Tennis Instruction Techniques
- 1). Find a location to practice. A local tennis court is the ideal place to learn, but a court is not completely necessary. Any open, hard surface, such as an empty garage, is effective for teaching tennis basics.
- 2). Teach the rules of the game. Understanding how tennis is played is the foundation to this sport. A beginner needs to learn how one player will serve the ball into the opposite court and how players continue returning the ball back and forth until the ball goes out of bounds or a player is unable to make a return.
- 3). Teach a forehand. Demonstrate a proper forehand, then hit some slow balls to your student. Focus mostly on your student's form.
- 4). Demonstrate a backhand and teach the technique to your student. There are two different techniques for a backhand stroke, one-handed and two-handed. Start by teaching a proper two-handed backhand, but allow the student to decide for herself which form is more comfortable. Like the forehand, repetition is key.
- 5). Teach your student how to serve. When throwing the ball up in the air, you need to do it exactly the same way every time so you know what to expect. Practicing this toss is a great lesson on a day when you do not have access to a court or other large space. Use your own experience as a tennis player to relate with your student and get him to find his own serving motion.
- 6). Stress the importance of conditioning. If your student wants to play tennis competitively, she will need to be in proper shape. Sprints are a good conditioning exercise because most of your running during a match occurs in short bursts. Set out training cones and have your student do drills to improve speed and agility. For example, set out four cones. Place one 4.5 feet away from the first, one 27 feet away from the second, and one 4.5 feet away from the third. These distances represent the three lines that run along the width of the court. Have your student sprint to, and touch, the first cone and come back, then the second, then the third.
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