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.

In midst of being unable to practice in Butler University’s tennis bubble due to recent wind damage, it is important to remember that you do not need a tennis court in order to improve certain skills and stay focused. This is especially useful on days where there is only access to outdoor courts but the weather drops too low for comfort. Here are some ways that practice can continue off the court:

1. Find an area with a tall ceiling and place a piece of tape on the floor. Pretend that this is the baseline. Grab a tennis ball, and mimic the motions of a serve, focusing on the toss. Dictate the rhythm of the toss, keep your muscles relaxed, toss the ball in the air and let the ball drop to the ground. Do this until you can toss the ball at your desired height and bounce at the desired place past the “baseline” 100 times in a row. 
2. Footwork is huge in the game of tennis, because improving footwork can aid in other aspects of the sport. There are tons of Youtube videos and websites that list various agility training workouts specific to tennis. One to check out is http://www.optimumtennis.net/tennis-footwork-exercises.htm 
3. Lifting weights is beneficial, but don’t forget to stretch it out! It is very important to have long lean muscles, and one of the best ways to do that is stretching after a strengthening exercise. 
4. Do some research. The pros know it the best, and there are plenty of sources online that show how and why they chose their personal methods of playing. Sometimes, in order to improve, you need to take it back to the basics and learn from the ones who know best. 

Although it is still encouraged to utilize these tips, with the help of Butler Club Sports, the Club Tennis team has found another place to practice starting November 6th! See you all on (and off) the courts!

Good luck to the few players traveling to the Badger tournament this weekend! Go Dawgs!

Sources: 

http://blog.fiveseasonssportsclub.com/tennis-drills-you-can-do-at-home 

http://tennis.isport.com/tennis-guides/how-to-practice-tennis-off-the-court 

At the beginning of October, Butler Club Tennis hosted Play (317) Tennis On Campus: An Alumni Event. The event was held through the sponsorship of the USTA Tennis On Campus to provide opportunities to former club members. The format of the tournament was in played with World Team Tennis (WTT) rules and the same as all USTA club matches. The event at Butler was run with a fun, welcoming, and competitive environment! Each participant received a t-shirt, lunch, and the possibility of winning prizes. Music was played throughout the matches and the players were able to meet other local tennis players. All of the sets were great matchups and played hard. Tennis was not the only sport being played, as participants played corn hole between matches and could take a swing at our homerun derby competition using tennis racquets and balls. Play (317) Tennis On Campus: An Alumni Event provided local Indianapolis club tennis players the chance to meet and compete together.