+ Lesson 1 (Introduction)

The objective of the first lesson is to provide you with the experience of using a racket.

You will be introduced to the two basic grips; continental and eastern. Understand the use of the grips (continental for serve/volley/backhand/slice and eastern for forehand).

Your coach will lead you through some shadow swings for the forehand and backhand. You will learn to adopt the proper posture and footwork when executing strokes.

You will learn basic tennis rules and some jargon (baseline/service-line/doubles alley/let/out).

All these should take 10-15 minutes.

You will hit some balls that your coach will toss to you. Some simple forehand and backhand drills at the service-line with tossed balls should be sufficient in determining your initial level of competency and ball-sense, allowing your coach to determine how to proceed.

This should take 10-15 minutes.

If you are new to tennis, you will practice tossing the ball back and forth with your coach without the use of rackets, using forehand and backhand strokes. This exercise allows you to gain insights into the trajectory of the ball. You should focus on the spin and bounce of the ball. At the end of this drill, you should be able to comfortably reach and catch the ball in a relaxed posture.

If you are comfortable with the above drill, your coach will guide you to hit the balls with your racket on both your forehand and backhand side. You may encounter some difficulties with these three aspects: movement/footwork, racket swing/contact point and distance from the ball.

Movement/footwork. Your coach will be on the same side of the court as you, tossing the ball to you at the service line and having you catch it. You will proceed to toss the ball over the net in a forehand or backhand motion and then recover quickly back to the middle of the service-line. Your coach will ensure that you adopt the proper footwork to get back into position. Once you are comfortable with this drill, you will move on to use your racket. Your coach will emphasize employing the right footwork so that you will develop a solid foundation.

Racket swing/contact point. You will start with a half backswing as this makes it easier for you to time your shots. As you progress, your coach will guide you to utilizing a full backswing.

Distance from the ball. Your coach will start by tossing some balls to you and get you to contact them at an appropriate and comfortable distance from your body. You will learn how to judge how close to move towards to the ball. The drill is repeated until you find some stability as you hit the balls.

These three drills should take around 30-45 minutes.

At the end of the first lesson, you should have developed more ball sense and understand the mechanics of a forehand and backhand. You should be aware of what you have to do to correct your own strokes.

+ Lesson 2 (Control and Topspin)

The objective of the second lesson is to learn to control your groundstrokes at the service-line, and possibly at the baseline as well. You will learn how the racket-face upon contact influences the path of the ball, and how contacting early/late influences the ball to travel cross-court or down-the-line.

Your coach will teach you the importance of topspin and how to use it to control your shots.

You will begin the lesson with a warm-up incorporating movement and footwork. You will toss the ball back and forth with your coach using forehand and backhand motions.

There will be a recap of the topics covered in the previous lesson.

This should take roughly 5 minutes.

Your coach will conduct basic forehand and backhand drills at the service-line with tossed balls. Do take note to employ proper footwork/racket swings/spacing.

Once you are more comfortable hitting basic groundstrokes, your coach will begin to toss the balls away from you, and ensure that you adopt the use of side step and proper footwork to get to the balls.

At the end of this drill, you should be able to judge the trajectory of the balls and be able to hit them over the net in a controlled manner.

This should take roughly 15 minutes.

You will start at the service-line. Your coach will feed you balls from the other side of the court at the service-line. You might find this challenging at first as because of the spin and the faster pace of the balls.

Once you have gotten used to the faster balls, your coach will start feeding you balls that are a few feet away from you. You will start incorporating proper footwork.

If you are comfortable, the same drill is repeated at the baseline instead of the service-line.

This can take about 20 minutes.

You will learn the effects of topspin and how it influences the trajectory of the ball. You should already have some spin when you hit with a low-to-high racket swing path. The purpose of this drill is to get you to generate topspin more consciously.

Your coach will explain how your racket brushes the ball to generate topspin, and how the topspin goes on to affect the bounce and trajectory of the ball across the court. Your coach will demonstrate the differences in hitting flat balls and topspin balls on the court. Topspin is critical in helping you to become a more consistent player and also opens up a greater variety of shots and angles for you.

You will play some mini-tennis at the service line while employing topspin on your shots. Depending on your progress, your coach might get you to proceed to the baseline for rallies. You should find it comparatively easier to keep a rally going now that you have learned to employ topspin to your shots.

This should take about 20 minutes.

