Becoming a better tennis player is, at the same time, satisfying and frustrating. It is wonderful to learn to hit new shots or become more consistent. However, improving is a slow and difficult process. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to learning is focusing on the skills as you play.

Typically, you will be thinking about the new skill as you begin a practice drill or match, but quickly forget it as more important things come up like getting the ball over the net or winning points. So instead of focusing on and practicing the new skill, you go back to your old style. The result is that you become more skilled at doing the wrong things. That is, you get better at getting worse.

A strategy for maintaining the focus on the new skill is called the keyword progression. A keyword is a word that, when repeated, will remind you of the new technique that you are working on. Whenever you get instruction from a teaching pro or coach, reduce it to one highly descriptive word that you are able to focus on when playing. For example, keywords such as “shoulders,” “turn,” and “reach” can be used. Once you have decided on a keyword, you can begin the progression.

First, when you are playing, say the keyword repeatedly out loud while you are hitting. By saying it out loud, you are constantly reminding yourself to practice the skill. Second, once you are able to do the skill in this way, you can then say the keyword quietly to yourself. Finally, you will know you have learned the new skill when you are able to execute the skill without saying the keyword at all. By using the keyword progression, you will learn new skills more quickly, thus resulting in better match play and making tennis more fun and satisfying.

Remember, “Concentrate on one thing at a time, and rule out all outside influences that don’t have any real bearing on the task at hand.”