Rit-u-al (rich oo el) n -1. For religious or other rite an established procedure for religious or other right 2. Observance of set forms in public worship 3. A book of rites or ceremonies 4. Prescribed, established, or ceremonial acts or features collectively 5. Any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner

We use rituals in tennis to create consistency and conformity so that we have consistent strokes with consistent results. The use of rituals allows you to have the proper mindset before the point starts. We will develop rituals both for serving and return of service.

The serving ritual may consist of many different items and it is up to you to choose what is most comfortable. Items can include: ball bounces with your hand, ball bounces with your racket, deep breaths and much more. While the number of bounces or other motions is completely up to you, there are a few pieces that you must have.

The first required piece is the set position. This is the definite starting point where your hitting hand in your tossing hand come together and start the swing. By having this definite starting place, you will find that your swing path is the same each time too. With consistent starting points and consistent swing paths, you will have a consistent serve.

The second part of the serving ritual that is required is the visualization. The visualization is the time that you are going to choose the direction of your serve. As described in the serving explanations, there are three different positions which you can serve to: the “A” section by the alley, the ”B” section into the body and the “C” section to the center. For more information on the serving targets please click here. In the visualization portion of your ritual, you will picture what your shot looks like going into the box in the proper area. By playing and replaying the perfect swing in your head, it allows you to almost take a practice swing before actually hitting the shot. By developing good visualization, it will almost guarantee to increase the accuracy of your serve.

The final required part of the serving ritual is the deep breath. By taking a deep breath, it helps the slow your heart rate and calm your mind before going into a rigorous point. It is proven that starting a point with a higher heart rate causes you to be less effective during the point. By using deep breaths in between the points, especially just before the next point, will help you slow your heart rate and be ready to go.

Just as there is no specific serve ritual, there is also no specific return ritual. Return rituals can be anything you please, but again there are a few necessities.

First make sure you start a few steps behind the point that you are actually going to make your split step for your return. By starting a few steps further back, it will allow you to get your body moving forward before you have to make your split step putting you in a more dynamic position to play your shot. For more information on return of serve split steps, please click here.

Second you should determine the direction of your serve and where you’re going to go after you return. Whether you are going to return cross court, down the line or lob, it should all be decided before you hit your first shot. By making this decision early you can put a good visual picture in your head of the result helping you take a mental practice swing before you actually take the return of serve. Also you need to know where you are going to go once you hit a successful return by choosing whether to go in to the net or recover behind the baseline. By making this decision early you will be able to move to your next position much more quickly and efficiently and be ready for your next shot. By making the decision after you see the result of your return, you will be late arriving and put yourself on the defensive immediately.

Take your time and develop your rituals to what feels comfortable for you. Remember everybody has a different thought of what they should do before the point starts, so don’t hesitate to be just a little different from everyone else. By developing a good solid ritual before serves and returns, it will help you execute your shots more consistently and accurately.

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