Winter’s coming: the season of three-layer tennis, woolly hats, numb fingers—and darkness by 4 p.m. Yet this is when the foundations of tennis success are laid, as we look ahead to next season.

Ask any coach how long it takes to learn a “new” serve and they will talk in terms of months or even years. Hours spent on technique now will pay off (we hope) when battle recommences in the spring. If you want to hit the ground running in April, the preparation starts now.

To get your game in shape, you need lessons to check and improve your technique. An educated pair of eyes can expertly assess your game and highlight your weaknesses, rather like a trusted mechanic. Last winter, I did something I hadn’t done properly in years: I took a course of private, one-to-one lessons. Tennis lessons aren’t cheap, so I took them seriously—and here are a few notes on making the best use of your time and money.

Prepare

You’re paying for time, so don’t waste a minute of your lesson warming up. Always warm up beforehand—and ideally have a decent hit first—so you arrive ready, sharp, and focused for your sixty minutes.

Volume

One lesson isn’t enough. Think in blocks of five or six, minimum. And avoid big gaps between lessons. Once a week for six weeks is okay, but twice a week for three weeks is even better. The intensity helps you absorb changes. Your journey to better tennis stops being a side hobby and becomes a front-of-mind priority.

Open Mind

You’ll have your own shopping list of issues, but let your coach assess your game independently. Take in their feedback, explain your goals, and work together from there.

Practice

Get back on court straight after your lesson—or the next day at the latest. The details are fresh, so you need that time to apply the changes, build muscle memory, and get maximum value. Club sessions or relaxed sets with friends are perfect for this. Choose environments where you don’t need to worry about winning; so you can focus on the process, not the results.

The Warm Up

When you play some short tennis to warm up before a hit or a match, take it seriously. This is when students of the game should be busily applying their teaching points: foot movement, shape of shot, follow through etc. Too often players dial it in, run around their backhand and studiously avoid all the steps required for successful tennis. Do better. Every ball counts.

Targets

Set a goal. Have a general aim (be a better doubles player) and a specific one with a date (“In three months I’m playing this tournament; in four months I want to be in Division X of the Parks League”). Challenge yourself. And if you’re serious about improving your serve, set a first-serve percentage target—60–70% in match conditions. Read more…

Time

Some of the best advice I got last winter came not from a coach but from a teammate: “Don’t expect miracles. I had coaching last January and couldn’t play properly for weeks.” Significant technical change is disorienting, and you will struggle at first. A new golf swing can take a pro a year to bed in. A new tennis serve is a year long project, at least.

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka is a great example. In 2022, Sabalenka led the world in double faults. She once hit 18 double faults in one match and 21 in the next, even serving underarm in tears. This wasn’t a blip—she served 428 double faults in total that year, 139 more than anyone else. Then she rebuilt her serve. It worked—but it took time. Read more…

Believe

Even modest players can achieve things they never thought possible. Plenty of Team St Ann’s players have raised their game to a different level through their own application. Tish Zeeman went from improver tournaments to winning Parks League matches within a year, and two years later she was club champion and a Division 1 player. Polish Gee transformed a comedy haymaker serve into one of the best at the club over the space of a single winter.

We’re lucky to have outstanding coaches at St Ann’s Tennis. Make use of them to build meaningful, long-term improvements in your game. I only wish I’d started sooner. – Conrad

Coaching schedule at St Ann’s Tennis

Forthcoming adult tournaments, singles and doubles, at St Ann’s Tennis