How can I maintain my playing level without risking to ruin it?
In tennis, my playing level always fluctuated. One time I would be hitting ripper forehands and serves, but later I would be hitting ridiculous shots. So to be consistent I started practicing with ball machines, but when I do so, I tend to develop bad habits and thus become worse. I want my skill level to be an exponential graph, not a sine graph.
Answers:
Discrimination in tennis today. A FACT!?
I think you speak for everyone when you say "I want my skill level to be an exponential graph..". If only that were possible.I have been playing tennis for on and off for 23 years, and I have found only one surefire way to improve and maintain my level. GREAT OPPOSITION.
When I was away from the game for a few months or even years, I often found myself coming back and getting frustrated at the lack of consistency. I also found myself tending to want to play with guys that I perceived as inferior players, thinking that this will help my morale and lift my game.
I was so wrong. To a point where I could honestly say that whenever I did that, my game would worsen, and eventually, the player I perceived as inferior would begin to beat me easily. It took me a few times to realize it, but instead of being angry at myself, I started to consider the pattern of weak player vs strong player. In almost every case, these type of partnerships resulted in the gradual improvement of the weaker player.
Try to find someone you believe can consistently beat you (but not necessarily humiliate you) and see if you can get them to play some matches with you (the more often the better). Triumphing over a better opponent is the most effective motivator, and something that no amount of hitting with a friend or hitting with a ball machine can ever replace.
If you can't find someone, then start registering for your local tournaments, you will eventually find someone that is too good for you if you play competitively (and your name isn't Roger Federer).
Speaking of which, Ivan Ljubicic once said:
"Maybe I could win more championships and prize money if Roger Federer was not the same age as me, but you have to know that there is something money cannot buy—that's playing against Federer."
Find a better player and raise your game.
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