After reading hundreds of coaching articles, taking lessons, practicing at home, playing at the club, and competing in tournament, you are probably wondering…  “When will I improve?”  You will improve your game when you begin making the right decisions and are consistently able to execute your shots.  So what kind of right decisions are necessary for improvement?  This is the exact topic that I will be talking about in this article - Decisions.  I will be talking about two game styles to illustrate my point – the looper and the chopper.
 

 
 
 
 
 
You can’t teach old dogs new tricks.  Is it true?
 
Well, I have found that teaching adults new skills isn’t too difficult.  The difficulty comes in changing an old habit.  Changing an awkward grip, changing a stroke, or changing a footwork movement takes time and persistence from both the coach and player.  On the flip side, a new serve or a new serve return technique or a new looping variation can be learned fairly quickly for these same players.
 

 
Here are a few simple rules to improving…
 
1. Learn It
First, you need to have a clear understanding about your strengths and weaknesses.  You must also learn new information about how to improve your technique, how to improve your footwork, how to improve your strategy, and other aspects of your game.  The best way to learn it is to get professional coaching – in person or online.
 
2. Remember It

Playing Better vs. Improving
 
Last week, coach Massimo Costantini was discussing with me the difference between playing better and improving.
 
I can play better if I continue to practice hard.  My strokes become more solid and possibly my mind will become sharper from getting more experience.  However, my progress curve will be fairly slow.