Tennis for ambitious women or housewives with few hours to practice during the week

[jorji23]

Hello ladies,
I'm a local tennis pro trying to get a little research on you ladies out there that look into playing tennis but don't have thousands of hours during the week to practice. I am looking into putting together a program at my club and online, that is fitted specifically for ladies that have little time to work on their game, but want to get great tips they can implement quickly into their game and achieve some of the short term goals they are looking for. In other words I'm trying to get ladies playing and enjoying the game on the few hours a week they have to practice. My question to you is what is your biggest fear, frustration, burning pain, etc when trying to learn tennis? What is your goal in trying to learn tennis? (hitting with the hubby, joining a team, hitting with the kids, exercising) I'm welcome to hearing bad experiences as well as good ones. Last question, you think this program would be a good idea or terrible? Would you join if you could? Thanks in advance

 

[stapletonj]

First and foremost, market research, not a bad idea.
Ozzie and Harriet mindset painfully evident, not so great an idea. (Ladies....hubby....kids)

Now my turn to be sexist,
I don't see a whole lot of 3.0 doctor's wifey social hit and giggle types on this board, so you may be looking in the wrong place for research.

That said, I actually like your ideas here, but (as an older white male who has been called out numerous times on my own sexism, etc.) I would suggest you reword this and post it both here (for what little input you might get from your target demographic), but also post it on other websites/boards that you can think your target demographic might frequent.

 

[goran_ace]

Hope this post doesn't somehow come off as sexist, but this is what worked well at the club where I used to teach. We used to have socials about once a month to get the stay-at-home wife crowd interested in lessons/clinics and leagues. We had a lot of moms who would just drop the kids off for lessons and we wanted to let them know we have a lot programs for them as well and get them involved. Do a cardio tennis clinic or timed doubles rotations, serve continental breakfast (and mimosas if you have a bar at the club!), and encourage members to bring a guest and waive the guest fee. If you can get your rep to do a demo day or bring in the newest clothes for a trunk show you can sell a lot that day. It's not as intimidating to try something new if they have a friend with them (and that's a potential new member/client) and in a social/noncompetitive environment no one is worried about not being good enough to play with the 4.0s and they see there are other people to play with at the same level as they are.

 

[NTRPolice]

Sounds like you want us to help you build your marketing strategy. The questions you ask are maybe legitimate ones, but in order for them to be legitimate, you'd have to ask your students individually, because every student is different. If you wanted me to help you develop a slogan, or catchy phrases like on a Zumba poster, i'd have to charge for that.

Is it a good idea? A good idea for you ($). Not a good idea for your students. These types of programs never actually develop the individuals athletic ability, but rather, the users develop their "social activity" instead. You can do a lot of "social activity" in a "few hours a week" whereas you cannot improve your game by sitting at a computer online, watching Youtube, and only spending 1 hour a week on the court.

This has profit potential. But, you're going to have to go hard. I hope you have enough VC to push. You're gonna have to throw parties to build your network; push branded items for kick backs; say "good job" when people arnt even trying; encourage these players to come out and cheer for the people that actually play tennis, ect. I know it sounds like im being sarcastic, but this idea is how a lot of the "busy professionals" at country clubs participate in "sports", all of which are facilitated by all the various staff at the country clubs.

If you are a "teaching pro" then you know there is no such thing as "quick improvements to your game". It's like all those pros putting out programs to "fix your golf slice in 5 mins". If you could actually do that, no one would be slicing on the golf course. Lose 6 inches in your midsection in 6 days! BUY NOW!

 

[Cindysphinx]

: sigh :

yeah, be careful about language so as not to sound patronizing. the term is stay at home mom, not stay at home wife.

anyway, thinking back on it, i got into tennis because i needed more adult contact than i was getting while as a sah mom.

i think you will want to remember is that a lot of your clients may be new to competition, especially in a one on one setting. they will not want to be embarrassed. nor will they appreciate a pro who gives excessive and unwarranted praise. i think most will want a lot of exercise. i did not want food and alcoholuc drinks --- many are struggling to maintain or regain fitness, and the last thing i want out of a tennis outing is 700 calories.

you might start a clinic snd then, once they know one another, have them register as a group for day league. which you can then coach.

i would be surprised if new players want expensive clothing items. few women want to have clothes like sharapova and a 2.5 game -- most understand that thus is insane -- but if you csn get them to see themselves as a team, you csn gave them pick team colors and wallets will open up.

