If you’re sending your child off to tennis lessons without a good understanding of the sport, you might be questioning how much your kid is actually learning, and if the tennis school is worth your money. Here’s some key takeaways that your kid should be picking up during their tennis lessons.

Proper Stance

There’s no one perfect way to stand in tennis, but there are lots of different stances for your child to be practicing. The four most common stances are closed, square, semi-open, and open. Which stances your child learns first will depend on their teacher- a more modern teacher may teach open and semi-open first, while someone who learned with older methods may go the other way around. 

Path of Swing

One of the most common things children can be led astray about in tennis is their path of swing- i.e., how they use their racket to hit the ball. A good tennis instructor will teach kids the basics about how to hit low to high and finish the stroke across the shoulder. While more advanced students may end their strokes at their hip or their head, most beginners should always be using a position that forces them to wrap their arm around their neck.

Varied Grips

How to grip the racket is also a really important part of tennis, and most children should learn at least a few grips early in their careers. The preferred grip in modern tennis is called the semi-western, which your child should be able to demonstrate. Some teachers might also teach the forehand grip, which is also a great way to play tennis. Most of the grips that your child will learn will depend on their instructor, but they should always know at least one or two of the widely recognized grips. Breaking the habit of an incorrect grip can be really difficult later in life, and it’s important to know that your kid is getting the best education they can with their tennis lessons.