If you’re a beginning tennis player, you may have lots of goals and ways you think your game could improve. While that’s a great idea and a good way to enhance what you’re doing on the court, you need to keep one thing in mind every time the ball comes your way – return the serve. A lot of tennis players believe huge technical changes and training shifts are needed to make big improvements, but the simple reality of the game is that you spend half of the time on the court returning the serve, making that return at least 50% of what you need to do to win. How can you improve your serve return? These tips can help. 

• Start with Mental Preparation: If you’re not in the right headspace, there’s no point in going any further. Whether you’re dwelling on the last shot you missed or the last match you played, it’s going to affect your game. Learn how to gain a mental advantage in the game so that you’re always ready to return. 
• Incorporate a Split Step: Pros use this technique all the time, and with good reason – it allows for more explosive movement. This is essentially the hop a player takes before moving to take the shot, and it makes you more prepared to move in any direction. The most common way to make it happen is to use one foot to push off the ground, then lend on both legs. You can also drop into a slightly staggered stance. Work on some split-step drills to incorporate them into your game. 
• Improve Your Forehand Return: Many players start with a backhand grip as they prepare to return a serve, but the reality is that it’s easier to shift from a forehand to a backhand than it is to tackle that the other way around. When you’re thinking about how to grip your racquet, consider a forehand grip first. 

Better serve returns mean a better overall game, and we’ll be happy to help you work on them. Contact us today to learn more about our lessons and classes.