How to Get Better Players to Want to Play With You in 10 Easy Steps

February 5, 2016 | By Steven Kaplan
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Most tennis players wish they could practice exclusively with better players despite the zero sum impracticality. This means that we cannot all hit up all the time because if one player is hitting "up," the other is hitting "down." Still, some players are able to overcome this challenge and are sought out by top competitors to be their hitting partners. The secret to their popularity is that they are ready, able and determined to always provide great practice.

Here are the top 10 rules to become highly demanded as a practice partner.

1. Be available, reliable and on time
Be ready to play anytime, anywhere, or better yet, ask a top player to play. Maybe they need a partner to warm them up before a match, for example. Always show up ready to play and on time.

2. Be accommodating
Practice the way your partner prefers. Play a set first, and then drill if asked. Maybe it's not the way you would choose to organize your own practice, but this is not a time to be inflexible. 

3. Come prepared
Bring extra water, tennis balls, rackets and snacks. Your partner will be grateful if you offer them a drink or snack and even a spare racket if all of their strings break.

4. Work hard and be humble
Roger Federer can practice with anyone he wants to and he chooses to play with young pros ranked in the top 200 in the world several times a year. He flies a few players to Dubai and schedules three sessions a day. He knows that these up and coming players will work incredibly hard with no complaints. If this practice protocol is good enough for Roger, it's good enough for anyone.

5. Be attentive and hustle
Everyone likes to have the undivided attention of others. Stay off your cellphone and Snapchat your friends later. Show your partner that you respect their time by hustling in between points to make practice productive and intense.

6. Don't worry about getting practice, worry about giving practice
I am fortunate enough to have warmed up students at Grand Slams many times, and my goal was not to get practice, but to give it. These occasions were some of the most intense physical and mental tennis workouts of my life.

7. Keep your mouth shut during practice
No one likes to play with a whiny practice partner. Let your racket do the talking to impress your partner. No muttering under your breath, no racket banging and no complaining!

8. Keep your mouth shut after play
If you play a set, tie-breaker or drill game and you win, enjoy it and keep the result to yourself. If you brag about your great practice win, I promise it will be the last time they play with you.

9. Ask your partner what they would like to work on
My best shot is my lob, because growing up, I played with some great players that loved to hit overheads, and I was happy to accommodate them just for the chance to be on the court. As my lob improved, so did my popularity as a practice partner.

10. Develop a good name
The simplest way to get a better player to practice with you is to have a stellar reputation as being a great partner. Then all you might have to do is say "yes" when asked to play.

We are all selfish on the court in that our improvement is the primary goal. Altruistic practice, however, is an opportunity for enlightened self-interest.


Steven Kaplan

Steven Kaplan is the owner and managing director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director emeritus of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation and executive director and founder of Serve & Return Inc. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationally-ranked junior players, 16 New York State high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. Many of the students Steve has closely mentored have gone to achieve great success as prominent members of the New York financial community, and in other prestigious professions. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.

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