Interested in Private Tennis Lessons?

You may be wondering if I offer lessons to adult recreational tennis players, and the answer is that has been my primary occupation in the last few years.

Since the popularity of this website and the FeelTennis YouTube channel has grown, so has the interest in private lessons.

You may have a lot of questions about the lessons I offer, so I’ve formatted this page as a Q&A series.

Q: Where are you located, and where do you teach?

A: I live in Kranj, Slovenia, a smaller town about a 25-minute drive from the capital Ljubljana and only a 15-minute drive from the main airport (airport code is LJU).

I teach mostly at Vogu, a tennis club that is 10 minutes outside of Kranj, as they let me book a lot of hours per day.

https://goo.gl/maps/pnnuJYeepUv

Another possible option is Triglav tennis club, which is in Kranj. Indoor courts are also available here.

https://goo.gl/maps/KMGFdxrZTrp

You may opt to stay in Ljubljana, in which case we would have lessons in the Benc Sport tennis club.

https://goo.gl/maps/orQ8juJ7NCv

Q: What format of lessons do you offer? Do you offer only private and semi-private lessons, or do you also do group clinics?

A: At the moment, I offer only private and semi-private lessons as these give you the best chance of improvement, especially if you would like to work on your tennis technique.

It is not possible to correct stroke technique well in a group lesson as each player has their own specific issues that need to be addressed.

Group clinics can be quite effective when it comes to tactical and mental on-court training, which I do plan to offer in the future.

Q: If I come for a private lesson, how many hours per day and how many days of training do you suggest?

A: I suggest a 5-day plan with either 4 hours per day (2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon) or 3 hours in the morning only, leaving your afternoons free for sightseeing.

This gives you enough time and repetitions to reprogram certain bad habits with your strokes.

Q: Isn’t 4 hours per day too much? I am not that fit, and I am not sure I can manage that much tennis in one day.

A: If you want to correct stroke technique, then there won’t be any tennis rallies and no running at all for at least 3 days.

We will do specific exercises that target key body segments/parts that need to be corrected or activated. Everyone, even players over 70 years old, has managed this program so far.

I also have to explain to you where you got it wrong, how tennis strokes work, the importance of good biomechanics and many more topics, depending on your questions and your current state. So, this also takes time during the lessons.

I try to share as many ideas as possible through my website so that I don’t have to repeat myself, but tennis is an extremely complex game that requires many skills to be at a certain level if you want to play well.

Q: Can I come for only 2-3 days of lessons?

A: Yes. The only difference is that I offer a 10% discount on the hourly fee if you take a full 5-day package of lessons.

For current pricing, please contact me.

Q: What can I expect in terms of technique improvement?

A: It is not possible to make you a better player in 5 days. The purpose of this 5-day camp is to put you on the right track as you have very likely been on the wrong track (for many years).

The goal is to end your confusion about how stroke technique actually should be, how it is developed and trained, and how to play tennis competitively well in terms of a general strategy if that’s also your interest.

My main focus in working with adult recreational tennis players is to correct the fundamentals of their strokes so that their existing technique starts to work.

As you will see in the videos below, the players’ technique did not change much, yet they became much more consistent in their play.

If you’ve played for some years, then significant technique changes are not possible in a matter of days. (only in certain cases)

They are also usually not necessary as your stroke technique is good enough for recreational tennis.

What is typically not good is your balance/stability, body rotation into the ball, timing and rhythm, and other fundamentals of tennis.

The best way to manage your expectations is to read through this email I received from one of my students:

“I thought I would drop you a line to update you on my progress. After coming back to London, I made a big effort to work on the stuff you showed me. For at least two months my game suffered but I persisted, trying to improve one thing at a time.

“As things currently stand, I am delighted to tell you that my game has improved massively. My forehand is more powerful and more consistent, as is the serve.

The backhand has improved a lot too and the slice has gone from non-existent to decent meaning that I can get it right (staying low and having a lot bite when it lands on the other side of the net with good depth) roughly half of the time with the remaining half being more “floaty” or landing somewhat short.

“The bottom line is that your instruction has made a huge difference, and for this I am grateful.”

The key takeaway from this email is that you won’t immediately play well when you get home, but you’ll have to do your part in reinforcing the new information that you receive here.

If you immediately start playing matches, you will likely revert back to your old habits.

In the 5 days you’re here, I’ll do my job. Once you get home, it will be your job to continue reinforcing what you learned.

Q: Which strokes are easier to improve, and which are harder?

A: Forehand and backhand can be improved a lot. Most of the time, the player will fix the stroke completely in easy playing conditions, meaning they will hit very consistently and accurately.

Volley technique can be learned well, although I cannot improve your reflexes and dexterity, which are necessary for good volleys, in a few days.

The most difficult to improve is the serve as it’s the most complicated. Also, if you do not have a good throwing motion developed from childhood, then you cannot improve your serve quickly.

You can learn the right exercises that, in time, will help you develop the proper biomechanics that are the foundation of the serve.

The backhand slice is also a tricky stroke to teach if you have not been playing it so far. That’s because it requires a feel for slicing the ball, which cannot be “taught in words”.

Q: Do you have indoor courts in case it rains?

A: Yes, there are two clubs with indoor courts in Kranj with additional clubs in the Ljubljana area, which is about a 25-minute drive away.

Q: Do I need to rent a car, or are the courts where you teach in walking distance from downtown Kranj?

A: Only one tennis club is in walking distance, but I don’t teach much there as they don’t let me book many hours per day there. So, we may play there only occasionally.

The other club where I teach most is a 10-minute drive outside from Kranj.

In most cases, I can pick you up and drop you off, but sometimes I will have other lessons before or after yours. In these cases, I will be unable to drive you.

You can then get a taxi, which is a bit expensive around here.

Taking the bus is also an option.

If you stay in Ljubljana, you can get anywhere on frequent city buses or even on rented bicycles if the weather permits that.

Q: Do you also provide accommodation?

A: No, but I will give you a list of hotels or B&Bs in the Kranj area that I recommend. If you want to stay in Ljubljana, the capital, I suggest you check booking.com, airbnb.com and other similar websites for any possible deals.

Q: I am interested, how can I learn more?

A: Please use the contact form to contact me. I cannot provide email here as spam bots will be all over me. 😉