What to Expect at Your First Tennis Lesson (For Kids and Adults)
By Randy Ignacio, Program Director at TPB Hero | La Mirada Regional Park
The first lesson is always the hardest — not because of the tennis, but because of the nerves.
I’ve watched hundreds of first-timers walk onto our courts at La Mirada Regional Park. Kids curious and a little shy while standing with their parents. Adults fidgeting with brand-new rackets that still have the price tag on them. Teenagers trying very hard to look like they don’t care while clearly caring a lot. Every single one of them had the same worry: “Am I going to look stupid out there?”
No. You’re not. And here’s exactly what’s going to happen so you can stop worrying about it.
Before You Show Up
Let’s get the logistics out of the way first.
What to wear: Athletic clothes and shoes. Court shoes are ideal — they have flat soles that grip the court surface and support lateral movement. Running shoes work in a pinch for your first session, but they’re not great for side-to-side movement. Avoid sandals, boots, or anything open-toed. Wear something you can sweat in.
What to bring: A water bottle (critical, especially in Southern California heat), sunscreen if you’re playing during the day, and a hat or visor if you have one. A light snack for kids is a good idea for classes that run longer than an hour.
Do you need a racket? Ideally yes, but don’t stress if you don’t have one. At TPB Hero, our coaches have loaner rackets available for first-timers. I’d rather you show up without a racket than not show up at all because you thought you needed to buy one first. You can always pick one up later once you know you want to continue.
Do you need to know how to play? Absolutely not. That’s literally why you’re taking a lesson. I’ve had students show up who’ve never held a racket in their life. I’ve had adults who haven’t touched a tennis ball since middle school PE class in 1997. All welcome. All normal.
What the First 10 Minutes Look Like
You’ll show up to the courts and your coach will introduce themselves. Good coaches make the first few minutes easy and conversational — not a military briefing. At TPB Hero, we ask new students a few basic questions: Have you played before? Any injuries we should know about? What made you want to try tennis?
Then we warm up. For kids, warmups look like active games — running, shuffling side to side, tossing balls in the air and catching them. It doesn’t even look like tennis yet, and that’s on purpose. We’re getting their bodies moving and their energy out before we put a racket in their hands.
For adults, it’s more traditional — light jogging, dynamic stretches, arm circles, some ladder footwork if we have it set up. Nothing crazy. Five to ten minutes to get loose and get comfortable on the court.
The Actual Tennis Part
Here’s what we’re NOT going to do on your first day: we’re not going to stand across the net and hit balls at you while you flail around trying to return them. I cringe when I see programs do that. It’s overwhelming, it destroys confidence, and the student learns nothing except frustration.
Instead, first lessons typically focus on one or two things and doing them well.
For kids (ages 5-10): We start with hand-eye coordination games. Bouncing the ball on the racket face, tossing and catching, rolling balls to targets. Then we introduce the forehand — which side to stand on, how to hold the racket, where to make contact. We feed balls gently from close range, one at a time, so the student can focus on making clean contact. If a kid hits three or four balls over the net during their first lesson, that’s a massive win. We celebrate it.
For teens (ages 10-17): We move a little faster but the concept is the same — grip, ready position, forehand technique with gentle feeds. Teens tend to want to hit hard immediately, so a good chunk of the first lesson is teaching them that control comes before power. Always. We’ll usually touch on both forehand and backhand in the first teen session, and if there’s time, some basic volleying.
For adults: Adults overthink everything. I say this with love because I do it too. The first adult lesson is about getting out of your head and into your body. We teach the basic forehand grip, the ready position, the swing path, and then we feed balls. Lots of balls. The goal is repetition — the more swings you take, the faster your body figures out the timing. Most adults are surprised at how quickly they can rally after just 20 or 30 minutes of focused practice.
What About Group Lessons?
Most beginner classes are group lessons, which means your child (or you) will be learning alongside other beginners. This is actually a good thing for a few reasons.
First, it takes the pressure off. Nobody’s staring at just you. Everyone is figuring it out together. Kids especially benefit from this — they see other kids missing shots and realize it’s part of the process.
Second, group lessons create rally partners. Tennis requires at least two people, and in a group setting your child starts building the social connections that make them want to come back. Some of our longest-tenured students are kids who made friends in their first group class and have been training together ever since.
At TPB Hero, our beginner group classes have a maximum student-to-coach ratio that ensures every player gets individual attention and feedback. You’re not just getting lost in a crowd of 20 kids. The coaches know your name by the second session, and they’re tracking your progress through our wristband system from day one.
The Emotional Side (This Matters More Than You Think)
For kids, the first lesson can be emotionally charged. Some kids are excited and fearless. Some are shy and clingy. Some cry. Some refuse to participate for the first 10 minutes and then don’t want to leave when class is over. All of this is normal, and experienced coaches know how to handle every scenario.
If your child is nervous, here are a few things that help. Let them watch a class before participating in one — seeing other kids their age having fun on the court goes a long way. Tell them it’s okay to not be good at it right away (this seems obvious but kids need to hear it explicitly). And don’t hover. Parents who stand courtside micromanaging their kid’s every swing make things harder, not easier. Drop them off, grab a coffee, and let the coaches do their thing.
For adults, the emotional hurdle is usually embarrassment. You’re a grown person who can’t hit a fuzzy yellow ball over a three-foot net. It feels silly. But I promise you, every adult in that group class feels the exact same way, and within 15 minutes you’ll be laughing about it together. I’ve seen corporate executives, doctors, and retired military officers stumble through their first forehand just like everyone else. Tennis is a great equalizer.
What Happens After the First Lesson
After class, your coach will usually check in. How did it feel? Any questions? They’ll tell you what you did well (because you did more right than you think) and give you one or two things to think about before next time.
At TPB Hero, new students are part of our wristband progression system from day one. You start at the white band level and work your way up through a series of skill challenges — kind of like belt rankings in martial arts. This gives you a clear picture of where you are and where you’re headed. It’s not just about showing up and hitting balls — there’s a roadmap for your development.
Most people know within the first two classes whether tennis is going to stick. In my experience, about 80% of the people who complete their first lesson come back for a second. And about 90% of the people who make it to lesson three end up enrolling for a full session. The dropout point is almost always before the first lesson, not after. That’s why I always say the hardest part is just walking onto the court.
What You Won’t Learn on Day One (And That’s Fine)
Just to set expectations: you’re not going to learn to serve in your first lesson. You’re not going to learn scoring. You’re probably not going to play an actual point. And your forehand is going to feel awkward and unnatural.
All of that is completely normal and exactly how it should be. Tennis is a skill sport that develops over weeks and months, not hours. The first lesson is about building a foundation — a correct grip, a basic swing, and a positive experience that makes you want to come back.
If you leave your first lesson thinking “that was actually kind of fun,” then it was a successful first lesson. Everything else builds from there.
Randy Ignacio is the founder and Program Director of TPB Hero at La Mirada Regional Park. His team of 6 professional coaches has introduced hundreds of first-time players to tennis and pickleball. Your first week at TPB Hero is completely free.
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