Are You Playing or Practising? A Top Player Explains the Difference

Most players who want to improve spend more time on the lawn. Mary McMahon says that's not enough. It depends on what you're doing out there.

"Practice is not going down three days a week, going on a court, and doing exactly the same thing you do every week without conscious change. Because you're not practicing, you are playing. And if you are happy with playing, that's fine. But if you want to improve, then you have to decide how you are going to practice."

Define What Improvement Means

The first step is knowing what you're aiming for. "You have to define what is improvement," Mary says. "If you don't write stuff down and keep a record, you don't know whether you've improved. It's tedious, but you've got to get in the habit."

Deliberate Practice vs Just Playing

There's a difference between time on the lawn and productive time on the lawn. Playing games is enjoyable, but it reinforces existing habits — good and bad. Deliberate practice targets specific weaknesses with focused repetition.