Semi private lessons

[sabala]

Wondering if anyone has taken or taking semi private lessons with a pro.

Just curious about how the on court lesson with 2 people would work opposed to a private lesson or even a clinic.

At my home courts there is a pro I'd like to take some lessons from but privates are like, 95 bucks for an hour! Has semi private for 100 bucks so I'm thinking 50 bucks per student is ok.

I've never taken a semi private but I've done a couple clinics (4 per instructor - 2 instructors) and taken private lessons in the past.

Any thoughts? Just wanted to hear other peoples experience before I contact the pro and ask a buddy if he's interested in doubling up a lesson...

 

[Jamesm182]

I coach at my club, and from my experience any coach worth their salt should split the time equally between students.

Personally, i have done this between two brothers, and also friends. The only time i found it to get tricky, is when the lesson eventually opens up to matchplay at the end , and if one players is doing really well, and the other is struggling.

With a friend it could be useful to think of some common goals / improvements you share, to make it easier for the coach.

Again though, a good coach will find a way to think on their feet, and provide ways for you to both work on what's needed.

An example for me would be if you wanted to work on your serve, the other person could then work on return of serve. If you and a buddy want to work on common areas it would be easier to fit in even though there would be differing teaching point for you both.

If you do opt for this, just ensure you find a coach that spreads out the attention evenly.

 

[papa]

I actually like doing this because it gives the other player(s) the opportunity to see their peers going through the learning process also - it helps. It also seems to take the pressure off the individual player and they seem less tense and don't tire as quickly.

Some/many want just private lessons for whatever reason(s) and that's their choice.

 

[Jamesm182]

I actually like doing this because it gives the other player(s) the opportunity to see their peers going through the learning process also - it helps. It also seems to take the pressure off the individual player and they seem less tense and don't tire as quickly.

Some/many want just private lessons for whatever reason(s) and that's their choice.

This is a great point, but it depends on the dynamic of the friendship, and also the individual and their age, I've had a few where when i've been focussing on the player, the other student has thrown a wobbly because i'm helping the other player.

It's just about practice and finding the right balance.

Find a coach who is approachable, he could also maybe suggest someone for you to hit with , who has similar aims to you , rather than it neccessarily being someone who you pick.

Depending on your age and ability, you could also attend squad sessions, as these are a great way to learn. Also depending on your aims,(ie if it is something you can learn yourself by practice) and if you want something a bit cheaper, you could pay for a decent hitting partner , it would be a lot cheaper , and guaranteed a high standard of play.

 

[TimothyO]

A friend and I are taking lessons with a pro. I think two people works well and we both feel like we really get our money's worth. On Wednesday my friend was late and I found that I REALLY missed her presence.

With two of us on the court it's just more fun. And when practicing serves it's nice to get a brief break from the pro's attention while he works with my friend. She's also pretty competitive so it's fun trying to outperform one another and it's useful listening to the pro's feedback on one another.

I've watched some teams practice and a couple of clinics. While the cost per student is much lower you're still investing a lot of time but with a much lower return imo. I'm totally sold on very small group lessons.

 

[jagmeister]

I prefer semi-private lessons

I actually take 1.5 hr semi private lessons with 2 others. This gives an opportunity to play some 2 on 1 drills and 2 on 2 drills with the pro. We alternate between multiple ball drills and points drills to allow for recovery. If I needed work on a specific part of my game, then I would ask for a private lesson.

Make sure the person you share the lesson is equal or better than you. Otherwise you run the risk of wasting time during point drills.

The best part is the cost. I get 1.5 hrs for $37.50 instead of an hour for $60. I can also push myself to the limit during drills knowing I will have a chance to recover. That has improved my conditioning.

 

[papa]

This is a great point, but it depends on the dynamic of the friendship, and also the individual and their age, I've had a few where when i've been focussing on the player, the other student has thrown a wobbly because i'm helping the other player.

It's just about practice and finding the right balance.

Find a coach who is approachable, he could also maybe suggest someone for you to hit with , who has similar aims to you , rather than it neccessarily being someone who you pick.

