Tennis lessons for kids

Find tennis lessons near you

Tennis lessons are held at tennis clubs throughout the country. Ideally, you’ll want to find lessons that aren’t too far away. Below, we list tennis lessons offered in several different locations. 

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Other ways to work on your tennis game

In addition to after-school and weekend tennis programs, there are other options available to your child. For instance, you might consider some of the following:

Schools with tennis programs: mostly middle and high schools with tennis programs. 

Camps focusing on tennis: summer camps with an intensive tennis program.

Tennis day camps: day camps offering tennis as an activity.

Residential tennis camps: overnight camps offering tennis as an activity.

You might also like

In addition to tennis, your child may enjoy other sports. Luckily, there are enough sports programs to satisfy even the biggest of sports nuts. We list some of these below.

Basketball programs can be a fun way to improve fitness, compete with other kids, make friends, and learn skills. They develop skills important for many sports, such as footwork, hand-eye coordination, defensive and offensive positioning, and focus and awareness. They also teach basketball-specific skills such as shooting, passing, rebounding, dribbling, and defense.

Baseball programs are offered at many different levels and provide fun and competition for kids interested in this sport. They teach skills such as throwing, catching, hitting, running the bases, and much more.

Soccer programs are a nice way to have fun, do lots of running, build up endurance, and work on your game. They can also provide plenty of social opportunities as well.

Golf lessons are a great way to improve your game in this challenging sport. Whether you’re looking for group or private lessons, you’ll learn a number of crucial skills, including driving, chipping, putting, and hitting out of the rough and sand bunkers.

Skills learned in tennis lessons

Tennis lessons, whether in a group or one-one, teach a wide range of skills. Some of the skills your child will learn and improve in tennis lessons include the following:

• Serving: the basics and finer features of the overhand serve, first and second serves, foot positioning, etc.
• Ground strokes: forehands, backhands, ball striking, hitting with pace, ball placement, court positioning, spins, etc.
• Volleying: playing at the net. When to come to the net, overhand smashes, drop shots, etc.
• Footwork and positioning: where to stand on the court, return of serve, moving around on the court, strategy, etc. 

Your child may also learn the following:

• Rules of tennis: the scoring system, the serving system, double faults, tiebreakers, etc.
• Doubles: playing on a team with a partner. Strategies and positioning for this type of tennis.
• Codes of conduct: attire, acknowledging “lucky breaks,” acknowledging good shots or rallys, picking balls up, playing “let points,” etc.  
• Sportsmanship: how to not get too caught up in the competition and enjoy the sport for the fun of it.
• Focus: like all sports, tennis is as much mental as physical and requires great concentration to compete at the highest levels.

To learn more about tennis and its benefits, check out these resources: 

Tennis for beginners

Tennis benefits

Finding the right program

A good starting point for finding the right program is the Our Kids Camp and Program Expo, held every year in the winter. At the expo, you can meet with the staff of many different camps and programs, including those offering tennis, and get your questions answered. 

You may also find other Our Kids resources helpful in choosing a camp or program:

How to choose a camp

Sports programs

Camp and program guide

Questions to ask tennis programs

It’s important to visit any program you’re seriously considering. Meet with their directors and tennis staff. Make sure to speak with coaches and instructors. 

You’ll want to ask plenty of questions. Here are some to get you started:

• What training and experience do the instructors have?
• What skills will my child learn?
• What is your approach to teaching tennis?
• How much individual instruction will my child get, if any?
• How much group instruction will my child get, if any?
• How much court time will they get?
• Will they play singles, doubles, or both?
• Will my child participate in tennis tournaments?
• Will my child need to bring any equipment besides a tennis racquet?
• Are you affiliated with any professional organizations such as the ATP or USTA?
• What training facilities and equipment do you have?
• What kinds of drills do you do?
• Do you offer fitness training?
• What do you do when the weather is bad (if the program uses outdoor courts)?