Ethan's Easy First Tennis Lesson
Purpose: Help a first-time player experience the basic flow of tennis through movement, ball control, hitting, rallying, and playing a simple game.
The goal is not technical perfection. The goal is for the child to leave feeling:
“I can play tennis, and tennis is fun.”
Keep language simple. Advanced stroke terminology can wait.
Forehand: Four Quick Steps
Use one short cue at a time. Let the player find a comfortable, balanced swing.
Ready Position
Face the net, racquet in front, knees soft, and stay balanced.
Say: “Ready!”Unit Turn & Prepare
Turn shoulders and hips together. Move the feet to get beside the ball.
Say: “Turn!”Contact in Front
Swing forward smoothly and meet the ball slightly in front and to the side.
Say: “Hit in front!”Follow Through
Continue the swing, finish comfortably, stay balanced, and recover.
Say: “Finish!”Forehand Drop-Hit
Before hand-feeds, let the player control the timing: drop the ball, let it bounce once, then send it gently over the net.
For a right-handed forehand, hold the red ball in the left hand and drop it slightly to the right/front side. Do not throw it down.
“Turn, drop, hit in front, finish.” Keep the first goal simple: five relaxed balls over the net.
Make it easier: Move closer, use a large target, or let the ball bounce twice. Once the player succeeds, move on to a gentle underhand hand-feed.
Move & Catch
Start without racquets.
- Two-hand catch
- Move left/right and catch
- Bounce once and catch
- Try to catch 5 in a row
Goal: Warm up, develop hand-eye coordination, and help the child feel comfortable.
Racquet & Ball Control
Balance a red ball on the racquet and walk to a cone.
Bounce the ball downward with the racquet. Try for 5.
Tap the ball gently upward.
Do not overemphasize grip technique during this first experience unless the grip creates an obvious problem.
Goal: Become comfortable controlling the racquet and ball.
Forehand Drop-Hit
Simple cues
- Turn sideways
- Drop the ball in front
- Let it bounce
- Swing forward
- Finish
First goal: Get the ball over the net. Once successful, add large cone targets.
Add Turn & Preparation
Keep the self-drop, then add a shoulder turn and a small, comfortable racquet preparation before swinging forward.
Say: “Turn, prepare, drop, hit.”Adjust the Distance
Ethan gives a slow hand-feed. The player uses small steps forward or back to find space, turns, hits in front, and recovers.
Say: “Ready, adjust, turn, hit in front, recover.”Backhand Drop-Hit
Use a two-handed backhand for young beginners.
Simple cues
- Two hands
- Turn
- Hit in front
Keep the focus on a successful first experience, not technical perfection.
Goal: Help the child understand how to hit a ball arriving on the backhand side.
Toss, Hit & Rally
- Helper tosses → child hits forehand
- Alternate easy forehand/backhand feeds
- Helper racquet feeds → child hits → helper catches
- Attempt a real mini-rally
Goal: Transition from isolated strokes to actually playing tennis with another person.
Start the Point
“The serve starts the point.”
- Throw the ball over the net
- Simple overhead racquet tap
- If ready, try an easy toss and hit
Do not spend significant time on formal serve mechanics during the first lesson.
Goal: Understand how a tennis point begins.
Game: Race to 5
Give the child easy feeds and keep the game achievable.
Goal: Race to 5.
Challenge: Let the child try to “Beat Ethan” or beat the helper.
Finish: Celebrate one thing the child learned and one thing they enjoyed.
About Ethan's Tips: These are practical suggestions from a dedicated junior player who enjoys helping younger and first-time players. They are not presented as professional coaching certification.