Instruction
How I teach tennis.
A short account of what I think tennis instruction is for, and what a player actually works on when they start.
How I Think About Learning
- 01
Spin is the foundation.
Learning to control the rotation of the ball is what makes the rest of tennis possible. As players improve, they add speed without giving up that control.
- 02
The ball only knows what the racket does to it.
Footwork, rotation and knee bend all matter — and only because of what they do to the racket at contact. So I work backward from the ball: what we want the racket to do, then the movement that produces it.
- 03
Every swing has a path and a face.
Where the racket travels, and where the strings point as it arrives. Those two ideas explain most of what happens to the ball.
How the Curriculum Works
We build strokes. Then we develop them.
Every stroke begins with a small number of foundational modules taught in a deliberate order. Once the basic stroke exists, lessons become less linear — we can work on height, depth, direction, spin, movement, or whatever the player needs next.
Building
Ordered. Each piece prepares for the next.
- 01
- 02
- 03
Developing
Once the stroke is built, we develop it in many directions.
- Height and depth
- Direction
- Topspin vs. flat
- Handling high balls
- Movement
- and more
Explore the Strokes
Building the Forehand
The Finish
Topspin is the central objective of the groundstroke.
View lesson→The Transfer
The body creates the momentum; the arm delivers it.
View lesson→The Preparation
Good preparation creates the time and rhythm for the rest of the stroke to flow.
View lesson→What a Lesson Looks Like
A plan, not a script.
- 01
Review
Start with what was learned previously and see what has held.
- 02
Build
Introduce or reinforce one primary idea.
- 03
Apply
Increase the difficulty — distance, movement, different balls, or a more realistic situation.
- 04
Play
Put the idea into points, or another situation where the player has to make decisions.
The sequence is consistent. The time spent in each part isn't. A concept might click in ten minutes or take several lessons.
A note on age
The gate usually isn't age. It's whether a player can swing the racket fast enough to produce spin — which arrives earlier than most people expect. A five-year-old generally isn't there yet, and until they are we build the same shape at a speed they can produce, so nothing has to be unlearned later.
How It Works in Practice
These are private lessons.
The curriculum gives us a direction. Private instruction determines the pace — we don't move on because a lesson is over, we move on when the player is ready for what comes next.