Goal: Build comfort, confidence, and basic coordination.
• Introduction & Warm-Up: Light jogging, dynamic stretches, and simple footwork patterns.
• Grip Basics: Introduce the Continental and Eastern grips using hand-placement drills.
• Racquet & Ball Familiarization: Bounce-hit drills, drop-hits, and controlled racquet swings.
• Basic Contact Skills: Forehand and backhand drop-feed drills focusing on timing and clean contact.
• Rally Introduction: Short-court mini-rallies to help the beginner feel successful early.
• Serve Introduction: Simple “toss and tap” to understand the motion without full technique.
• Cool Down & Homework: Encourage 5–10 minutes of wall hitting or ball-bounce control at home.
Goal: Prepare the beginner for match play and refine advanced fundamentals.
Match-Like Drills:
• Serve, rally, and finish patterns
• Live points and games
Tactical Concepts:
• Consistency vs. aggression
• Using angles, depth, and higher-percentage shots
Serve Improvements:
• Spin serves (slice or topspin) introduction
• Better placement and variety
Specialty Shots:
• Lobs, drop shots, approach shot combinations
Fitness & Footwork:
• Agility ladders
• Reaction drills
• Court coverage patterns
Match Preparation:
• Scoring confidence
• Warm-up routines
• Mental strategies for staying calm and focused
Progress Review: Set personal goals for the next 10–20 lessons.
Goal: Build full-court skills, introduce tactics, and improve athletic movement.
• Full-Court Rallies: Progress from cooperative to competitive rallies.
Stroke Technique:
• Topspin forehand and backhand
• Depth and direction control
Net Play:
• Approach shots
• Volleys and overhead introduction
Serve & Return:
• Full serve mechanics
• Basic return position and block returns
Movement & Fitness:
• Lateral shuffles
• Recovery steps
• Sprint + balance transitions
Point Play:
• Serve + one pattern
• Crosscourt vs. down-the-line choices
Confidence Building: Celebrate progress and emphasize consistency over power.
Goal: Build consistency with basic strokes and introduce movement.
• Warm-Up & Review: Reinforce grips, ready position, and short-court rally.
Forehand & Backhand Development:
• Cooperative rallies from mid-court
• Target-based consistency drills
Footwork Patterns: Split-step timing and first-step movement to forehand and backhand sides.
Serve Progression:
• Correct toss
• Half-serve motion
Volleys Introduction:
• Continental grip
• Punch-volley drills close to the net
Scoring Basics: Play short points to learn rules and court awareness.
In the first lesson with an advanced player, I start by assessing their game through high-intensity rallying, serving, and returning. I quickly identify their strengths, weaknesses, and habits. The session focuses on one or two key technical or tactical priorities, followed by a competitive drill to set the training tone.
From lesson eleven onward, training becomes highly customized to the player’s goals. We fine-tune patterns, improve endurance under pressure, and simulate match situations regularly. Emphasis shifts to strategic variety, consistency at high pace, and preparing for tournaments or competitive match play.
During lessons four through ten, we focus on advanced tactics, footwork precision, and physical intensity. Players work on point construction, offense-to-defense transitions, specialty shots, and reliable serve-plus-one patterns. We include match-style scenarios to strengthen mental discipline and competitive readiness.
In lessons two and three, we refine core areas like forehand and backhand mechanics, serve accuracy, and return fundamentals. We introduce pattern-based drills, transition work, and fast-paced point play. The goal is to build consistency, apply pressure effectively, and sharpen decision-making.