What to Expect at Your First Tennis Lesson

When you meet with a USPTA Professional Tennis Instructor for the first time, your experience should be fun, success oriented and educational for both you and the instructor. Your pro should ask you about your past experiences with tennis, other sports that you have played and what your goals you have with regard to learning the sport. Your instructor should give you some background on his or her teaching background as well.
When you choose to work with me on the court – these are just a few of the positive experiences you’ll get from your lesson!
On court assessment is one of the first tasks that I conduct when starting out with a new tennis student. Without giving any feedback or instruction, I will toss balls about 15 balls to my students from 10 to 15 feet away having them hit forehands. This gives me the opportunity to observe a few things about the students hand eye coordination and balance.
Racket and Grip Size : Discussion on grips follows the assessment phase. Almost immediately students will see improvement **success** from learning a new and proper way to hold their racket. Additionally, I check to see that the racket grip size is appropriate for the student.
Shoes: For the sake of safety, (which I am always concerned about while on the court). I always make sure that my students have the proper footwear, in other words…. court shoes. If by chance a student shows up in running shoes, I will let them know that court shoes will give them more lateral support, better balance for lateral movement on the court , which in turn, gives them more confidence. **success** . Running shoes just aren’t built for side stepping speed burst to the side. Tennis or court shoes are a safer choice as they will give more support to the ankle area which prevents injury!
Students can count on learning progressively when working with me on the court. The first step in becoming a tennis player is accepting the idea that consistency is the first thing you want to master, placement is next on your to-do list while power is the last thing a beginner needs to be concerned about.
After your first lesson you’ll be hooked on the game of tennis! Soon you’ll be learning how to place the ball and how to create pace with your shots. The game will grow on you and you’ll soon be looking for others to hit the ball with.