The adult development program is geared differently from the youth program as there is more responsibility on the adult as for what direction they want to go with tennis. The coaches do not have any requirements for the adults, as most adults are playing recreationally.
When adults join the class they will explain to the instructors why they are joining the class and what their goals are with joining the class. Many adults join for different reasons ranging from playing in leagues, to wanting to be able to simply rally with their significant others.
Requirements
- Ages 18-90
- The yellow ball is the last type of ball to reach, this ball has more pressure than any other ball, bouncing and traveling too fast for most kids under 11, requiring quick reactions and movement to get to the ball. These balls are also much heavier than the others, the player must be capable of generating enough power to hit the ball to the other side of the court.
- Full court 78 ft court
Three of the most common cases of adults
People who are complete beginners, who have no experience, and struggle to be able to hit the ball over the net. Most people who come to our clinics and lessons at this level, are firstly concerned about being able to rally with other players, or a particular partner they have in mind.
Another common case is an adult who has been playing for years and has developed bad habits which they can’t seem to get away from. This is a tough situation for players who are self taught, as all of a sudden they may not be able to get the ball in from a small habit that has developed over time. When this occurs it takes a lot of repetition in order to work the bad habit out of the swing.
Adults who play in a competitive league and are looking to increase their ranking are the most advanced of adult players who typically come to clinics and lessons. At this stage in their tennis career, they are less focused on fundamentals, and more concentrated on game strategy, increasing their arsenal of strokes, and adding more intensity to their match playing.
General Objectives for adult tennis players
Beginning
Hitting
- Acquire fundamental ground strokes forehand and backhand.
- Begin learning basic classic serve.
- Start learning volleys and overheads
- Build coordination, and ball control.
- Begin learning to rally with the instructor
Receiving
- Learn the stance of ready position.
- Use side shuffle, cross-over steps
- Recovering after every stroke hit.
Intermediate
Hitting
- More focus on being able to hold a rally with another player.
- Understand positioning for doubles.
- Learn the match rules and the court positioning for a tennis game.
- Begin learning fundamental tactics involved in rallies
- Develop placing the serve.
- Learn to hit topspin on forehand and backhand.
Receiving
- Learn how to track the ball, and then react quickly using aforementioned footwork
- Learn how to return serves.
- Begin learning split step technique.
Advanced
Hitting
- Spin serves: topspin, sidespin, and kick.
- Offensive shots such as: drop shot, flat forehand, approach shot, etc.
- Learn first serve
- Add more power in your strokes using weight distribution, shoulder rotation, and wrist whip.
- Learn game strategy: identifying opponent’s weaknesses, using your strengths, recognizing critical points, etc.
Receiving
- Learn how to take advantage of the opponent’s second serve.
- Learn how to reduce how weak your defensive shot is by placing the ball deeper.
- Learn how to get out of a defensive situation and turn it into offense.
- How to reflect the ball in order to use the other player’s power against them.
Mental attitude
- Learn to control your mental attitude and not allow the player to see doubt.
- How to have control over your physical and verbal behaviors