The first private tennis lesson is the most important one. It sets the tone for whether you'll keep working with this coach, what you'll work on first, and frankly whether you'll keep playing tennis at all. Here's what a great first lesson looks like, what to bring, and how to spot a coach who's worth keeping.
Before the lesson: a 10-minute prep
- Write down your level honestly (NTRP, UTR, or in plain English).
- Write down one specific thing you want help with.
- Bring water, two towels, sunscreen, and your own racket if you have one.
- Wear court-appropriate shoes (not running shoes — they don't slide laterally).
What a great coach does in the first 10 minutes
They ask you what you wrote down. They ask how long you've played, when you last played, what's worked for you before, and what hasn't. Then they have you hit. They don't lecture in the first 10 minutes; they watch. Anything earlier is a script, not coaching.
What the lesson should cover
1. Movement and footwork (10 minutes)
How you split-step, how you load, how you recover. Most rec players have a footwork problem they don't know about. A good coach spots it in five rallies.
2. Forehand and backhand baseline reps (15-20 minutes)
Feeding you the ball, watching contact, watching your finish. They'll pick one fix — not five — and have you drill it.
3. Serve assessment (10 minutes)
The serve is where most rec players lose matches. A first lesson should at least diagnose the serve, even if it's not the day's main focus.
4. A short live ball or rally exchange (10 minutes)
To see how everything holds up under "real" conditions. Most rec lessons skip this. It's a mistake.
5. Wrap-up (5 minutes)
The coach should summarize: here's what I noticed, here's what we'll work on next time, here's something you can do on your own this week.
Red flags in a first lesson
- The coach talks more than they watch.
- They try to fix five things at once.
- They don't ask your goals.
- They pitch a 10-lesson package before the first session ends.
- You leave more confused than you came in.
Green flags
- You're sweating but you're also thinking.
- You have one clear thing to practice.
- You feel respected, not lectured.
- You're excited for lesson two.
If it's not the right fit
Just say so. Coaches are professionals; a polite "I appreciated the session but I'd like to try a couple of others before committing" is normal and expected. The right coach for you is out there — don't waste 10 lessons confirming the wrong one. Browse other tennis coaches and try again. Most good coaches will refund or credit a first lesson if it wasn't a fit.