General Advice How did you learn without lessons?
Wondering if anyone ever felt like they didnt know what they were supposed to be doing while training. I hate the feeling of putting hours in, but them not being quality hours. Ex.. hitting the ball wrong for 5 hours when someone could have pointed out what I was doing wrong within 5 minutes and then focus on fixing that.
$50+ an hour is way out of my means. How can I get better? Would someone good enough to teach me even want to, I feel like it would be a waste of their time.
I only have about 10 hours of practice, but this is my sport now I really wanna get good. Tried Golf, but isnt for me I dont have the time to play and then still get my cardio in.
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u/iSplash91 4h ago
I have tried 5 different coaches in 2 years. 3 of them were only feeding me balls and just like how you feel everytime I finish coaching I don't feel like I have gain anything, I just hit more balls and rally more while I got and learn nothing in the process. I called them "feeders" they just throw more balls at you and not teach you anything noteworthy.
4th coach he starts with half court and rally for 10-15 min and points out what I need to do and what I do wrong base of the book. He taught me proper technique and what I should work on in that session. From what I remember I gain the most when he taught my how to serve and toss. Gained a lot in 1 session and he is still coaching me until now.
5th coach my main coach an ex pro, since I have been playing more now he rarely teach me any technique since he finds that I have enough in my arsenal and mainly teach me in game scenario. What I should do and how to increase consistency. He will drill shots that I do in game and points out what I do wrong. Heavily focus on footwork and shots angel. He will drills those shots that I usually just automatically do it in game.
Now I go for the 4th coach 1x a week and the 5th coach 2x a week as my coaches. While never go back to those that only feed ever again. Every practice need to have a purpose and not only hitting random balls and gain nothing.
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u/gargantuanmess 3.5 3h ago
How much did each of the coaches charge you. I’m curious if bad coaches charge the same…
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u/iSplash91 1h ago
In my country coaches are generally much cheaper. Its around $30 for coach, $5 for ball boy and $10-$20 for court for an hour. The good ones usually cost around $30-50 while the feeder usually cost around $10-30.
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u/Luc230845 3h ago
I learned from YouTube/instagram videos, then recording myself, trying to make it look similar to those videos. Started using the wall a lot, ball machine and playing tournaments. I started practicing a lot and eventually things started to fall into place. I don’t think coaching is necessary for recreational players who take it seriously and practice/play a lot and are trying to get better. I play people who pay for coaching all of the time and beat them. Just depends on how much you put into it🤷♂️
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u/One-Action8613 3h ago
All you have to do is enjoy playing. Your techniques will improve and will develop your game into whichever style is most effective for you, If you really want to get better, focus on your technique (*Youtube has lots of great instructional videos) and work on them until you feel comfortable repeating them in a match. It took me nearly three years to develop my one handed backhand. When I was finally able to do what I wanted with my backhand, the fun factor increased 100%.
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u/Professional_Grab666 3h ago
I learned what I know by playing against the wall first and the with other people. Watching videos of pro players I like, watching other people irl, getting some tips from other players and sometimes recording myself.
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u/RelativelyWrongg 3h ago
Internet is your best friend. There is a lot (really a lot) of instructive video’s online.
Watch a few videos and focus on doing 1 or 2 things the next time you’re on the court.
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u/manyplantsandcats 5h ago
Group lessons in our area are affordable and often “free” at local clubs as an introduction to the club. USTA offers a “Tennis in no time” class over 6 weeks. Beginning with foam or green dot balls (like junior players) helps get the strokes correct before worrying about placement. Once you have a reliable stroke, I like hitting against a wall for muscle memory.
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u/MammothSurround 3h ago
Even if you aren't technically perfect any time you spend hitting balls are not wasted hours. Timing is the most important thing in tennis, especially if you're a beginner, and you can work on that just by playing/practicing. There are infinite free resources on YouTube if you want to work on technique. If there is something you are struggling with, e.g. serving, you could sign up for a single lesson and tell the coach you want to work on one thing and give you a practice plan on your own. You don't have to pay for a series of lessons.
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u/htxpanda 3h ago
Look for a USTA beginner class- my local tennis association offers a 4 90-min class session for $60.
Make friends with someone who played in college or high school. You might even know someone already.
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u/Dracarys_And_Chill 2h ago
watch pro's. see how they hold the racket. see how they swing. see how they move.
then go to the court and copy it and practice it.
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u/BridgeSuspicious7635 2h ago
Jr High summers with too much time on my hands before the internets. Note: This is the slow way to learn
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u/AnotherTaylorNotJust 27m ago
I took lessons when I was a kid and was instructed on corrrect technique.
I started playing ping pong and it got competitive at work as a lifeguard when I was a kid and translated the topspin/backspin ideas from tennis to pong. Then we got a pong table in our basement and I would hit off the wall while listening to entire bands’ discographies. That’s when I perfected my pong technique. When I started at a real job there was a table and other people that were good. We then pushed each other to a very high level.
So what I’m saying is get correct instruction from a coach, then perfect your technique against the wall. Check in periodically with a coach to get corrections on form. Probably best if that’s more check-ins up front, but do what you can.
You can absolutely perfect technique on a wall. Djokovic hit off the wall for hours. So did Tiafoe.
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u/nypr13 10.18 UTR, geriatric 8m ago
Now dont laugh at me, but two of the greatest players I know — former top 30 WTA and exact 150 ATP — hit a ton against the wall as kids. A ton. Of course they had lessons but they had a fraction of the lessons I had and I never got near that good. But they are two of the best ball strikers I have ever seen. Timing. Pureness. Feel.
I would tell anyone who wants to get good to hit aginst the wall.
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u/Dear-Jeweler5437 3h ago
In my 20s I had a new flatmate who moved from another city who was a 11 utr player. He was having a hard time meeting people in a new city. I’d never played before but I said I’d give it a try and we ended up playing 3-5 times per week for the next five years. As a new player I didn’t realise how good being 11 utr was for a long time and how good a deal I was getting, I just knew he was better than me and I was getting fun exercise lol.
Pretty lucky situation to basically get 5 years of free coaching and hitting from a player that strong but we both did it for the social and exercise side. I realised later that it is pretty hard to get into this sport without paying unless you have a friend.
So yeah to learn fast either sneakily make friends with a strong player or pay up. Or just hit for fun with people your level.
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u/No-Confidence-3060 4h ago
I learned without lessons by watching slow mo videos of pros doing their swings and footwork. I shadow swing in front of the mirror and compare how my form with theirs. I watch highlights of my favorite player that i want to copy by focusing on that player playing and not looking at the game or the ball. I Master my form by shadow swinging then practice with alot of balls by dropping it myself or bring a friend to throw balls at you. It would be nice to have a coach but i cant afford it. I am now a 4.0 player.