Adult Tennis Lessons: The little things that change your life
Adult tennis lessons: Where to start
The cost of lessons, a certified coach, private lessons or group clinics you can find anywhere, in any country and I´ll show you where to look. The important thing is to get out and play. A new lifestyle is waiting. It’s fun, exciting and if you play your cards right, involves you in an action packed lifestyle. When adults come to play tennis in Mallorca on holiday, they always leave with new travel buddies. Having finished a great week & off-court time with new international friends to last a lifetime. Mallorca, Spain is destination travel at it’s finest. An island for active adults looking to improve their tennis games & explore a new side of themselves in a destination so beautiful, natural and welcoming they naturally change for the better.
Adult tennis lessons are offered around the world in private and group clinic formats. Tennis is considered a complex game so foundations are of great importance. Adult tennis lessons are the fastest tool to increase any tennis player’s tennis level, fast.
I see adult tennis players enter the game between 24 - 54. Their reasons vary. Normally, doctors agree, it´s time to get moving. The kids have gone off to school or players need an addition to their life beyond, work. With so many people working remotely they can now travel for a coaching holiday while working, remotely. A little scheduling makes that easy. Others have a partner or family members who play and they want to learn too. Others want to get in shape, or encourage new adult friendships to their life. The real benefit to adult tennis for beginners is that the game will have you socializing a lot more!
Pro Tip: 🌅
Adult tennis camps & holidays by playing level & travel destination check here.
Whatever the reason, it´s a great game to start. Take an adult tennis lesson near you or on holiday in a beautiful travel destination away from home. It´s THE fastest way to learn & get rallying with others, for real. If you can get out at least 3x per week at the beginning you will notice a difference quickly. Being able to rally with other players or play matches at your UTR level is where the fun begins!
Adult Tennis Lessons: The fastest tool to increase your level
Adult-tennis-lessons-indie-tennis-Mallorca
I´ve recently fallen head over heels with beginner tennis lessons. Why? Because of the humility that walks out on court. That fresh slate with eyes wide open eager to feel that first forehand connection. That´s always the stroke that brings you back for more. Although for me it was a 2 hand backhand. Go figure. I´ve always been a late bloomer.
There´s nothing I love more than to give a new adult player a charge they´ve never felt. At least not from a racket & ball. To see that expression on their face when they connect the dots after hitting an exceptional ball! A ball they´ve never hit before. A sensation they’ve never felt and they want more of - immediately. When an adult really finds & feels the sweet spot of a shot is really, bliss. For me and the player.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
I´ve been training adults on adult tennis holidays since 2012 around Spain. An adult tennis holiday is nothing more 15 hrs. of concentrated tennis lessons in a preferred travel destination. A place where the sun shines, people are friendly and welcoming and the lifestyle is active. Tennis in Mallorca is a paradise for any active adult. Let alone a tennis player since the island stands alone as the leader of Spanish tennis. Mallorca’s a dream destination to explore, relax and recharge.
Adult tennis holidays are arranged by level (beginner - intermediate and intermediate advanced). If you know your UTR level it’s a good start. Especially when you deal with international players. Each country has a different level of play. Based on popularity of the sport, availability of professional coaches, year round weather and tournament availability. For coaching holidays it’s best to learn on the clay for the pace of the ball. The slower the better when you’re learning anything new. It also helps demand patience and develop a players timing.
Indie Tenis adult tennis holidays puts on week long morning tennis classes Monday - Friday, including point play each day. Each tennis holiday is promoted by level to keep the week optimal & comfortable for everyone - coaches & players. You’re already out of your comfort zone in a new place with new faces and a new coach. So the same level helps players relax to let their real playing level come through so we can enhance that towards a new level.
The goal is to keep groups intimate - capped at 12 players, 4 to a court - maximum, thought I love 1:3 ratio. That just means 1 coach and 3 players on court. Why? Because the less players on court, the more balls you hit, along with more attention and a better outcome of a successful training week.
