To All Tennis Parents
Private lessons are valuable. They are also easy to waste if the only work happens in the 45-60 minutes with the coach.
How to maximize results from private lessons
Help your child build a loop around every lesson:
- Take notes (or voice-note right after) - one technical cue, one tactical intention
- Book a practice court the same week and drop-feed at least once or twice
- Work the lesson shots alone - shadow swings, basket if available, wall, ball machine
- Find a YouTube role model for the shot and watch with a purpose (unit turn, contact, finish)
- Mirror work for technique - slow, correct, repeatable
The 3× rule: for every hour of lesson time, aim for roughly three hours of self-directed reps on the same theme that week. Not always possible - but even 1:1 multiplies learning.
The expensive misunderstanding
I see a lot of people thinking that working on a shot for ten or fifteen minutes in a lesson will do the trick.
The lesson is where the correction is learned. Perfecting it takes practice.
Doing the “practice” part of learning a shot with your coach is very expensive. The coach’s job is diagnosis, clear cues, and quality feedback. The player’s job is volume with those cues when nobody is watching.
What parents can (and should not) do
Helpful:
- Logistics (court time, balls, schedule)
- Encouraging the notes + self-practice habit
- Asking “What was your one cue today?” instead of “Did you win?”
Less helpful:
- Coaching over the coach between points in a lesson
- Turning every car ride into a technical debate
- Measuring the lesson only by match results that weekend
Key takeaway: Lessons plant the correction. Practice grows it. Parents who protect both parts of the process get far more from every dollar and every hour on court.
Related: Building Future Champions and Self-Improvement.