 

[jorji23]

Thank you guys for tour input!

 

[dlk]

Thank you guys for tour input!

Cindysphnix is a lady.

 

[stapletonj]

OOOOOOOO I like the team colors idea! My dau. played travel volleyball last year and when she got her team backpack, she loved it more than any of her Christmas presents!

 

[DaynaDawn]

I would be in!

 

[tennis tom]

I like to watch.

 

[Topaz]

As others have mentioned, the answers you will get will be varied, as people, yes even women, will want something different from tennis.

For me, I like playing tennis. I don't have a lot of time for hits and giggles, as I work 40-52 hours per week. So when I do hit the court for a clinic, I want to hit a lot of balls. Not so much with the talking. I've taken clinics from really great pros who just spent way too much time talking. I am looking to work hard, hit a lot of balls, and feel like I made some progress in the time I was there.

My two cents.

 

[sureshs]

OP had first posted in the Tips section but I sent him here knowing that Cindy and Topaz would comment, and I was right. I have great predictive skills.

 

[tennis tom]

OP had first posted in the Tips section but I sent him here knowing that Cindy and Topaz would comment, and I was right. I have great predictive skills.

Yes, you should rename yourself NOSTRADAMUS.

 

[sureshs]

In general, women seem to be more trusting when it comes to the value of clinics. Guys are always thinking: this coach is a 4.5 max, why pay him to teach me. Get a loyal group of women's doubles players and you are set. In general, they will never improve, but they are not stupid. They know they will not improve, but they figure that the time and money makes for a regular hitting time with its social aspects, while otherwise the time would just be spent on some non-tennis activity. It is a good reason to simply get out there.

 

[Cindysphinx]

um . . . i have done a private clinic with a good pro and a group of women for many years. i went from 3.0 to 4.0, and one of us is close to 4.5. as a group, we went from rarely winning to our first trip to 4.0 districts this year.

so much for the idea that we "will not improve."

 

[eelhc]

Get em through the kids...

I see a lot of parents (mostly women) sitting around for 1-1/2 ~ 2 Hrs while their kids are in clinic/camp/lessons. If you can design a program to target the parents while the kids are at the club, they don't have to give up any additional time.

 

[Angle Queen]

I'm a SAH Mom but play with plenty of professional woman who carefully manage their time/schedules so they can squeeze in that 2 hours-a-week to play. Doesn't sound like much but sometimes, you gotta work with what you can do, rather than what you can't.

And, like Cindy, I also went from a 3.0 to a 4.0 and know many others who have as well. It is possible, even in a shortened training/playing regiment.

Here are some of the things I have either seen work or think they might.

• You've gotta deal with the "kid" factor -- either on-site childcare or even including them in the lesson. Kind of a Mommy-and-Me thing that the Swim people figured out years ago.
• Address the two different types: the beginner player and a more seasoned one. A beginner will need everything from 'rules' instruction to basic techniques and help getting over the idea that they'll 'never be good enough' to play/compete. A more experienced player will probably want either a broad cross-section of skills training...or the exact opposite -- something very specific.
• A 'series' of 'strokes' clinics worked well: FH, BH, Lobs, Serves, Volleys, OHs. 6wk-package...where part of each lesson should be how to set up a ball machine to feed those strokes. Why you might think it'll take away from your revenue potential, eventually, they'll come around to see that they'll need a human set of eyes, a coach, to take things to the next level. A ball machine (if you/your club has one to rent...that can be some income too) is gold if you know how to use it properly, generally doesn't require setting a specific time for a lesson and gives you the chance to 'fail' without anyone seeing you!
  
• An in-house Fun League! Our club does that in the winter when there are no other 'leagues' going on and schedules it for the least-used court times. I've played with 2.5-4.5s. Not always the best tennis when you're at/near the top of that rating spectrum but I try to keep it in perspective: That I was a 'beginner' once too and had several mentors take the time to teach me things that you can only learn in a 'playing' situation, whether it's strategy, a skill tip or just plain encouragement and support. Try to get newbies to be open to just getting out on the court and recruit a few better players (who you might think have a positive mindset) to join in.
• "Disco" tennis. It's fast-paced and the music keeps everyone going. If you can partner up with the fitness/aerobic instructor and do a dual-swap (say one week in the fitness center, one week on the courts)...you might pull in a few of those (usually athletic) aerobic/yoga ladies and get them on the court too.
• Along those lines, get with a personal trainer and put together some (online?) video weight training/stretching specifically for tennis players. Shoulders, hips and wrists...if you can relate the exercise to how it might benefit your tennis game, you might get some takers.
• Don't forget there are more and more stay-at/work-from home Daddies too! You leave out ~50% of the population if you limit yourself to just women. While some women might be intimidated having men in a clinic, that mindset is, thankfully, becoming a thing of the past.

