There are several tennis habits that I feel are essential for any tennis player to develop into their game as soon as they can.

These are as much a mental skill as a physical one and is a habit that you need to develop asap.

So let's go over them one by one.

ONE BOUNCE

You should always attempt to play the tennis ball after the first bounce in practise (obviously not when volleying).

I see so many people letting the ball bounce twice if it's a bit short because they basically can't be bothered to move!

By only allowing yourself one bounce you will do several things -

. Improve your reaction in matches

. Stimulate quicker decision making for matches

. Replicates matchplay conditions (always vital for practise).

Get your head around it, start TODAY and you will really notice the difference in your game, which is really where it counts!

Here is the second habit I want you to get into your game as soon as you can.

COURT POSITION

Your court position is something most people never think about as a good habit to engrain into their "system" early on.

Never have your basic court position more than one metre behind the baseline.

Doing this will help you -

. Develop quick reactions
. Develop a quicker game
. Put opponent under pressure by returning the ball to them quicker
. Cut off any angles your opponent creates

Again, the sooner you get going with this the better - SO START TODAY!

BREATHING

Breathing habits are really important and again often overlooked by most people.

You need to start breathing out on every shot and take 2 to 3 deep breaths at the end of every point (even in practise).

The breathing out will help you to add more timing and power to your shots and the deep breathing will help you settle and re-group between points.

Don't forget because I will say it again, the sooner you start, the sooner all this will begin to feel natural.

So START TODAY!

This is the fourth and last habit I want you to get into your game right away.

AVOID THE NET

Try to hit the ball "long" rather than in the net when you are playing.

The sooner you see hitting the ball "long" as as a "better error" than hitting the ball into the net, the better.

Here is something you can take on the court and use that will help you play an error free practise or match.

See if you can go a whole game without an unforced error into the net!!!

If you can do that maybe you could try no error into the net in a whole set.

And maybe it might be possible to go a whole match without an error into the net.

The point is that even if you didn't go a whole match without hitting the ball into the net, you would surely be making a whole lot less errors in your game and that can only be a positive thing.

This approach -

. Improves your perception of depth

. Helps during matches as your natural inhibition kicks in, so that balls that are "long" in practise tend to drop shorter and therefore "in" during a match.

So there you have it, 4 good tennis habits to get into your game asap that will really make a diference as they get better and feel more natural.

They take practise but will be worth it in the long run!!