September was the first month of the club tennis season, and the new practice schedule is going very well. The competitive and non-competitive practices are doing a great job of giving everyone more playing time. However, there are also many things you can do while not practicing to help your tennis game.
First, there are many exercises you can do to stay in shape and improve your strokes. One of the best is workouts with medicine balls. All you really need is a ball and a wall. First, start in a closed stance, like you’d be hitting a forehand or backhand, about three feet from a wall. Hold the medicine ball in your hand and load your weight on your back foot. Then, explode forward, throwing the ball at the wall, then catch and repeat. This will create a noticeable increase in power in your tennis strokes.
Check out more exercises here: http://www.stack.com/a/11-med-ball-drills-for-more-powerful-tennis-strokes
Another great thing to do is actually to participate in different sports. Butler offers many intramural opportunities, and each one has its own benefits. For example, the stance used for playing defense in basketball mimics the ready stance in tennis. By playing, you will improve your lateral movement and reactions. Another example is volleyball, which really helps your split step. Just like in tennis, whenever the opponent spikes the ball to your side of the court, you need to be light on your feet and ready to go wherever the ball is headed.