Finally, there's nothing like word-of-mouth. You can market yourself all you want but nothing will be as good as finding a few good customers, treating them right...and letting them sell you.

Good luck and good on you for trying to get some input. As stapletonj said, most of the women on TT tend to be more serious about their game....but we probably know quite a few who aren't and we're willing to tell on 'em.

 

[tennis tom]

That marketing plan should be worth a dozen free lessons or three new rackets.

 

[NTRPolice]

Group lessons only really provide you with repetition. You cannot actually learn anything from a group lesson except for repetition. Hopefully people who take group lessons have solid fundamentals................................... or else they're going to end up like the majority of players who've been playing for 10+ years and got bumped simply because they improved the consistency of their bad habits.

If you have weak volleys, what is the chance you think you're going to improve your volleys in a group lesson? You're being run through a standard, generic rotation routine based around 1 hour time slots. You might only hit like 10 volleys the entire group lesson.

If that lesson were a private lesson, you could actually receive instruction on how to volley, be advised as you go, and hit a 100 volleys in the first 40 mins.

This is why teaching pros love these "jazzercise" tennis "scams". They make more money and do less work. Show up with a hopper of totally flat balls, play music on a stereo, feed balls, run through a preset routine, speak words of encouragement; profit. Why work hard charging $40-$100/h for a private when you can charge all these "busy, working professionals" $5-$10/h per person, for 5-15 people? USTA charges you $7.50/h for that "play to learn" tennis!

If you really want to get good, you should take a private lesson. You actually do get way more from it. Costs a lot more, but you get to hit more balls, and get actual instruction.

 

[sureshs]

um . . . i have done a private clinic with a good pro and a group of women for many years. i went from 3.0 to 4.0, and one of us is close to 4.5. as a group, we went from rarely winning to our first trip to 4.0 districts this year.

so much for the idea that we "will not improve."

You are an exception. That is why I directed the OP to this part of the forum. You are a teaching pro's gold mine.

Although I think that your improvement was mainly based on the tips you received on this forum.

But in any case, you will never improve from now on.

 

[Cindysphinx]

NTRP,

I disagree that you can never get anything out of clinics. You are correct that you cannot address stroke mechanics in a clinic.

But you can address positioning in a clinic, and at the lower levels, a lot of points are lost through horrific positioning.

But if you have more than 4 players on a court, even addressing positioning is pointless.

I had a different experience than AQ. I wouldn't dream of trying to do a tennis clinic until my kids were in school. There was just too much going on, my kids wouldn't necessarily cooperate and allow someone else to watch them (and this is very common among kids with SAH parents). Not to mention the liability issues with providing day care while you teach tennis to the parents.

What you want, I think, are parents who have a few free hours while the kids are in pre-school or school. I would do everything you can to market to those parents, who are probably enjoying their few hours of available time.

And yes, do not leave out the guys. I think most women (especially younger women) are willing to do clinics with men. I can't recall the last time I saw a clinic that was limited to only women.

 

[NTRPolice]

NTRP,

I disagree that you can never get anything out of clinics. You are correct that you cannot address stroke mechanics in a clinic.

But you can address positioning in a clinic, and at the lower levels, a lot of points are lost through horrific positioning.

But if you have more than 4 players on a court, even addressing positioning is pointless.

You can get cardio and repetition. That's it. The only thing ive seen regarding "positioning" is when they have you hit a series of shots and you close into the net. The problem, though, is that even if you go through the motions, if your shots arnt good shots, all that moving isnt really going to help you much at all. I've seen so many clinics where they do these types of drills and half the students arnt getting anything out of it because 3/4 shots they hit arnt even in play, or are in play in such a way that those shots would be considered "bad" anyway. I've seen a coach do a drill that went like this: "fake serve", half volley, volley, OH. When the students ran through the drill, two things happened:

1) Students just tried to "go through the motions" playing unrealistic/ridiculous shots that wouldnt be played in a game in order to just complete the drill.
2) Students who tried to simulate their actual play were making way too many UE' so that in an actual play they would have lost the point.

