John Mills, USPTA

1. Pointing out their partner's mistakes

2. Always returning on the same side of the court.

3. Not having total recall of all the points played in the present game.

4. Not calling the score aloud before each point.

5. Returning serves and ground strokes too high over the center of the court. (Allowing the net player to poach or the serve and volleyer to hit down at your partner.)

6. Failing to make clear which player should go after the floating ball, the set up,the shot down the middle or who should go after the lob over your head.

7. Getting the second serve in weakly, having no regard for your partner's safety or ability to maintain the offensive.

8. Lobbing over your opponents' heads and not following it to the net to intercept the next ball as an offensive shot or overhead.

9. Not having another game or style change when nothing you are doing is working. (Not able to change a losing game.)

10. Staying back on the baseline even when your partner is playing offensively at the net.

11. Not covering the lob over your head in the air as an overhead.

12. Talking too much during the game in progress. (Stalling, not having continuous play.)

13. Refusing to play serve and volley or to return and volley. This is doubles.

14. Hitting too many returns and ground strokes to the outside of the court instead of hitting to the middle.

15. Worrying too much about your alley instead of the middle of the court.

16. Playing with the same partner too much, adapting to their specific weaknesses or strengths and unable to play with a new partner and adapt to them.

17. Warming up too long or stretching on the court rather than off the court before the match.

18. Showing up late

19. Never having or offering new balls to play with.

20. Failing to play as a team or unit

21. Playing too much with the same people all the time. (Not allowing for creativity, spontaneity or ability to adapt to other styles.)

22. Failing to play with weaker players thus allowing them to gain confidence and the ability to improve. Remember, at one point in time you were the weaker player.

This column is copyrighted by John Mills, all rights reserved.

John Mills currently teaches tennis at the University of Houston, Clear Lake campus. John Mills' experience includes four years as head pro at the Windemere Racquet & Swim Club, where he was responsible for organization of all tennis activities at the club. John also played college tennis at the University of Houston and has spent 20 years teaching tennis at the Memorial Park Tennis Center, the Pasadena Racquet Club, and as the head pro at the Bay Area Racquet Club.

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