Tennis Classes: Why you should start taking them as an adult
Tennis classes are THE best way to learn how to play tennis. Forget the notion that you need a posh club for lessons. Tennis classes bring certified coaches and players of your caliber together. Cheaper than going solo with a coach, these group sessions not only save you some bucks but also open the door to more playing time and new practice buddies outside paid classes.
Now, I won't sugarcoat it. Costs vary globally, depending on your country and popularity of the game. But tennis classes won't break the bank. They're the budget-friendly option that not only sharpens your skills but also introduces you to adults who play at your level. Plus, it gives you a legit excuse to hit the court more often, a win-win for sure.
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Tennis classes are tennis lessons given by a certified tennis coach with multiple people of equal playing level in a group. Tennis classes are less expensive than private tennis lessons and give you an opportunity to play more tennis and meet people to practice with away from paid classes.
Private tennis Lesson: The fastest way to improve
private tennis class
Private tennis lessons come with the highest price tag. You can take a private lesson with a big named coach in the US between $60 - $800 / per hr. No joke🧐. You may find those prices ridiculous but they exist without a guarantee that you walk off court improved and match ready.
The reality is that with the right tennis coach you WILL improve your tennis game taking private tennis lessons. This type of lesson is time set aside for you & a coach with all that coach’s attention on only YOUR tennis game. Make sure the coach is in demand & invested in your real improvement. Believe me you’ll know how invested your coach is from the engagement & corrections you receive.
The best tip I can give beginners or any level player is to make a plan taking private lessons. To start, think of investing in 6 lessons of 1 x 1 privates with a coach you respect and take them seriously! Pay the lessons upfront if they offer a discount and take notes! Going even deeper, have your coach video you using your phone so you can actually see what you are or aren’t doing based on the coaches corrections & verbal cues. It really helps to see yourself. Use the coaching tips & video to get very clear, especially when something is giving you a lot of problems. And learn with the intention towards being able to self coach yourself. You don’t want to have to take private lessons forever.
Also, ask your coach to match you with someone he feels would be good to practice with for free. Tennis comes down to community like anything. The deeper your tennis community the better your experience, the longer you’ll want to stick around.
Private lessons are terrific for beginners learning the foundation of how to play tennis. Intermediate - advanced adults also take private lessons. Why? Well ask Federer or your local college player or anyone you admire’s tennis game and ask why they take lessons. Likely they’ll tell you how parts of the game break down all the time. If it’s not your forehand it might be your serve. Something just always seems to break down in tennis and it happens to everyone. It’s not just you or them.
Private tennis lessons are ideal for the 1 - 1 attention. I talk about court ratios a lot in my adult tennis holidays. The less people on court the better your instruction. You get all the balls, speciaized tips & verbal cues built for you. You also build a relationship of trust with your coach. Always a good thing! Your coach is the first one to know about tennis events, socials, and playing opportunities. All benefits to taking private tennis lessons with the right coach.
Tennis Classes: Learn tennis & meet more players
adult tennis class
Tennis classes are group classes that you may find a fun & social way to learn and play more tennis. You’ll also pay less for tennis classes. Why? They’re often offered at public courts by coaches or obviously at tennis clubs & private clubs. Tennis classes will be less epensive because the court ratio is higher. A tennis class can have from 1:3 players or 1:25 players in some places. So while you meet more people, learn & practice with others, you also get a lot less balls. How do you improve in tennis? Repetition. You need to be hitting a lot of balls to improve your level. Tennis classes are offered by playing level. Or at least they should be. They’re offered at beginner, intermediate & advanced levels. Handpicking your new tennis buddies is the best part of tennis classes.
Tennis classes supplemented with private tennis lessons will really boost your level. You may say; Ohhh no I can’t afford all that!” But you have nooo idea the love affair coming your way. Tennis is one of the most addictive recreational sports around. And somehow your new lifestyle quickly reveals no one really understand you quite like those new tennis friends 🥰. It happens to the best of us. We all fall in love with tennis.
Tennis classes range from 1 - 3 hrs. in length. They develop the foundation & technique for newer players {beginners + intermediates}, explain the court’s geography and how to use it to your advantage and teach you things like tennis grips and how to keep score. Then you’ll grow into tennis classes for playing singles or doubles. You’ll also do a lot of tennis drills, patterns, footwork, practice different shot sequences, learn which shots to pick, when to use them & why.
The con for me as a Tennis Director who coaches tennis classes at all levels is how players lose focus around other players. Let’s face it, it’s new people!!! Who play tennis! There’s peer pressure in every & any situation. Why would it be any different on a tennis court? Right!?You know what I’m saying. Tie that new social excitement on court when I’m explaing a new drill on deck and watch the deer in headlights looks when the drill starts🤥. No one knows what’s going on. It’s comical but so is socialization these days.
Tennis classes give players more opportunities to play more tennis based on the number of people you meet and get to know over that 6 - 8 weeks. Tennis classes are typically a 10 week course.
How do you know if your level is the classes level? Have someone who plays or a coach rate your current level.
Another con for tennis classes is when you’re learning something technical. Something that takes development time, like learning volleys. Sometimes in a tennis class a coach can get lazy & won’t enforce fundamental corrections like; contact points, tennis grips, the serve - really big things in tennis! And this can cost YOU the player, bigtime. In the beginning stages you need all eyes on deck and consistent corrections on repeat.
If your coach doesn’t enforce the fundamentals you’ll be stuck. A good coach see’s your error before you even strike the ball. But if they give up after telling you a few times or even after the 1st time, you’ll pick up bad habits and they’ll be challenging to correct.
So tennis classes are great for the amount of people you’ll meet. The fun tennis drills you’ll do together. For learning with others and making it a social time.
Protip:♟
Coordinate your tennis classes + a private tennis lesson each week when you’re starting out or re-developing part of your game. You’ll improve fast.
Cardio Tennis: Heart pumping fitness to a beat
cardio tennis class
Cardio tennis classes are very popular with adults. I’m amazed when clubs don’t offer cardio tennis classes because players love them so much! Adults have soo little time to do it all. Cardio tennis, normally set to music involves high energy tennis drills, movement and games in a calorie burning aerobic & anaerobic workout.
Cardio tennis is also inexpensive. There may be 15 - 30 people between 1 - 3 courts. Yes, you’re swinging a racket but you’ll likely find very little tennis instruction in these dynamic classes. If the coach knows you & works with you in other classes, they’ll likely throw a verbal tennis cue your way but if they don’t, don’t worry. It’s not what these classes are about, at all. You don’t actually even need to play tennis to take part in cardio tennis classes. The coaches main objective is to give a fun, full bodied workout. These classes are ususally 1 hour, social and are meant for all abilities & fitness levels.
So now you know the main tennis classes offered to adults. Is tennis the best sport? You better believe it! But obviously, when you learn it well, upfront.
So now I want to know from you. What are your thoughts about the good & bad of tennis classes?
One last protip♟
Use this free online How to Play Tennis course. It goes every last detail of what you should be learning and hearing in your tennis classes at the beginner stage. Think of it as a cheat sheet for what you really need to learn to play well. And revert to whenever you need it as a refresher.
With love from Mallorca~