That means no one got anything out of the drill except for cardio. The players who simply fluffed the first half volley back into the court in random directions, hit weak and shallow first volleys, and tapped OH's with no direction would not be considered strong play. The players who were trying to play real shots didnt have the consistency to start chaining those shots together yet.

And yes, do not leave out the guys. I think most women (especially younger women) are willing to do clinics with men. I can't recall the last time I saw a clinic that was limited to only women.

I dont mind playing with women, but I know women dont always want to play with men. If you have 40+ 4.0 women, they may not want to play with 18+ 4.0 men if they have to drill against each other. If you have some 55+ 3.5 players they probably wont want to play with a 18+ 4.0 of any gender. Either they might get hurt, or they wont get much practice, or the 18+ is going to have to tone it down. Toning it down is always a bad idea. Practice like you play.

 

[tennis tom]

Group lessons only really provide you with repetition. You cannot actually learn anything from a group lesson except for repetition. Hopefully people who take group lessons have solid fundamentals................................... or else they're going to end up like the majority of players who've been playing for 10+ years and got bumped simply because they improved the consistency of their bad habits.

If you have weak volleys, what is the chance you think you're going to improve your volleys in a group lesson? You're being run through a standard, generic rotation routine based around 1 hour time slots. You might only hit like 10 volleys the entire group lesson.

If that lesson were a private lesson, you could actually receive instruction on how to volley, be advised as you go, and hit a 100 volleys in the first 40 mins.

This is why teaching pros love these "jazzercise" tennis "scams". They make more money and do less work. Show up with a hopper of totally flat balls, play music on a stereo, feed balls, run through a preset routine, speak words of encouragement; profit. Why work hard charging $40-$100/h for a private when you can charge all these "busy, working professionals" $5-$10/h per person, for 5-15 people? USTA charges you $7.50/h for that "play to learn" tennis!

If you really want to get good, you should take a private lesson. You actually do get way more from it. Costs a lot more, but you get to hit more balls, and get actual instruction.

Agree with all the above, but they are a good place for singles and married to hook-up while waiting in line for their turns.

 

[sureshs]

I can't recall the last time I saw a clinic that was limited to only women.

In my club, there are never any mixed clinics among the adults.

 

[NTRPolice]

Agree with all the above, but they are a good place for singles and married to hook-up while waiting in line for their turns.

Not gonna lie. I took an "advanced" level USTA "play to learn" to meet people. At least here, the people in the "advanced" classes probably are weak 3.5's at the most. When we were doing serves, I beaned a lady in the face because she couldnt read the spin... and I was serving extra slow to be careful too. I felt so bad that I never tried to "network" in one of those ever again.

High presence of single babes. Low presence of tennis skills. lol

 

[RetroSpin]

I've never been a fan of group sessions, but a local pro often teaches four 4.0-ish level women on the adjacent court at a public facility. He is really good and gives them realistic scenarios and good positioning advice. They hit a lot of balls under semi-competitive situations, and seem to get more comfortable executing strategies. He also spends time with them afterwards advising on technique or whatever, particularly the blonde attractive ones.

At a club in Florida, the pro drills the 3.5 and 4.0 women's league teams pretty hard. Lot of practice putting away volleys and defending volleys, etc. He however does not seem to correct bad technique much.

I question the value of group sessions for serious singles players or for beginners who generally require one on one attention.

 

[Mongolmike]

In my club, there are never any mixed clinics among the adults.

Um... did you think that maybe there are mixed clinics at your club, but that you are just not welcome in them??

Can you say "restraining order"?

 

[Court Karma]

There's plenty to learn in group drills. If you are a doubles player, how else are you going to work on coverage, switching, service strategy etc? There's much more to the game than hitting a technically perfect forehand.

I started playing tennis after my kids were born as I needed to find something to pound without getting arrested. Being a stay at home was frustrating as hell for me. The places I played offered child care and I had no qualms having my kids hang out in a great play room with other kids for an hour or two each week while I played tennis.

As a pro, if you can help players connect with others having similar goals the instructional opportunities will follow. Skip the gimmicks.

 

[sureshs]

Um... did you think that maybe there are mixed clinics at your club, but that you are just not welcome in them??

Can you say "restraining order"?

As far as I know, none. Men hardly take any clinics. Women's clinics are much more popular. Sometimes, their male coach will send the females to me to prepare for a match if I am around.

 

[Cindysphinx]

You can get cardio and repetition. That's it. The only thing ive seen regarding "positioning" is when they have you hit a series of shots and you close into the net.

