Tennis camps for adults, what a good week on court looks like
A week of daily tennis can transform your game or wear you out. What a well run adult camp looks like, what to ask before you book and how to keep the progress.
A tennis week away does something a weekly lesson cannot. It gives you hundreds of repetitions in a few days, with a coach watching, and time to let new habits settle. Done well, it is one of the most enjoyable ways to improve as an adult. Done badly, it is a sunburnt blur of queuing for balls, and the difference lies in a few details you can check before you book.
A typical day on court
Most adult camps follow a similar shape. Mornings, when the light is soft and the air cool, are for technique: a warm-up, drills on one or two strokes, then exercises in which the coach feeds a ball and the rally continues as in a match. Expect two to three hours of this, with short breaks.
After lunch and a rest, the late afternoon is usually for tactics and : doubles patterns, serve and return games, short sets. Some camps add , filming your strokes and going through them with the coach, which can show in a minute what words struggle to explain. Evenings are for food and a social programme, which is half the charm.
Shorter formats exist too. A is a single session or a short series of sessions on one theme, such as the serve or the volley, and a long weekend of clinics is a good way to find out whether a full week suits you.
Groups, levels and coach ratios
A good camp groups players by level, not by age or by whoever booked together. Expect a short assessment on the first morning: a few rallies, some serves, a few points. Tell the coaches honestly how often you play and what you want to work on, and ask to move if the group turns out to be wrong.
The number of players per coach matters more than almost anything else. With four players on a court and one coach, everyone hits plenty of balls and gets individual feedback. With six or eight, you spend much of the session waiting. Ask for the maximum, not the average, and whether it changes in the busiest weeks.
Couples and friends of different standards are usually happier in separate groups during the coached sessions, then on the same court for a relaxed set in the evening. Nobody holds anyone back, and both get the right level of challenge.
How many hours are enough
Amateur players rarely hit for hours every day at home, so a camp is a sudden jump in load. For most adults three to four hours of coached tennis a day is plenty, perhaps with an optional extra hour of free play. More than that tends to mean tired, sloppy repetitions, which teach the wrong habits.
Look for a programme that builds up gently and includes a lighter day or a free afternoon in the middle of the week. You will improve more in five good days than in seven exhausted ones.
Arrive with some match fitness. Two or three sessions a week in the month before the trip, plus a little running, cycling or swimming, make the first days far more enjoyable and make it less likely that you are stiff and sore by the second morning.
You will improve more in five good days than in seven exhausted ones.
What to ask before you book
Brochures all look sunny. These questions tell you far more about the week itself.
- Which coaching qualifications do the coaches hold, from a national federation or a recognised professional coaching body?
- What is the maximum number of players per court and per coach?
- Which surface will you play on: clay, hard court or artificial grass?
- How many hours a day are coached, and is there free court time on top?
- How are levels assessed, and can you change group?
- Is there a rest day or a lighter afternoon?
- What happens when it rains, and are there indoor courts?
The surface deserves a thought. Clay, common across southern Europe, is kind to the joints and rewards patience, but if you play on hard courts at home your timing will need adjusting when you get back. Popular regions include the Spanish coast, the Balearics and the Algarve in spring and autumn, with warmer destinations further afield in winter.
Looking after your body during the week
Daily tennis in warm weather asks a lot of your skin, feet and shoulders. Start each session with a proper warm-up, drink water steadily through the day and use sunscreen and a cap. Bring two pairs of tennis shoes if you can, so one pair dries, and deal with hot spots on your feet before they turn into blisters.
Sleep is the best recovery tool you have, so go easy on late nights in the first days. Gentle movement such as a swim or a walk helps on the free afternoon. Normal muscle soreness eases within a day or two. Sharp pain, or pain that does not settle, is a reason to stop and, if it persists, to see a doctor or physiotherapist.
Taking the progress home
The week ends, but the work it started does not. Before you leave, ask your coach for two or three clear points to keep working on, and film a few minutes of your strokes on the last day so you can compare later.
At home, book a practice session within a week, before old habits creep back, and give each session one theme from the camp. Play some sets with friends as well. The Score Keeper on our site keeps track of games and sets, so you can concentrate on the new patterns rather than the score.
Terms in this article
- Live ball
- A drill in which the coach feeds one ball and the players then play the rally out as in a match.
- Clinic
- A coached session or short series of sessions focused on one theme or stroke.
- Match play
- Practice in the form of real points, games or sets rather than fed drills.
- Video analysis
- Filming a player’s strokes so coach and player can review them together, often in slow motion.
Questions readers ask
Am I good enough for a tennis camp?
If you can rally a little and enjoy the game, almost certainly. Good camps group players by level, and many run groups for improving beginners as well as strong club players. Be honest about your experience when you book and on the first morning, so you land in a group where you can rally, learn and enjoy the points.
How many hours of tennis a day is too much on a camp?
For most adult amateurs, more than four or five hours of hard tennis a day leads to tired, sloppy strokes and sore joints rather than progress. Three to four coached hours, with an optional hour of free play, is a sensible ceiling. A lighter day in the middle of the week helps your body catch up.
Should I choose a camp on clay or on hard courts?
Both work. Clay is easier on the joints, slows the ball and rewards patient rallies, which suits technique work. Hard courts are closer to what many players use at home, so the new timing transfers more directly. If you have a choice, pick the surface you will play on most in the coming months.
