Beginner training plan
Your first lessonFirst and foremost I teach you with kindness, patience, empathy, compassion, respect, and encouragement. We initially talk about your racket: the basic grips, the sweet spot, and parts of the tennis racket. We then reveal the parts of the court and body movement/footwork. We then dribble a tennis ball several ways to develop eye-hand coordination. I then introduce the five basic tennis strokes: the forehand, backhand, volley, serve, and return serve. We then start with hitting tennis balls with the forehand and backhand techniques. If time allows, we hit some volleys at net.
Lesson 11+We review as needed, all five basic tennis strokes and everything else previously mentioned. We focus on the serve being the most valuable skill and the return of serve as second most important. We continue to develop and improve each stroke and progress into match play and competition while implementing the psychology of strategy and tactics involved in competition. We discuss developing a positive mental attitude and inner thinking/visualization to improve performance. Tennis drills are introduced and implemented throughout each stroke and session to improve performance and skill levels for each stroke. Everything is designed based upon the individual performance of each player considering their ability and desire.
Lesson 4-10We quickly review tennis grips, parts of the tennis court, and the five basic tennis strokes. We then develop the forehand and backhand ground strokes starting at Mid court and progressively improve them to work our way back to the baseline, and then we develop the net volley. I constantly demonstrate the technique involved in hitting each stroke properly. Starting around lesson five, I introduce the serve and break down each step focusing primarily on body positioning and movement and the ball lift/toss. I demonstrate the service motion and the technique of serving the ball forward and over the net and into the diagonal service box starting on the deuce court. Initially, we focus on body movement and the ball lift/toss and then I introduce scoring for each game in a set and each set in a tennis match. I quickly introduce the return of serve and then I demonstrate the simple technique. Throughout each session, I explain how and why we do each stroke in the process/context of match play. Additionally, I introduce intermediate techniques and strategies involving ball placement and body movement and positioning. All taught with kindness, empathy, and encouragement. At some point I will discuss Middle School, High School, Collegiate, and USTA Competitions and Tournaments and the goals needed to compete as desired by each of my students at each level of competition.