What you are describing is technically referred to as "A Horrible Clinic."

I am talking about a good clinic, which is what I hope OP wants to operate.

In a good clinic, you can spend the entire clinic working on covering lobs over your partner's head, complete with communication recommendations and clarifying whose responsibility it is to speak.

In a good clinic, you can do poaching drills. You can also work on lateral positioning, staggered positioning, and alternative formations.

I dont mind playing with women, but I know women dont always want to play with men. If you have 40+ 4.0 women, they may not want to play with 18+ 4.0 men if they have to drill against each other. If you have some 55+ 3.5 players they probably wont want to play with a 18+ 4.0 of any gender. Either they might get hurt, or they wont get much practice, or the 18+ is going to have to tone it down. Toning it down is always a bad idea. Practice like you play.

Again, you are assuming A Horrible Clinic.

Clinics should be organized by level, not gender. If you have 4.0 women mixed with 3.5-4.0 guys, say, everyone can have a good clinic *if and only if* the pro knows what she is doing. A good pro can structure drills that will offer something to all players in a reasonable range regardless of gender.

Regarding whether drop-in clinics are mixed gender or solo gender, I have seen both. But if you go on-line to sign up for a clinic at the county facilities, you will not be offered a single gender option. You will register according to ability. I have seen men's only and ladies only clinics, but these seem to be fading. I mean, I am a 4.0 woman. If there is a men's clinic on a Saturday that is 3.5-4.0 men, why should I be excluded if that time slot fits my schedule?

 

[NTRPolice]

What you are describing is technically referred to as "A Horrible Clinic."

I am talking about a good clinic, which is what I hope OP wants to operate.

In a good clinic, you can spend the entire clinic working on covering lobs over your partner's head, complete with communication recommendations and clarifying whose responsibility it is to speak.

In a good clinic, you can do poaching drills. You can also work on lateral positioning, staggered positioning, and alternative formations.

In an all day doubles clinic, where you pay an actual "pro", and you pay $100+ for that one day. You are not going to get that from a 1-2 hour a week group "class". A "class" is not a "clinic". Clinics last all day, cost significantly more than a "class", and it's focus is very specific. The people who take clinics are generally not the same types of people who take these 1 hour a week group classes. 1 hour is not a lot of time for actual instruction, but you can break a good sweat and feel like you've learned something. A 5 hour all-day clinic provides you with ample time to learn and practice.

I know you're gonna say that you can do it in a 1 hour a week "class" but you cant. No one is going to take your "class" if 20-30 mins of your 60 mins is instruction. 1 hour is barely enough time to even play 1 set of tennis. If you have 1 hour a week to play tennis and you're on a 1 hour "timed" court, would you sit and talk story with your friend for 20 mins of your 1 hour time limit? No. No you wouldnt. You would get on there at 0:00 and start serving by 0:10, and hopefully it goes a little bit long and you end your close match at 1:05.

Again, you are assuming A Horrible Clinic.

Clinics should be organized by level, not gender. If you have 4.0 women mixed with 3.5-4.0 guys, say, everyone can have a good clinic *if and only if* the pro knows what she is doing. A good pro can structure drills that will offer something to all players in a reasonable range regardless of gender.

Regarding whether drop-in clinics are mixed gender or solo gender, I have seen both. But if you go on-line to sign up for a clinic at the county facilities, you will not be offered a single gender option. You will register according to ability. I have seen men's only and ladies only clinics, but these seem to be fading. I mean, I am a 4.0 woman. If there is a men's clinic on a Saturday that is 3.5-4.0 men, why should I be excluded if that time slot fits my schedule?

I dont know why you're attacking me on this, since I never said genders should absolutely have to be split, but if you're running one of these group classes you have to realize that players who are "too good" can be a turnoff for the class as a whole and can kill your business. If you have a bunch of 55+ crowd and a same NTRP level 18+ player comes in they can single-handedly ruin the class. I can see why these classes may be gender specific in some programs. They definitely discriminate by age 8-18/18+, so I can see why someone may discriminate by gender, or require a "skill assessment" before you can take the class. "Out of level" players high or low hurt the class unless that class does not somehow involve players hitting with each other.

I have never seen a legit "clinic" at a public facility, just "group classes". The USTA "play to learn" lessons are on public facilities. The "family doubles clinics" are on public facilities. The $2,000 Bryan Brothers clinic is not on public courts. There is a lot in between, sure. Even the $100 clinics taught by master professionals, assisted by current/former college players are on college tennis courts. Technically "public" courts, but not really.

