Tennis Lessons For Kids & Adults

Note: The bi-sided tennis wall is located to the left of the V. Earl Dickinson Building, and is available until dark (no lights exist for the wall).

Note: The park gates close at sunset. The single-sided tennis wall is located on court #1 (so if players are on Court #1, the wall is likely inaccessible).

Parking: The tennis courts are located at the top of the hill (to the left of the park's community center). You can park on Ridge Street, in the parking lot for the tennis courts.

Note: The single-sided tennis board is located on Court #4 (so if players are on Court #4, the wall is likely inaccessible).

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Links to find a tennis wall / backboard near you

Link 1: search using "Enter a location"... Then use the filter option to select "backboard (yes)": www.globaltennisnetwork.com/tennis-courts/courts

Link 2: search for tennis walls/backboards based on zip code: www.tennismaps.com/Index.asp?regionid=93&lat=38.79&lng=-77.19&zoom=11

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Tennis against the wall is good for your cardio/stamina, and your footwork as well.

If you have trouble hitting consistently against the wall, approach it in this way:

▪️ forehand: hit *one shot* against the wall (using technique reviewed in class), then *catch* the ball with your left hand (if holding the racquet right-handed)

▪️ once successful doing this a few times in a row... increase to *two shots* in a row then catch the ball.

▪️ then *three shots* against the wall in a row, and catch it... etc.

➤ begin up close (10-feet away from the wall).

➤ only move back by 10-feet once able to hit 10 shots in a row against the wall, (using the *forehand* only).

🔸 Repeat the same process using the *backhand* groundstroke, catching the ball with your left hand (if you are right-handed dominant)

TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND

➜ to hit the ball gently to help maintain control and consistency — lock/stiffen your wrist throughout the swing motion.

➜ do not take your racquet back too much (minimizing your backswing can help improve contact-point with the ball and limit the amount of power added to the shot, giving you more control to return the ball a second time in a row against the wall). 

▸small take backs... once you get consistent, you can begin hitting the ball harder.

➜ if ball starts to go high, stop and restart (keep the ball as low as possible, otherwise it becomes a nightmare to return each subsequent shot).

▸if the ball continues going high, it is due to an open racquet face; solution: position yourself more behind the ball so you're not falling backwards or leaning back, otherwise the racquet will face up and the ball will shoot up.

*Tip: using dead balls / compression balls meant for kids (i.e. orange dot or green dot tennis balls) will allow the ball to bounce lower and be easier to control.

Below is a useful 5-min video to watch to help acquaint with hitting against a tennis backboard (or any wall in general): https://youtu.be/gILqUtN3Vwo

More advanced ideas are shared here: https://youtu.be/dn-zRAlR2cI