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One of my standard prescriptions to complement a lesson is to put in a few sessions on a ball machine.

Probably the biggest waste of your money and your coaches’ time is to take a lesson on stroking technique and then attempt to immediately utilize your newly adjusted or acquired skill in a competitive situation.

Human beings rule the planet for better or worse because of an inborn desire to succeed and more often than not are blind to the processes that breed that success.

In the effort to win a point the next time they play they throw out the new skill baby with the bath water, and any chance for real improvement goes down the drain with it.

That is where the teachers and coaches come in.

Good teachers and coaches are trained to channel the efforts of their student down the path of good process in an effort to avoid the failures that pure honest effort, without guidance, will most certainly produce in great abundance.

When you take a lesson and don’t practice the techniques that you have worked on, all you have is information, not function!

Leave the lesson knowing precisely what it is you should be practicing and understand how to go about that practice.

When you do practice, adhere zealously to the technical processes that you and your coach have worked on together.

Personal style and license to modify that process should be put on the back burner until you fully integrate the correct fundamental.

No two tennis players strike the ball the same way, but all the best adhere to good physics and sound fundamental technique.

Find a coach that you trust will give you good information, then in the strength of that trust put in the time and a high quality effort to establish a solid foundation on which to improve your game.

Take your lesson knowing full well that improving is a journey not an event and you will receive the greatest value from money and time spent.

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Howie Burnett is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association and tennis director at the Island Country Club on Marco Island. Burnett welcomes questions on strokes, tactics or etiquette. To reach him, call the tennis shop at 394-4464 or e-mail him at islandclubtennis@hotmail.com.