 

[Cindysphinx]

I see the problem. You differentiate between "classes" and "clinics," whereas I do not. And you assume that anything that takes place on a public court is lame.

Regarding location, I do clinics at county-owned public facilities/courts. Why would you assume that it is not possible to do a good clinic on a court that is open to the public?

Anyway, all I can do is tell you that I have taken a "private" clinic (meaning a group of friends who are the same level hire a pro for a weekly clinic; we don't allow random people into the group) for years. We sometimes have three ladies; never more than four. We go for 90-minutes or two hours. We focus on approach volleys, poaching, switching (or more accurately, not switching by covering your own overheads), return variety, defending overheads effectively, passing shots, communication/expectations about the middle ball, returning and slicing. Do we do these things all at once? Of course not.

I don't know where you got the idea that a clinic or class or other form of group instruction has to be five hours. In a two-hour clinic, we spend about 20 minutes on a short court warm-up followed by groundstroke warm-up where the pro visits each player to coach them on their groundstroke issues. We then would, for example, do a drill designed to address one of the reasons we lose points/matches.

Lately, some of us have struggled to beat lob queens. To address this recently, we did a drill where he fed in a high ball and a baseline player has to take it as a swinging volley and come to net. We went through two rotations of this, starting with FH (anyone who got the hang of it quickly also did BH). Then we worked on defending overhead smashes, which gave two people the chance to defend and the other two to improve their smashes (with a goal of focusing on placement rather than power by smashing to the alleys to spread the court, then taking advantage of the open court if the ball comes back). The defenders were to backpedal when the lob went up, try to slice it back, and take the net. Then maybe 15 minutes of match play. Done and done.

Is this a waste of time? Nope. I hit six swinging volleys in my last doubles match (off of lobs that had gone over my partner's head). I made them all, and i would have botched them were it not for our clinic work. If nothing else, it helps to have all of the S&V and approach volley practice to help us be brave about coming to net.

Clinics of sufficient duration and an appropriate number of players are not a waste of time. Clinics designed for stroke production are often a waste of time, IMHO. And five-hour clinics may exist somewhere in the wild, but most rec players would find the time and financial commitment to be an issue.

Anyway, if you are getting a 5-hour clinic with a pro and 3-4 players for $100, you should grab that deal and run. Three players and a pro on public courts costs $45 for us for 1.5 hours, I think.

 

[Court Karma]

My team mates and I also do what Cindy describes above. The content and format is identical but the instruction is received in a tennis club setting. To throw another term around, we refer to this instruction as our weekly "drill."

FWIW, my spouse and I both participated in the USTA "play to learn" program in the same setting. This middle-aged housewife is pretty happy to be competing well at the 4.0 level.

 

[NTRPolice]

I see the problem. You differentiate between "classes" and "clinics," whereas I do not. And you assume that anything that takes place on a public court is lame.

Regarding location, I do clinics at county-owned public facilities/courts. Why would you assume that it is not possible to do a good clinic on a court that is open to the public?

Anyway, all I can do is tell you that I have taken a "private" clinic (meaning a group of friends who are the same level hire a pro for a weekly clinic; we don't allow random people into the group) for years. We sometimes have three ladies; never more than four. We go for 90-minutes or two hours. We focus on approach volleys, poaching, switching (or more accurately, not switching by covering your own overheads), return variety, defending overheads effectively, passing shots, communication/expectations about the middle ball, returning and slicing. Do we do these things all at once? Of course not.

I don't know where you got the idea that a clinic or class or other form of group instruction has to be five hours. In a two-hour clinic, we spend about 20 minutes on a short court warm-up followed by groundstroke warm-up where the pro visits each player to coach them on their groundstroke issues. We then would, for example, do a drill designed to address one of the reasons we lose points/matches.

-Private individuals may not reserve courts here (for personal gain).
-Organizations can reserve courts (like USTA) but they pay a price. It used to be "flex" pricing, but because of recent lawsuits, the prices are fixed now. A single person using an LLC to sign out the facilities would not be cost effective.
-By taking a class in the park you have to constantly move because people will report you if they see/think you're doing it for "personal gain" and you will be subject to the time limit of the court if people are waiting. Because of this, you cannot have a "clinic" that lasts 2 hours because people will report you, and if someone sits at the court, you will have to get off in a hour or they will call the cops.