It´s also nice, socially. When groups are too large it´s not as intimate an experience. After tennis, players like to explore together, enjoy meals & entertainment, lay by the pool. When groups are smaller I´ve found player relationships develop deeper. They make friends they take into the future long after their adult tennis holiday camp where they met. That’s especially helpful for players who travel solo. Even better when players stay at the same accommodation.
Confidence is so important. I’ve found that the smaller the group, the higher the confidence because it doesn´t feel so overwhelming when players arrive. Most tennis players traveling for a tennis holiday, travel solo. Maybe with another person who plays or not. So connection in a more intimate setting is easier.
It´s important to be realistic about your player level and what you want from the game before you pay for adult tennis lessons or set out on a tennis holiday. It doesn´t matter whether your goal is to have more fun (which I hope it is), play doubles with friends, or play league tennis. It’s helpful to know & understand and know where your starting from so you know what it will take to get you where you want to go.
Your improvement will come faster and actually stick if you take an inventory of your weaknesses and strengths. Everyone has them. Your weaknesses should hold some weight in your mind, so you’re open to working on them in your tennis lessons. You gain more confidence when you can actually admit your weaknesses so we can improve them by a large %.
Beginner Tennis Players: Get yourself some tennis lessons
Rhonda Costa - Jofre Porta - Getting started in tennis
For adults totally new to the game, tennis lessons or group beginner tennis lessons online are a great way to start. Most local tennis clubs near you offer tennis lessons for all levels. Did you play back in high school? Or attend a summer tennis camp as a kid? Love that! But the game has changed since then, start here to catch up on the basics of how to play tennis.
Whether you feel like a beginner or play like one - no big deal! Go in with an open mind and you´ll pick it up easily. Humility’s is big part of this game - at least in Spain it is. Curious players are always fast learners.
The problem I’ve found receiving intermediate players for tennis lessons in Mallorca is the amount of faulty foundations. Meaning coaches have allowed beginner players to skip or not develop parts of the game (grips, contact points, positioning) that make the game more fun for them later on.
A stress-free approach for a totally new tennis player is to know what you should be learning before you get started with costly tennis lessons. This free online how to play tennis course is completely focused on tennis foundations. It includes what any adult player should be hearing and learning in your first beginner tennis season. So you get your money´s worth and there’s no surprises up ahead.
Before you leave the ranks of a beginner tennis level you should be familiar with the following:
5 core tennis strokes
2 tennis grips (eastern or semi-western and a continental which you’ll use for the majority of your tennis strokes)
how to keep score
Intermediate Tennis Adults
It´s tough when I receive an intermediate tennis player comes to me in Spain and they want to volley better for their doubles play. But they play their volleys in an eastern grip. A good volley requires a continental grip. And they´ve never even heard of a continental grip! That´s not a players fault. It’s also not a good look for the coach who take the time or have the patience to teach a player the importance of different grips in tennis. So intermediate adults get very frustrated being stuck at the low intermediate level in tennis. A time when a player feels they’ve put in enough time and effort and should be enjoying playing their best at the intermediate level - and can’t.
All the things you watch from professionals on TV that you want to do yourself is virtually unavailable to you without variety in your own game. Variety comes from having different playing grips for shot selection to add spin to a serve, a forehand or a dropshot.
In the intermediate tennis level of adult play you will be expected to know the following:
Rally a ball inside the court, consistently and deep approximately 6 times per rally.
Get your first and second serve in.
Volley in the continental grip.
Know when to approach the net
Know how to keep score
Intermediate - Advanced Adult Tennis Level
Do you enjoy competition? Thinking about joining a league? Do you want to feel confident enough to play a local adult tennis tournament or join a tennis club?
Have you thought about what you might want from the game? It might be fun and to feel strong in your body. Release work stress after work. Join an adult league at your playing level. Travel on a coaching tennis holiday with other international players. Join tennis events at home and feel confident in your abilities. Who knows! There’s so many reasons adults come to the game.
Intermediate advanced adult tennis players should know the following:
Rally with ease, move a ball around directionally and use angles
Able to apply spin to both forehand & backhand.
Serve using the continental grip and be able to move the ball the service box
Limit the number of double faults
Understand the dynamics of singles and doubles play
Slice a ball - drop shot a ball
Put an overhead away
End a point on a volley
Taking adult tennis lessons will improve your game faster. There´s no doubt about it.