Depending on your age and ability, you could also attend squad sessions, as these are a great way to learn. Also depending on your aims,(ie if it is something you can learn yourself by practice) and if you want something a bit cheaper, you could pay for a decent hitting partner , it would be a lot cheaper , and guaranteed a high standard of play.

Well, I like to keep everyone busy so there's not a lot of time to throw hissy fits - only choice when you get some of these is to either suggest a different instructor "might be best".

 

[MNPlayer]

Two possible reasons I would do this over privates:
1) Semi-private with my doubles partner to work on our teamwork, doubles strategy. Here you could even have 3 people I guess.

2) With another player of similar ability, we could play and the pro could watch and offer advice to both of us. They can see stuff this way that they can't see if they are concentrating on hitting with you.

I've done both and it can be very useful.

 

[sabala]

Thanks for the thoughts, I'm liking the idea more - but my friend I'm thinking of might be a little lower level. Well, can hit a good ball but he is very inconsistent & does a lot of slapping at the ball not to mention transitioning to a one handed backhand....and a little overweight, haha! He and I both don't play much (I'm getting back into it more, signed up for a flex type league).

Anyway, it does sound like something to look into - and yes, I imagine if both were playing the coach could focus better on what each player needs to work on and then give some hands on instruction.

Hopefully I'll be able to give it a try soon!

 

[GetBetterer]

Me and my younger brother did "semi-private" lessons (although they were called duo lessons here) and it was an intriguing experience.

The lessons here were 90$ total for 90 minutes. It was actually an amazing experience.

The coach had us practice down-the-line shots on both sides so that we each would have to practice our forehand and our backhand.

Then we did cross-court shots for both the backhand and the forehand.

From those two we were able to more efficient hit down-the-line shots and cross-court shots.

The great thing was -- he was a new coach. New coaches give away like 90% of their secrets to keep the players with them and one of the secrets he gave away was a down-the-line shot can still be angled, meaning it would just be a shot headed towards the doubles alley much more than normal.

We also practiced service returns from each other and since my brother and I only know the flat serve and kick serve, the coach came out and fed us slice serves to return. It was a unique experience.

The first lesson was all of that with a quick 6 game Pro Set towards the last 30 minutes of the session. The later lessons would be 30 minutes of the practices and then we did more match-play and match-play techniques. He coached us on our match-play strategies which I think was very helpful.

This was just the coach I had, might not be the coach you get.

 

[sabala]

I've heard good things about the pro from a couple people. He still plays and is ranked in the top 50 in So Cal.

I haven't really played in 10 years or so and haven't trained & played tournaments since 1994. I was looking into lessons or even just hitting lessons to get back into it, found his site and a couple others.

Prices seem pretty high for taking regular privates so the semi privates caught my attention, just gotta find the right lesson partner!

 

[papa]

I've heard good things about the pro from a couple people. He still plays and is ranked in the top 50 in So Cal.

I haven't really played in 10 years or so and haven't trained & played tournaments since 1994. I was looking into lessons or even just hitting lessons to get back into it, found his site and a couple others.

Prices seem pretty high for taking regular privates so the semi privates caught my attention, just gotta find the right lesson partner!

Ask the pro because there are lots of people who don't mind being hooked up for lessons - bet he'll help.

 

[eliza]

Wondering if anyone has taken or taking semi private lessons with a pro.

Just curious about how the on court lesson with 2 people would work opposed to a private lesson or even a clinic.

At my home courts there is a pro I'd like to take some lessons from but privates are like, 95 bucks for an hour! Has semi private for 100 bucks so I'm thinking 50 bucks per student is ok.

I've never taken a semi private but I've done a couple clinics (4 per instructor - 2 instructors) and taken private lessons in the past.

Any thoughts? Just wanted to hear other peoples experience before I contact the pro and ask a buddy if he's interested in doubling up a lesson...

I have, with two different ladies. One was fun, b/c we were same level and same temperament, the other a pain b/c the Pro was hitting more to me and she got angry (quite rightly) ....
Thus, find somebody you like before sharing the lesson. The ratio for drills is great though...