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As a youngster I'll never forget watching a mate of mine completely destroy a brand new tennis ball by pounding it against the bumping board down at my local club. Granted the courts in those days were of the particularly abrasive Bitumen kind but even so, that kind of power and spin he used was inspiring.

Over the years I spent hours slugging it away at my school wall or home in the garage where I was single handedly responsible for not only the destruction of one Diamond mesh fly wire door but also sending my mother into a brief "Hunch back of Notre Dame" like state with the thumping, (the bells the bells).

I suppose you could be forgiven for finding it difficult to get "motivated" to hit against a wall but don't underestimate its worthiness. Half an hours play on the wall can equate to an hour or more court time especially if it would happen to be a grass court that you play on as grass has about a 1 to 3 work-rest ratio in normal match play.

Here Tryan a promising junior works on his foot speed attempting to dodge my hits against the wall. As you can see from the look on his face its lots of fun especially if you're a strong hitter!

There are four particular elements that I find easier to focus on when playing against the wall.

1. I was always more "purpose conscience" when hitting on the wall.
    
2. I always granted myself more "disciplinary clout" from hitting on the wall.
    
3. I always found it easier to visualise points and situations on a wall.
    
4. I found playing on the wall more physically demanding.

a) A clear sense of purpose is vital in pursuing your goals. I found that playing on the wall I was generally void of any outside distractions and was able to work in a type of "concentration cacoon". I would work on one element and try to perfect it. There were not often bystanders to judge me so there was no anxieties about living up to others expectations and this also gave me the total freedom to experiment with different shots.

NOTE; I believe half the time I spent working-out was on perfecting bad technique and I was either too stupid or naïve to realise it. I had in a sense "well trained bad technique" that took years to overcome. So make sure the people who assist you in your development know what they are on about (perhaps get a 2nd or 3rd opinion) and make sure your interpretation of what is conveyed to you is correct by discussing it at length with your coach.

b) The sense of discipline I got when I hit against the wall gave me the feeling like I was in control of my environment. When I played a match I had the confidence to execute, like doing a test when you know all the answers. I always thought I was doing extra homework by playing on the wall and I felt that that gave me a slight edge. Having a limited field I was able to narrow my target range down to bricks (use chalk to mark them) and be able to hit the same shot repeatedly.

A common problem with tennis is that there is a tendency to play the player instead of the ball. This type of practice takes the opponent out of the equation for a change and lets you focus totally on the ball. Playing on the wall also gives you the freedom to play without the problem of finding a partner with the same level of competency that is willing to work on the same thing. The fact that the wall never lies was something that I valued. That is to say if you hit a ball at 10 degrees it will come back at double that angle. If you hit too hard you will have to shorten your back swing on the next ball in order to make the impact zone in time, this encourages anticipation, sharp reactions and early preparation.

c) Being able to visualise and talk my way through points on the wall was helpful when trying to construct points during matches. Through visualisation I was able to use the wall as a kind of "blank canvas" in which to create and build points. I would commentate in my head as I played at Wimbledon or the Australian Open (I didn't know the US or French open's excited in those days). I would visualise beating my peers and how I would construct the last point, including the occasional "Borg double knee drop celebration".

d) The physically demanding aspects range from:

1. Endurance work i.e. length of workout (limited rest periods)
    
2. Speedy footwork (normal response time halved)
    
3. Muscle and Reflex training i.e. reflex volleys, serve/volley

Playing on the wall has a host of benefits and is a great way to get up your hours on the long road to improvement. It's a way of catching up to a friend's game without them knowing in order to level the playing field a little. I don't know a pro worth his Tourna-grip who could say they have never hit on the wall or could resist walking past a wall with racket and ball in hand and not hit a couple and enjoy it! So get down to your club or open up the garage and start knocking those walls down.

Good Luck
The Tennis Coach