For players who only pick up a racket once a week, trying to teach perfect strokes or endlessly drilling specific shots can miss the bigger picture. Tennis is complex, learning is non-linear, and developing skills takes time. When players have limited time on court, the most effective approach isn’t to perfect individual shots but to teach them to love and play the game. Building a passion for tennis and equipping them with fundamental game skills can lead to long-term improvement and, most importantly, genuine enjoyment.

Here’s how to make the most out of a once-a-week session by focusing on the essentials of playing, keeping things simple and engaging, and adapting your approach to the player’s immediate needs.

Prioritize Time Wisely: Learning Takes Time

With a limited weekly session, it’s essential to focus on the skills that have the most impact. Learning, especially in sports, is far from a linear process. Skill acquisition requires repetition, adaptation, and, ideally, lots of time. For a player who can only practice once a week, focusing on the perfect forehand or mastering a topspin backhand can lead to frustration, as they may not have enough time to make meaningful progress on these isolated technical skills. Instead, by keeping sessions enjoyable, interactive, and game-like, players get to experience the true essence of tennis.

Focus on Falling in Love with the Game

Creating a love for tennis starts with engagement and fun. Instead of repetitive drills, introduce activities and games that bring out the excitement of tennis. Use this limited time to help players understand the dynamic and challenging nature of tennis as a game, rather than focusing solely on individual shot mechanics. Players who enjoy the game are much more likely to come back, and over time, as their love for the sport grows, so does their desire to improve. A player who wants to play will eventually seek to play more often, and that’s when you can start working on specific skill-building.

Teach the Demands of the Game, Not Just the Technique

Every player, whether they’re on the court once a week or five times a week, needs to understand the fundamental demands of tennis. To enjoy the game fully, players should have a basic grasp of these core skills:

1. Serve and Start the Point
   Teach players the importance of starting the point with a serve that gets them into the rally. Focus on getting the ball in play, and if they’re beginners, consider a modified serve that allows them to start the point with success. Emphasize reliability over power, which helps them feel engaged in the game and sets them up for real rallies.
2. Maintain Balance and Create Imbalance
   Introduce players to the tactical objective of keeping themselves balanced while trying to put their opponents off balance. This concept adds depth to their understanding of tennis, moving beyond simply hitting the ball to recognizing how they can manipulate the game and their opponent. Whether through positioning or shot selection, understanding balance and imbalance helps players make strategic choices on the court.
3. Stay in the Point
   Encourage consistency and teach players to stay in the rally. They don’t need to hit winners every time. Just learning to keep the ball in play and extend the rally teaches patience and builds confidence. For players who play infrequently, this skill is incredibly valuable and helps them feel more connected to the rhythm of the game.

Use Tennis-Like Games and Avoid Over-Reliance on Throwing and Catching

When introducing players to tennis concepts, use tennis-specific games and drills rather than throwing and catching exercises. While throwing and catching can help with general coordination, it doesn’t teach players how to hit, react, or make decisions with a racket in hand. By using tennis-like games, players experience the movements, reactions, and timing required in the sport.

For example:

• Targeted Rally Games: Set up small targets for players to hit within rallies, emphasizing consistency and placement rather than power. This keeps them focused on staying in the point while also practicing accuracy.
• Mini-Games with Modified Rules: Use smaller courts or modified scoring to keep games fast-paced and engaging. This helps players practice hitting with control and playing strategically within boundaries that are more manageable.
• One-on-One Point Games: Introduce point play with goals like hitting cross-court, avoiding the net, or rallying for a certain number of shots before going for a winner. These games maintain tennis fundamentals while being flexible enough to match the players’ current skills.

Manipulate Task and Environment Constraints to Suit Player Needs

One of the most effective ways to make tennis engaging and accessible is to modify constraints on the court. By manipulating task and environment constraints, you can adjust the game’s difficulty level to suit the player’s needs without changing the nature of tennis itself. This helps create a game that’s challenging yet manageable.

• Adjust Court Size: For newer players or younger children, shrinking the court size makes rallies easier and keeps play within reach.
• Use Slower Balls: Lower-compression balls can give players more time to react, helping them experience successful rallies without needing to master quick reflexes right away.
• Target Simple Goals: Set achievable goals within the game, like aiming to keep the rally going for five shots or trying to place the ball away from the opponent’s reach.

By setting these constraints, players develop adaptability and decision-making within a structured framework, while still playing a game that resembles actual tennis.

Focus on What Players Can Do Today, Not Just the Future

It’s natural for coaches to think about where a player “should” be in terms of development, but with players who have limited practice time, focus on what they can accomplish today. Emphasize immediate improvement, build on their current skills, and help them enjoy the progress they’re making. If they feel successful and engaged, they’ll likely want to play more often, which naturally creates more opportunities for skill development down the road.

Learning to enjoy the game, even in a single weekly session, will go a long way. Over time, players who love tennis will likely start to play more often, and that’s when you can introduce more specific skills.

Conclusion: Get Players Hooked, and They’ll Want to Play More

Infrequent players may not get far if practices are focused on technical perfection and isolated drills. Instead, focus on helping them experience the game of tennis in its dynamic, challenging, and enjoyable form. When players find joy in the experience, they’re more likely to increase their involvement, and that’s when deeper development can take place.

By making tennis engaging, accessible, and game-like from the start, you build a foundation that invites players to return. They learn to understand the game itself rather than just the mechanics of individual shots. The more fun and fulfilling tennis becomes, the more they’ll seek it out.

For coaches looking to take this approach further, I offer a comprehensive “From Drills to Skills” course designed to help create engaging, representative practices. This course provides coaches with tools for designing tennis practices that prioritize enjoyment, adaptability, and real game-like challenges, even within limited training time. Join the course today and transform the way you coach, helping players fall in love with the game from day one.

Ready to make every session meaningful and enjoyable? Join the “From Drills to Skills” course here and help your players discover the true thrill of tennis!