Story time: Someone who will sit on a court and start timing you will call the cops. I've seen it. I had to deal with it when playing a make up match of singles. It was 5-5 in the second set and the guy waiting goes "bro, it's been 1h 5m already. When you getting off?" and I said "it's 5-5 and we're doing a make up match." and he said "And? How much longer is this gonna take? Dont make me call someone." so we had to stop... at 5-5 in the second set... wait 45 mins for a court to open... and then resume the match. This was only a one time make up match. Can you imagine the risk of doing a "2 hour clinic" every week on a public court? Maybe you live somewhere you can "reserve" public tennis courts, but here, you cannot. 2 hours, every week, same court? Not possible.

-Anytime an organization signs out a public court for a "clinic" it's usually a terrible one, like the USTA "play to learn" lessons. You never have clinics taught by "master professionals", "touring", "formerly touring", and assisted by "college players" at public courts except;

When someone of "power" can more or less "reserve" the courts unofficially, such as a college tennis coach reserving the U's courts for the entire day. This is why these clinics run long (5-6 hours) and costs $100's if not $1000's for a one day clinic. I know a guy who took the Bryan bro's clinic and he wouldnt tell me how much it was... but he did say... thousands... and there were 5 other people in the class. LOL!

Joe 4.0 "teaching pro" would not be able to run the same type of clinic in a public park, unless he's working for USTA, and USTA buys out a 4 hour block from the C&C, permits up, and runs 3 classes in that 4 hour block.

Anyway, if you are getting a 5-hour clinic with a pro and 3-4 players for $100, you should grab that deal and run. Three players and a pro on public courts costs $45 for us for 1.5 hours, I think.

The 5 hour clinics that cost $100 have way more than 3-4 players. Sometimes... like 30+ people. Private lessons (1v1) with a "Joe 4.0 pro" teacher on a public court (so they dont pay taxes on it) cost about $30-$50 an hour. If you want a private on a private court from a legit teacher you're looking at $65/h minimum. Head club pro? $85 minimum. 6.0+ hitting partner $150/h just to hit.

 

[NTRPolice]

And, FWIW, the $100 5 hour clinics with 30 people do not serve to improve your strokes, just your tactics. You will be required to hit specific shots, and if you cant, you're wasting your time, and the persons time on the receiving end. Last time I took one of these clinics half the people were double faulting trying to serve to one side of the box even though the minimum skill level for the adult day was "4.0". One of the exercises was learning how to split opponents in doubles and open up the court. If you did not have solid volleys and couldnt control the direction you were splitting anything but your pants. If you used this clinic to learn how to "serve" or "volley" you missed the whole idea of point construction. There was a guy who couldnt hit any backhand except a lob... lol... so when this guy was doing one of the drills the net people just kept getting lobbed even though that was not the exercise.

 

[Cindysphinx]

right. You have described a variety of horrible clinics. these exist everywhere.

i was trying to suggest that your blanket statements are inaccurate in other parts of the tennis world.

and i hope some folks will consider forming a private clinic rather than just suffering through overcrowded clinics that teach nothing.

 

[eelhc]

right. You have described a variety of horrible clinics. these exist everywhere.

i was trying to suggest that your blanket statements are inaccurate in other parts of the tennis world.

and i hope some folks will consider forming a private clinic rather than just suffering through overcrowded clinics that teach nothing.

To each is own... Everyone learns different. All day clinics and weekend camps have never worked well for me. In tennis and golf. Information and physical overload (and I'm fit).

For the cost of a weekend camp, I can take a dozen 1-1/2 hr 1 instructor on 4 student clinics. The weekly format allows a good instructor to build a program to focus on no more than 1 or 2 items per week and pace the course based on the progression of the students. It works best when the group is made up of students with similar skills and athleticism.

The value of the clinic will depend highly on the student and the pro. If the pro is content just feeding balls with some tips sprinkled inbetween or if the student does not practice or apply what they have learned outside the clinic, it will not work. One really has to put a lot of thought into putting a group together and selecting an instructor. IMO most people waste their time and money taking tennis instruction.

 

[Topaz]

I drop into clinics run by someone I know from the tennis community. He has built it up from the very beginning, and now runs his 'company' out of a local club, and even goes into the communities during the nicer months. He spends time asking the players what they want, and he offers a huge variety of classes at all different times. Levels range from 2.5 to 4.5. Classes can be beginning stroke classes to VERY intense cardio drills with tennis drill mixed in. His most popular class is based on 'live ball' and is excellent for replicating match play and hitting...well...a 'live' ball, instead of feeds. Most of it revolves around doubles but he also offers singles classes/drills. It is wildly successful, and the only drill I do anymore...I get a lot of hitting, I know enough to know what/how I need to work on, and it prepares me for my matches...oh, and it is a great workout! And not too much money, either.