Your real advantage from taking private adult tennis lessons is to learn your strengths and weaknesses. You’ll hear, "don´t worry about your weaknesses, focus on your strengths". That´s not possible in tennis. You need to be proficient in your weaknesses to pull off a rally, point or tennis match. Regardless if you´re playing singles or doubles. Your doubles partner can only help you so much. Once competitors know your weaknesses, they’ll exploit them.
How do You Get Into Tennis as an Adult?
It´s easier than you think.
By typing into Google search "adult tennis lessons near me" will bring up tons of local resources. You´ll find something to direct you to your local tennis courts, tennis clubs and coaches. But use caution and ask around for a referral from someone you trust.
Find someone’s tennis game you admire. And ask for their coach. Make sure that coach is a certified professional tennis coach. Watch a tennis lesson they give 1st. See first hand how they are with their player. Are they taking the players physical abilities into account? Taking adult tennis lessons, with a coach you’re comfortable with will help you develop a real tennis game.
Do you like the teaching pro’s playing style? The way they give verbal cues? Are they giving verbal cues / tips at all? Do they have more ways to teach you something or only 1 way. Are they open to your questions and comments? Is their character compatible with your personality? Picking the right tennis coach for you - is the 1st step.
Adult tennis players: Make tennis a lifestyle
They make friends with someone the have something cool in common with. Then meet other friends who are a little higher level. Those friends become inspirational talking about all the great things that happen around the tennis world.
I watch adults fully extend their social networks all the time through tennis. They go to tennis outings, local tournaments, socials, professional tennis matches, tennis trips. This will drive you to want to improve your own tennis game. It´s a very natural progression.
A rough thing for adult tennis players is staying healthy - playing injuries. Tennis is all about repetition. So if you´re practicing something on repeat, incorrectly, you will suffer eventually and potentially get sidelined.
If you´re learning something on repeat in the wrong grip, you´re headed for injury. You want to avoid tennis injuries at all costs.
They´re painful and they cost you time. Something adults don´t have a lot of - time.
If you have a coach teaching you something you can´t DO right away, ask them to break it down into easier steps, progressions. And it will come. But something you shouldn´t be worrying about as a beginner let´s say is applying spin to a ball before you´ve learned to rally a ball. And later learning how to apply power using your body and not your fancy tennis rackets or strings built for massive top spin.
I promise, adults CAN and DO play tennis over the age of 40. We do it all the time. And we improve our games at all ages into, well, old age hopefully. Can you think of a better adult sport that let’s you play into old age with others?
Tennis Tournaments for Adults?
Yep, there are many opportunities for adults to play competition. I recommend the adult tournaments at the Rafa Nadal Academy each year. For the overall experience of it. But there are plenty of local & state adult tournaments near you in most countries. In the USA, UTR events are popular for adults as well as local club, public and state events.
See for yourself. Start here …
your local recreation center should have something for adult tennis that should pair to your ability level.
check Facebook tennis groups in your area.
I ran meetups on Mallorca for adult tennis players and players would find matches from the meetup. You´ll have a meetup near you without question in any country.
Local tennis clubs love pairing adult tennis members for free. But you’ll likely pay for the court. Make sure you know your true level.
Of course in my adult tennis holiday camps in Mallorca we play a friendly match or point play the last training hour, chaperoned by coaches to answer strategy and positioning questions. It’s always a highlight for players.
The best part for me is when a player from my camp calls to tell me back home they finally had the confidence to enter a local competition for fun. Not only were they proud of their playing but of their overall court knowledge.
And sometimes they call to tell me about their 1st big win back at home. Or how other players notice significant improvement and confidence in their game. They feel terrific. And as their coach, so do I.
You can certainly learn to play tennis as an adult. You can start with this beginner online course which gives you an in depth look at the game & what you should be learning in your lessons. How to keep score. The right racket to pick. And how to avoid tennis injuries for adults in tennis.
Either way, you´ve made the right playing choice. Follow the sun!
With love from Mallorca~