Serve, rally, score is the slogan the ITF uses to explain how tennis can best be introduced to starter players. It is important that coaches make the first experience of the starter player positive. The ITF believes that getting starter players to play the game (serving, rallying and scoring) from the first lesson is vital in ensuring an enjoyable experience that they’ll want to continue.

The ITF Play Tennis Manual in English, Spanish and French, the full versions in eBook format are viewable by clicking below.

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Introduction taken from the ITF Play Tennis Manual

In modern day coaching one of the primary roles of the coach is to organise players to play tennis. In the case of starter players this means getting them to serve, rally and score from the first lesson. The coaches’ ability to teach technique is not as important in starter tennis as their ability to communicate, to entertain and to organise the lesson. It is important that the coach uses the appropriate ball, racket and court size to set up activities and practices that ensure players are serving, rallying and scoring and having fun. In many cases this will involve coaches introducing tennis to children and adults using one of the slower red orange and green balls on a reduced court with smaller rackets for young children.

The first lesson should be both active and entertaining for the players and whilst teaching technique remains important, the ITF recommends that coaches focus first on getting players playing the game and give the necessary and relevant technical and tactical instructions to help the players to play the game even better.

This manual has been produced by the ITF Development Department, and is designed for coaches and teachers who are involved in introducing adults and children to tennis. It provides practical coaching information on how to effectively work with groups of starter players. A key objective of the International Tennis Federation and its “Marketing of the Game” project is to increase tennis participation and it is hoped that this information will help coaches worldwide to increase tennis participation in their respective countries.

This manual has been written for those who are or who would like to work with groups of starter players. Such players could be in Mini Tennis, junior or adult groups. The course and this manual is suitable for:

Existing coaches who would like more ideas on how to organise and teach starter players using a game-based approach

The manual has been designed to support the syllabus of the ITF 'Play Tennis' course and provides information on:

The ITF Play Tennis course has been designed as a course which National Associations can use to help introduce ideas on how to use a game-based approach with starter players. It could be used in different ways:

• As an introductory course for those who would like to go on to attend an ITF or national Level 1 coaches course
• As a short course for teachers, assistants and volunteers who wish to gain ideas on how to introduce tennis to starter players
• As a short course for coaches who wish to gain ideas on how to use a game-based approach to help run stimulating lessons for starter players

We hope that the course and this accompanying manual will assist ITF member nations to educate more coaches and to provide these coaches with the skills necessary to effectively introduce and retain more players in this great game of tennis.