And EVERY class I have been in, save maybe four, have been mixed. As he gets to know his players, he makes sure the groups are consistent in level and ability. I have taken a singles class where I was actually the only female. Gender plays no part here...everybody has to step up and play, and if you don't like the pace/intensity, you can sign up for a lower level (or a higher one, if you want more).

If you want more individual instruction him and his pros also offer lessons, and you'll get tips here and there during clinics, as well.

Repetition is what most of us need (correct repetition, that is) to improve. If you can't do it in practice you won't do it in a match.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

Every clinic (I've taken alot) I've ever taken has been terrible in the instruction department.
It is however a way to get alot of reps on stroke/situation/etc...-of-the-day.
I've run a couple clinics before, and the main goal is to just keep the balls moving... you bark an tip here or there... but most times folks don't know what to do with the tip (eg. there's no context, and no comparision to old vs. new way). And you have to focus on everyone on the court, not just one person.

In general clinics are a short cut to getting your own ball machine.
They feed the private lessons.

In general they are valuable to get stroke repitition if you know how to do what you're trying to work on... but most folks incorrectly believe that a clinic for $15-60 (per 1.5h) is gonna take the place of 1-1 instruction.

 

[tennis tom]

In general clinics are a short cut to getting your own ball machine.

They're also a good way to socialize while waiting your turn in line, catching up on the latest news, weather, movies, restaurants, golden retrievers, and meeting lonely housewives while on vacation.

 

[tennis_ocd]

Just the thought of a club brochure calling for "ambitious women or housewives" causes me to shudder....

I think your goals are pretty much gender neutral. The only thing I've witnessed is that many "lower level women players" (when their husbands let them out of the kitchen) simply don't want to hit with the guys (while the better ones want to crush us lol.) I think I'd remove the gender specific labels and go with advanced beginner group and see what falls out. Just mid-day hours and level will result in virtually an all female group.

 

[darrinbaker00]

Hello ladies,
I'm a local tennis pro trying to get a little research on you ladies out there that look into playing tennis but don't have thousands of hours during the week to practice. I am looking into putting together a program at my club and online, that is fitted specifically for ladies that have little time to work on their game, but want to get great tips they can implement quickly into their game and achieve some of the short term goals they are looking for. In other words I'm trying to get ladies playing and enjoying the game on the few hours a week they have to practice. My question to you is what is your biggest fear, frustration, burning pain, etc when trying to learn tennis? What is your goal in trying to learn tennis? (hitting with the hubby, joining a team, hitting with the kids, exercising) I'm welcome to hearing bad experiences as well as good ones. Last question, you think this program would be a good idea or terrible? Would you join if you could? Thanks in advance

Is this your way of picking up chicks?

 

[sureshs]

Just the thought of a club brochure calling for "ambitious women or housewives" causes me to shudder....

Subtle implication that housewives cannot be ambitious women?

 

[tennis tom]

He should open up his clinics to ambitious men and house-hubs as well or it's sexist against males. The Nike Women's Half Marathon recently held in frisco had to allow men to enter.

 

[tennis tom]

Subtle implication that housewives cannot be ambitious women?

You got him bad on that one, he should be tarred and feathered for that verbal assault on PC and run out of the cc.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

He should open up his clinics to ambitious men and house-hubs as well or it's sexist against males. The Nike Women's Half Marathon recently held in frisco had to allow men to enter.

interesting... I've volunteered for the http://morefitnesshalf.com/ (eg. doing my 9+1 requirements for the NYC full marathon)..
I've always wondered how they get away with it... (eg. remember why marathon's only allowed men).
until this happened:

 

[Alchemy-Z]

Just an observation from the pro I normally hit with - cause I asked him one day what was the biggest difference he saw between teaching women and men.

he said - If a Guy loses his match he will start thinking about a new string set up...grip...shoes etc...

if a Lady loses she will most likely call her tennis pro wanting to set up a lesson

This same pro does a Ladies Night clinic (every Thursday evening) which is usually a big turn out and both social and educational.(they sometimes even have drinks)

he tried a men's night but volume was so low...it became open to anyone night and is still a female dominated group with mostly new 3.0 guys or husbands