Fiend at Court Unplugged
It is intuitively obvious that every single person who actively plays tennis had that moment when someone pressed a racquet into their hands and they took their first swing at a ball. In other words, everybody was a beginner once upon a time. Even Roger Federer didn’t emerge from the womb with his elegant one-handed backhand. Additionally, it is highly likely that Federer missed the first time he took a cut at the ball. In observance of #NationalTennisMonth, today’s topic is how beginners can get started in tennis.
On the surface, playing tennis is relatively easy. All it takes is a racquet, some balls, access to a tennis court, and someone to play with. Some regions have more public tennis courts than others. For example when the Fiend at Court Spousal Unit was growing up in a very rural part of the country, playing tennis would also have involved a road trip to the “closest” tennis court. It wasn’t close at all.
I am a strong advocate that people picking up the sport for the first time should do so under the guidance a tennis teaching professional or at least a friend who is reasonably competent at the game. Tennis has a very steep learning curve and it takes some time to strike the ball consistently enough to maintain a rally. It is a much better experience with a basket of balls and someone who can feed the ball well.
Finding tennis instruction represents an opportunity for the tennis industry to do much better. I am an experienced tennis player who is familiar with the courts and facilities that offer instruction in my area. It is very easy to find beginning instruction for children, but much harder for adults. Significant improvement is needed on the information that is available to prospective new players.
In my local area, only one tennis center (Southlake Tennis Center) offers a “New to Tennis” group class for adults. In fact, that is exactly where the Fiend at Court Spousal Unit received his first formal instruction in the sport. The other facilities advertise programs for more advanced adult players, but seem to suggest that a beginner would need to book private lessons. I believe that level of financial commitment might be a cost deterrent and barrier to entry for someone who wants to casually try out the game.
There are a lot of beginning group lessons available in my area, but a prospective player would have to know where to look to find them. The most affordable public programs are typically listed in the Municipal Parks and Rec activity catalogs. Those sources do not come up when searching for “tennis lessons near me” at least in my area.
In addition to the potential cost differential, I just think that group lessons for beginners are the best route. The reason for this is because there is a sense of community and camaraderie that isn’t as easy to generate in the private lesson setting. Group lessons are where beginning tennis player make friends with other tennis players. It is ultimately how the sport grows.
I have a dream that every public tennis facility will one day offer low cost and easy to find adult tennis lessons for beginners on a continuous basis. Until then, prospective new players will have to work just a little harder to find the instruction needed to engage in the sport. Maybe #NationalTennisMonth can spark an awakening that tennis still isn’t as accessible to new players as it should be.