At the end of the lesson, you should have some degree of control over your shots and understand the basics of racket face, contacting early/late. You might not be able to sustain a rally yet and the biggest hurdle is most likely a lack of ball-sense. You are encouraged to play tennis with your friends or other people in your own time to start developing better ball sense.

+ Lesson 3 (Volley)

You will be introduced to the volley. Many students find it difficult to ‘punch’ their volleys without adding backswing. You will learn to employ the necessary footwork to add power.

You will begin the lesson with some mini-tennis. If you are unable to hold a rally at the service-line, your coach will conduct some drills at the service line for forehands and backhands.

This should take roughly 5-10 minutes.

You will be introduced to the basics of forehand and backhand volleys. Your coach will ensure that you employ the proper posture and footwork in your volleys, and will explain the need to shorten the backswing for volleys.

Footwork. You will learn how to step into the ball for volleys to generate some power into your shots. Your coach will demonstrate the shots, teaching you which foot to step in with for your forehand and backhand volleys, and how you should incorporate split-step into your volleys.

Posture. You will learn to use the continental grip for your volleys. Your coach will ensure that you keep your racket up above the net in anticipation for the volley, and emphasize the need to be ready for both forehand and backhand volleys.

Eliminating the backswing. In order to get you used to hitting with a shorter backswing, your coach will have you start with your racket up in a forehand or backhand volley position before feeding the ball. You will learn to follow through with your volleys, essentially ‘punching’ the ball.

The introduction is completed with a simple drill of coming in to the net from the service-line/three-quarter court and executing a forehand or backhand volley.

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to volley confidently with some ‘punch’ and hold rallies at the service-line or even short rallies at the baseline. You should understand the significance of volleying in matches and how it can change the pace of the game. Once again, you are encouraged to play tennis in your own time to grow more comfortable holding longer rallies at the baseline with more control.

This should take anywhere between 20-30 minutes.

+ Lesson 4 (Service and Basic Match-Play)

The objective of the fourth lesson is to learn to serve and the basics of match-play. The serve is usually the most challenging skill to acquire as it involves a sequence of movements that has to be executed fluidly. Your coach will help break down the different steps in the service motion. You should have a mental checklist of these steps. There will be some match-play to give you the opportunity to make use of the skills you have acquired so far.

You will begin with mini-tennis to warm-up. Your coach will examine your posture, groundstrokes and footwork.

This should take 5-10 minutes.

Your coach will demonstrate how to serve and explain the rules of service, for instance, foot-fault and double-fault. The service can be divided into four main elements: toss, stance, racket-swing and contact-point.

Toss. You will learn to toss the ball just slightly in front of you at a 12 o’clock position. The ball should be at a good height so that your racket is able to contact it with your racket arm almost fully extended. Your coach will place a cone in front of your feet, and get you to do some service tosses. Your balls should land either near the cone or directly on the cone itself. Once you are able to execute this consistently, your coach will move on to the next step.

Stance. There are two main stances: the open stance and the closed stance. It is entirely up to your preference, but it is advisable to start with the open stance as it is more stable than the closed stance.

Racket-swing. To give you a sense of how the swing works, you will practice some overhead throws of the balls from the baseline. You will understand how the wrist turn and elbow bend can help generate the power needed to get the ball over the net.

Contact-point. You will need to contact the ball with your racket arm fully stretched and directly overhead.

This should take anywhere between 30-40 minutes.

There will be some match-play so you can get used to keeping track of scores and also practice what you have learnt so far. Your coach will give you pointers as you play.

This should take 10-15 minutes.

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to get some of your serves in and be able to hold a decent rally at full court. The service may be challenging, but it is something that you can practice on your own without a partner. You can try to take a video of your service during your own practice sessions and then show it to your coach.

At the end of these four lessons, you should have a basic understanding of tennis with some control and consistency in your shots. You should be able to hold short rallies and have a general idea of how to correct your own strokes through an understanding of spin, contact-point, footwork, and posture.

+ Lessons 5-8 (Developing your own Style of Play)

You will begin to develop your own style of play, experiment with new grips and techniques, and refine your strokes. Your coach may cover lessons 5 to 8 in any order, to suit your interests or play-style.

Slicing the ball

You will learn the uses and advantages of developing a strong and reliable slice. A good slice is easy to control, accurate and adds a deliberate spin to the ball. Slices can change up the pace of a match, disrupt the rhythm of your opponent, and force them to come up to the net.

Your coach will demonstrate the effects that back-spin and side-spin have on the ball. Back-spin is generated on the ball by ‘cutting’ it from underneath, and side-spin by slicing the ball from side to side.

You will practice the slices with some mini-tennis at the service-line. Remember to use the continental grip for your slices. You should be holding on to your racket with both hands for the backhand slice in the moments leading up to contacting the ball, only releasing just before contact with the ball. This provides more control of the racket for, especially if you are used to the two-handed backhand.

Control. You will practice slices from the baseline, slicing the balls both down-the-line and cross-court in an alternating fashion. You will need to position yourself properly in order to control the direction of your shots.

Accuracy. Your coach will make use of cones to create four quadrants on one side of the court. You will position yourself on the other side of the court. As the ball is being fed to you, your coach will call out the quadrant of the court and you will need to hit the ball into that specific quadrant. As you progress, the size of the quadrants will be reduced, and you will need to be more accurate.

Deliberate spin. You will practice hitting the different types of slices from the baseline. Your defensive slices should be deep; your drop-shots with backspin should land close to the net; and your side-spins on the balls should pull your opponents out wide.

This can take anywhere between 45-60 minutes.

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to react appropriately to different shots with effective slices. You should also be able to understand where and when to apply a slice in a match, utilizing it as a tool to enhance your game.

Generating more power in your ground strokes

You will learn to increase the pace of your shots to keep your games varied and more unpredictable. Ground strokes are the bread and butter of rallies and should be both consistent and powerful. Generating power is essential in ensuring that points can be constructed and executed in your favour.

There are four building blocks in the generation of power in your ground strokes: racket-head speed, weight transfer, hip rotation and wrist lag. These four elements combined help you generate power efficiently and consistently, without the need for excessive usage of energy.

Racket-head speed. This refers to how fast you are able to swing the racket from the backswing to the follow through. A faster racket head speed would result in a faster ball. Your coach will conduct drills to help increase your racket head speed. Plastic bags or sheets may be fitted over your racket head to provide some air resistance as you practice your shadow swings. The added air resistance trains you to swing harder than you normally would.

Weight transfer. Your legs belong to a larger muscle group that should be utilized to generate power. Your coach will teach you how to transfer your weight from your back foot to your front foot. Before contacting the ball, your weight should be transferred to the front foot by pushing off with your back foot. Weight transfer is important in hitting approach shots and low balls where your knees have to be bent in order to properly receive the ball. Your drills will consist of hitting approach shots and low balls. When you transfer your weight well, you will find that you are able to generate easy power in all your shots.

Hip rotation. With hip rotation, you are using your obliques/side abs to generate power in your shots. As you stand in a neutral stance, your coach will drop a ball within your reach. You will practice employing only hip rotation and backswing to hit the ball.

Wrist lag. This is the most advanced technique out of the four as it may affect the contact point of newer players who are not yet accustomed to swinging their rackets. Wrist lag refers to how the racket head lags behind the elbow as players perform a forehand swing. This delay in the racket head allows more room for you to accelerate the racket head just moments before contacting the ball. The butt of the racket should be facing the net in the moments leading up to the contact, and the racket head only begins to straighten out to be parallel with the net as the ball is just about to contact the racket face. Your coach will observe your wrist lag through some drills.

This can take anywhere between 60-90 minutes.

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to generate power efficiently and consistently, utilizing these elements to generate easy power, and not tire out any specific muscle group during your play. You should also be able to vary the pace of your shots.

Taking the ball on the rise

From maintaining your position on the court, to creating a more aggressive style of play, taking the ball on the rise allows you to stay in command of the point by taking time away from your opponent. It is, however, not an easy shot to make consistently as there are many things that can go wrong in a very short amount of time. Being able to pull off this shot allows you to remain versatile and in control of rallies.

Two key factors that influence the effectiveness and consistency of taking the ball on the rise are footwork and contact point.

Footwork. As you have less time to react to the ball, getting to the ball quickly is essential in setting up the shot. Footwork techniques such as side-step and shuffling should be employed in order to get in position. While the ball is still in the air and travelling to your side of the court, you should try to anticipate where it will land and start moving and positioning yourself accordingly. Your coach will feed you deep balls that land close to your feet so you can practice hitting them on the rise.

Contact point. Being able to brush the ball, adding topspin and contacting the ball at a comfortable and appropriate height greatly helps the effectiveness of the technique. Adding topspin to the ball is essential in ensuring that there is a larger margin for error in the contact point as it increases the amount of time the ball spends on the racket face. You will learn to contact the ball at a comfortable height – usually around your hip level. Players tend to only ‘tap’ the ball back into play, without completing their follow through, when they hit balls that are too low or high. Your coach will also guide you to use a half swing for more difficult shots to reduce the margin for error in taking the ball on the rise.

This can take anywhere between 60-90 minutes.

Taking the ball on the rise is an essential tool all players should have in their arsenal. It allows the player to retain their position on the court defensively when the opponent is attempting to push them wide or back, as well as taking time away from the opponent by getting the ball back faster than it would normally would. It may take a number of practice sessions to get used to hitting on the rise, as this technique requires good hand-eye coordination. Beginners would find it challenging to hit on the rise.

Dynamic drills

There is often insufficient time to devise a suitable game plan whilst playing in a match. Dynamic drills bring together techniques that work well together, and help you cultivate muscle memory so that you will be able to execute a combination of shots smoothly. With these dynamic drills, your coach will help you maximize your potential and vary your style of play.

There are many different types of drills that coaches can employ to meet the needs of the students. Dynamic drills serve to enhance certain play-styles of the student. They train you to be more aggressive, defensive and opportunist during points.

Aggressive. Many students are painfully hesitant to ‘kill’ the ball, even when presented with easy shots that fall within their ‘kill zone’. You may find yourself popping the ball back over the net if you lack the confidence to finish off the point.

Your coach will put you through drills in which you will have hit approach shots to finish the point. It is good to cultivate a mindset that is comfortable with moving forward to end a point. Once you gain confidence, you will be trained to hit volleys after your approach shots, and even some smashes. Your attacking shots should be of sufficient pace to draw a week return from your opponent.

Defensive. One common play-style is to remain at the baseline, grinding it out with consistent rallies and waiting for your opponent to make an error. There are a number of things to take note of when you are defending at the baseline: taking the ball on the rise, slices and topspin. Taking the ball on the rise reduces the amount of space you leave open on your side of the court. If you were to take all balls at the baseline or behind the baseline, you will end up moving around a lot, and tire yourself out. You might also find yourself out of position, giving your opponent the opportunity to attack the open area of your court.

You will learn to use slices to help break up the pace of a sustained rally. If you are becoming tired from a rally, disrupting the pace of the ball with a slice can cause your opponent to lose his or her momentum, and perhaps drawing an unforced error.

Learning to play with topspin allows you to keep a rally going and gives you more time to recover from a shot, especially when you are out of position. Balls with topspin bounce higher and makes it more difficult for your opponents to attack the balls.

Opportunist. This play-style is a hybrid of both the defensive and aggressive gameplays, and it requires initiative and anticipation from the player. The point usually starts with you playing defensively, until you see an opportunity when a ball lands short, perhaps due to a miss-hit from your opponent. You will make the transition into an aggressive play-style, taking control of the point and eventually finishing it.

Your coach will rally with you at the baseline, and occasionally give you a short ball, providing you with the opportunity to start playing more aggressively and dictating the point.

This can take anywhere between 60-90 minutes.

Dynamic drills serve to increase your insight into the game. When you are able to recognize the type of shots your opponents are hitting, you would be better able to formulate your next choice of shot. At the end of this exercise you should be more confident and knowledgeable in your gameplay, taking more initiative in your points and understanding how and why the match is or is not going your way. Dynamic drills pave the way for you to achieve more game-sense through deliberate shot selection instead of mindless hitting on the court.

At the end of these four sessions, you should have developed your own play-styles, strengths and weaknesses. You should be aware of the mental games played on court and have a general idea of the avenues you can pursue to win.

+ Lessons 9-12 (Advanced Strokes and Match-Play Tactics)

In the final installment of the 12-week lesson plan, you can look forward to specific techniques that will add more variety and versatility to your rallies. Gameplay tactics can also aid you in exploring new avenues of play, as well as shed light on your vulnerabilities and weaknesses. These topics will be covered at your own pace, in no particular order.

Advanced strokes/techniques

Every match is different and dynamic, so you have to be able to adopt different variations of shots. There are often situations which call for unorthodox techniques in order to stay in the point or to set up the point in a certain way. The half-volley and inside-out groundstrokes serve as transitional strokes and are usually aggressive in nature.

There are many ways to train the half-volley and inside-out groundstrokes. Your coach will select a drill according to your ability, strengths as well as play-style. It is important to note that a great deal of footwork and control is needed for these two techniques, as there are unconventional requirements.

Half-volley. The usage of half-volley is limited under normal circumstances in matches, and there may be some matches where it is not even employed at all! However, it is an irreplaceable skill to have in ensuring that your positioning is not compromised as you can avoid running around the ball. The half-volley is a more advanced technique of the on-the-rise shot. You should therefore have a good grasp of hitting the ball on-the-rise before attempting to learn the latter. Half-volleys can be utilized in two main ways: when you are coming in to the net and at the baseline. Your coach will set up drills in which you will play mini-tennis using half-volleys. You will practice controlling the ball as it lands at your feet. We will proceed with half-volley approach shots once you are confident, and finally some practice at the baseline too. You have very little time to react to these shots, so you should try to focus on your footwork and contact point in these drills.

Inside-out-groundstrokes. This technique is usually used on the forehand as it is the stronger shot for most players. Hitting an inside-out forehand gives you an advantage as it allows you to attack your opponents’ weaker side (most commonly their backhands) with your stronger shot. As hitting an inside-out forehand requires you to run around the ball, you will need good footwork and the ability to anticipate where your opponent will hit to so that you can move quickly into position. To develop the inside-out forehand, your coach will start by tossing balls towards your backhand side at the baseline. You will have to run around the ball to hit an inside-out forehand either down-the-line or cross-court, and then move back to the center line to repeat the drill. Your coach will vary the pace of the drill to simulate an actual match.

This can take anywhere between 60-90 minutes.

These two techniques are useful in the transitioning stage as you advance towards the net. They add variety to your game-play and can take time away from your opponent. However, the use of the half-volley is a risky shot as it requires you to time and hit the ball with precision. The element of surprise provided by these two shots make them an effective and essential tool for you to possess.

Risk assessments

As your repertoire of shot selection increases, you will realize that shots in different instances have different importance, potential and considerations. Being able to identify these opportunities and risks allows you to choose the most appropriate shot to take. Such insights are indispensable in matches as you may be able to outplay opponents who are in top form or who are simply better skilled.

There are many different kinds of shots that you can make. Their importance, potential and considerations come together to formulate the risk and reward associated with each shot selection.

Importance. The importance of a point refers to how the point is able to affect the game, set or match as a whole. The importance of a point at 40-0 when you are leading is less compared to a point when the score is tied at 30-30. Even when the score is tied at 30-30, the point may have more importance if the set score is 5-4. The importance of a point differs throughout the match. You will learn to recognize when a point carries more importance – in such instances, it might be better to be patient until an opportunity presents itself to be aggressive and take control of the point. You coach will guide you in the mental aspects of tennis, for example, in handling key points in a match such as break-serves or match-point.

Potential. The potential of a point refers to how many things you can do with a shot and how well you can do it. For example, a high and slow ball that lands at the service-line has far more potential as compared to a low and fast ball that skids on the baseline. Being able to recognize the difference between those kinds of shots puts you in a position to take more appropriate shots, reducing the risk of unforced errors. For example, a high and slow ball close to the net has much potential for aggressive play-styles. Its height allows you to produce a flatter shot as there is already substantial net clearance. Its slow pace allows you to 'load’ and step into the ball effectively. Your coach will explain how the different types of balls you receive during matches and rallies offer different possibilities.

Considerations. This refers to the influences the opponent have on your shot selections. The opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, habits, and personal style will affect your shot selections. For example, if your baselining opponent has a favourite forehand cross-court, you should be more wary of hitting a forehand volley when coming up to the net. You may even choose to cover more ground on the forehand side of the court as it is more likely that your opponent will attempt that type of shot. By being able to make intelligent guesses, you can stay one step ahead of your competitors.

This can take anywhere between 60-90 minutes.

Being able to carry out risk assessments during your match allows you to better understand not only yourselves, but your opponents as well. Taking notice of your environment and how it affects you allows you to play intelligently. Your coach will help you cultivate the habit of performing risk assessments on the court.

Service Variation

The serve is a vital part of tennis. A good serve allows you to control the point and start off with an advantage. A good serve is consistent and unpredictable. The ability to vary your serve through the addition of spins and slices opens up avenues of tactics. There are three main service variations; flat serves, kick serves, and slice serves.

The ability to add modifications to the traditional flat serve may be a challenging task, as it involves a change of service motion. It is a skill that your coach will help you develop, as it is an indispensable tool for holding your service games.

Flat serves. This is the most common variation of serves used during matches as it is what all beginners start with. It involves striking the ball at the highest point, with the racket face pointing towards the net. This delivers a shot that has little or no spin, but instead has much pace as all your effort is directed at hitting the ball straight on. However, the lack of spin might leave the flat serve with a higher chance of going long or hitting the net, especially for shorter players. Hence, flat serves are usually reserved for first serves due to its high-risk and high-reward nature. Your coach will teach you how to transfer your weight properly so you can strike the ball with the most power.

Slice serves. This serve is fairly common among beginners and intermediate players. Many players develop their slice serves through improper contact points on their flat serves, as they do not contact the ball flat on their racket face as they hit the ball. This can also arise from an inconsistent or improper ball toss as they toss the ball too far to their right (right-handed players), forcing them to ‘cut’ the ball as they swing their racket. A good slice serve is able to force the opponent wide on the deuce side, providing you with the opportunity to control the ensuing point.

To hit a slice serve, you will need to toss the ball at a 1 or 2 o’clock angle, and contact the ball with your racket face towards your left. This motion ‘cuts’ the ball and creates a sidespin that causes the ball to skid off the ground, making it more difficult for your opponent to return. Your coach will work with you to develop a solid slice serve.

Kick serves. This is the most advanced serve of the three, as it involves significantly more coordination and energy to execute. Kick serves involve the generation of topspin, through an upward brushing motion of the ball. Kick serves are usually employed on the second-serves as the ball tends to clear the net with a greater margin, making them consistent and reliable shots. Such serves are also able to force your opponents wide and push them behind the baseline. You will need to toss the ball at an 11 or 10 o’clock angle behind you, as this will allow you to arch your back and get below the ball. As the ball falls towards you, you will need to brush the ball up using your arms and wrists in a whipping motion. Your coach will get you to practice the service motion before you start to hit the ball. Advanced students can try to get their serves to hit the fence before the second bounce of the ball.

This can take anywhere between 60-90 minutes.

Variation of service is important as it ensures that your gameplay does not remain stagnant and predictable. When you mix up your serves your opponent will find it more difficult to read them and take advantage of your service game. You will learn to execute the three types of serves with confidence.

Game-play tactics

Most of the time having a solid and dynamic game plan can win you matches. You may have seen players hitting powerful strokes during their warm-ups, but proceed to ‘push’ balls during the actual match. The tactics you employ during the match can cause your opponent to play and perform badly. Tennis is as much a mental game as a physical one.

There are different game-play tactics you may use during a match, and you are encouraged to try them: serve-and-volley, baseline grinding, and opportunist playing.

Serve-and-volley. This is a very aggressive play-style and it involves rushing to the net quickly after your serve. If your serve is good, it will elicit a weak return from your opponent and you may win the point with your volley. Coming to the net also puts pressure on your opponent, who may be forced into an error. On the other hand, you may also be vulnerable to passing shots when you move up for volleys. Your coach will put you through drills to develop your serve and volley.

Baseline grinding. This game-play tactic requires you to play with consistency and topspin. It involves staying behind the baseline and out-rallying your opponent with groundstrokes, waiting for them to produce an unforced error. This can get tiring and you need to have a good stamina in order to pull of such a game-play tactic. Your coach will rally with you from the baseline and help you develop consistency and topspin in your game.

Opportunistic. This tactic consists of both aggressive and defensive play-styles. It involves defending at the baseline until an opportunity presents itself, when you will then quickly adopt an aggressive play-style to exploit the advantage that you have. You will learn to recognize such opportunities in the form of short balls or miss-hits from your opponent. Your coach will arrange for a number of friendly matches for you so that you will gain the match experience needed to employ such a tactic. You will learn how to play by instinct and capitalize on opportunities.

This can take anywhere between 60-90 minutes.

Game-play tactics are an important tool as it serves as a way for players to build up their game.

It is difficult to formulate plans and tactics on the spot when you are already in the court playing against an opponent. Our coaches will run through each game-play tactic with you during your practice drills, so that you will be mentally prepared to adopt the right tactic once you are in the court. You will find that you have more confidence to stick to your game-play as you have practiced the specific shots with your coach.

At the end of these four sessions, you should be well adapted and confident in your abilities on court. You should be aware of how to capitalize on your strengths and minimize exposure on your weaknesses. You have gained sufficient technical knowledge and will be able to correct yourself and improve on your own.