeating the same pattern is behavior design. When it comes to practicing tennis, it is best to think of it as designing a behavior.
Every time that you take a swing, you are building a behavior or a habit. You can either build a good habit or a bad habit. Specific stroke techniques are beyond the scope of our current discourse. For individual stroke mechanics, be sure to find a qualified tennis professional for proper instruction.
.jpg?width=275&height=397&name=comp_crop%20(1).jpg)
3 steps to build consistency (or good habits) quickly
BJ Fogg Ph.D. has a theory on how to help you create consistent strokes faster. He is the founder and director of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University.
You know how addicted you are to your phone and your social media? The major technology companies used his research to make their products more addictive.
According to Dr. Fogg, author of Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything, to design successful habits you should do three things.
- Stop judging yourself
- Take your aspirations and break them into tiny behaviors
- Embrace mistakes as discoveries and use them to move forward
Once you have established this perspective, we can get into the construction of solid tennis strokes.
3 Tasks to build new habits
To build a habit quickly, you must accomplish three tasks.
-
Create an anchor moment
Simply put, you must have a cue to trigger the behavior. For a forehand, that anchor would be the moment that the ball comes off of your opponent’s strings.
-
Perform a simple version of the new behavior
Do this immediately after the anchor moment. For example, after the ball comes off of your opponent’s strings, you start your forehand motion.
-
Celebrate immediately after doing the new behavior
After you start your forehand motion with the proper technique, you give yourself a little mental high five. That is all there is to it.
Final thoughts on improving consistency on the tennis court
If you want to improve your consistency on the tennis court, do not focus on making the ball in the court and beating yourself up emotionally, when the ball lands out.
Work with your coach to break down the stroke into its essential technical components and make those behaviors habitual by celebrating your successful execution.
If you have any difficulties figuring out which technical components of the swing are essential, contact one of the pros at the tennis department at the Paseo Club and we will improve your consistency together.
The Paseo Club tennis department offers private lessons, group drills, leagues, and tournaments. We also have over 60 fitness classes available each week so you can mobilize and strengthen to optimize your tennis game.
Not yet a member of the club? Schedule a tour of the Paseo Club to check out the courts, fitness facilities, pool, cafe, and more! The Paseo Club is your home away from home.
Topics:
