Should My Child Have Private Tennis Lessons?

At some point in almost every junior tennis journey, parents begin asking the same question: “Should my child have private lessons?”

Often the question comes after watching another player improve quickly, hearing that a friend has started private coaching, or wondering whether group lessons are providing enough individual attention.

The simple answer is that private lessons can be extremely valuable.
The more important answer is that they are not always necessary.

In fact, many parents are surprised to learn that the timing of private lessons is often more important than the lessons themselves.

The Biggest Misconception About Private Lessons

One of the most common assumptions in tennis is that private lessons are the fastest route to improvement.
Sometimes that’s true.

But not always.

Improvement doesn’t come from private lessons alone. It comes from practice, repetition, competition, effort and consistency.
A child receiving a weekly private lesson but rarely practising, competing or applying what they are learning may improve more slowly than a child participating in quality group coaching and regular match play.

Private lessons are a tool.
Like any tool, their value depends on how and when they are used.

What Group Lessons Do Well

Group coaching provides many benefits that are difficult to replicate in individual lessons.
Players learn to:

Train alongside others
Observe different styles of play
Develop social connections
Compete regularly
Solve problems in dynamic situations

For younger children in particular, group lessons are often the ideal environment. The energy of the group helps maintain engagement, while players develop the fundamental skills needed to progress through the game.

Many parents underestimate how much learning occurs simply by watching and interacting with other players.

Where Private Lessons Add Value

Private coaching becomes particularly useful when a player needs something highly specific.
Perhaps they are working on a serve that requires detailed technical attention. Perhaps they are preparing for a tournament. Perhaps they have identified a particular weakness they want to address.
In these situations, a private lesson allows the coach to focus entirely on one player and one objective.
The level of individual feedback can accelerate learning.

However, the key word is accelerate.

Private lessons rarely replace the need for group training, match play and independent practice. Instead, they often complement those activities.

The New Zealand Reality

One of the challenges we see in New Zealand is that many children treat tennis as a summer sport.
A player may attend one lesson per week during Terms 1 and 4, then have little or no contact with tennis for the remainder of the year.
In this situation, a private lesson is unlikely to be a magic solution.
A child receiving eight or nine private lessons during a term still only receives eight or nine hours of coaching. While the individual attention is valuable, meaningful improvement still depends on consistency.

For many players, maintaining year-round involvement in tennis is more important than simply switching from a group lesson to a private lesson.

Signs Your Child May Benefit From Private Lessons

Private coaching can be particularly helpful when a player:

Is highly motivated to improve
Regularly competes in tournaments
Wants to work on specific technical areas
Is preparing for a particular event
Has development goals beyond recreational participation
Is already engaged in group coaching and match play

The common theme is usually commitment. The player wants more tennis, not simply more instruction.

Signs They May Not Need Them Yet

Not every player needs private lessons.
In fact, some players are better served by continuing in quality group programmes while building confidence and enjoyment.
A child may not need private coaching if they:

Are new to the sport
Are still developing basic skills
Primarily play for enjoyment
Have limited interest in practising outside lessons
Are already progressing well in their current programme

More coaching is not always the answer. Sometimes more time, experience and confidence are what the player needs most.

What We Often Recommend

For many developing players, one of the most effective combinations is:

Regular group coaching
Match play opportunities
Occasional private lessons

This approach provides the best of both worlds. Players benefit from the energy and competition of a group environment while also receiving individual feedback when needed.
As players become more committed and ambitious, the role of private coaching often increases naturally.

The Question Parents Should Ask

Rather than asking:
“Should my child have private lessons?”

A better question is often:
“What is my child trying to achieve?”

If the goal is enjoyment, friendship and learning the game, group coaching may be all that is needed.
If the goal is accelerated development, tournament performance or achieving higher levels of tennis, private coaching can become an important part of the pathway.

The answer is not the same for every player.

Playing The Long Game

At The Game, we don’t view private lessons as better than group lessons.
We view them as different.
Both have strengths. Both have limitations. The most effective programme is usually the one that matches the player’s age, goals, motivation and stage of development.
Because the objective isn’t to collect coaching hours.
The objective is to help young players continue improving, continue enjoying the game and continue building a lifelong relationship with tennis.