Full all out practice

My lesson with Richard today focused on hard playing, full all out speed and concentration. The kind of half hearted practices where I play 70% just doesn't cut. In his words, you'll play a match just like you play your practice games. Unless I play my practice games like matches I'll never really improve. This makes sense of course. The hard part is to get that motivation each and every time I practice. It's the toughest part of training I feel.

To play full all out, it means I have to warm up hitting with a lot of pace. I have to be conscientious about not turning too soon after hitting the ball. That means seeing the arm and racquet come full across my body before turning or moving from the squared position. It also means I have to take my racquet back earlier and lay the racquet face open. It also means bending my knees in readiness to jump off the mark.

Practice winning is also the goal during practice sessions. When I play Monday night round robins, I should be playing to win 11 love, 3 love. I will be forced to play harder when I play tougher opponents and to prepare for that, I have to dispatch lesser opponents quickly. That requires practice.