Classic Strokes Tennis Lessons

Q: I'm a beginner, what will my first lessons be like?

A: The initial objective is a consistently grooved stroke that you can repeat over and over on every shot.  To give you the feel of a full stroke, we have you start in a full backswing position (see picture on Technique page) and have you sweep through a full hitting position on balls that I drop next to you to start developing hand/eye coordination and the feeling of a full stroke.

We then advance to me standing at the net and throwing balls for you to hit with both your forehand and backhand.  The target is my forehead and it will be fun to see how good your aim might be (don't worry, I am very agile!).  After successfully hitting balls that are thrown to you, I will then hit full shots to you from the back court on the other side of the net.

The transition to full shots can be somewhat challenging but we will continue to emphasize consistent technique for reacting to the much faster pace of full shots along with spin and possible effects from the wind.  Footwork drills (see link to footwork video on the Technique page) at the beginning of each lesson do help a lot, however, with being agile for positioning yourself for each shot so that you can then use a consistent stroke on every shot.

By lesson number three we will have usually made enough progress with groundstrokes to start hitting serves.  We have a very simple "Statue of Liberty" position for learning how to serve where all you have to do is arch your back and then go forward to hit a serve that will surprise you with its speed.  Working on serves will probably take another three to four lessons before you have a consistent rhythm and sense of control that will allow you to get in a reasonably high number of serves.

By lessons six through eight, depending on overall progress, we will also start introducing more specialized shots such as volleys and an effective serve return.  Each lesson will continue to focus on great fundamentals, however, so you have a strong foundation to keep getting better through playing more on your own.

Q:  I'm at an intermediate level, what will you do in my lessons and how much will you try to change?

A:  We are here as a resource for you and so we will work on what you choose.  We can also hit you a very wide variety of shots, however, to help you develop more capabilities and versatility in dealing with any shot that you might see from an opponent.

As for what we may try to change, often it is very little.  Classic Strokes emphasizes simple and consistently repeatable strokes that are very easy to execute.  As such, we will probably help you eliminate a lot of "excess baggage" from your strokes from someone previously telling you all sorts of crazy things such as doing big loops, dipping your arms or hands, or using too much wrist action.  All fundamentals are checked and emphasized, however, such as proper grips and good footwork (see link to footwork video on the Technique page).

Classic Strokes simple strokes also can have some other benefits too as the emphasis on using your upper body strength in consistently executed full shoulder turns can significantly decrease the likelihood of "tennis elbow" or possible wrist problems from using a lot of extreme arm and hand movements.

Q:  I'm a more advanced player, what can you do to help my game?

A:  As mentioned elsewhere on the site, I am probably a good hitting partner for up to a 4.0 rated player.  I can hit a wide variety of shots to help you practice and fine tune your strokes for more consistent shot execution.  I also have a good serve with lots of pace and spin that has been helpful for players to improve their serve returns.  From my own effective serve technique, I have also been able to help some pretty advanced players develop more consistent and powerful serves.