How to Get the Most Out of a Tennis Lesson
A great lesson doesn't begin when you walk on the court and end when you walk off. What you do before, during, and after a lesson determines how much you actually improve. Here's what we've learned from years of coaching players at every level.
Before You Arrive
Come With a Goal
The players who improve fastest are the ones who arrive knowing what they want to work on. It doesn't have to be technical — it can be as simple as "my backhand keeps going into the net" or "I want to get more consistent on my second serve." That one sentence gives your coach a direction and makes the entire lesson more focused.
If you're not sure what to work on, that's fine too — just tell your coach where you've been struggling in matches or practice. A good coach will find the thread and pull it. But if you have something specific in mind, say it. Don't save it for the last five minutes.
💡 Write down one thing you want to improve before every lesson. It takes 30 seconds and makes a measurable difference.
During the Lesson
Ask Questions — Even the Dumb Ones
If your coach tells you to brush up on the ball and you're not entirely sure what that means, ask. If you understand the instruction but can't feel it in your swing, say so. The students who ask the most questions improve the fastest — not because they're smarter, but because they close the gap between instruction and understanding in real time instead of leaving confused and hoping it works out.
A good coach wants to be asked questions. It's not a sign of weakness — it's a sign of engagement. The student sitting quietly nodding is often the one who leaves with the least.
During the Lesson
Repetition Is the Point — Don't Rush Through It
One of the most common mistakes students make is trying to move past a drill before they've truly absorbed it. When a coach feeds you 20 balls to work on a crosscourt forehand, they're not checking a box — they're trying to help you build a movement pattern that fires automatically under pressure. That takes more repetitions than most people expect.
Resist the urge to rush to the next thing. If a drill feels boring, that's often a sign it's working — you're ingraining something. Stay in it, focus on the feel of each swing, and let the repetition do its job.
💡 A movement pattern has to be repeated roughly 300–500 times before it becomes automatic. Embrace the drill.
During the Lesson
Focus on One Thing at a Time
Your coach might give you three things to think about on your backhand — shoulder turn, low-to-high swing, follow through to the target. Don't try to do all three at once. Pick one, make it the focus of every swing, and let the others come along for the ride. Trying to consciously control too many things at once leads to mechanical, stiff tennis that doesn't hold up under pressure.
The best players in the world play with very few conscious thoughts. The goal of lessons is to reduce what you have to think about — not add to it.
After the Lesson
Hit Within 24 Hours
The window after a lesson is when the new movement patterns are most fragile — and most open to reinforcement. If you can get on a court within 24 hours of a lesson and just rally, you'll consolidate what you worked on far more effectively than if you wait a week for your next session. Even 20 minutes of hitting with a friend is enough.
Players who take a lesson and then don't touch a racquet for a week often show up to their next lesson having lost most of what they gained. The lesson plants the seed — the hitting after waters it.
💡 The 24-hour window after a lesson is when your brain is most ready to lock in new motor patterns. Don't waste it.
The Bigger Picture
Consistency Beats Intensity
One lesson a week for six months beats six lessons in one week every time. Tennis improvement is cumulative — it builds on itself over time, and the brain needs space between sessions to process and consolidate new information. A steady cadence of lessons and practice, maintained consistently over months, produces results that intensity binges simply can't replicate.
If budget is a concern, one lesson every two weeks with focused practice in between is genuinely more effective than cramming. Don't sacrifice frequency for volume.
For Parents
What Parents Can Do to Help
If your child is taking lessons, the single most helpful thing you can do is stay off the court during the session and off the topic afterward. Let the lesson breathe. Don't debrief on the drive home, don't correct their technique at dinner, and don't coach from the sideline. Your child has one coach. Two voices in their head is one too many.
The best thing you can do is keep them showing up. Consistency, encouragement, and space — that's the parenting formula for a developing tennis player.
💡 The most impactful thing a tennis parent can say after a lesson: "That looked great. Want to grab some water?"
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