​Hey Reader,​

Yesterday’s court session got washed out. Completely.

I was frustrated for about 10 minutes, and then I decided to actually use the time well.

That got me thinking about you, and all the players I’ve coached who tell me they can’t improve because they can’t get to the court enough. Weather, work, travel, family... life gets in the way.

So here are the 8 things I believe give you the biggest return on your off-court time. These aren’t filler tips. These are the ones that actually move the needle:

1. Watch yourself on video. Even one short clip will show you something you didn’t know you were doing.
2. Shadow your mechanics in a mirror. Slow it all the way down... dink, reset, drive. Feel where the contact point really is.
3. Study one pro doing one thing really well. Not passive watching. Intentional focus on a specific skill.
4. Practice grip pressure on your couch. Most players grip their paddles too tight. Loosening that up will instantly improve your touch game.
5. Visualize your last session on the court. Replay points mentally. Where did you hesitate? Where were you confident? Where did you drift out of position? Keeping a journal is great for this.
6. Drill your footwork in the living room. Split step. Side shuffle. Crossover. You don’t need a court. You need six feet of floor space.
7. Go deep on one strategy concept. Podcasts, YouTube, a great course. Your brain needs new perspectives to make sense of what’s happening in live play.
8. Identify your #1 weakness and find the best drill for it. Be brutally honest. Then, the next time you're on the court, spend 20 focused minutes on it, not the things you’re already good at.

The truth is, most players only try to improve when they’re playing. The players who improve fastest are the ones who do the work between sessions too.

If you want a real strategy framework to pair with all of this, Dynamite Doubles is worth checking out. It’s the system Helle Sparre and I built to give doubles players a clear, repeatable approach that actually works under pressure.

Stay sharp!

Trey

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