Take a lesson from any tennis pro and you will notice that he or she always brings a hopper full of tennis balls to the court. Every teaching pro realizes that practicing positive changes in tennis come from repeating correct techniques over and over until they become habitual under pressure.

A reputable pro will not confuse you with complex thoughts. Instead, the positive changes for your game will usually be quite simple and you can absorb them quickly. However, they must become second-nature. That’s where the repetition comes into play.

So buy yourself a ball hopper and stock it with balls. You can’t instill new positive changes without lots of hitting. Don’t just play; drill.

Without the repetition, you’ll probably revert back to your old habits when you’re under pressure.

Gary Sherby is tennis director at Racquets and Togs Tennis Center, 115 Bradford St., just off the downtown square. His tennis tips appear Sundays.